So I finally finished reading the Golden Heart entries for the preliminary judging. My category was novel with strong romantic elements. Whew! I have to say that they weren't better, a few were pretty good but there was one thing that 5 of them had in common.
Cheating Spouses or boyfriends.
Can we just put a moratorium on this plot point please? There has to be some other way for a couple to end their relationship besides the man cheating. How about they've just grown apart? He needs to find himself? He's embezzled all their money. He's decided to become a Catholic priest, a Buddhist monk, an Orthodox Jew and he wants a wife who's religious. Anything but the wife/girlfriend catching him in the act, unless it is with a guy. That would be different.
One of the entries actually had the husband cheating with his dental hygeniest named Tiffany. Seriously, my ex-writing partner/best friend and I used this 11 years ago in a sitcom pilot script. It's now a cliche of a cliche. And why does the other woman have to be such a bitch?
As I said, all the stories were interesting apart from that one plot point. I know that there are only so many plots out there, I think it's about 28, but this one needs to be retired. And I know that men cheat, but I would like at least some originality in the cheating if you're going to use it. Make him a compulsive sex addict, or have him meet up with his old high school sweetheart who is now widowed and he realizes that he never stopped loving her. Or a voodoo spell backfired.
Just throwing that out there for the cosmos.
EKM
One of the best ways to catch cheating spouse is that to keep an open eye to your spouse’s activity. That is not to say you should focus on your spouses every move or assume that h/she is having an affair, but pay attention to their activities and behaviors.
ReplyDelete