The Meet Cute

Have you watched The Holiday where Cameron Diaz swaps her Hollywood mansion for Kate Winslet’s cute little Surry cottage? If not and you love romcoms then you must. It’s two hours and ten minutes ( according to my DVD) of gorgeousness. My favourite character in the movie (and story line) has to be Arthur played by one of Hollywood’s golden greats, Eli Wallach, you know from The Magnificent Seven, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Misfits to name but a few of his great movies.

 

TL: With Marilyn Monroe, filming The Misfits. BL: The Magnificent Seven. R: As Arthur in The Holiday

In The Holiday, Arthur meets Iris, played by Kate-there’s-not-enough-room-on-this-piece-of-wood-for-you-Jack-Winslet, and he introduces to Iris the phrase, ‘meet cute‘ where the  future romantic couple meet for the first time.

 

As a romantic comedy writer, the ‘meet cute’ is pretty important. Finding different and interesting ways for your romantic couple to meet isn’t as hard as you think either and they come from the most surprising of places when you’re not expecting or looking for it.

Quote from Random Hse, Inc. via wikipedia. Image my own.

 

Recently, a question was posed on social media about the percentage of time thinking about writing and actual writing. I’ve found myself thinking about writing all the time because out of the blue will be a gorgeous ‘meet cute’ moment. Seriously, they’re everywhere.  I’m not looking for it and it doesn’t develop into anything other than in my brain, the story mapping out in front of me. Here’s some examples just from this week alone.

Meet Cute 1

Earlier this week, I had a day trip to London with a friend. We’re busy chatting away whilst coming down the rather long escalator on the London Underground when a man hurries past us only to stop abruptly. The loop from my friend’s cardigan had caught in the zip of his bag. A chance in a million encounter. The bottom of the escalator approached and there was nervous laughter as they tried to unhook each other with comments like ‘what are the odds?’ as others tried to get by. Once off the escalator, they managed to separate. He smiled and said his goodbyes to us then hurried on his way. That was the ‘meet cute’. He was rather cute too. 

In my head, it continued and I shared with my friend that despite him hurrying off to catch his train, he would end up on the same train, in the same carriage and he would smile on seeing her and give up his seat for her. She would smile back and they would laugh about their little entanglement. And chat until she would get up to leave and it’s his stop too. What are the odds? Definitely a ‘meet cute’, all from a tangled cardigan in a zip.  

Meet Cute 2

Whilst walking to the shops, I had to cross over and saw a man walking towards me. unfortunately, the path narrowed due to overgrown hedges and he ended up having to walk on the grass. I apologised babbling about not wanting to get caught in the no doubt beast infested (read little creatures with more than four legs *shudders*) brambles. He smiled saying it was okay. Not really much of a meet cute but then  . . .

In my head for the romantic couple to meet, she would have snagged her clothing on the brambles and he would have stopped to check she was ok. Or he wouldn’t have moved, maybe too busy on his mobile phone and having nowhere to go, she gets knocked into the bushes and falls over. Either way, it’s a ‘meet cute’ moment of the classic boy meets girl. Girl hates boy but you know what happens in the end.

Meet Cute 3

I recently found out that a pharmacist from one of the many chemists in town is really cute. He’s going to make handing over copious amounts of cash for medicines rather easy. Anyway, there was a problem with one of the prescriptions and he put it right. The end.

In my head . . . the problem isn’t resolved easily and the pharmacist asks her questions, trying to get to the bottom of it. She is polite, answering his questions and sees he’s really handsome. His whole face lights up when he smiles and he does smile a lot as he talks to her. A quick scan from her reveals he doesn’t wear a ring.  She doesn’t want to leave. He doesn’t seem in too much of a hurry either despite the queue forming behind her. Could this be love at first sight? He finally sorts out her prescription and hands it over with an accidental slight brush of his hand against hers. And  . . . she  has to leave but they will bump into each other that night in a pub etc and . . . who knows.

So whilst my percentage of thinking about writing is much higher than actually doing it, sometimes the thinking comes out of know where,  from a ‘meet cute’ which inspires the inky fingers to get busy. 

Do you have any ‘meet cute’ moments you’d like to share. You never know, it could appear in a future novel. 

Love Lizzie

 

Find out Katie’s ‘meet cute’ moment in The Adventures of Katie Button, my first romantic comedy. It’s a ‘meet cute’ with a difference. The story continues in Dreaming of a Happy Ever After.  Click the link to see what others are saying in their reviews  . . .  Whaaat?! ‘Bridget Jones’ You Say!

Thanks for reading. x