Marisa

At 8:07 he walked through the lobby doors and just as planned, I stood up and smiled at him, resting my hands to my sides. He looked even more like General Hospital’s Sonny Corinthos from the Sonny/Brenda years in person than he did on our pre-date video chat. Similar to Sonny’s, his dark brown hair was a long buzz cut and he had to be around five foot nine/five foot ten, just like the actor who played Sonny—Maurice Benard. Instead of Sonny/Maurice’s brown eyes, he had pulsating ocean blue eyes that had my lady parts screaming. And the dimples… my panties were mentally already off; it was like he was trying to seduce me with fashion, wearing exactly what I loved. Tight gray dress pants, brown belt, button-up navy top that exposed just enough of his hairless chest to make me wonder what the rest looked like, and brown leather loafers. Navy tops on men are my weakness, and the tightness in his shirt showed he works out but is not too bulky. We were off to a good start. If the dating Gods were about to fulfill my celebrity crush fantasy, I was here for it. “I like this. You look very pretty,” he said as he tugged on my skirt and pulled me into him for a hug. I thanked him as I blushed and felt my body tingle “Should we have that drink?” He asked. I smiled and nodded yes. He put his arm out for me to grab and we walked over to the bar. His voice sounded a little differently than it did on our call—raspy—like he did not get much sleep the night prior. He then caught me off guard when he pulled my bar stool out for me. I tilted my head slightly, smiled, and thanked him. “What are we drinking tonight?” The bartender asked as he set down a coaster. “Let me guess, you like sweet drinks?” ‘Sonny’ asked. Correct. Maybe because in one of our conversations I told him how I was a chocolate chip cookie monster. “Of course,” I chuckled. “But, I’ve been trying to cut back on the sugar at night. How about a dry glass of wine? Whatever you think is good?” I asked in a bit of ditsy way. I was not a dits at all, the complete opposite, actually; intelligent and educated, but that tone just kind of came out. My date sounded like he knew a thing or two about wine considering the way he confidently asked the bartender if he had any dry whites from San Gimignano. The bartender looked through a few bottles then held up an Italian Sauvignon Blanc with a pretty label—gold and yellow with black writing in some kind of old world script above an outline of what looked like an old church. My date looked at me for confirmation and asked what I thought. I nodded yes and smiled. As someone who works in public relations, pretty things like labels, and Italian men from Philly, garnered my attention. I took my first sip and let out an accidental soft moan followed by a wipe of the liquid off my lips with my dainty fingers, like I had just tasted the best wine drink in existence, which I think caught him off guard based on how big his eyes seemed to get bigger watching me. The wine was delicious, just like I’m sure he would taste. The sight of him alone made me want to rip his clothes off right there at that bar, without caring who saw. Better yet, let them get a show. “Sip?” I asked as I held out the glass in his direction, exposing my red finger nails. He carefully took a sip and agreed. “Very good!” My date was gently-spoken and communicated calmly in a low volume, unlike most other Italian men I had known. His energy felt kind and mysterious. Not mysterious quite like I bury bodies like Sonny, but like, he had been through some stuff and did not open up much. He sipped on his Maker’s Manhattan and looked into my eyes. “So, Annie. How did you get here? Agreeing to possibly have a one-night stand with a stranger you met on Instagram?” I gulped. Yes, we did have that conversation, but as he said those words out loud, my eyes did a quick scan around to see if anyone heard. “I could ask you the same thing?” “Fair enough. An ex-wife.” That was it. Short, and to the point, making me wonder what she did, knowing, since I’d never see this man again per our agreement, it did not matter.

