IWSG: March

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Insecure Writers Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Our Co-Sponsor's this month are:
Tamara Narayan
Patsy Collins
M.J. Fifield
Nicohle Christopherson


MARCH IWSG QUESTION:
Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?

Short Answer:
Not yet.

Long Answer:
I know you're smiling right now. Or is it scratching your head? The short answer says so much, doesn't it? Truly, I haven't gone back, but I have thought about it. My older WIP is SF or possibly Fantasy, depending on how I set it up. I envisioned it as SF, but I'm a bit stuck on how to tie in the science part. Something about being a trained historian I guess.

What happened to that WIP was a dream. I kid you not. I woke from a nap nine years ago with the first scene of the WIP I'm now seeking representation for. The scary thing was that it's Women's Fiction, a genre that was very much in flux at that time. Once I heard about the Women's Fiction Writers Association that was in the planning stages at that point. Once I investigated the genre, I found a home for my contemporary story. And a group that felt like family. The funny thing is that my old WIP would fit under the WF umbrella. How's that for serendipity? If I ever finish my planned four contemporary WF WIPs, I might have to go back and try the old one again. That is if I learn some out of this world science before then. ;-)

Bonus Link:
Writers Unboxed has an intriguing post you should read about What Fiction Trends Say About Us. Check it out!

And an announcement!
My essay--"My Momma Had Words With Me"--will be part of the April 29th LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER/Atlanta show. I'll be reading it on stage. I'm ecstatic about it. :-D

Next Post:
The ever-popular Book Pusher has more mini book reviews for you. Of course. ;-)

Women's Fiction: Again

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Source

This image of a red rose holds a dear place in my first story. May it honor all the good--biological, foster, and adoptive--mothers out there who dry tears, clean up messes, and hug the pain away. Thank you!

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Here are a few definitions of the genre I write.

. . . layered stories that are driven by the main character’s emotional journey.

 Women's Fiction Writers Association

I'm just happy that I can parse agents by the term.

There are no other tropes than this. Some are light--Chick Lit--some have romantic elements, others, like mine, have deep social issues running through the stories. WF is the fodder for book club selections. (Truth in advertising : I'm a program coordinator with the group.) It's an up and coming association that agents are joining to find WF writers.

The beauty of WF for me, is that it is just fiction, but fiction that recognizes the inner life of the characters while not eschewing plot. I've ever found no more perfect connection of the poles of character-driven stories and plot-driven stories than WF.

Here are some other definitions.

At the top of “commercial” pyramid is Women’s fiction—big bestselling books like The Help, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, etc. Women’s fiction doesn’t mean that male writers are excluded from the category. But rather that the books written by men must have themes, characters, or plotlines that women enjoy.

Literary and Commercial


“A contemporary romance’s plot revolves around the love/romantic element, whereas women’s fiction tends to revolve around women’s issues and the growth and empowerment of the female protagonist. Women’s fiction can have romance, but it’s not the driving force of the plot.”
—Kathleen Ortiz (New Leaf Literary and Media)

“Women’s fiction novels are not simply stories with female characters, but stories that tell us the female journey. Women’s fiction is a way for women to learn and grow, and to relate to others what it is to be a woman.”
—Scott Eagan (Greyhaus Literary Agency)

Another link to check out:
from "Agents Explain Book Genres" 

That's why I write Women's Fiction. My characters take an emotional journey on the path to reinventing themselves. If I can see what's at stake in the heart of the main character, I know I'm reading Women's Fiction. There are an infinite number of paths to travel and an infinite number of travelers on them. No two characters will take the exactly same path, even if they start at the same place. Their past and their present is made up of all that influences their lives. If you're reading Women's Fiction, buckle up for a bumpy but fulfilling ride. ;-)

And a few links you might like.
Genre Map
Wikipedia on Genre (note the lack of WF)
Charlotte Rains Dixon's take on genre (psst! She writes good books!)

 Next Week: IWSG: Golden Quotes

May Author Interview: Samantha Bryant

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I met Samantha Bryant through the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and the Insecure Writers Support Group. It’s a delight when you get to know someone and find that they have a book for you to read. Check out her website HERE. Believe me, I love Going Through the Change.

Here’s my Goodreads review:

Going Through the Change is chock full of black humor that skewers the twin notions that menopausal women aren't as good as younger women and that menopause is a disease that must be treated. Bryant's ladies are superheroes. Read this one if you are postmenopausal, peri-menopausal, or a long way from "the change."

