I’m fascinated by the inner-workings of the male mind, particularly when it comes to the most noble of male pursuits: meeting women. Since this theme factors prominently into the plot of most romance novels, I pay attention when the boys start talking.
The other night, Housemate 1 and Housemate 2 were gathered at my kitchen table eating mint Oreos and discussing the motorcycle rally Housemate 2 just attended. My dog Bindi lay adoringly at their feet, waiting for someone to either throw a ball or drop a cookie.
The conversation went something like this:
Housemate 2: Lotta guys at the rally had sidecars so their dogs could ride along.
Housemate 1: We should get one for Bindi. Can you imagine what a chick magnet she’d be riding in a sidecar wearing a pair of Doggles?
Housemate 2: Doggles?
Housemate 1: Goggles for dogs.
They both sat and pondered that for awhile, probably imagining a string of women lined up waiting to dive topless into the sidecar upon seeing my adorably attired canine.
Housemate 1: How hard do you think it would be to teach her to chase a ball in the park and then drop it at the feet of a good looking girl?
Housemate 2: Probably not too hard. She’s smart. There could be a special command so she knows which girls are hot.
Housemate 1: It’d be even better if we could convince girls she’s a puppy. Puppies are good chick magnets.
Housemate 2: She does look sort of like a German Shepherd puppy.
They both stared at my dog, still contemplating her chick magnet properties. Bindi whined and nudged her ball toward Housemate 2’s shoe.
Housemate 1: Or we could just throw the ball and accidentally hit the hot girl with it.
Housemate 2: Yeah, and then go apologize and let her pet the cute puppy.
Housemate 1: And offer to help wipe the dog slobber off where the ball hit her.
The conversation continued on like this for quite awhile, with the housemates contemplating several more strategies for using my dog to get girls.
Part of me wanted to ask if it had ever occurred to either of them to skip the gimmicks and just TALK to a girl.
Then again, what’s the fun in that? Isn’t there something flattering about being approached in a unique way? Not that getting smacked in the forehead with a slobbery tennis ball is a turn-on, but it’s certainly an attention-getter when someone makes a creative effort.
It’s true especially in romance novels, where you seldom have two characters get together without a meet cute. The hero and heroine in Making Waves meet in a Caribbean bar and end up posing as honeymooners to win money in a beachside Newlywed Game. The twosome in my second contracted novel meet when she mistakes him for an intruder in her mom’s psychic studio and threatens to brain him with a Budha statue.
Got any examples of a “meet cute” from your real life or your writing? What’s the most interesting way someone’s approached you or you’ve approached them? Please share.
I’ve got to get my dog ready for her debut as a chick magnet. Do you think she needs the pink Doggles or the red ones?
28 comments :
I don't have anything intelligent to say. I'm too excited, because for the first time, it looks like I'm gonna be your first commenter. OMG. I don't know if I can stand the excitement. And crap. Here I am, blowing the opportunity ... (sigh)
Dogs are definitely a chick-magnet. You should let them take Bindy for a stroll and see how they do!
My favorite meet-cute from my writing is through a wrong number. Ah phone books, you are so charmingly inaccurate!
- Liz
My MC meets her love interest at her grandmother's funeral. It's a meet, but I don't think it necessarily qualifies as cute. The one I'm writing now doesn't really qualify, either. But then, I don't write romance.
However -- and this is way more important -- Bindi needs the red Doggles.
When I was in high school, I rode a public bus to school. (HOLY GOD, I NEARLY FORGOT THE L IN PUBLIC) Most days, I had to stand, hanging on to the strap. Hard to do with an arm full of books. So I always tried for one of the poles.
Not a good idea when the bus driver had to stop short. I ended up whipping around the pole like a stripper on her first day on the job, landing in the lap of some poor guy trying to read his newspaper. I blinked up at him, tomato red, he stared down at me, swallowed a few times and finally said, "I'm Brian."
My significant other used to take our German Shepherd puppy to the park on his lunch break. Every day, he'd come home telling me what a chick magnet the pup was. He has blue doggles but for your pup, I'd suggest the red ones.
Doggles, let me tell you, always draw a crowd.
Now I'm dying to read that second book with the psychic studio and buddha statue!!!!
And I think Bindi is adorable regardless of doggle style. heehee.
Pink Doggles all the way!!! LOL.
Okay, your housemates are freaking hysterical. Love it. I love planning the meet cutes. It's so fun trying to find creative ways to have the MCs meet. :)
LOL, guys are hilarious. (Go for the pink doggles by the way!)
I actually overheard 2 teenage boys talking about a girl one of them liked. Teen 2 says, "She doesn't like you?" Teen 1 says, "No, she said I wasn't her type. She didn't say I was ugly or anything." I laughed and laughed (quietly, to myself)
With that gorgeous dark fur? I'd go with the red doggles.
My Dad piled freshly-killed flies on my mother's desk in grad school to get her attention.
