Comments on: Genre Discrimination with Women’s Fiction

By: Commercial Women’s Fiction Writers: Get Out of Your Own Way « Kerry Lonsdale, Author

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 15:19:17 +0000

[…] is why commercial women’s fiction author, Tess Hardwick’s article over at Women’s Writers, Women’s Books couldn’t have come at a more perfect time for […]

By: Juliet Greenwood

Juliet Greenwood — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:18:00 +0000

I can so relate to that ‘only’ writing for women feeling!

I think the trouble is that we women have had so little official voice in the past that our deepest conflicts and concerns are not part of our culture. They are invisible, like so much of women’s work and women’s lives. Domestic, is the word. The word that often dismisses Jane Austen. But human nature is the same whether it’s within a community or a family or shown on a wide stage with battles and cool hardware.

The only thing that’s going to change it is women writers plugging on until we are heard, and the things we write about are seen for what they are – at the centre of all our lives, woman or man. Women read fiction with a male protagonist – why don’t men read about women?

Keep on writing!

Juliet

By: Robin Nolet

Robin Nolet — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:19:18 +0000

Truly enjoyed this, Tess. I’ve written ‘women’s fiction’ and ‘cozy mysteries’and understand the feeling of being somehow less than a legitimate author. Because my protagonists are women with issues other women could relate to, are their stories somehow less worth telling? I don’t think so. I was still nervous, though, when I heard a man had been assigned the task of reviewing my book for a review site. But I was delighted when I saw the title of the review: “Is It ‘Chick Lit’ If a Guy Likes It?” You left me wondering, were she writing today, into what genre Jane Austen’s book would be pegged!

By: Nettie Thomson (@NettieWriter)

Nettie Thomson (@NettieWriter) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:49:14 +0000

A very interesting post. While I personally rarely read that which is classed as *woman’s Fiction*, it’s not because I think it is inferior to what I like to read, just different. I also worry about how women are seen if they write in a genre not usually considered as being for women, e.g. SciFi. Many women have made a success writing in crime fiction, but the list of female scifi writers is fairly short. Even JK Rowling hid her sex when she first was published lest it put off young boys from reading about Harry Potter.
There is much work to be done to advance women’s position in the literary world and kudos to you for being successful in the genre you have chosen to write in. You are to be admired.
Nxxx

By: Marianne Wheelaghan

Marianne Wheelaghan — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:23:19 +0000

Really interesting post, Tess. Reading this very late but like your daughter’s school librarian, I believe the reader experience is everything. I recently read that the young Amanda Hocking (of Kindle Million fame) writes her “troll” books in between 2-4 weeks. It doesn’t seem very long to produce a work of substance (I’ve not read them, so certainly cannot judge), but her hundreds of thousands of fans love her and that’s who she’s writing for 🙂

By: megan noelle

megan noelle — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:53:17 +0000

This post struck me two ways! Like you and others have mentioned, learning to stand up for yourself and and your work is a huge lesson for many of us, and certainly was for me. And, I also agree that there is a sort of lesser standard out there for authors who “just” write good stories. Frankly, good stories are about all I care to read. I’m often turned off by the pieces that take themselves so seriously they come off as prententious. Not that literary fiction writers can’t also tell good stories, but for me, at least, they have to have more than a literary style to capture my attention.

I write Young Adult fiction, and I believe it’s another genre that tends to get put into the “requires less talent” category. I say let ’em think that. If I can please, entertain, and inspire a twelve year-old, I take that as a far greater triumph than having my book considered “important” by the literary elite.

By: Ute Carbone

Ute Carbone — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 16:32:13 +0000

Thanks for the thoughtful article, Tess. You’re right to be proud of your work. I write what’s been called “women’s literary fiction” and have often wondered why there isn’t “men’s literary fiction”. Does a book with a strong female protagonist at its center mean that men aren’t and won’t ever be interested? Seems silly to me.

By: Caroline Gerardo

Caroline Gerardo — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:23:08 +0000

A lovely post about courage and self awareness.
Everybody’s a critic ignore the Lifetime commenter,
the person is jealous they can’t write a novel.
Keep your head high!

By: Kerry

Kerry — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:05:03 +0000

Tess, what an amazing article. Your thoughts and insights definitely resonate with me. At times (well, most of the time), I have to remind myself to get out of my own way.

By: Monica Marlowe

Monica Marlowe — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:22:25 +0000

Tess, I met Kristin Hannah at a reading and she proudly lauded herself as writing books “about women, for women”. The comments on her Facebook page say it all … people love her writing and her stories. No one can write to please everyone … so keep writing what you love and enjoy the journey!