ZM: It’s a delight to welcome Samantha to The Shade. ;-)
Tell us, Samantha, where did the idea come from to make all these wonderful menopausal characters so heroic and funny?

Samantha: Thanks so much for inviting me. I enjoy your blog and am excited to be here.

This novel started as a conversation with my husband. We're both superhero fans, the kind of folks who read comic books and graphic novels and watch superhero shows and movies. I don't remember why now, but we were talking about how so many superhero stories are about teenagers, the implication being that hormones and superpowers are intertwined. So, I said that if hormones caused superpowers, menopausal women would be the most powerful people on the planet. He said, "Write that down!" And I did.

Once I started talking about the idea with my writer friends (mostly women), the story really started to take shape in my mind and I fell in love with the characters. I'm working on a sequel with them right now, and I still love these women. I think they are heroic and funny, too, just like many of the women in my life.

ZM: How did you start writing? Tell us a bit about your journey to publication.

Samantha: My love of writing is life-long, starting with poetry in first grade. There's never been a time in my life since when I didn't write, though my level of dedication really varied, and what I wrote changed over time, from poetry and plays to stories and essays to journals to blogs and novels. I first took myself seriously as a writer though, starting about two years ago. That was when I committed to a daily writing habit and starting finishing, polishing, and submitting my work to publishers.

When Going Through the Change was ready to be submitted, I had already been shopping around another novel (which still hasn't found a publishing home) for about a year and a half. I was frustrated with the glacial slowness of the business, where you can wait six months for a simple "no", and was researching indie publishing, thinking it might be a good fit for me. Somewhere in that process, I ran across the idea of an "independent small publisher."

The idea of working with a small publisher really appealed to me, and the more I looked into it, the more I liked what I saw. You don't generally get advances with small publishers, but you get a higher percentage of the sales in royalties. Depending on the particular publisher, you can still get some of the advantages of traditional publishing, too, like having marketing experts to help you and professional cover design and editing.

I found Curiosity Quills in particular through an online connection with another writer who had published a book with them. So far, I've had a very positive experience working with CQ and am hopeful for the future.

ZM: You and I are both in the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. What’s your definition of the genre? I know my stories are more social issue focused. There’s historical WF and literary WF. I could go on and on listing the various flavors. Why do you think Women’s Fiction is such a “big tent”?

Samantha: It really is a tricky genre to define! It includes serious literary work, issues driven dramatic stories, and lighter fare you might call "chick lit" as well as historical stories. I consider my superhero novel women's fiction, too, though some don't agree, since it is also speculative fiction (yet another nebulous category!). I think what really makes a story women's fiction is that it features female characters with a strong growth or change arc. Going Through the Change, by that definition, is assuredly women's fiction.

In my more feminist moments, I am troubled by the need for women's fiction as a category at all. After all, there isn't a parallel category for men. I waffle though. Genre designations are really intended to help readers more than writers.  It's a way of defining what kinds of books you like to read so you can find more of that kind of book. So, if these categories help us find readers, then writers probably shouldn't complain about them.

ZM: Many craft books stress that writers must read and read a lot. Who is your favorite author, or what is your favorite genre? What draws you to a book you read for enjoyment?

Samantha: My favorite author these past few years has pretty consistently been Neil Gaiman. I love the magic wonder of the worlds he writes in and his unflinching honesty in the face of all the ambiguities of his characters and their decisions. It doesn't hurt that he also just has a lovely turn of phrase. in all his work. He's the only writer I automatically order every new book from.

I'm not sure I have one favorite genre, though. I'm a pretty omnivorous reader. For instance, some of my most recent reads are Wilkie Collins's gothic melodrama The Woman in White, the science-fiction classic Ringworld by Larry Niven, Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, Cary Elwes's memoir As You Wish and a collection of apocalyptic short stories called The End is Now. Right now I'm reading The Invisible Woman by Claire Tomalin, which is a nonfiction biography of Nelly Turnan, the long time lover of Charles Dickens and a collection of superhero short stories called The Good Fight. Sometimes I don't even know what drew me to a book. I find a lot of them through serendipity or the recommendation of friends. I'm in two book clubs because I love being led to books that I wouldn't otherwise find on my own.

ZM: What are you working on now? Any plans to let us read it soon? I know we can all do with a bit of humor or any story you want to tell.

