tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post4990315621432710426..comments2023-10-30T15:13:22.680+00:00Comments on Strictly Writing: The never-ending chick lit debate by Claire AllanDThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803989273524731892noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-74152387542342420812010-03-04T16:07:02.461+00:002010-03-04T16:07:02.461+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.Aleezahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16101220861428253407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-86518796955044016232010-01-15T14:32:42.900+00:002010-01-15T14:32:42.900+00:00A late comment but, as author of a book with a VER...A late comment but, as author of a book with a VERY pink jacket, a subject close to my heart! I agree with everything Claire has said - and Bridget makes a v good point re women being the greater part of the book-buying public. The jacket of my book was obviously designed to appeal to women, despite the story being told 50% from a male POV, because... women buy more fiction.<br />On the other hand, I have a (male) friend with a drink problem - I would love him to read Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes because it is so sympathetic and insightful, but he won't because of the pink cover - so maybe flowery jackets are nothing to be ashamed of, but they might alienate people who would otherwise love the book.Claire Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03596485432391951307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-167197051920018572010-01-10T00:02:18.819+00:002010-01-10T00:02:18.819+00:00Interesting post & discussion but I have a pro...Interesting post & discussion but I have a problem with a lot of labeling – not just chick lit - because it often serves to divide, limit, diminish…<br /><br />Why for example cotemporary women’s fiction? Why not simply contemporary fiction? It’s as though women’s fiction was a literary niche, a minority pursuit instead of the majority. We are, after all 51% of the population (thank you Stephen Fry on this evening’s QI) – and a much bigger proportion of the reading population…so shouldn’t our fiction be the default position? Imagine walking into a bookshop and finding a shelf marked contemporary male fiction and the rest of the store devoted to Martina Cole, Jane Austin, Maeve Binchey, Toni Morrison… <br /><br /> ...and labels don’t always say the same thing to every reader. My publishers (who obviously have enormous insight and good taste) market my book as historical romance which conjures up images of crinolines and blushing virgins rather than 1950s building sites…and I have since discovered that for some readers romance has to = happy ever after. Or, at a pinch, happy for now. <br /><br />http://bridgetwhelan-writer.blogspot.com/Bridget Whelanhttp://bridgetwhelan-writer.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-57503456785951617582010-01-08T13:17:12.289+00:002010-01-08T13:17:12.289+00:00Great post, Claire - and sorry to be late to the p...Great post, Claire - and sorry to be late to the party. You have summed up a lot of what I feel about my own writing and other people's attitudes to it. People (mainly men, but women as well) make jokes and belittle women's commercial fiction, and it's so hard not to be drawn into being apologetic about it, as a defence mechanism. <br /><br />I find myself, when someone says, 'Oh, novels! What kind of thing do you write?', and anyone is present who knows what I write, all to often giving an answer which begins 'They're JUST..' or 'Oh, they're ONLY...' It's so hard to be 'out and proud' about writing fiction for women - so hard to remember that this stuff matters!Rosy Thttp://www.rosythornton.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-84012531778807352442010-01-07T09:35:02.067+00:002010-01-07T09:35:02.067+00:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Website Content Writinghttp://www.creativelipi.com/websitecontentwriting.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-596006134350260102010-01-06T22:09:32.147+00:002010-01-06T22:09:32.147+00:00Enjoyed your post Claire. I think ChickLit gets a ...Enjoyed your post Claire. I think ChickLit gets a bad rap. It often explores diverse lifestyles and is very entertaining. Isn't that what reading is all about. Long live ChickLit!Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07524878248746427258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-21766727735565860632010-01-06T15:31:45.702+00:002010-01-06T15:31:45.702+00:00Dick lit?! Unless it's Dick Francis you're...Dick lit?! Unless it's Dick Francis you're referring to...DThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11803989273524731892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-91457378466450417532010-01-06T08:20:06.813+00:002010-01-06T08:20:06.813+00:00Thank you so much for the mention of Queen Mum. I ...Thank you so much for the mention of Queen Mum. I do think there is some tension between the content and what the cover suggests the book might be, and this has led to some interesting reader feedback!Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16365185962131795210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-91909602359303245052010-01-06T01:44:49.197+00:002010-01-06T01:44:49.197+00:00Great sentiments, Claire. I have watched chick lit...Great sentiments, Claire. I have watched chick lit evolve over time and every year I'm amazed at how many wonderful new books are written. It's a genre that authors should be proud to write for - and readers should hold those sparkly covers aloft with pride.<br /><br /><br />Steph<br />www.chicklitclub.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-32315487979708618172010-01-05T23:50:48.208+00:002010-01-05T23:50:48.208+00:00Forgot to say: I'm now blogging here: www.lydi...Forgot to say: I'm now blogging here: www.lydiajones.co.uk/blog.<br />If anyone is remotely interested in my ramblings, I'd be delighted to see you there!Lydiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15580243616937466192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-1060317816983490522010-01-05T23:45:05.156+00:002010-01-05T23:45:05.156+00:00Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For everyone who ...Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For everyone who reads it as well as everyone who writes it. Why does a book have to be tortured and written in flowery language to be given any credit? I write for womags, so I'm used to the world and his dog looking down their noses at my "little stories". I'm constantly asked (even by friends) when I'm going to write a proper novel. If I ever get around to it, "Chick-lit" is exactly what I'll write! Go Claire! Long live chick lit!Lydiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15580243616937466192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-26026477567118620672010-01-05T21:29:41.281+00:002010-01-05T21:29:41.281+00:00Brilliant post Claire. I wonder who first coined ...Brilliant post Claire. I wonder who first coined the term chicklit and whether it was actually meant to be derogatory from the outset?<br />Whenever I've written in the genre, I've always told people 'it's a chicklit thing' and I'm sure 8 out of 10 of my brain cells damned myself for doing so even though I'm generally met with "oooh I love that kind of thing". CHICKLIT ROCKS!Debs Ricciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-16418330693295899472010-01-05T17:50:34.908+00:002010-01-05T17:50:34.908+00:00What an insightful post, Claire. Thank you for thi...What an insightful post, Claire. Thank you for this.Phillipahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327571607067476569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-73671758495183506982010-01-05T14:59:32.413+00:002010-01-05T14:59:32.413+00:00Interesting post, Claire.
