Will Write for Shoes: How to Write a Chick Lit Novel

by Cathy Yardley

Overview

One of the hottest markets for new writers today, the women's fiction genre called Chick Lit is attracting new authors daily. In Will Write for Shoes, veteran Chick Lit and romance author Cathy Yardley draws upon years of teaching about commercial women's fiction to give aspiring novelists invaluable advice and step-by-step methods for writing and selling a successful Chick Lit novel. Features include:

The history of Chick LitA blueprint for writing a Chick Lit novelNew trends in the genreTips and tools for breaking into the market
Complete with a directory of agents and publishers who acquire Chick Lit, sample submission materials, and online resources, this fun and comprehensive manual is a must-have for all women who want to write a Chick Lit novel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312359003
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/21/2007
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.51(d)

About the Author

Cathy Yardley is the author of L.A. Woman and Couch World, as well as several romance novels for Harlequin. She has been president of the Los Angeles and San Francisco chapters of Romance Writers of America and a speaker at writing conferences nationwide. Cathy lives with her husband and son in Southern California, where she is hard at work on her next Chick Lit novel.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1

I started writing in 1995, after I had graduated from Berkeley and moved to Los Angeles to find work and to stay with my college boyfriend. I planned on writing romance novels, because they had helped me keep my sanity while I pursued a double major. After a few years in Los Angeles, and after I’d sold my first romance novel, I realized that I had a story idea that didn’t fit in the relatively rigid parameters of romance. It was a story about three women trying to figure out how they were supposed to live life, with Los Angeles as a background. I had no idea who would buy it or where it would fit in, so I tucked it away on the shelf. Then, in 2000, rumors began to emerge about a new kind of women’s fiction—one they were tentatively calling “city girl books.” In fact, that was the original name of the Chick Lit line that Harlequin produced. Bridget Jones burst onto the scene; articles were being written up. I had found the perfect niche for my quirky, humorous, coming-of-age stories.

When I tell people outside of the writing community that I write Chick Lit, they usually wear a polite, humoring smile. Those that are avid readers usually give me a patronizing smirk—oh, you write those books. The thing is, if I asked any one of them to define Chick Lit, they would not have a clear answer. They’d probably say, “Those are those dating books, right? The ones with the bright pink covers?” Or they would shrug and say that, although they don’t know how to define it, they know it when they see it. Like art. Or, you know, pornography.

I’m here to tell you Chick Lit isn’t what they think it is. It probably isn’t even what you think it is. And the parameters and definitions for Chick Lit are evolving daily.

Although by no means the be-all, end-all definition, this is my own description of the Chick Lit genre: Chick Lit is a subgenre of the larger classification of women’s fiction, generally a coming-of-age or “coming-of-consciousness” story where a woman’s life is transformed by the events of the story. Again, I’m sure you’ll be able to see exceptions to the rule (that darned Shopaholic girl is barely transformed if credit woes continue to be her conflict in book after book) but for the most part, you see a woman or women change for the better in a Chick Lit novel. They’re usually fairly upbeat, too. You’re not going to see “uplifting” stories in the Oprah-book-club definition of the term (which is generally a way of saying, “You’ll be weeping like the first time you saw Titanic”). Chick Lit generally has a sense of humor. It has a funny tone and voice, but, more important, the characters don’t take themselves too seriously, no matter how dire the circumstances. My favorite examples of this are Marian Keyes’s books. Infidelity, pregnancy, Hodgkin’s disease, drug addiction . . . she tackles all these topics, but still manages to be funny about them, in startlingly effective ways. As a general rule, Chick Lit deals with topics that affect a woman’s life. So: friendship dynamics. Glass ceilings. Over-nurturing. Kids and biological clocks. And, of course, love.

Is this to say that women have absolutely no interest in things like, say, global warming, gas prices, genetic engineering, or even the shotgun formation? Of course not. Is Chick Lit meant to “write down” to women by appealing to these subjects? Absolutely not. Still, these topics are truly important to women, and rubbing it in their faces that “wanting a husband when there’s a hole in the ozone layer is frivolous” is not only intellectual snobbery, it’s pointless. And if you don’t believe that, then you could very well be an excellent writer, but you’re not going to be writing Chick Lit. Good luck with another aisle in the bookstore.