Samantha: I've got a few irons in the fire right now. I've got short stories slotted for two upcoming anthologies. I'm working with an acquisitions editor on Cold Spring, the first of a historical fiction trilogy about two sisters at the turn of the twentieth century and am hopeful that we'll have a contract soon. I'm on the final rewrite of Change of Life, the second book in the Menopausal Superheroes series, and hope to send it off to the publisher by the end of this month.  I also have a middle grades novel, Rat Jones and the Lacrosse Zombies, that I'm planning to get back to this summer, along with some short stories and a novella for my superheroes. I've got so many stories I want to tell!

There's a movement on Google Plus under the #saturdayscenes hashtag that I participate in every Saturday, sharing a piece of what I've written during the week before. Following me there is a great way to see what I'm working on as it progresses. I post the pieces on Google Plus, on my Facebook author page, and on Twitter.

ZM: Thank you for dropping by Into the Shade of the Cherry Tree, Samantha! I can’t wait to read some more of your stories.

Samantha Bryant is a middle school Spanish teacher by day, and a novelist and wife and mother by night. In other words, she's a superhero all the time!

Samantha Bryant believes in love, magic, and unexplainable connections between people. Her favorite things are lonely beaches, untamed cliff tops, sunlight through the leaves of trees, summer rains, and children's laughter. She has lived in many places, including rural Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky, Vermont, England and Spain. She is fierce at heart, though she doesn't look it.

She's a fan of Charlotte Brontë, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Neil Gaiman, Nicole Perlman, and Joss Whedon, among many others. She would like to be Amy Tan when she grows up, but so far it doesn't look like she'll be growing up any time soon.

Samantha writes blogs, poems, essays, and novels. Mostly she writes about things that scare or worry her. It's cheaper than therapy. Someday, she hopes to make her living solely as a writer. In the meantime, she also teaches middle school Spanish, which, admittedly, is an odd choice for money-earning, especially in North Carolina.

When she's not writing or teaching, Samantha enjoys time with her family, watching old movies, baking, reading, and going places. Her favorite gift is tickets (to just about anything).

My Journey to Women's Fiction

Starting in the late 1970s, I devoted my time to writing SF stories with varying results. I even stopped writing all together in the late 90s due to work stress and fatigue, but the dream never died. After retiring, I wrote and published two devotionals and two church histories, and was a Georgia Author of the Year Nominee for An Easter Walk.  Check out the "Books" tab above for more info on my writings.

Then a story that wouldn't be denied woke me from a nap--only I had no clue what it was in terms of genre. It wasn't mystery, suspense, or thriller. And it wasn't SF, fantasy, or romance.

So, where did the story of a childless widow's progression to be an abused girl's mother bear ready to take on the world to protect her daughter fit? I hunted and could only come up with the amorphous definitions of mainstream or contemporary. Hunting an agent who represented those genres seemed doomed to fail before I even completed the rough draft.

Gradually I became aware of a genre called women's fiction and started investigating the definition and searching for conventions as you can see from these past post--What's the Genre? and What is Women's Fiction? Part One and Part Two. Did my WIP fit? And did I want it to? The cumulative effects of reading definition after definition that said, "Women's fiction is written by women for women readers" really made me want to turn away and run. Then, thanks to Amy Sue Nathan's fabulous blog--Women's Fiction Writers--and all the interviews she does with writers began to sink in. I realized the truth that my wip, FRIENDLY FIRE and its sequels, have been women's fiction all along. Though I know I'm repeating myself, the creation of the Women's Fiction Writers Association has given me a welcome feeling--I feel like I've come home. ; )

And now more from Orly Konig-Lopez, founding president WFWA. Also, check out her post on Writers in the Storm about writers organizations and WFWA's origins.

So, let's back up for a minute and I'll try to fill you in …

The Founding Team consists of the founding board members:
President: Orly Konig Lopez
Vice President-Programs: Kerry Lonsdale
VP-Finance/Treasurer: Laura Drake
Secretary: Linda Avellar
Wise Writer (although we're looking for a different title): Marilyn Brant
Maggie Marr (who is advising on legal matters), Sharla Lovelace, and Florence Fios.

In most situations the founding members would have done the ground work to establish the association before bringing members into the fold, but RWA decided to refocus the specialty chapters so that they better align with its mission to serve career focused romance writers. While that decision was right for RWA and the many romance writers under their umbrella, it left a lot of us feeling homeless...because of the timing with the RWA-WF chapter, we wanted to make sure that all those who voted to dissolve and those who were interested in a more inclusive women's fiction chapter had a home. Which is why we're all on the loop.

