1. Goldie

    Goldie New Member

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    Chick-Lit. The good, the bad, and the downright awful.

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Goldie, Sep 30, 2009.

    I've been writing fantasy for, gosh, who knows how long. I want to branch off of that and go into something more modern. No matter how much I adore elves, I'd like to write something more along the lines of "chick-lit."

    What defines this genre? I've read more than a few, but I'm curious as to everyone else's thoughts. The cliches in chick-lit are, as from what I've seen, as follows:

    - abuse (usually the man hitting the woman, or of a substance)
    - single mothers
    - cheating or other marital problems
    - rebellious children (usually of the single mother)
    - man-hating (unfortunately)

    Those are the few that I can think of at 7am without sleep.

    I'm not sure if this goes in this forum or not, but it seemed more of a general writing question than anything else. It's not strictly about plot, I don't think it would be considered research in its traditional meaning, and it's not really about character development. But I wouldn't be upset if a mod moved it because I got confused.
     
  2. baillie

    baillie New Member

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    Relationships.
    Single Life/ Dating.
    Shopping.
    Working.
    Nightlife.
    Friendships.
    Love.
     
  3. architectus

    architectus Banned

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    Trying to get their dream job, but realizing by the end it was not the right job for them. They end up finding their true role in life.

    They seem to focus just as much on family and friendships as on the building romance.
     
  4. HorusEye

    HorusEye Contributor Contributor

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    I was unaware that chick-lit was a genre and that it must consist of cliches.
     
  5. thecommabandit

    thecommabandit New Member

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    Chick-lit is a genre and there's a fine line between a genre-defining characteristic and a cliché.
     
  6. Wreybies

    Wreybies Thrice Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Um..... We're not talking about these?

    [​IMG]
     
  7. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    When you say chick-lit is a genre, do you mean it is recognized as such by one or more publishers? Or do you simply mean you recognize it as a distinct category?

    A publisher-recognized genre means there are set guidelines for classifying a work in that genre, and these criteria are used in selecting or rejecting manuscripts based on the publisher's assessment of audience appeal/marketablility.

    On the other hand, if the "genre" is an arbitrary classification not based on any publisher definition, then you can hardly complain that all the stories you classify that way have the same elements; if they didn't, chances are you wouldn't classify them as being in that genre. Meanwhile, they have to fall within whatever guidelines te publsihers impose for the genre the publisher classifies it in.

    I confess that I'm not very knowledgeable in fiction classificatiuons that would likely be called chick-lit, so I don't know if that is really a recognized genre.
     
  8. Phantasmal Reality

    Phantasmal Reality New Member

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    In the strictest sense, wouldn't "chick-lit" be anything that "chicks" enjoy reading? I know that's pretty vague and broad, but I'm just throwing it out there. XD
     
  9. marina

    marina Contributor Contributor

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    I can't stand chick-lit because the women always sound so whiny and needy and materialistic. But one author who is just so witty that I will lower my standards (just kidding) and read her stuff is Sophie Kinsella. My 3 favorites by her are: Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, and Confessions of a Shopaholic.
     
  10. sorites

    sorites New Member

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    No. Chick lit is to books what chick flicks are to movies. A woman can like a movie without it being considered a chick flick.

    Just got to Amazon and search for "chick lit." You'll get plenty of examples, including some books on how to write chick lit. I'd say it's definitely a genre the industry recognizes.
     

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