What is Women's Fiction?

This is a category that I totally love, but I do think many people are misunderstanding what the genre is really about. It seems that many people believe it is just a story that women would like, and it has to be fiction. Ummmm, no. Not going to work here. We have to be more specific. 

I recently read a description from another agent who defined it as stories that would be targeting women. Again, this is a bit too broad. 

Years ago, I went on a journey to find a way to truly define women's fiction. This is what I came up with.

First of all, in most cases, women's fiction is told from the point of view of a female. This is mostly because of the second component that I look at when it comes to women's fiction. These are stories that are looking at the world through a female lens, therefore, the need for a female protagonist. Now, like all pieces of logic, if women's fiction is told from the point of view of a female, then every story out there with a female protagonist is women's fiction. This is false. 

Remember, when I say we are looking at the world through a female lens, we are also looking at how the female brain is processing what she sees in the world. The main focus of these stories is to see how women think, see the world and react to things in the world. For all of you academic people out there, this is the thesis of women's fiction. If your story has a female protagonist, but the focus of the story is the triller or mystery in the story, then we cannot classify it as women's fiction, but as a thriller or mystery. 

I know this might seem like a fine line, but it all comes down to the take-away of the story. What is your goal when you set out on this journey.

I also add that good women's fiction are stories that make you stop and think. You contemplate what you are doing in your life, what the characters did and reflect on those actions. You learn from the story. If this was discussed in a book club, the odds are that the story becomes a jumping off point for all of the readers to discuss their life journeys.

Just something to think about this Monday.