That said, we're not an official organization just yet. The Founding team is going through the steps, including developing a mission statement, deciding on board positions, developing a website, filing the paperwork, drafting bylaws, defining the programs we'll offer, what the membership dues should be and when to collect them, and I could go on and on about the many discussions we're having. The thing to remember is that we're starting from the ground up.

So yes, as the founding team we are implementing certain decisions in order to create an association that will benefit women's fiction writers. In the end we really hope to create a welcoming and nurturing community that will provide the resources and networking opportunities that all of us seek as writers of women's fiction (not women writers - there's already an organization for that). Over the next few months, we'll roll out the details as they are solidified.

I can testify to the feeling of home and belonging that the founding members have already created. I'll keep you informed as WFWA shapes up. I do hope you'll join us on the loop if you write women's fiction. The conversations are amazing!

The WFWA website it up!  Check it out at http://womensfictionwriters.org/

What's the Genre?

What genre do you write?

I'm guessing you've heard that question more than a few times. Is there clear cut definition for the genre you prefer? If so, you're blessed. ; )

Of the three genres I write--one is very clear cut (devotional), one has several sub-categories (Science Fiction), and one is all over the place (women's fiction).

It's the definitions of Women's Fiction that give me a headache. Many start with, "written by women for women readers." Do you know of any genres that are defined as "written by men for men readers?" This definition frustrates a lot of women's fiction writers.

One of the best places to get a feel for this is at Amy Sue Nathan's Women's Fiction Writers. Juliette Fay has a great take on this problems in her interview at Women's Fiction Writers. Juliette's latest book, THE SHORTEST WAY HOME has a man as the main character and is still classified as women's fiction.
"But maybe there’s a different question you’re asking: how does the gender of the writer affect the way a book is labeled, regardless of the gender of the main character. If that’s what your wondering, and if I’m being completely honest … I think that if someone in possession of a set of testicles had written this book, it would be called general fiction. After all, it’s not just about a man—it’s about a single man with no children. But since it’s ultimately a family drama, and I have ovaries, it’s called women’s fiction."

Her definition of the genre is "I think of women’s fiction as family drama, and I wish they’d use that label instead. But the women’s fiction label doesn’t really bother me, because a rose is a rose. Happily, there are a lot of people who want to read family drama/women’s fiction—and, hey, I’m here to help."

One of the issues with a gender based definition of a genre is the assumptions that books in the genre won't seriously written or about deep topics. That's a shame. I've read a lot women's fiction that deal with abuse, family disruption, life-threatening illness, and relationships among family members, both male and female.

What's you opinion on genre definitions that take into account the gender of the writer? Is is fair?

Authors and Titles--Women's Fiction Part 2

Essa Adams has an extensive list of Women’s Fiction titles at Women’s Fiction Blog. I also like her summation of what makes a book women’s fiction:

• Women’s fiction books are usually written by women, for women.
• They are based on the motivation of women’s issues and personal drama.
• Most often, women’s fiction is written sans the typical romance.
• Even without this typical romance, these novels are seldom read by men.
• Women’s fiction books are almost always contemporary, given they are not in a genre such as Regency, historical, romance, supernatural, fantasy, horror, or mystery.
• Personal and career drama, environmental issues and political activism are tempered with the distinctive ways the protagonist deals with challenges and self-realization.

I have been reading women’s fiction lately to get a feel for the genre and to guide my own work on my WIPs FRIENDLY FIRE and LINE OF FIRE. Considering how wide ranging the definition for this genre are, (See Part 1) my list is very broad and inclusive.

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS—Vanessa Diffenbaugh
COMING UP FOR AIR—Patti Callahan Henry
CATCHING GENIUS—Kristy Kiernan
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLE STOP CAFÉ—Fannie Flagg
THE HELP—Kathryn Stockett
DON’T GET MAD, GET EVEN—J. L. Campbell
A GIRL OF THE LIMBERLOST—Gene Stratton-Porter
THE SECRET LIVES OF BEES—Sue Monk Kidd
A MOTHER AND TWO DAUGHTERS—Gail Godwin
ON FOLLY BEASH--Karen White (I just finished this one. It's excellent!)
GODS IN ALABAMA and THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING--Joshilyn Jackson

Other books I have, but haven’t read yet, but think will fit the genre:
FALLING HOME—Karen White
THE JOY LUCK CLUB—Amy Tan

Other authors who have been suggested to me include:

Jodi Picoult, Anita Shreve, Anna Quindlan

Do you have any suggestions of women’s fiction authors or titles? Or do you want to argue with me on what I’ve classed as women’s fiction?

Really, I want to know. ; )