So I was sent here by the romance genre after being informed that what I'm writing isn't romance because I'm not giving everyone a happy ending. Basically, my plot is as follows:
Narrator and Hero are old childhood friends. Narrator is in love with Hero, but he thinks of her only platonically. They meet Heroine in high school. They become good friends, and it becomes clear that Hero and Heroine are falling in love. Heroine goes to some of Hero's family events and Hero's orthodox Jewish mother informs Hero that he can't date Heroine because she's a "heathen" (Wiccan). We have a nude worship scene wherein Hero was invited to one of Heroine's full moon rituals. No sex ensues. Hero realizes he has to tell Heroine. Narrator convinces Hero that it will be less painful for Heroine if he tells her that he's not romantically interested in her rather than that his mother won't let him date her. Heroine denies that she has feelings for him and marries someone else. Part One ends at Heroine's wedding reception, with Narrator and Hero talking.
Part Two takes place ten years later. Heroine's husband has died and she has come home. Narrator has been unsuccessfully trying to get Hero to fall in love with her for the last ten years. Heroine and Hero meet again and discover that they love each other. We have some wacky sequences of them trying not to admit it, and Narrator agonizing over whether to help them get together or continue to hope that Hero will fall in love with her if Heroine is out of the picture. Narrator eventually helps them realize that they still love each other, coming to the conclusion that she can't stand in the way of true love out of selfishness, and Hero and Heroine get married and walk off into the sunset. It ends with Narrator at the wedding reception by herself and a strange parallel of the conversation she had with Hero at Heroine's first wedding.
So am I Chick Lit or do I need to wander the genre lounges again?
----------
50,252 / 50,000
Oct 14, 2007 - 17 20
You are whatever you want to be.... I honest think "Romance" is more heaving botices and bludging, quivering members, while "Chick lit" is something for a female reader to read and relate to.
I think your plot sounds wonderful and you should be proud you thought out such a great plot and will write a great novel.
Remember genres are meant to help bookstores and editors put you in a pile, readers fall in love with all kinds of writers' work no matter where in the bookstore it is.
Mine is chick lit meets mystery... I think there are many writers who fall into many genres and therefore if you like it, you like it.
53,318 / 50,000
Oct 14, 2007 - 21 42
o.O I can't believe they rejected you!
Gah. Chick lit is a better forum anyway :P We're more rounded as a genre! So stick with us, we're cooler ;)
I agree, your plot does sound wonderful. It will be interesting to watch Narrator go through so much hope and turmoil only to have the love of her life end up with someone else..... and really, isn't that more likely to happen? We don't always manage to snag the man of our dreams.
Welcome to chick lit!
----------Christina
ML of Adelaide
All we can do is keep breathing...
0 / 50,000
Oct 15, 2007 - 14 16
I think I'm in the same boat as you, Darkened_Mystic. I've been lurking both here and at the Romance boards, and I'm just not sure where I fit in. My story is greatly influenced by the main romantic relationship, but there isn't a happy ending.
Reader's Digest version of plot:
Ana Williams is a 19-year-old who is all ready to join her father's spy agency. She's been preparing for this since she was a little kid, not to mention that it was founded because she was born and it was named after her. It's basically her birthright. The current manager thinks she's too young (by the rules, she is), but since she is the founder's daughter, he puts her on staff on a probationary term. She's very enthusiastic and she's out to fight the good fight, but she also wants to be the best. It's her goal to prove to her father and everyone else that she can do this and she'll make them all proud. Unfortunately, on her first mission out of the office, she completely screws up. This screw up gets her trapped with a mercenary/terrorist (Eric), and although she does eventually capture him, she needs to be "rescued" and it does not look good for her.
Back at the office, she's trying to salvage both her reputation and her job while at the same time trying to manage this new obsession with Eric. Even knowing it's detrimental to her on more levels than she can count, she thinks of him constantly and makes up work excuses to go visit him in prison. She can't even escape him at work because due to a bargaining on his part, they are thrown together in a group mission where she is supposed to prove that she can do this or be fired until she's old enough to meet the quota. Their attraction escalates and they start a fling on the side as Ana tries to hide this from her fellow agents and complete her job. She manages to do all of this wonderfully until he destroys it and everything blows up in her face.
There's still a bit left, but he's not in it too much. It follows how she feels after his betrayal and also opens up a can of worms about her childhood that basically defines who she is. Everything culminates and there is an ending that involves both of them, but there isn't a Happily Ever After. The climax even involves a lot of people getting shot. It basically ends with More or Less Content for Now. This is going to be simply one book out of many, but I still haven't come up with a way these two can be happy together without it being entirely convoluted with fifteen billion Deus Ex Machina.
To sum up this far too long post, am I a chick lit person because it focuses on Ana and how the relationship affects her, or is it just a very unorthodox romance because the relationship is the main conflict? Any guidance would be much appreciated, and either way I'll probably stick to lurking around both forums, but this is just one of those things that will help me in the future.
Oh, and for the record, Darkened-Mystic, I really like your idea. It sounds very realistic.
25,325 / 50,000
Oct 19, 2007 - 15 16
Welcome to the wonderful world of Chic Lit!
Dont forget your Manolos, diet coke and handsome stranger!
:o)
10,548 / 50,000
Oct 26, 2007 - 21 16
Yeah, I'm totally shocked you were ousted!!! Welcome to Chick-Lit!!!! This is a great plotline!!!
Oh, and we are way cooler. :-D
----------*****
I haven't a clue what I'm doing. Ever.
Stay Shiny. Keep Flyin'
118,026 / 50,000
Oct 28, 2007 - 03 27
Wow, that's a really... interesting and incredible plot! I'm completely in love with it.
You said there was a happy ending for everyone... but narrator doesn't get herself a beau? That's not very happy... :)
I'm not feeling like that plot is very chick literari... I dunno. Seems more like romance, frankly!
Anyway, good plot.
J
----------I iz teh Batman. I haz built-in pecs.
2007: Waddle 118K