The Chick Lit/Contemporary fiction group has been consistantly full for some time - is there any call for the setting up of a second such group?

I know we have a waiting list of members who are interested, so I think it could be a good idea.

What's Chick Lit?

How many are pending?

I'm more for ruthless chopping of non posting / non critiquing members than having two half full groups, as I like the lively thing we have going on.

What's Chick Lit?

In the words of Sarah Mlynowski, bestselling Chick Lit author:

Chick lit is often upbeat, always funny fiction about contemporary female characters and their everyday struggles with work, home, friendship, family or love. [section cut] It's about coming of age (no matter how old the woman is).

Jane Austen is arguably the most famous Chick Lit author, probably followed by Marian Keyes, Helen Fielding, Cathy Kelly, Jane Green, Jennifer Weiner... etc.

Isn't the Women's Fiction group a good alternative, if there's a waiting list for Chick Lit? I don't think that group is full.

Or perhaps we could start a Young Adult Chick Lit group, if people are interested, although I don't know if any of us could bear to leave the original group, so it probably wouldn't help.

Luisa

I think chick lit group was a success as the founders of it embraced a lot of genres as well as the original one, so it's become a bit of a chick lit cross over group.

I like the idea of a YA chick lit group, there's a lot of people in the chick lit/contemp fiction group writing YA chick lit and I believe they'd have a lot to bring to a YA chick lit group, and encourage others to join...

We don't have a site expert in our chick lit group (and none come and crit our work) but I feel like Keris and Luisa are in effect our version of that with their experience.

Luisa as a host of YA chick lit would be really cool :-)

Alexandra

We don't have a site expert in our chick lit group (and none come and crit our work) but I feel like Keris and Luisa are in effect our version of that with their experience. Luisa as a host of YA chick lit would be really cool :-)

Well said. The lack of site expert interest does irk me somewhat- that said I know I can always rely on Emma D in the lounge for advice on publishing etc.

My only concern about a YA Chick Lit group is that it could take valuable members from our group.

I don't think anyone would be lost, some might take part in both and the second might spur some new members from other parts of this site.

Alexandra

Does chick lit/contemporary fiction have to be upbeat? Can it be sort of semi-serious - 'deep' for want of a better word?!

charlottetheduck, as with any genre, there are all sorts of variations. Do you mean 'deep' in its issues and themes? A lot of chick lit deals with serious issues. We had a discussion on this subject recently in the forums - I'll try to find it for you if you're interested.

Yes, I mean having underlying serious themes, but with a more lighthearted, colloquial approach as opposed to proper literary fiction.

I think my book has quite a natural feel to it, in that it's funny in places and sad in places, and it's definitely more of a woman's book than a man's, but does that make it chick lit?

Would be great to read the post if you can find it Luisa - am curious

Charlotte x

Well, there's probably no need to label it anyway, but you'd definitely be welcome in the Chick Lit group (space permitting!)

Here's a link to the thread: http://www.writewords.org.uk/groups/98_82234.asp

Bege, I think the idea of a YA chick lit group is because there's enough of us to support a separate group, yet none of us have joined the existing YA group as it doesn't really fit.

I'm not opposed to any ideas, I like the idea of more groups.

I agree completely with Alexandra!

You see I agree with Bege.
If we lost Luisa and Alexandra we would lose the heart of our group!

AS for chick lit and Charlotte's question you just have to read Marian Keyes to see how Chick Lit can deal with serious issues (Rachel's Holiday- drug addiction, Last Chance Saloon- cancer, Sushi for Beginners- Abusive relationship/ depression, Angels- miscarriage/ marriage breakdown, Anybody Out There- bereavement)