A few weeks ago, I was trolling blogs on the subject of writing and I ran across a discussion about Chick Lit. Sorry, I don't remember the site. The post was from several years ago and it discussed the evolution in Chick Lit, which was morphing from Twenty-Something Sex-In-The-City storyline to stories about married women with children, i. e., Mommy Lit. Some comments indicated that might give Chick Lit even more of a bad reputation. (Does writing about motherhood automatically make it bad? Consider: Little Women for one example.)
A Commenter asked derisively what might be next: Crone Lit? To that I say: HELL, YEAH.
There is a place in the world of fiction for all of it: YA; Sexy Young Chick Lit; and, Mommy Lit, too. Highbrow readers and writers can look down their noses all they please, but real women have always and will continue to enjoy telling and reading stories about women who live lives like theirs -- while at the same time occasionally enjoying escapist forays into Romance and Fantasy about women whose lives are NOT like theirs.
Crone Lit should be the "next big thing" because the first wave of Boomer women are approaching the Crone stage. That's the niche where I am focusing at least some of my fiction.
For once in my life, maybe I haven't missed the wave. More likely, once again I'll soon be lost in the crowd of mid-cohort Boomers passing through our world like a pig through a python.
Is it not totally cool, however, to imagine what amazing old Battle-Axes we Boomer women are likely become in the very near future? I, for one, am looking forward to it.
Meredith
Crone lit! I love it! Then again, I like "old crones" and all that they stand for. Plus, I don't think the gender or age of characters matters as much as the publishers think. If the character resonates, all those details don't matter. However, it's always comforting to read characters who are living a life you can totally relate to!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I agree with you that a good character is interesting regardless of age or gender. I've always especially loved old ladies and I've rather resented the image of old ladies as being like Miss Havasham or Nurse Ratched.
ReplyDeleteI am having a great time embracing my own inner Crone, which is a source of amazing creativity.
I am also having a blast with my "Wise woman" character, Maybelle Dickens. I think there must be a market for stories about the kind of old ladies who live according to their own rules and inspire young people they encounter to try their wings.