Is my novel Chick Lit? What IS Chick Lit, anyway?

Want to know if what you're writing is Chick Lit? Want to know what the heck Chick Lit IS? Ask away, and I'm sure someone will have an answer!

So where on earth does the line fall between Chick Lit and Romance? Because for whatever reason, I sort of hate to think of my novels as romance. Maybe because in my head, romance is more about the sex and mine is, hopefully, more about the characters, and chick lit, at least what I consider chick lit, is about strong female characters who sort of happen to have romance plots going on. I have no idea. Could someone help me out, please? *flails* :P

As someone who reads and writes both romance and chick lit, and as someone who used to work in a bookstore I can tell you the following:

Chick lit is a story usually about a female and geared towards female readers. It will usually include a romantic plot line although I don't think it has to. But it usually will have some romance in some degree. It will NOT have a graphic sex scene in it.

Romance is a story that does (obviously) include a romantic plot line and it is a major part of the plot. This type of novel will have a detailed sex scene or two in it. Contrary to popular belief, these are NOT centered around the sex. These stories will often have a decent plot line that revolves around the romance. The sex scene(s) is just a part of it.

And just for extra info, an erotica is what you're thinking of when you think of something that's "just about the sex." Erotica is porn essentially. It will have a plot of some kind, but it's really all about the sex...very graphic sex scenes and a lot of them.

This information is based on my experience and my opinion. I really hope that I helped clear things up.

Oh good. Now I just have to figure out what counts as graphic...somehow I always end up with a sex scene, the writing advice of "when you're bored, write porn" is too easy for me, but my goal has always been to phase that out, you know, so the family can actually read one of my novels. So my goal is to keep my novel chick lit this year. Wish me luck. :D

I think it's definitely the way Lindsay explained it above.

I'm proud to call what I write Chick Lit -- it's not going to change anyone's life, but it's going to make them really happy for several hours. It's got the romance but it's also got some fun drama. And a happy ending.

Make it darker, and you're heading into the realm of "Women's Fiction."

Would a story about a woman's self-discovery be consider chick lit, even if the potential "romance" is entirely one-sided and with a dead man?

I'm writing a detective- ish novel that has romance elements in it- (think Harlequin books) does that count as chick lit or romance? And yes, there will probably be a sex scene in it.

My interpretation of Chick Lit was that it was a novel written with female readers in mind, so will usually have a strong female lead and have plot elements that many women will relate to, but could be of any genre, or have elements of many. I think a lot of Chick Lit incorporates romance as romance/relationships are often a big part of a woman's life.

I'm wondering if mine should be here... it's the story of an woman entering her middle years that are introduced to a horse with been there, done that and I'm certainly not going there with you attitude. It will be their journey together.

Can a chicklit be a fantasy as well?

I'm quoting from wikipedia, as it's an interesting topic:

"According to professor Suzanne Ferris, chick lit often features hip, stylish, career-driven[1] female protagonists, usually in their twenties and thirties. The women featured in these novels may be obsessed with appearance or have a passion for shopping, e.g. Carrie Bradshaw, the protagonist of Sex and the City.[1]

However, this has been disputed. In Publishers Weekly, Amy Sohn redefines the genre as being about women who can stand on their own two feet.[3] This same article refutes the previous stereotypes. Library Journal also states that ethnic chick lit counts in the definition, mommy lit, and other sub sub genres which don't include the 20-30-something protagonist who is worried about shopping, boys and sex.[4]

To define the genre in the most general way, chick lit features a female protagonist whose womanhood is heavily thematized in the plot. Though most often set in a contemporary world, such as in Waiting to Exhale, there is also historical chick lit. The issues dealt with are often more serious than consumerism. Marian Keyes's Watermelon, for instance, features a protagonist who wrestles with how to be a mother in a modern world, and there is a growing market for religious chick lit. As with other types of genre fiction, authors and publishers target many niche markets.[4] Protagonists vary widely in ethnicity, age, social status, marital status, career, and religion."

Other opinions (http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2006-06-20-chick-lit_x.htm)

Jennifer Weiner, author of best sellers Good in Bed and In Her Shoes, finds the term dismissive and sexist.

"It's something that says chicky, fluffy, inconsequential, of no importance and no literary quality," she says. "But at the same time it doesn't bother readers, and I have to be mindful of that."

But Shopaholic series author Sophie Kinsella, who has more than 7 million copies of her six books in print, says she's not bothered by the label.

"To my mind, it means a fun, light book, often with humor, often featuring a contemporary heroine that women of today can relate to, often addressing an issue of today," she says. "I would probably prefer the term 'romantic comedy' or 'wit lit,' which I once saw in a bookstore. But I can't get too het-up about it. It hasn't done me any harm."

Generalizations are dangerous, but I'll make some anyway...;-D

"Chick-lit" is generally fiction written by women, about women, and for women.
Unlike straightforward romance novels, although there often is romance, it's not always the focus of the story. The story is often about relationships -- friendships, family, AND (sometimes) romance.

What makes this different from "women's fiction?" Mostly the tone -- there's often a snarky edge, some humor, even in the darkest stories.

And chick-lit *can* be dark. It's not all designer shoes and Cosmos. (In fact, only the earliest chick-lit had much of a focus on fashion and cocktails, a la SEX AND THE CITY.) There are some terrific novels labeled 'chick-lit' which deal with alcoholism, drug dependency, domestic violence, death, etc. etc.

Here's a good run-down, from several years ago:

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA623004.html

DMac

p.s. BTW, as many of you probably know, the 'chick-lit' label has been overused and is now scorned by the industry that invented it (publishers, agents). But writers still write it and readers still love it! Only now it's called something like "women's fiction with a comedic edge.'

FYI, FWIW, here are the category descriptions for the Chick-Lit Writers of the World (RWA on-line chapter) annual contest -- the deadline has passed, but the descriptions might be helpful.
And maybe you can enter the chick-lit novel you write for NaNo this year, in the CLW contest next year! :-D

http://chicklitwriters.com/stilettocontest/
CATEGORY DESCRIPTIONS

Single Title (Contemporary, Contemporary Series): If your heroine, like Bridget Jones, reveals her innermost fears and unsightly blemishes on the way to self-acceptance, she’ll fit in with the classics of the genre. (Think: Too Good to Be True by Kristan Higgins, Easy on the Eyes by Jane Porter)

Women’s Fiction (Mainstream): Finding a dreamy man isn’t the only challenge women face. If your central plot revolves around another obstacle in your heroine’s life–with romance on the side–she’ll be at home in this category. 
(Think: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin, Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella)

Note: Trying to figure out the difference between Single Title and Women’s Fiction (Mainstream)? Single Title entries are romance-focused and will usually have the happily-ever- after ending. Women’s Fiction is less about the romance and more about the journey through life.

Mystery/Suspense (Suspense, Mystery, Thriller): If your heroine’s primary goal is to solve a mystery, track the bad guy, or escape the villain, she belongs in this category. (Think: Living La Vida Lola by Misa Ramirez, Sex Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis)

Paranormal (Paranormal, Fantasy, Time Travel): If you built another world as the background for your ghost-hunting, spell-casting, time-traveling heroine, your manuscript will fit into this category. (Think: Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson, Midnight at Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta)

Young Adult: It’s less about the boys; more about the poise. If your teen heroine is sassy, classy, and has wit to spare, she’ll fit in right here. (Think: Lifted by Wendy Toliver, Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot)

DMac

I'm not really sure whether my story belongs here, either.

First of all, it is the same story with the same settings and secondary characters told in two different verses, in one the MC is female in the other one the MC is male. As the story progresses, I want to find out, how that one difference is gonna change everything else. Both verses have a strong and confident female lead and there'll be sides of comedy and romance. Everything else isn't planned or outlined, I'm just gonna see what happens on Nov 1st...

So, what category would you guys put that in?

I wonder if my novel is Chick lit...
The main character is a girl. There's no serious relationships/romance going on in the novel because that is not the theme. The story is about a girl and her father. They travel a lot, move to a serious amount of houses, and never stay in a place for too long. They're both very eccentric and funny in a way because they see the world/situations very differently. I don't think it will be a comedy, because there's some issues that the girl (Halley) will have to deal with, for example.. not being able to have friends because she never stays in a place for too long, her obsession with an art project, and knowing that her mother walked away on her when she was a child. However, I'm going to write the story as light-hearted as possible.
For the time being I put it in the adventure category because of all the travelling, and the crazy things that happen.
Let me know if the novel sounds like chick lit to you :)

I have translated heaps of chick lit novels and I have to say that humour and wit is essential - if it isn't funny and if the MC can't see her own faults and bad choices, it's not chick lit. You can tell serious stories and have serious themes in a chick lit book, but your heroine must have a sense of humour in her observations of herself as well as others. In some books the humour and sit com takes over and it becomes a laugh-out-loud novel, in others the dark and serious themes are still there at the forefront. Wit lit is a good alternate name for it.

what would you say is an acceptable love sceane in a chick lit? Sometimes I can let myself get carried away.Dont want anything to hot or heavy, but do want the charecters to come together this way, but dont want to be head way from chick lit towards romance.

I feel that I am leaning toward a chick lit type novel, but there's also a murder (at least one) to be solved. Should I count myself in the chick lit section or mystery/thriller/suspense. When I signed up, I did put myself in mystery section. (There is the word "mystery" in my title. Also, I know agents don't want anything called chick lit anymore even though there's a huge market out there still reading that genre), so the question remains, where shall I put myself? What is my genre?

Just out of curiosity, what would you all say are the primary differences between chick-lit/wit-lit and a full-out comedy? The book I'm plotting out for next month does have a primary romantic through-line and will probably have a couple sex scenes, but my intention is to really focus more on a "comedy of errors" kind setting, where we're rooting for the male and female leads to get together, but there's all this insanity around them.

I plan to keep this book classified as Chick-Lit for the duration of Nanowrimo... I guess I'm just curious as to what point a story stops being one genre and becomes another.

My MC (Sarah) is 17. Here's the synopsis:
-When Sarah and her mother realize they're both getting a little older, they decide to brighten their lives with a new, young, face. They adopt a young girl named Emily. But with Sarah's mom working 13 hour days, Sarah is left to pick up the slack around the house-- including raising Emily. Tensions rise, and Sarah is kicked out, forced to take her new sister with her. Having a sister sounded fun, but having a daughter is way more than Sarah asked for. Now she has to look to her friends, as well as a few people she never expected to associate with, for guidance and support. But even with their help, can Sarah raise a little girl on her own?-
Chick Lit?