I was explaining Chick Lit to someone the other day, or trying to explain it since that genre isn’ t my forté and I haven’t read much of it. To be honest, I started one or two of them and set them aside. But I wanted something light recently to read in between two fairly heavy reads (yes, I have made a habit in the past few years of reading 2-3 books at once – why not, since I write 2-3 books at once?) so I grabbed one from my to-read shelf I’d picked up at a library sale some time ago. The whole thing screamed Chick Lit and light easy read, from cover to description.
The first third of the book definitely screamed Chick Lit. And then it changed. But back to that later…
While explaining Chick Lit, I compared it to Women’s Fiction, which is a term I don’t appreciate a lot since it’s mainstream fiction that would just be called Fiction if centered on a male character and was written by a male (why not Men’s Fiction, then?). Anyway, I said Chick Lit is a lighter version of Women’s Fiction, usually centered on 30-40 somethings, working moms and career women, usually light and humorous but with serious issues such as marital problems or trying to date with children involved and so on.
When Chick Lit was first labeled as such, it was meant as a derisive term, meaning throw-away type books only suitable for women who didn’t want to read “serious” literature. Hm. Like many derisive labels, authors and readers of Chick Lit grabbed the term and gladly used it to define what they were writing or reading and fully enjoying. There are wonderful Chick Lit books out there by a myriad of authors - female authors talking with their readers about specifically female issues in a nice camaraderie style, with humor, because let’s face it, the strongest women do have a good sense of humor that helps us deal with everything under the sun.
Back in 2009, I wrote a post about my genre and how to define it since it doesn’t fit neatly into any one category already accepted in the industry. Author Sydney Logan stopped by that old post yesterday to comment. Apparently, she writes the way I do: with deep social issues and commentary highlighted by a budding/growing romance that becomes central to the story. How wonderful! I see on her blog that she’s been compared to Nicholas Sparks, as I have as well, but I haven’t seen Sparks called anything but a romance writer. Maybe it’s time for a new label to take hold, a different offshoot of women’s fiction (that men can use, as well, if it fits). But the question is still: What do we call it?
Author Celia Yeary wrote a post recently about the difference between romances and love stories. One publisher defined a love story as of a married couple, but I think that limits the definition far too much. All of my books can be called love stories but the characters aren’t married and may not get married. Love doesn’t always equal marriage; sometimes love equals letting go because it’s better for one or both of you. It’s still a love story.
And then, of course, there’s the new genre New Adult, which I love, because I write plenty of that. It’s somewhere between teen romance/young adult and adult romance. It focuses on legal aged teens and twenties but it’s romance more than coming-of-age and a bit past coming-of-age from what I gather so far. Some of my work fits the New Adult category, but much of it doesn’t.
I still call what I do Literary Romance. So far, it’s not a very trusted genre term when I use it because people haven’t heard it, or because literary fiction and romance as a genre seem to be at complete opposite ends of the novel scale. Maybe they are, but as one reviewer said, it “shouldn’t work, but it does.”
Most, or all, labels are pretty well shady when it comes to a strict definition, therefore all the recent genre blending. I’m always amused when I see a book described as something like “contemporary fantasy romantic suspense … with a 
Twist!” And I’m still waiting to see “literary erotica” which could happen.
I have to wonder: do readers actually care how a novel is labeled? (And authors, please please do not call your book a fictional novel. Novels are fiction. It’s redundant. Please know what redundant means.)
Maybe we should stop labeling and just make sure our blurb explains what the reader should expect. Yes, I hear publishers and bookstores yelling about that idea since they would be hard to organize without labels.
So… how about Literary Romance? Why not? Any bookstore out there ready to add a new section?
Oh, about that book I’m reading that screamed Chic Lit? After the first third, it turned heavily literary instead. Elizabeth Buchan’s Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman will get a nice review on Goodreads soon.
14 comments:
Oh my gosh, I would have loved there to be a literary romance label when I put out String Bridge. I've sort of moved away from that type of story now though, but I still think it should exist. Just like I think Retro Fiction should exist. You know, those stories that are set in the 60s, 70s, 80s but not far enough into the past to be labelled historical?
Jessica, String Bridge would definitely fit Literary Romance.
I love the idea of Retro Fiction. My Rehearsal series is retro fic. I guess they call that 20th century historical but that feels wrong to me. Is that what you're doing now?
Lorraine, I never considered Nicholas Sparks, "romantic" but that's just me. I like "Literary Romance," as you define/suggest it. As for Chick Lit, I think they're a lot of good chick lit stories out there. I see them more as light reading, too, but the way the message is written, I think, appeals to a younger audience, perhaps? Young adults 22-28 ? Just my ideas.
Smiles
Steph
To be honest, I really don't even know what most genres mean outside my own. I think official labels are almost becoming out of style. At least with younger people I talk with. They mostly just use descriptions like, "I like vampire books" or something like that. I don't know. I tend to enjoy most "YA Fantasy" I've read, but I judge my purchases more back the back of the book than the genre. I'd kind of like to see labels go away, but I do understand the use when you need to sort books in a store or when you have to explain in only a few words what you write.
LK, my novella, The Book, is retro fiction. But it's not what I MAINLY do. I don't know what to call what I mainly do. It's always very real-to-life, contemporary, with literary flavors. "Real Fiction"? LOLOLOL
I personally think labels are for boxes of stuff in your attic. As someone who doesn't write consistently in one label or another, I find labelling restictive.
And yet, I remember quite clearly the time I went in the bookstore to buy a Jayne Ann Krentz book and they'd shelved that title in mystery, when she's a romantic suspense author. I had to have the clerk find the book for me, which was slightly embarassing for both of us.
So, I do appreciate that labels can help find/locate/target an author or a reader, but I don't like wearing an illfitting label either.
Literary Romance sounds fine to me. I've read your work, and I'd call it deep and engrossing.
I like to read and write Chick Lit. it's great escapism!
Morgan Mandel
http://www.chicklitfaves.com
I don't pay attention to genre or labels when I read. I was under the impression that Chicklit were mostly written in first POV which I'm not fond of, but I may be wrong.
Steph, I think chic lit does tend to be light reading, which is nice, but more for middle-aged women. Maybe it's YA for the older crowd? ;-) Although I think a lot of what's called YA now is not very light reading.
Valerie, probably readers are not all that concerned about labels. Covers and back blurbs are what they look for. We get bogged down in marketing detail when we start to promote, which is a shame.
Jessica, I'd just call that FICTION, like John Irving is just called fiction. ;-)
Maggie, thank you! And if I could only get all that stuff in my attic properly labelled...
Morgan, thanks for the link! I missed that you had a chic lit page. How do you keep up with them all?
Mona, they do tend to be first person, which also isn't my favorite kind of story, but some authors do it well enough I'm fine with it.
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