He thought he only wanted someone to drive him to class and back for the summer session, but Mom was patient and waited for him to figure it out. Took a while (Mom says he was cute but clueless, and Dad doesn't argue), but they just celebrated their 49th Anniversary.
RED Doggles FTW!
Pink.
Also, Buddha has two Ds.
Now, I'm probably the exception to the rule, but IMHO, hitting on women who are strangers in real life is not cool. Not smooth, not funny, it's just rude. I mean I don't want random women hitting on me, why would I do it to them?
All the women I've ever been romantically involved with I've met through mutual friends, or already knew because of work or school or whatever.
Not that real life ought to have anything to do with romantic comedies.
And, I do have a sort of cute meet cute story for you. The mother of my children and I met when she was 16 and I was 18. She was skipping school and her girlfriend was dating my buddy, so they had broken into his house when his parents were out of town, to get at the liquor cabinet. We found them passed out in his room when we got back. A third friend of mine offered to give her a ride home, and I went with, climbing into the back seat with her right away because she was so beautiful.
We've been together (on and off) ever since.
Lol... sooo funny! Nice to have inspiration in your own backyard so to speak :)
I think the pink doggles would be sooo cute! Also, am I the only one the video link won't work for?
OMG! I thought I was a RomCom whiz. I had no idea what a cute meet was. Who knew?!?
I definitely think the red doggles. We can't have other doggies knowing where she's looking and the pink ones are too transparent.
I never thought about it but a planned cute meet would probbably work really well in a romance novel. Especially if it goes spectaculary, hilariously wrong.
Anyway.
I vote for the pink doggles.
I had a good friend in college who bought a St. Bernard. He lived in an apartment for chrissakes. Went about wandering the parks claiming that Brutus was his "chick magnet". Don't believe it work for him.
I feel like my life is full of "meet cutes." If they don't exactly qualify, at least they were cute ways to meet :)
My high-school boyfriend and I met on the advertising committee for our theatre group...he was there to replace me.
My college boyfriend was a fun meet. My roomate had brought him back along with his cousin from a dance, and they were all hanging out in the living room. I was in my pajamas, having been way too anti-social and too much of a bum to step foot on a dance floor. I came out of my room to get into the fridge and drink something straight out of a carton. On my way back, passing through the living room, my (future) bf stood up and introduced himself.
"Hey, I'm Logan," he said.
I looked him up and down and said, "Can I call you Attractive?"
I stayed long enough to appreciate the look on his face, and then went back to my room.
My husband? I was serving a mission for my church for a year and a half and my husband met my sister. Although he had a gf, she insisted that I was perfect for him and he was going to marry me. We had never met. One day he was hanging out with my sister and her husband. He was sad, and my sister asked him why. He'd just broken up with his gf. My sister happily told him it was all for the best because he was going to marry me, and gave him my address so he could write me. He did. I wrote back. I came home. We met. We got married.
Man guys will do anything to pick up a girl :)
Personally, I like pickups that are either completely outrageously funny, or aren't really pickups at all- like a casual, witty chat.
Go for the pink doggles. They are much more stylish.
I love college guys. Your housemates are hilarious. And poor Bindi, sitting there hoping for cookies or playtime and getting nothing.
That's friggin hilarious lol My husband's friend goes with him to the park where my super cute 2yr old son plays--apparently cute little boys are chick magnets...
And red goggles.
LOL love the dialogue between your housemates! I enjoyed all the stories in the comments too. :D
Patti - that's what happens on Tawna's blog. It's the spell she casts.
As for the dog...I've never tried it. Then again, I've been married the whole time I have dogs, so why would I?
However, I think what we really need here are blog nicknames for your roomies. You should have a contest to name them. :)
Pink!!! (Now we need some, but I don't think a retired K-9 would look as cool in these as WE think he would.)
Julie
Bindi would totally rock the pink doggles (what an awesome name!). And there's nothing better than a meet cute. After all, don't we want the guy to make us laugh? Humor's the number one attractor (according to both Cosmo and Glamour!).
Tawna,
I can't help but think Roommate 1 and Roommate 2 are kind of boring names, and not at all descriptive (other than describing their roommateness.) So, if you're ever at a loss for new contest ideas, I think giving your readers a chance to name the hotties for your blog would be... interesting. :)
In Chicago people don't normally talk to strangers; the only strangers who talk to me are normally trying to sell me something/hit on me/convert me/rob me. So it's much easier to break the ice with dogs. I'm going to be dog-sitting for my parents pretty soon, and I have to admit that I'm going to use my parents' dogs as an excuse to talk to cute guys walking their dogs.
I like the idea of pink Doggles.
PINK doggles. And I love the exchange between your housemates. Grist for the mill.
Look forward to reading your book.
Blessings, Barb
Definitely the red doggles! What a great story. :)
does walking a cute dog work at all as a guy magnet? tempted to take my dog out in public this summer.
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