Does my 'chick' drink too much?? http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831 Andycat This is kind of a weird question, but you all seem to have good ideas so I thought I'd pose it here. I've noticed that I have my MFC drinking a lot -- she has dinner with her sister and they drink wine. She goes on a picnic with my MMC and they bring champagne. When she's working by herself at home or cooking dinner, she'll pour a glass of wine. While I find this fairly true to life (at least within my social circle), I can't think that I actually see it that much in published chick lit. I'm wondering if it would be worth editing some of it out. (If it makes a difference, my MFC is also suffering from a terminal illness and is having a bit of a 'devil-may-care' time in her life.) Thanks in advance! Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:16:58 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_712016 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_712016 xlsmith I was actually thinking about this a bit today as well. There's alcohol involved in virtually every chapter of my MS and in some cases the drinking starts a bit early. But when I started questioning myself I had to ask: Is this how the characters would behave and react in these situations? And when I did that I realized that it was. It is true in my social circle and it is true to my characters. I have a feeling, based on how you worded your post, that if you asked yourself the same question I did you would find that the drinking you have written is natural to your character and not gratuitous. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:43:13 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_715528 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_715528 Losgann No. She absolutely drinks a reasonable amount--no more than my friends and I do, anyway. :) And my main character is almost always seen with a drink in her hand (not an addiction issue, she's a lawyer and has a very high stress level.) Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:05:03 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_719936 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_719936 fritzoid You're probably not describing every single day and every single minute of your character's life, only the interesting bits. So not all sober and boring and totally mundane moments make it into your MS. If your character (or a real person) regularly drinks until they fall over or habitually drinks an entire bottle of wine on their own because it makes their dinner special or because it's Tuesday then they have a drinking problem. And some novels take this and talk about it... e.g. Bridget Jones is very aware of her alcohol consumption; she even has some very embarrassing moments while drunk; she has hang-overs; she realizes that she occasionally abuses alcohol. Drinking is so much a part of "our" culture (North American and European) that it would seem artificial to leave it out. If you go to someone's party and don't drink people ask questions. The only times, it seems, it is acceptable to refuse alcohol are: you're driving (and even then you might have just one drink), you're pregnant, or you're an alcoholic. I think you'll be fine if you leave it in. Your grown-up readers will relate. It is, after all, realistic. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 04:59:42 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_722107 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_722107 Sort_of_Bookish I was wondering that about my book too, not just the MC but everyone. My FMC is a chef, so people are constantly having pre-dinner cocktails and she's often having wine with friends. If you read Brit Chick Lit, you'd believe that no one in England, Ireland or Scotland did anything without a glass at her elbow. So, I'd say write it how you think it should be, and when it's sold ;) your editor can tell you to tone it down if it's an issue in the overall big picture Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:21:06 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_723408 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_723408 KimGM In all of the chick lit that I have read, the characters drink quite a lot of alcohol so I don't think you need to worry. :) Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:59:30 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_724228 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_724228 Faustina Awesome topic!!! I'm glad you brought it up. I've been sitting here stuck for a little while and came over here to see if I could find some inspiration...now I'm sending my FMC to a bar with her best friend to order a Skinnygirl Margarita and have some girl talk. Thank you!! I would have never thought up that scene on my own :D Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:18:40 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_729999 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_729999 stonecoldcrazy The funny thing is, I come from a drinking family and fit in rather nicely. ;) I'm glad the others agree that social drinking is the norm. In my current novel, I have made the protagonist a borderline alcoholic. I think the difference between my work and yours is that my character drinks to get drunk, to forget about everything else, every single time. In contrast, in my last work, the main characters drank socially but it was never a problem. This time, I have established it as being out of control. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:49:42 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_736581 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_736581 PhoenixCC I'm surprised how much pot smoking there is in mine. It wouldn't hurt to make light of your character's drinking in the story. "She grabbed the unopened bottle of wine from the fridge and took the corkscrew from the drawer. "What day is it...?" she wondered. It was Tuesday. "Should I be drinking on a weekday?" She turned the corkscrew over in her palm, deliberating on her possible alcoholism. "Why the hell SHOULDN'T I be drinking on a Tuesday?" The day was long, and it wasn't like she kept a shot glass in her office desk. With that conclusion, she poured herself a tall glass of sweet riesling and savored the sweetness that lingered on her lips after the first sip." Mon, 21 Nov 2011 03:28:00 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_789864 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_789864 Sort_of_Bookish Bridget Jones drank a lot, and even had bad drunken behavior at times. We love her. No one reads that and thinks,"That girl has a sad problem and should get to a 12-step meeting." Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:16:48 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_790975 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_790975 JessClearwater My mc tends to drink a lot and then drives home. Nit great, it's going to need editing. I don't think it's bad if your mc drinks a lot, heaps of people do! Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:41:25 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_908510 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_908510 singitback My MC goes to a bar with her friends just about every weekend, but if it's not causing any issues then I don't think it's a problem at all. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:19:59 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_909029 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_909029 Hopeful lily Glad I read this. I'm going to send my MC to the bar at the party and see how that messes up her perceptions of the weirdness that occurs later on. Sat, 03 Dec 2011 19:27:13 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_929459 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_929459 TribalCat There will always be readers who have an issue with elements of our books. You can't please everyone all the time. I didn't grow up in a family of drinkers, and most of my friends only drink occasionally, so I might not be able to identify that closely with an MC who goes out drinking every night, but the idea is the same as if an MC smokes continuously or can't function without a cup of coffee in their hands. Not everybody can relate to every situation, we can just hope that our characters will appeal enough to keep the reader's interest. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 06:06:06 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_971954 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_971954 Leonara Declamara [quote=Losgann] No. She absolutely drinks a reasonable amount--no more than my friends and I do, anyway. :) And my main character is almost always seen with a drink in her hand (not an addiction issue, she's a lawyer and has a very high stress level.) [/quote] No, that's still pretty much an addiction issue. If you need alcohol to deal with stress... that's what addiction to alcohol is. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:58:57 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1107603 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/chick-lit/threads/36831?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1107603