What is Women’s Fiction?

Happy Monday! I almost didn’t make it today because I’ve been out of town and much too busy (and happily so) to finish up this post until I got home–which was just a couple of hours ago! I hope this finds you happy and healthy! ♥

So, Alabama Rain‘s release into the world is fast-approaching! I’m a healthy mix of nervous, anxious, and excited—and by that I mean I am mostly nervous!

If you didn’t catch the cover reveal, here’s a mock-up of what my little baby looks like:

If you’re interested in creating things like this, I use the free templates from Cover Vault, and if you’re not familiar with Photoshop, he has excellent tutorials that make images like this a breeze.

One thing I’ve done more and more with this book is step out of my shell a little and actually talk to people about it, and the one question I have been asked from most everyone is:

What the heck is Women’s Fiction? 

According to the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and who am I to disagree,  Women’s Fiction is a broad genre. Some might say as broad as the spectrum encompassing what it means to be a woman.

It can be romantic.

It can be sultry.

It can be dark.

Perky.

Squeaky clean.

Downright dirty.

It can be suspenseful, fantastical, mysterious, or historical, or any other number of things you can think of to blend into your women-driven story, but the central theme for Women’s Fiction is an emotional journey to a more fulfilled life.

Properly Blending Genres

When setting out to write Women’s Fiction, the central question you have to answer is: Where is the female lead at in the beginning, where does she need to be at the end, and what are the stakes of her making the journey?

Her evolution is key.

She might not get the job. She might become President. The mystery might not be solved. But there should be a significant emotional renaissance, so you have to keep her personal journey central-focus and all other blended-in genres, while important, they’re secondary.

You can put your leading lady in a spaceship in the delta-cyan-apple quadrant in the year 6065, but if you’re aiming for Women’s Fiction, an emotional journey is going to take place.

If you thread a romance into your Women’s Fiction, it has a different set of rules than a genre-strict romance novel—the MC and the love interest may not even wind up together! A lot of romance novels are propelled by the man’s desires (even if that sounds counter-intuitive since romance is mainly marketed to women.) but in women’s fiction, it’s about the woman’s journey—not his.

Examples of Women’s Fiction

A lot of people lump WF in with Romance, but they’re actually shelved differently. Perhaps one of the best examples (or at least the one which popped first into my mind) of Women’s Fiction is The Handmaid’s Tail.

Searching for WF titles on Goodreads brought me this list:

Myths about Women’s Fiction

One thing we need to clear up is that WF must be written by women. WF is marketed primarily to women, but it most certainly can be written by men—even if it is rare.

Second, though WF is marketed primarily to women, it most assuredly can be enjoyed by men as well.

 

That’s pretty much all I have time for today, except to say:

I am very excited to add to the list of WF titles on August 7, 2018!

I’ll see you soon, friends—but not next week. Next week will be another guest post, this time by the delightful and talented RR Willica!

♥♥♥♥♥

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[Normally I place an ad here for my book Sex, Love, and Technicalities, but today I am not. For some reason, Amazon has taken down the physical copies of my books without providing me any explanation. The book is currently still available in Kindle and Kindle Unlimited, and if physical copies are your thing, they can be found here on B&N, Books-A-Million, or most anywhere else books are sold. All my titles will soon be available on iBooks and Nook as well. Thanks!]