Lana Schwartz - Build Your Own Romantic Comedy: Pick Your Plot, Meet Your Man, and Direct Your Happily Ever After

For my mom and dad

Which rom com path is the one for you? Take the quiz here to find out or turn to Chapter One and pick any of the options there!

1. A. Someone who reminds me of my past.
2. B. Royal blood.
3. C. Someone who challenges me.
4. D. A guy I can meet at work.
5. E. A man who sees my full potential.
6. F. Someone who wants to bankrupt my company.
7. G. Power.

1. A. Record store owner.
2. B. Queen of a small, lesser-known country.
3. C. Data entry.
4. D. Editor-in-chief of a female-focused magazine.
5. E. I prefer not to talk about money.
6. F. Bookseller/barista/baker.
7. G. Journalist.

1. A. Moscow Mule.
2. B. Red wine.
3. C. Anything strong works fine.
4. D. Tequila.
5. E. Champagne, preferably opened on the deck of a yacht.
6. F. Coffee.
7. G. Whiskey, neat.

1. A. I prefer small towns.
2. B. Prague.
3. C. Anywhere would be better than here.
4. D. San Francisco, Chicago, somewhere like that.
5. E. Newport, Rhode Island.
6. F. New York City, is there anywhere else?
7. G. Any city free from corruption.

Back to your hometown you go to reconnect with your high school crush. Turn to the rose on .

We see a prince in your future. Begin at the rose on .

Youre not thrilled with your dead-end job, but that doesnt mean theres not something better in your future. Start at the palm tree on .

Youve got a magazine to save! Turn to the sun on .

Has anyone ever mistaken you for someone else, or told you that you remind them of someone? Start off at the palm tree on to get a taste of what their life might be like.

Youre all about that bookstore life. Turn to the coffee cup on .

Somethings up at the mayors office, and youre determined to find out what it is. Turn to the pencil on .

J ENNY : Our plucky heroine who gets back up every time she gets knocked down, again and againand well, again. She believes women can have it allboth a great relationship and a killer careerand shes not going to stop until she has the best of both. Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada, with hints of Meg Ryan in all of the Nora Ephron movies and a twist of Kate Hudson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

T OM : That guy who drives you absolutely crazy, but you just cant stay away from. Smart, funny, handsome, and he knows it. A suave and smooth talker who might make you roll your eyes, but youd still rather listen to him talk than anyone else. James Marsden in 27 Dresses and Glen Powell in Set It Up, mixed with Henry Golding from Crazy Rich Asians and Mark Ruffalo in 13 Going on 30.

D AVE : A scruffy, lovable guy, who just wants a nice girl to watch his favorite TV show with. Isnt that really what life is all about, anyway? Think Bill Pullman in Sleepless in Seattle meets Chris Pratt in Bride Wars.

CJ: Jennys BFF, whos always there to lend an ear, or a wisecrack when Jenny needs it most, but that doesnt mean she doesnt have her own needs, wants, or desires. Judy Greer in basically every romantic comedy shes ever been in.

N ATASHA : Your classic rom com villain, who has the man you want, or is actively plotting to steal him from you. Impossibly gorgeous, sophisticated, and seemingly everything youre not. Cameron Diaz in My Best Friends Wedding, if she were a bad person, or Tess from 27 Dresses.

C YNTHIA : That impossible-to-please rom com boss, who seems to exist only to make your life miserable, but every once in a while, if you look closely, an ounce of vulnerability seems to shine through. Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, obviously, plus Lucy Liu in Set It Up.

C ECILIA : A ritzy, proper type who hasnt stepped below 59th Street in Manhattan in at least 30 years, if ever. Think Susan Sullivan in My Best Friends Wedding, or Candice Bergen in Bride Wars.

M AURICIO : The man whos here to make you an entirely new woman. Your fairy godfather, if you will. Larry Miller in The Princess Diaries, or Hector Elizondo in Pretty Woman.

T HE Q UEEN : Regal and impossibly intimidating, the Queen knows whats best for everyone, even if they cant see it for themselves. Julie Andrews in The Princess Diaries meets Michelle Yeoh in Crazy Rich Asians.

Its a beautiful day in New York City. The sun is shining. The chirping birds are as loud as the tiny children who populate this West Village neighborhood are quiet. Jenny doesnt wait for the Walk sign as she crosses the streetthe Walk sign waits for her. Its the kind of morning that makes her remember why she moved here from her small town in another, less important part of America. The kind of morning that makes it seems like her dreams are within reach. Because they are! If things go well at work todaywhich they will, because they have toshell be even closer to showing the world that she is somebody.

She arrives at her favorite coffee shop at 9:10 a.m., 10 minutes later than she normally does, which means shes 10 minutes behind schedule, and that means Jenny can only spend two minutes at the coffee shop, rather than her usual allotted five minutes. Because if she spends her usual five minutes at the coffee shop, shell be late for workand she cannot be late for work. Not today.

Jenny picks up her scalding-hot, triple-shot, extra-large latte and heads toward the door, ready to take on the day.

But then, out of nowherethudand the latte has been spilled all over her meticulously chosen, very expensive, dry-clean-only white blouse.

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. This cant be happening, she says.

Napkin? asks the source of the thud. A man. Of course. He holds a napkin out to her, but the expression on his face is too smug to render it a peace offering.