Chick lit trashing is sn...Interesting post, Claire.<br />Chick lit trashing is snooty and misogynistic. I can think of several dick lit writers who are outclassed by Marian Keyes, for example.<br /><br />Anna May x <br />www.annamaymangan.co.ukAnna Mayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116772124748496194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-74127379272937036952010-01-05T14:40:52.527+00:002010-01-05T14:40:52.527+00:00Great post, Claire. I suspect that people looked ...Great post, Claire. I suspect that people looked down their noses at Jane Austen in her time, since she was writing her equivalent of Chick Lit then. <br />For me, I like a book to have a heart. If it has that, it's worth reading.<br />SusiexSusie Nott-Bowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08428000582406338267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-65647426323829182492010-01-05T13:01:12.820+00:002010-01-05T13:01:12.820+00:00Great article, Claire. I'm a huge admirer of ...Great article, Claire. I'm a huge admirer of MK but often get stuck very early on with other writers of chick-lit, notably Sophie Kinsella and a few others whose names I've forgotten. I shall definitely give your recommendations a go, though, as well as your own books!Geraldine Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01575892095296317266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-12388562599323816422010-01-05T13:00:51.195+00:002010-01-05T13:00:51.195+00:00Good point well made! I've taken to saying, w...Good point well made! I've taken to saying, when people ask, that I write commercial women's fiction, or that if my book was a film it would be a romantic comedy, but of course there are people who look down on those as well! You should be proud, as long as your writing is read and enjoyed.<br /><br />Loved Rainy Days and Tuesdays by the way :o)Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05986874444030474719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-85751739335582758092010-01-05T12:01:28.777+00:002010-01-05T12:01:28.777+00:00I think good writing is just good writing. Any gen...I think good writing is just good writing. Any genre fiction, by definition, appeals to a particular audience. And if you're getting your work on the shelf then more power to your keyboard, whatever the genre!DThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11803989273524731892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-56977858555804110522010-01-05T10:46:09.082+00:002010-01-05T10:46:09.082+00:00Hear bloody hear!!!!!!!!
Well done Claire for high...Hear bloody hear!!!!!!!!<br />Well done Claire for highlighting this. I normally suffer with the label, constantly trying to find another way of describing what I write - 'A story of women for women written by a woman' blah blah. Long live Chick lit and all who sail in her!Fionnualahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12275984316414726884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-34968099196696691242010-01-05T10:19:09.514+00:002010-01-05T10:19:09.514+00:00Thanks for saying what so many of us think, Claire...Thanks for saying what so many of us think, Claire. I try not to care that there's a sizeable swathe of society (and even some of my friends) looking down their noses somewhat at my books - I just keep reminding myself that I've written them and had them published, whereas they ... merely look down their noses! My books do explore deeper issues, and aren't happy-frothy all through - but I always wanted to write stories for, and about, ordinary working people with ordinary lives (lives with problems as well as happy-ever-afters!)and that's what I seem to be good at. I don't mind what label my books are given. I just want people to read them!!Sheila Nortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13997206301877289623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-77171530103283358262010-01-05T10:18:56.331+00:002010-01-05T10:18:56.331+00:00Excellent article Claire, which should give every ...Excellent article Claire, which should give every reader food for thought! And I must admit that some of the more enjoyable books I've read are sparkly covered. One which springs to mind is Jane Fallon's 'Getting Rid of Matthew' which is not only a great contemporary women's fic read, but brilliantly written. Furthermore, I don't think any 'literary fiction' reader has the right to look down his or her nose at people who enjoy lighter fiction.Gillian McDadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02758782108258244355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-88142762296437325042010-01-05T10:16:23.087+00:002010-01-05T10:16:23.087+00:00Thanks for a great post, Claire. I loved your line...Thanks for a great post, Claire. I loved your line about writing being about connecting with people. I must admit that I'm not a big reader of the genre and have only read a couple of MKs, but agree that she, for one, is a writer who deserves so much more respect that kudos than she gets.Caroline Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04708248040141519582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-80182042144087795412010-01-05T10:06:45.840+00:002010-01-05T10:06:45.840+00:00or rather, try too hard TO understand!or rather, try too hard TO understand!Administratorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13894920115299109640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2725342624231517088.post-92062626432598927732010-01-05T10:06:04.494+00:002010-01-05T10:06:04.494+00:00Great article, Claire and i couldn't agree mor...Great article, Claire and i couldn't agree more.<br /><br />I was advised to sub my work as 'contemporary women's fiction', not chick lit - as, apart from anything else, the industry has been saying for several years now that chick lit is on its way out.<br /><br />Can't see this myself. I think chick lit has been such a success because it is so diverse and has changed with time - there's now lad lit, mum lit, gran lit... i could go on.<br /><br />I see nothing wrong with light, fun reads and feel light chick lit serves a need for those of us who due to lifestyle or whatever else, have the attention span of a gnat and simply want an entertaining book they don't have to try too hard not to understand. Or there is the more issue-driven chick lit like your own.<br /><br />Long live chick lit and those sparkly covers, i say.Administratorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13894920115299109640noreply@blogger.com