Writingy Stuff
Sep. 13th, 2012 12:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sakon76Writing class resumed tonight, and for a change we have a full 25 people! (We'll see how many drop out between now and the end.) This means I got my photocopying guess almost right; I need to make one more copy, for Dan, who wasn't there this week but will be next.
We went around the room and everyone did a brief intro and description of what they write. Dorsey, who has been submitting a very good book that I can best describe as Romancing The Stone meets the Mexican drug wars with Navy SEALs instead of Jack Colton, described her work as somewhere between thriller and women's fiction.
WHAT THE HELL IS WOMEN'S FICTION?!
I mean, do we categorize things as "men's fiction"? Why is there this special genre called women's fiction, and what the hell does it consist of???? It's not romance, though those are books (mainly) targeted at a female audience.
(Wonderful Husband postulates that "women's fiction" is the literary equivalent of a "chick flick." I feel he is likely onto something with this description. He also thinks it's one of those things that's hard to define, but that you know it when you see it.)
So now I'm trying to decide - all but one of Tamora Pierce's books have a female main character. Are those "women's fiction"? Marin is the nominal main character of Queen's Choice. Does QC qualify for the category?
Also, I do not have a romantic interest for Marin. Not even in book 2. I have a veryverymaybe/outside possibility for one, who she hooked up with when I was first envisioning her narrative, but he doesn't even exist in the written word yet and I'm not sure if I have room for him or not. Especially since he ended up dead in the version in my head. But then Higami doesn't get a romantic partner either. Terren comes with three ready-built in. Brise has had one (Tragic First Love Who Never Loved Her Back and hoo boy I know where my hindbrain got that motif from... Jason from middle school), and gets maybe-probably another later, and I have no idea yet how that relationship's going to turn out.
Not having a romance for my main character rules out at least one publishing house, but despite suggestions in the past from Maralys that I import one... Marin isn't ready. She's not in a stable social position, and not interested until she is. She also has too many things to learn, too much growing to do. To paraphrase one of my teenage-reading books, she is not ready to be a we until she knows who she is as an I.
In short, trying to figure out what this category "women's fiction" is, and whether, given my main character is a woman, my book qualifies for it.
We went around the room and everyone did a brief intro and description of what they write. Dorsey, who has been submitting a very good book that I can best describe as Romancing The Stone meets the Mexican drug wars with Navy SEALs instead of Jack Colton, described her work as somewhere between thriller and women's fiction.
WHAT THE HELL IS WOMEN'S FICTION?!
I mean, do we categorize things as "men's fiction"? Why is there this special genre called women's fiction, and what the hell does it consist of???? It's not romance, though those are books (mainly) targeted at a female audience.
(Wonderful Husband postulates that "women's fiction" is the literary equivalent of a "chick flick." I feel he is likely onto something with this description. He also thinks it's one of those things that's hard to define, but that you know it when you see it.)
So now I'm trying to decide - all but one of Tamora Pierce's books have a female main character. Are those "women's fiction"? Marin is the nominal main character of Queen's Choice. Does QC qualify for the category?
Also, I do not have a romantic interest for Marin. Not even in book 2. I have a veryverymaybe/outside possibility for one, who she hooked up with when I was first envisioning her narrative, but he doesn't even exist in the written word yet and I'm not sure if I have room for him or not. Especially since he ended up dead in the version in my head. But then Higami doesn't get a romantic partner either. Terren comes with three ready-built in. Brise has had one (Tragic First Love Who Never Loved Her Back and hoo boy I know where my hindbrain got that motif from... Jason from middle school), and gets maybe-probably another later, and I have no idea yet how that relationship's going to turn out.
Not having a romance for my main character rules out at least one publishing house, but despite suggestions in the past from Maralys that I import one... Marin isn't ready. She's not in a stable social position, and not interested until she is. She also has too many things to learn, too much growing to do. To paraphrase one of my teenage-reading books, she is not ready to be a we until she knows who she is as an I.
In short, trying to figure out what this category "women's fiction" is, and whether, given my main character is a woman, my book qualifies for it.
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no subject
Date: 2012-09-13 04:45 pm (UTC)Ugh WHY WHY WHY does every main character (male /or/ female) HAVE TO HAVE an SO for a book to be viable!?!?! Or movie or whatever. DX
My not-so-humble opinion? If Marin doesn't already /have/ an SO and you don't have immediate plans for one, and IT'S INHERENT IN HER CHARACTER to not be interested at all, at least not in the space of the story . . . don't put one in. He/she will almost certainly feel crowbarred into the story and you'd have to basically write Marin at least a little OOC to "make" there be a relationship. Or else it's "he's interested but she's not" which CAN work, but if there's no point in it to the story itself, then all you have is this extraneous character who will seem even /more/ crowbarred in.
That's my two-cents. That and maybe letting the editor/publisher work out the category? =3;;;
no subject
Date: 2012-09-13 10:59 pm (UTC)No romantic interest for Marin? Or Higami, or Terren or rise? That's okay, you know her/them better than anyone else - and like more than a few authors have found out, once they start writing, what they initially wanted for their characters and what actually got written down, surprised them.
Besides, not every woman reader out there is wanting to read 'Romance' and where the girl gets the guy. Sure, its nice to pretend otherwise once in a while, but realistically? Doesn't happen. Not always.
So, your book is not, technically, Romance. And like you said, she's not interested until she understands herself (and sounds like the female character has 'rotten luck' with the guys, either dropping dead, or not loving them). Hey, if they aren't wanting to be wooed, that's okay too!
'Woman's Fiction'. Hmm, that genre escapes me too. It could be a way of telling the audience that the main character is a female, or like the hubby suggested, its a novelization of a movie that feels like a chick-flick.
I wouldn't worry about it. Not too much anyway.
However, sometimes a 'time piece' (Western, Historical, Future, Science Fiction, Victorian era, Fantasy, etc.), might be an option. I'm not up-to-date on the accepted Genres, pre-say, but the era you (or Dorsey), feel most comfortable writing might be a good place to start.
:-0
I started writing, thinking I'd come up with some advice for you by the time I got towards the end, but turn's out, I don't have any words of wisdom, or suggestions that will be life-changing. Helpful? Maybe. Wish I could do more than offer trival words here, but you'll figure it out. And so will Dorsey and the other aspiring writers in the class.
Well, those that persevere anyway.
Take care, and may God Bless You.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-13 11:31 pm (UTC)Men's Fiction: Hustler. And Penthouse letters. Scores of them.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-14 11:54 am (UTC)I'd say Tamora Pierce is more fantasy/YA. Women's lit is generally more contemporary realistic settings.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-14 02:38 pm (UTC)