FIRST ASSIGNMENT: write your story statement. Annie had a plan for her life: attend college in NYC, land her first job at a PR agency in NYC, get promoted to a PR leadership position, and convince her high school sweetheart who she would marry to move just outside NYC (instead of the PA mountains like he dreamed), where they would raise the three kids they would have. All of that was seemingly going as planned while the sweetheart convincing was being worked on, until one night when a bomb of a secret was dropped that would change both their lives forever. This new information forces Annie to navigate a different path and life that does not look exactly like she envisioned. SECOND ASSIGNMENT: in 200 words or less, sketch the antagonist or antagonistic force in your story. Keep in mind their goals, their background, and the ways they react to the world about them. Annie struggles with her feelings for Gio. She thinks she should not have them since their agreement was one-night only. She then tries to date other men and can’t feel for them what she feels for them which is an internal battle for her. She does not exactly want to date Gio because he’s not available and she’s ready for settle down with her person. She wants to feel what she feels for him with a man who is available and this is a constant battle she struggles with. THIRD ASSIGNMENT: create a breakout title (list several options, not more than three, and revisit to edit as needed). Never Fall in Love With a One Night Stand He Ruined Me The Ruined Affair FOURTH ASSIGNMENT: - Read this NWOE article on comparables then return here. Romance Never Give Your Heart to a Hookup - Lauren Landish - 4.1 Goodreads Before We Were Strangers - Renee Carlino - 4.1 Goodreads FIFTH ASSIGNMENT: write your own hook line (logline) with conflict and core wound following the format above. Though you may not have one now, keep in mind this is a great developmental tool. In other words, you best begin focusing on this if you're serious about commercial publication. Core wound and primary conflict: Main character had a miscarriage with her cheating ex-fiance, throwing her life plans for a loop and forcing her to start dating in her 30s. She’s learning that dating in NYC is not all that great due to it being so casual when she wants serious. On her dating journey, she spends one night with a guy who she ends up falling in love with, but he’s completely unavailable to her. Possible deeper dive of the potential core wound and primary conflict: Wanting out of relationship/cheating ex and miscarriage miscarriage/cheating ex or Dating in NYC is not going to her liking/she falls in love with a one night stand Afraid she would not find someone better than her high school sweetheart, Annie accepted his proposal and uprooted her life for him. For the first time since high school, the two of them would finally not be in a long-distance relationship but she has second thoughts about it. When she finds out she’s pregnant, she accepts her faith, until he exposes a secret four weeks before their wedding—a one night stand he had two years ago, which he recently learned resulted in a baby. He was forced to tell Annie this secret. Around the same time, Annie has a miscarriage. She feels betrayed by her now ex and is mourning the loss of a baby she wanted so badly with days numbered due to her age. SIXTH ASSIGNMENT: sketch out the conditions for the inner conflict your protagonist will have. Why will they feel in turmoil? Conflicted? Anxious? Sketch out one hypothetical scenario in the story wherein this would be the case--consider the trigger and the reaction. Annie is conflicted about leaving Jacob because they are now in their 30s and have been together since high school. Trigger: they grew up together and have both changed. She’s scared she won’t find someone better—Jacob is a great catch. She instead, accepts his proposal. Next, likewise sketch a hypothetical scenario for the "secondary conflict" involving the social environment. Will this involve family? Friends? Associates? What is the nature of it? Jacob has a one-night stand, cheating on her, which resulted in a baby. Around the same time he found out the ONS had a baby, Annie miscarries her baby. She feels betrayed and is more upset about the miscarriage than anything, since she was already having second thoughts about being with him. FINAL ASSIGNMENT: sketch out your setting in detail. What makes it interesting enough, scene by scene, to allow for uniqueness and cinema in your narrative and story? Please don't simply repeat what you already have which may well be too quiet. You can change it. That's why you're here! Start now. Imagination is your best friend, and be aggressive with it. Annie lives in NYC and this is where she is doing most of her dating/has the dating adventures talked about in the story. For a brief time, she moves to PA with her fiance/ex-fiance. Years are before the pandemic.