For those writers who take offense at reviewers and critics who call Chick Lit “fluffy,” “frothy,” or “dumb” and who want to counter by making Chick Lit novels literary heavyweights, I have only one piece of advice: switch to decaf. Seriously. As Chick Lit authors, we’ll have messages, themes, and insights, of course. But our primary job is to entertain. We’re not finding the cure to cancer here.

At the same time, the best compliment I ever got was from a reader at a book signing in Los Angeles. Her mother had died, she told me. During that apparently lengthy process, when she was frantic with stress and melancholy, she reread my first Chick Lit book, L.A. Woman, over and over. It comforted her and gave her a mental escape.

If you can do that, entertain and comfort, and maybe even give some insight, then you’ve done your job.

Copyright © 2006 by Cathy Yardley. All rights reserved.

Editorial Reviews

A clear, concise, easy-to-read (and reread) guide to writing contemporary women's fiction. Like a pair of heels you can actually dance in, this book is a keeper.” —Alisa Kwitney, author of The Dominant Blonde

“If you want to write chick lit, this book is a must, primarily because Yardley breaks down what's really happening with the chick lit market and nails down what a chick lit novel must have. The author has a breezy tone that will appeal to readers and aspiring authors of chick lit books. Aspiring authors in other genres may also want to give this a try.” —Romantic Times

“Writers looking for a particular kind of motivation will find it in Cathy Yardley's Will Write for Shoes. A sound and welcome defense of chick lit . . . Yardley's advice is precise, realistic, and readable. And her insistence that you need a story, not just a 'cool idea,' is worth the sale price alone.” —Washington Post

“If you're thinking of [writing] a chick lit novel, this is the book for you. The content is pure gold. Yardley knows what she's talking about.” —Kingston Observer

“Yardley gives a humorous but honest look at the dos and don'ts of the biz, arming writers with a valuable tool in their arsenal on the way to publication.” —Erica Orloff, author of Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven?

“Funny but informative . . . the literary equivalent of your best friend. Yardley knows how to ride the roller coaster of chick-lit publishing. . . . She provides excellent examples and sage advice [with] refreshing self-awareness.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Accessible, wise, and fun. Yardley's step-by-step approach, boundless wisdom, and humorous tone make this an invaluable aid to any writer hoping to break into the genre!” —Carren Lisner, author of Carrie Pilby

“I laughed, I cried, I finished my Chick Lit novel! Thank you, Cathy Yardley, for putting everything I ever wanted to know about Chick Lit all in one place. The appendixes alone are worth their weight in chocolate.” —Deanna Carlyle, cofounder of the International Women's Fiction Festival

“Light and unintimidating . . . fans of chick lit will likely appreciate the customized manuals. . . . Teen fans of the chick-lit style may also benefit.” —Library Journal

From the Publisher

These two writing manuals differ more in design and delivery than they do in content. Both guide potential chick-lit authors through the steps of writing a novel and then finding an agent and publisher. In keeping with the chick-lit attitude, all three authors do their best to keep advice on characterization, pacing, and revision light and unintimidating. Mlynowski (Milkrun) and Jacobs (former chick-lit editor, Red Dress Ink) use their distinct perspectives to their advantage, sustaining a chatty tone and periodically inserting personal anecdotes and quirky sidebars. Yardley's (Surf Girl School) take is also conversational, but it offers more detail about the history of chick lit, its characteristics, and subgenres. Both books include useful appendixes: Mlynowski and Jacobs list other recommended writing guides and successful chick-lit authors, while Yardley covers agents, publishers, and chick-lit web sites. While fans of chick lit will likely appreciate the customized manuals, the core information presented can be found in many other fiction writing guides. Libraries with large writing collections would benefit from adding at least one of these books to their collection. Of the two, Mlynowski and Jacobs's is the stronger owing to the depth of their combined professional perspective. Teen fans of the chick-lit style may also benefit.-Stacey Rae Brownlie, Lititz P.L., PA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal