Women's Fiction Does Not Equal Rom-Con or Depression

OK people, let's talk about women's fiction for a moment, shall we?

I spent Sunday morning answering submissions and I was deluged with women's fiction that fell into one of two categories. It seems that is all many of you seem to think women's fiction is about. Either you think it is ridiculous romantic comedy with characters struggling to find work and just figuring it out with friends with benefits, or, you have to create stories that are so depressing, it makes Where The Red Fern Grows look like the "Feel Good Movie" of the Century. Arrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!!! Do you hear me screaming from the Pacific Northwest?

Now, don't get me wrong, yes, you can certainly have stories like those. But that is not the only approach you can take.

Let me again redefine for you the definition of women's fiction that I like to use. These stories are about seeing the world through the female eyes. Readers get to see how women problem solve things, how they reflect on issues and so forth. It is not simply a story with a female protagonist. It is not simply a story with or without a Happily Ever After or a story with our without sexual content. 

Now, here comes the twist to women's fiction. The reader has to be able to connect with the characters and their experiences. In the case of those depressing stories. when you take that story so far over the top with all of their personal problems and issues, the readers are going to tune out. For most people out there, we might have one of those problems, but all of those issues? I think not. And for those of you writing the rom-cons, while they might be funny, these are almost getting to the point that the stories are getting so unrealistic. If some of these experiences these women get into at their work happened in real life, they would be sooooooo fired! 

These stories truly need to read like "real life." OK, let me stop right here and say that these are not non-fiction or based on "real life experiences. That is not what I mean. These stories need to READ like real life!

I hope that helps!!!!!!!!