FIRST ASSIGNMENT: write your story statement. Annie had a plan for her life: attend college in NYC, land her first job at a PR agency in NYC, get promoted to a PR leadership position, and convince her high school sweetheart who she would marry to move just outside NYC (instead of the PA mountains like he dreamed), where they would raise the three kids they would have. All of that was seemingly going as planned while the sweetheart convincing was being worked on, until one night when a bomb of a secret was dropped that would change both their lives forever. This new information forces Annie to navigate a different path and life that does not look exactly like she envisioned. SECOND ASSIGNMENT: in 200 words or less, sketch the antagonist or antagonistic force in your story. Keep in mind their goals, their background, and the ways they react to the world about them Annie struggles with her feelings for Gio. She thinks she should not have them since their agreement was one-night only. She then tries to date other men and can’t feel for them what she feels for them which is an internal battle for her. She does not exactly want to date Gio because he’s not available and she’s ready for settle down with her person. She wants to feel what she feels for him with a man who is available and this is a constant battle she struggles with. THIRD ASSIGNMENT: create a breakout title (list several options, not more than three, and revisit to edit as needed). Never Fall in Love With a One Night Stand He Ruined Me The Ruined Affair FOURTH ASSIGNMENT: - Read this NWOE article on comparables then return here. Romance Never Give Your Heart to a Hookup - Lauren Landish - 4.1 Goodreads 2nd: Still reading to determine. FIFTH ASSIGNMENT: write your own hook line (logline) with conflict and core wound following the format above. Though you may not have one now, keep in mind this is a great developmental tool. In other words, you best begin focusing on this if you're serious about commercial publication. Core wound and primary conflict: Main character had a miscarriage with her cheating ex-fiance, throwing her life plans for a loop and forcing her to start dating in her 30s. She’s learning that dating in NYC is not all that great due to it being so casual when she wants serious. On her dating journey, she spends one night with a guy who she ends up falling in love with, but he’s completely unavailable to her. Possible deeper dive of the potential core wound and primary conflict: Wanting out of relationship/cheating ex and miscarriage miscarriage/cheating ex or Dating in NYC is not going to her liking/she falls in love with a one night stand Afraid she would not find someone better than her high school sweetheart, Annie accepted his proposal and uprooted her life for him. For the first time since high school, the two of them would finally not be in a long-distance relationship but she has second thoughts about it. When she finds out she’s pregnant, she accepts her faith, until he exposes a secret four weeks before their wedding—a one night stand he had two years ago, which he recently learned resulted in a baby. He was forced to tell Annie this secret. Around the same time, Annie has a miscarriage. She feels betrayed by her now ex and is mourning the loss of a baby she wanted so badly with days numbered due to her age. SIXTH ASSIGNMENT: sketch out the conditions for the inner conflict your protagonist will have. Why will they feel in turmoil? Conflicted? Anxious? Sketch out one hypothetical scenario in the story wherein this would be the case--consider the trigger and the reaction. Annie is conflicted about leaving Jacob because they are now in their 30s and have been together since high school. Trigger: they grew up together and have both changed. She’s scared she won’t find someone better—Jacob is a great catch. She instead, accepts his proposal. Next, likewise sketch a hypothetical scenario for the "secondary conflict" involving the social environment. Will this involve family? Friends? Associates? What is the nature of it? Jacob has a one-night stand, cheating on her, which resulted in a baby. Around the same time he found out the ONS had a baby, Annie miscarries her baby. She feels betrayed and is more upset about the miscarriage than anything, since she was already having second thoughts about being with him. FINAL ASSIGNMENT: sketch out your setting in detail. What makes it interesting enough, scene by scene, to allow for uniqueness and cinema in your narrative and story? Please don't simply repeat what you already have which may well be too quiet. You can change it. That's why you're here! Start now. Imagination is your best friend, and be aggressive with it. Annie lives in NYC and this is where she is doing most of her dating/has the dating adventures talked about in the story. For a brief time, she moves to PA with her fiance/ex-fiance. Years are before the pandemic.