"Chick Lit" is dead.
For those of you who don't know what "chick lit" is, it is a genre of fiction novels about women who make a lot of money and run up a lot of credit card bills. They are "strong" women who feel empowered by retail therapy. They have children out of wedlock, sometimes intentionally, and are usually involved with a jerk that they can't seem to live without. Also, I may be completely wrong because I don't read it, because it just really isn't my thing, and I thought the women were kinda bitchy.
I never watched "Sex in the City," which is quite similar. I certainly didn't watch the movie. I caught one episode and thought it was silly. I can't relate to women who live in New York City and work in super-high paying jobs and hang out in swanky bars drinking cosmopolitans. I couldn't when I was single and I can't now. I'm a college instructor in rural Arkansas. I catch the Night Owl savings hours at Kohl's...maybe. I order basic well drinks because that's what I can afford, if I'm lucky enough to find a decent club to even hang out in.
One chick lit author had to rewrite her last book because this lifestyle is going away. Economically it's just not possible. Why does this intrigue me? Because I'm female, I write, and I want to publish a book, but my fiction isn't anything like "chick lit" because I can't write what I don't know, and I got tired of seeing so much of it on the shelves at Books-A-Million. I thought a lot of it made women seem fickle and superficial(and I'm not saying that some women aren't). Again, I admit I don't read it, so I'm probably still wrong. But alas, it doesn't matter now because nobody can emulate this stereotype anymore. I'm not a big fan of being poor, but I'm not interested in trying to channel Sarah Jessica Parker. I liked her better when she was in "Square Pegs." Anybody remember that show? I'm aging myself here.
Some of these stories are very popular and were made into films. They've been best-sellers and that's great. I'm envious because I'd like to have a best seller, too. I did enjoy Bridget Jones' Diary. The first one. I'm glad she ended up with Colin Firth instead of Hugh Grant. (Or least Hugh Grant's character, because I like Hugh Grant. I like Colin Firth, too.)
I guess another reason why "chick lit" didn't appeal to me was because it became popular after I got married and grew out of my late 20s. I didn't have to worry about dating or finding "Mr. Right" because I'd already found him. When he sent me on a retail therapy assignment, I didn't spend as much as he said I could. And this was in 1999. I was ahead of my time in the "recessionista" department. That's what "chick lit" is going to be called now. I think Target calls it "frugalista"? Or maybe that's TJ Maxx and Marshall's. And I've been shopping at those places since the 80s.
One of my biggest "things" about "chick lit" was that when I finished the "Rock Opus," (the novel that really doesn't have a title and that's all I can think of to call it), I sent out several query letters to publishers and agents and of course, was turned down left and right like most authors usually are. Since everyone feels the need to pigeon-hole everything, I couldn't figure out what category I belonged in. It definitely wasn't mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, blah, blah, blah. It could almost be a romance novel, but not really. All the writers' magazines and websites were going on and on about female authors and "chick lit" being the hottest thing out there at the same time, and I thought, well, I KNOW I don't fall into that genre by a long shot. There's a "chick" in the book, but she's a rock singer, not a corporate lawyer in Prada shoes chasing down Wall Street brokers for a weekly hook-up. My story takes place in 1985 when spandex was still available at the mall and not just at online vintage clothing stores. So I felt like I was screwed. This was also long before Rocklahoma made "hair metal" popular again. (And who came up with THAT moniker? We didn't call it that. And did they have to bring back skinny jeans? That's a really bad idea.)
I digress.
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Anyway, I got busy and quit sending query letters. I'm not giving up, that's just on hold for now while I work on my PhD and the band keeps playing and I continue to enjoy my life as a low-key teacher and resident rock diva. I don't have to worry about trying to get a man to commit to me because I've got that covered. And he feels the same way about "chick lit", and that's no big surprise because he IS a man. As long as Dean Koontz and Terry Goodkind keep writing, he's just fine. We're also getting tired of this whole wimpy vampire trend. I started watching "Dark Shadows" episodes again and Barnabus Collins was so much more interesting. It's easier to freak people out when they just suspect that you're a vampire because you're a creepy guy who lives in an old house and only comes out at night. I guess people in the 60s weren't as forgiving about bloodsucking fiends as they seem to be now.
If people like "chick lit" stories, that's fine. Read all you want. I just thought that bit of news this morning was interesting. I guess we'll be seeing a lot of Prada shoes up for auction on Ebay from now on.
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