How to write chick-lit

Carol

Carol

Three pages in the Times book section, although it is about writing chick-lit there are some useful reminders for everyone. Worth reading just for the questions you should ask about your character. (It's an author publicising their new how to book)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,923-2543167_1,00.html

Jay Mandal

Just read (imperative, not past tense) 'I Don't Know How She Does It'. I was a bit disapppointed with the ending, but otherwise it's brilliant.

Island Girl

Thanks so much, Carol. Just what I needed and at exactly the right time, too! I owe you. I shall name one of my characters after you.

Carol

A pleasure Island Girl.
I pop into the book section of the Times once or twice a week, and occasionally you can find something useful.
I knew someone was interested, but couldn't remember who it was.

Helen

Hi Carol - thanks a lot for this. You always direct us to useful information. Does the Times have a section on 'Books' everyday?

Carol

The books section is always available, just click on that bit in the index, but obviously new bits come in once a week I think. But there is so much there, and obviously some things will get held over for longer.

josiehenley

I like the quote from Kathy Lette "When it comes to women’s fiction, critics have a condescension chromosome. The demeaning label chick-lit says it all. While male authors such as Nick Hornby, who also write contemporary comic fiction satirising the sex war are hailed as the new Chekhov, you will be dismissed as having undergone some kind of DIY lobotomy." That says a lot about the difference between how women are viewed as writers and how men are viewed as writers.

Jay Mandal

Try Allison Pearson's "I Don't Know How She Does It". No shoes or champagne bottles on the cover, either.

josiehenley

Sorry amboline, didn’t realise I was going over old ground as I’m a newbie. Probably on forums like these the same old debates come round again! I have to confess that I haven’t actually read Nick Hornby, nor many chic-lit types (have read Bridget Jones but not a lot of the Jones-clones) so I wouldn’t be able to comment, but was passing on Kathy Lette’s remarks. One thing mentioned in the article cited above was that these books might be like fluffy marshmallows but there are times when we want fluffy marshmallows so that makes it ok, and anyone buying it knows what they’re going for. I’m not sure it does make it ok, or even the use of this metaphor because I don’t eat high-carb foods anyway! But I know that a lot of the reading public actually want to read the vacuous stuff, or it wouldn’t sell so well.

Jay Mandal

I've read "High Fidelity". At first, I enjoyed the unusual style, but by the end of the book it was driving me mad.

Stirling

Recently I have finally worked out why I hate chick-lit.  Not only are they badly/overwritten (even badly overwritten) they depict a world that means nothing to me.  I live in the north-east and these books always seem to be set in London.  I'm twenty five, work in a coffee shop for five days a week, and struggling to make it as a writer.  These books have no basis in real-life outside of New York.

Carol

But as said Stirling a lot are based in London, where you will find these types of individuals, and like a lot of media elements, based in London.So perhaps that explains a lot.
In other parts of the country there are big cities with lots of would-be Bridget Jones's et al.

Carol

What was it that made you want to throw up because of it Amboline?

Jay Mandal

Perhaps she has trouble with blurb, too! If I could, there's stuff I'd change on my books. Hindsight ...