{"id":994,"date":"2019-03-12T08:57:27","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T08:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/?p=994"},"modified":"2022-05-30T15:41:19","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T15:41:19","slug":"what-is-womens-fiction","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/articles\/what-is-womens-fiction","title":{"rendered":"What is Women&#8217;s Fiction?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What do\u00a0<em>Little Women<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>The Secret Life of Bees<\/em>\u00a0have in common? How about\u00a0<em>Pride and Prejudice<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>A Woman of Substance<\/em>? Any guesses? If you answered they were all written by women, you\u2019d be correct. But my question goes deeper than the gender of the authors. I\u2019m asking about the core of each of the stories, their very hearts. If you responded that they all belong to the genre known as Women\u2019s Fiction &#8212; kudos to you, although the title of this article may have nudged you in the right direction.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What Is Women\u2019s Fiction?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Women\u2019s Fiction is classified as a genre all on its own.\u00a0<strong>The main plot of a women\u2019s fiction story is driven by the female lead\u2019s emotional journey<\/strong><strong>.<\/strong>\u00a0If\u00a0<em>Eat, Pray, Love<\/em>\u00a0by Elizabeth Gilbert came to your mind, pat yourself on the back. Ms. Gilbert\u2019s book is a perfect example of what women\u2019s fiction\u00a0<em>is<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The main character\u2019s journey can include such life-affirming quests as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Career Changes<\/li>\n<li>Spiritual Growth<\/li>\n<li>Gender Awareness<\/li>\n<li>Divorce<\/li>\n<li>Parenting<\/li>\n<li>Familial Dynamics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For example, in Anna Quindlen\u2019s compelling novel\u00a0<em>Black and Blue<\/em>, domestic violence forms the core of the story. For as many different women there are in the world, there are as many different journeys.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately for readers, the line that defines women\u2019s fiction is blurring. \u00a0Books that clearly belong in the genre of romance are marketed as women\u2019s fiction as a way to attract more readers. This is like selling someone a loaf of white bread while claiming it\u2019s focaccia. There are times when white bread tastes great, especially with peanut butter and jelly spread on the slices, but if you\u2019re hungry for a hearty sandwich, nothing beats focaccia.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Women\u2019s Fiction versus Romance<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>New York Times Bestselling Author Nora Roberts once said women&#8217;s fiction novels center primarily on women&#8217;s issues, unlike the romantic relationship-based books that she writes. \u00a0Another way to state this is: in women\u2019s fiction the woman is the star of the story, and her emotional development drives the plot. The main focus of a romance novel is the developing relationship between the main character and her love interest.<\/p>\n<p>There are some additional key differences between the two genres. In romance, both leads share equal time in the narrative, whereas in women\u2019s fiction the primary point of view is that of the heroine.<\/p>\n<p>In romance novels, readers expect the two love interests to meet within the first pages of Chapter 1. Women\u2019s fiction fans expect the first portion of the book to focus on the female lead\u2019s conflict and goal. If there is a love interest in a women\u2019s fiction story, he, or she, won\u2019t show up until several chapters into the book.<\/p>\n<p>A second major difference between romance and women\u2019s fiction are the endings. Women\u2019s fiction doesn\u2019t always have a happily-ever-after ending. Women\u2019s fiction endings, although they may not be happy, are realistic. Sometimes even sad or dark. After all, life is messy, and situations don\u2019t always work out the way we want.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t be fooled into thinking women\u2019s fiction can\u2019t possess a romantic story, though. Many women\u2019s fiction authors weave romance into their stories, but you won\u2019t find the heroine waiting for Mr. Right. Instead, she\u2019ll rescue her horse ranch from the evil construction villain all on her own. The hero waits for the heroine at the end of her journey.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Do Men Write Women\u2019s Fiction?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Many readers tend to think that only women write women\u2019s fiction. Not true. Male authors are quite capable of expressing the emotions a woman faces as she struggles with life challenges. In\u00a0<em>The Baker&#8217;s Secret: A Novel<\/em>\u00a0by Stephen P. Kiernan, we follow a young heroine named Emma.\u00a0<em>Steel Magnolias<\/em>\u00a0by Herbert Ross gives the reader a deep perspective into the souls of the female characters as they face the struggles associated with breast cancer.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve talked with many female authors who insist men shouldn\u2019t write women\u2019s fiction, and this saddens me. The literary world would be missing out if we didn\u2019t have Nicholas Evans\u2019 book\u00a0<em>The Horse Whisperer<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0<em>Terms of Endearment<\/em>\u00a0by Larry McMurtry. Think about the loss to readers if they didn\u2019t have the opportunity to enter the pages of\u00a0<em>Memoirs of a Geisha<\/em>\u00a0by Arthur Golden.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m often asked if Nicholas Sparks writes women\u2019s fiction. The answer is a resounding\u2026 not really. Mr. Sparks\u2019 female characters\u00a0<em>do\u00a0<\/em>face real-life challenges. And they experience emotional growth. But, no, he doesn\u2019t write women\u2019s fiction. Nor does he write romance. He\u2019ll be the first to tell you he writes love stories, which is a topic for another article:\u00a0<em>What on earth is the difference between romance and love stories?<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Birth of Women\u2019s Fiction<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Women\u2019s fiction isn\u2019t new. The genre emerged in the publishing world back in the Victorian era. Back when women were finding their voices. These were the social reformers and suffragists; students and professional women\u2014women who wanted more than the limited lives the male-dominated environment allowed. Collectively, these women were referred to as\u00a0<em>New Women<\/em>. It was through their yearning for independence that a new type of fiction emerged.\u00a0<em>New Women Fiction<\/em>. Novels by women, about women, for women.<\/p>\n<p>These novels featured heroines who fought against the social norms. Their stories challenged the Victorian male perception of women needing protecting. The books offered fresh ideas about gender and marriage. They argued that a woman\u2019s place was not confined to the home. One such pioneer was author\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Olive_Schreiner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Olive Schreiner<\/a>. Her books forged a new path for female authors. Her words encouraged them to write about taboo topics such as sex. She challenged other authors to tell stories about abuse, domination, and self-growth. The women\u2019s fiction we know today was born out of their desire for freedom.<\/p>\n<p>I highly recommend Ms. Schreiner\u2019s book,\u00a0<em>Dream Life and Real Life<\/em>. Your soul will be transformed.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Women\u2019s Fiction: Recommended Novels<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019ve never read women\u2019s fiction, you\u2019re in for a treat. Here are some suggestions to get you started:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Olive Schreiner \u2013\u00a0<em>From Man to Man<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Anna Quindlen \u2013\u00a0<em>Blessings<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Liane Moriarty \u2013\u00a0<em>What Alice Forgot<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Virginia Woolf \u2013\u00a0<em>Mrs. Dalloway<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Alice Walker \u2013\u00a0The Color Purple<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Sue Monk Kidd \u2013\u00a0<em>The Secret Life of Bees<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Amy Tan \u2013\u00a0<em>The Joy Luck Club<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Arthur Golden \u2013\u00a0<em>Memoirs of a Geisha<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Octavia E. Butler \u2013\u00a0<em>Kindred<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Enter the pages of a women\u2019s fiction novel; you won\u2019t be disappointed. Happy reading!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","categories":[36,26],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/994"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}