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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
