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Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week.
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"Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity."
~ Henry Van Dyke
Today is Valentine's Day in the United States. Love is in the air and being celebrated nationwide.
I have friends who hate this holiday and spend the days leading up to it regaling me with bad date stories and crimes of passion ripped from the headlines. "What about those people who try to find love and find a stalker instead? What about when Mr. Right turns out to be Mr. Wrong?"
I think most of us have a romance we're not proud of hidden in our closets. Out of sight, out of mind. While they're a drag when we're in them, they do make for great story fodder. Just ask Taylor Swift.
If you want to write about meeting Mr. Wrong (or Mr. Right, as the case may be) but don't know where to start, there are websites chock full of cautionary tales that may inspire your muse:
 reddit's Lets Not Meet
Just scrolling through the post titles is enough to give you story ideas. A few examples are:
 I Got a Cop Fired and Now I Think He's Stalking Me
 The Man In My Back Yard
 Charmed Like a Snake
 Someone Has Been Coming Into My House When I'm Not Home
 Stranger Breaks In and Watches Me Sleep
 My Screaming May Have Saved My Life
Listverse's Top 10 Horror Stories from Dating Apps
Ex-Date Sends 1,100 Strangers To Him For Sex or Drugs
Men Posing as Women to Rob Their “Dates”
He Was Robbed at Gun Point By His Date and Two Men
His Date Was Paid to Set Up A Robbery Leading to His Death
She Was Attacked and Hospitalized After Breaking It Off
He Went On A Date With A Murderous Cannibal
There are television series dedicated to love gone wrong, like Deadly Women, Snapped, Wicked Attraction, and LMN's I Dated a Psycho , as well as documentaries like The Tinder Swindler, Catfish, Love Fraud, and Swiped: Hooking Up In the Digital Age.
Yet people are still hopeful. Everyone wants to love and be loved. In stark contrast to the sites mentioned above, message boards like Craigslist's "Missed Connections" expose a more tender, optimistic side of those looking for love. Here are a few post titles from New York's page:
You Liked My Truck (Flushing)
You Were Walking Past the Lotus Garden on 97th Street (Upper West Side)
My Morning Walk Where I See You (Battery Park)
We Crossed Paths at CVS on 9th Street in Park Slope, black lab (Brooklyn)
Hey Denise It's Jeff From a Long Time Ago (Rego Park)
Asian Woman Dressed In All Black on 3rd Ave Between 39th and 40th (Midtown East)
Granted, some Missed Connections listings are just plain creepy and weird, but many people have had chance encounters with strangers they'd like to know better and are desperately seeking that one specific needle in a haystack composed of 8.5 million because maybe, just maybe, he or she will turn out to be the love of their life.
Have you written a love story you'd like to share with the WDC community? Every registered author who shares their ideas and/or creative endeavors relating to or inspired by this week's topic will receive an exclusive "Valentine's Day 2024" trinket. The image used to make this month's trinket was created by yours truly. I will retire this month's limited-edition trinket in April when my next short stories newsletter goes live.
"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves."
~ Victor Hugo
Thank you for reading.
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I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. I occasionally feature static items by members who are no longer with us; some have passed away while others simply aren't active members. Their absence doesn't render their work any less relevant, and if it fits the week's topic I will include it.
Thank you, and have a great week!
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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The following is in response to "Blessed Is the Season" :
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Annette  writes: I wrote this Christmas-inspired story of how the world as we know ended and fairies made a comeback. "Christmas For A Whole Week" [13+]
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Writer_Mike  writes: I would be glad to share my little Christmas tale, . Thanks for taking the helm for the Newsletter for this week, and Merry Christmas!
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Princess Megan Rose 22 Years  writes: I do love Christmas. I enjoyed the Jim Carey movie of How The Grinch Stoled Christmas, Miracle On 34h Street and I nevervread The Stupidest Angel. I love Prancer. I saw the one house from Prancer in a town near me. I enjoy Rudolpg, Frosty The Snowman and Christmas Vacation is my favorite. I enjoyed this Christmas Newsletter.
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W.D.Wilcox  writes: Merry Christmas 
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Sum1 writes: One of my Christmas Stories. "A Christmas To Remember"
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dragonwoman  writes: Check the next few days of my flash entries for A Tale Most Rare in several parts. A Christmas story with a difference based on a carol.
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BIG BAD WOLF is hopping  writes: Got some Christmas things here and there.
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Legerdemain  writes: Thank you for featuring my Christmas story "Hitchhiker"
I'd love to have the time to create a collection featuring Gabriel.
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Angelica- Happy May 5th!  writes:P Great opening lines. I have a a hard time deciding my favorite. I don't have a story to share. I think the Grinch took it away. Lol But maybe some coffee will do the trick. It's cold outside.  Merry Christmas!
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JACE - House Targaryen  writes: Written about a snow that started falling on Christmas eve in the early 70's, presents almost took a back seat to our need to get outside and play. "Forecast: Memories" [E]
Oh, and I wonder if anyone has noticed the error in O Henry's, The Gift of the Magi. He writes, “One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies." With 87 cents, there must have been at least 62 cents. I choose to believe there's hope for us all.
 You are correct, sir.
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Jeff  writes: Even though I didn't run in this year, "12 Days of "Christmas"" is my favorite thing I do for the holidays on Writing.com. I love holiday music and it's the perfect, short activity to get people into the mood for the season! 
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Short Stories: February 14, 2024 Issue [#12406]
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