When the cute stranger offered to share their umbrella and sparks began to fly between them, Hayley had to admit it: DESTINY RULES. Who knew a rerouted bus stop and a sudden downpour would end up like this?
Send your entry in 1,000-5,000 words by email to submissions@writersworkout.net OR upload your document through our DropBox app before 12 am on the cusp of Tuesday, UTC. Remember to include your Title Information specifics: Name, Title, Event Name, Word Count. May the words flow to your victory.
Core Concepts: dialogue, foreshadowing
Oh no! Meet cute! @The Writer's Workout why you hate me so? LOL
Just to clarify. This is purely an example, it doesn't have to be a bus stop and an umbrella that causes our couple to meet, as long as it is somewhere interesting, right?
Hi Matthew! You're correct, this is just an example. As long as they meet and the sparks fly, you're good to go!
Correct! Your characters can meet anywhere you like! There just has to be reciprocated romance between them.
So, the whole story doesn’t have to be about the moment, right? The adorable moment where they meet just has to be in the story? Like you can build up to it and end with it? Or start with it and then tell what happens after? Or have it anywhere in between?
Also, this can be any genre, right?
Sorry for spit balling the questions! Thanks for all your help!
Hi Jessica! It's totally up to you when in the story you'd like your characters to meet. Just be sure there is reciprocated romance between them before the end of the story! And yes, you can write with any genre in mind! Thank you for the questions!
Hi Jessica! The moment of their meeting should be central to the story, but it can come up anywhere! Any genre is welcome so long as there are reciprocated romantic feelings between the characters before the end!
Thank you both for the quick replies!
I am so out of my depth... gotta dig deep... Does this type of story require a happily ever after, or can it end bittersweet?
Great question! It can end any way you want it to, so long as there is a meeting and reciprocated romantic feelings!
Am I the only one struggling with romance? Don't want to end up writing an excerpt from a chick lit/MillsnBoon aghhhh cringe
I also struggle to write romantic relationships but luckily, this can be any genre you want as long as they meet and reciprocate romantic feelings.
You are not the only one struggling at all! That picture about sums up my feelings on it!
Not got a clue how I'm going to do this one.
@Lauren Sibley I'm staring at my notes trying to figure out whether it's too crass for people to fall in love while investigating a homicide.
Provided that it still develops into something romantic, can we have more than 2 characters involved in the meet cute? So, say an established couple meets a third, or three characters meet at once and become a love triangle/happy thruple?
Great question! Absolutely, as long as (at least) two characters meet and there are reciprocated romantic feelings between them.
@Alexceunna perfect, thanks!
Another curveball; I really can't figure out the cryptic clues. I thought this was about Man's struggle against destiny and now I find it is about a romantic hook up. If it wasn't for the Forum questions, I'd have no idea what was being asked for.
Hi Glynn,
We provide definitions of all the Events on the Tips & Events page but they're not required for success in the Event. The announcement style we used for this Event provides an example of what your story could look like (though you should always create your own idea).
@The Writer's Workout Thanks. Perhaps a summary sentence could be added in future, such as "Please craft a 1,000-5,000 story in which a couple meet serendipitously and romance ensues." It might be useful.
Does it have to be a love at first sight sort of thing? Or can it be enemies turn into lovers? Like they feel something when they meet, but they're both incredibly socially awkward and misinterpret that as hostility, for example.
Hi! Good question. As long as there are mutual romantic feelings between the characters, they can have any dynamic you want!
My story feels so cheesy! This is so not my genre, but hey, that's why I sign up for this. Thanks for taking me out of my comfort zone.
I bet you'll do great, Katie!
Ugh. I was planning some other sort of "destiny" story until I read the forum and saw all the "romance" comments. So to be clear, it DOES have to have a romantic thread running through it, as opposed to say, some other sort of date with destiny?
@jenniacook Yes, reciprocated romance does need to be a central theme. You can spin your genre anyway you'd like, though, just as long as that is present! Good luck!
Hi there! Just to confirm: This does NOT have to be a Romantic Comedy/Meet Cute, correct? As long as there's some level of attraction that blossoms between two characters, we can run the gamut of genres?
@Lisa Fox Good question! Yes, you can write in whichever genre you prefer, as long as there are reciprocated romantic feelings between the characters.
Hope your meet-cutes are in because Destiny Rules is now CLOSED!
I sent my entry from a different email than I registered with. I did send a follow up email explaining that. Is there anything else I should do about that? Thank you!
@Savannah Conley Hi Savannah, they're not picky about which email address you use. They verify authors with the roster as the primary step and if they can't find that name, then they look at email addresses.
Sent in with seconds to go. I hope. It is not my best work, and I had to end it quit abruptly.
Same here. You could definitely call me a procrastinator. I am really excited to have entered my first ever story though!
I wanted to keep writing, but I also wanted to submit. I did not explain more like I wanted so I know that will be part of the feedback.
I will hand it to you silly @The Writer's Workout people... you do force us to sometimes write the things we would never write. Or look at a prompt in a different way. I started 3 stories this weekend. I decided about 17 times that I would throw in the towel & just wasn't going to submit this week. (Which I have never even considered before.)
And then I finished something and submitted it. Win, lose, or draw, I did the thing. <pats self on back> Good job everyone else who did the thing!
Two weeks in a row, I have now written a short story. Romance. One genre I would NEVER have attempted. I'm glad I did.
I wasn’t sure I’d have enough spoons to write something this time, after a crazy weekend, but I managed to squeak something in just in time!
A sick husband and Yom Kippur... not a great weekend for writing. But I still submitted a story. Romance is not what I do best.
Me either, it was a serious struggle. I didn't even get mine written!
@The Writer's Workout I'm seriously surprised I came up with anything at all. I struggled with a cohesive plot until around 10am yesterday morning.
I abandoned three ideas that I just wasn't feeling and, as of Monday morning, was committed to just letting this one go. But, a random memory popped into my brain early Monday morning, leading to a "what if" moment and then to a story I was really into. Wrote something I actually liked and got it in before deadline. Boy is this game a mind-twist! ("Twist," of course, is a proxy for a word you probably don't want me writing on this forum! Ha!) Thanks again for another adventure. It was - dare I say - fun.
Congratulations! It's always fun to see where the ideas come from and whether (and how much) people struggle with their own process. It's such a weird moment when we've all but given up and then out of nowhere, inspiration strikes!
I got the seed of an idea Saturday. It went nowhere until Saturday night. I couldn't figure out the ending or how all the pieces fit together. I still wrote though. Monday, I still didn't know how to end it. I wanted to giveup, I paced around my house all day, like I was high on caffeine. I made myself sit down and write cause the clock was ticking and then boom! My ending came to me. It was thrilling😍