Why I Love Women’s Fiction (But Hate The Name)
Women’s Fiction is one of my favorite genres. It’s the one I write and am published in, and it’s one of my favorite genres to work with as an editor and book coach. I love the rich stories women’s fiction encompasses and the relatability of those stories.
But when I published my debut novel this past spring, I heard from a lot of the men in my life that they weren’t sure they’d be able to relate to the story or sharing surprise that the story resonated them despite its label as “women’s fiction,” at which point I would have to go into a lengthy explanation about what women’s fiction actually is and how it isn’t only for women. As annoying as that has been, it’s not really their fault. After all, the genre’s name certainly makes it seem as though it wouldn’t be something men are interested in reading.
What Is Women’s Fiction?
Women’s fiction has slightly different definitions depending on who you ask, but the Women’s Fiction Writers Association defines it as “layered stories in which the plot is driven by the main character’s emotional journey.”
Clearly, this definition encompasses a broad range of stories. It doesn’t even include gender in any way—the protagonist doesn’t need to be a woman, nor does the story matter only appeal to women. And the genre lends itself to the opportunity to include various subgenres—for example, women’s fiction with a romantic subplot, women’s fiction with domestic suspense, historical women’s fiction, etc. A women’s fiction story can be literary or commercial, or anything in between. There’s room for so many different stories within the world of women’s fiction!
Why I Love Women’s Fiction
I wrote women’s fiction for a long time before realizing that was the name for what I was writing. It wasn’t until another author posted on Facebook about her women’s fiction novel being released that I realized what I wrote had a more specific genre than simply “contemporary fiction.” I was always drawn to writing and reading stories about characters going through something heavy and showing their journeys. Once I discovered what women’s fiction was—and that it was so much more than “chick lit” (a phrase I hate even more than women’s fiction)—I was excited to connect with other writers who wrote stories similar to what I wrote.
I’m drawn to the emotional depth of women’s fiction. Women’s fiction stories tend to be about characters who are flawed in ways I can relate to and/or ways that I find fascinating to learn about. One of the reasons I’ve always loved reading so much is the ability to get into someone else’s head and understand their perspective, and women’s fiction stories do that so well.
I’ve also come to love the community of other women’s fiction writers I’ve connected with over the years. We’re truly a diverse group of writers, but I’ve found women’s fiction writers to be so open and willing to help other writers. I’m proud to be a women’s fiction writer, and thankful to have found a home within that community of writers.
Why I Hate the Term “Women’s Fiction”
That being said, the term “women’s fiction” feels outdated and exclusionary. In today’s world where we’re constantly being encouraged to look beyond traditional gender roles and not stereotype based on gender, it feels strange to me that a term like “women’s fiction” still exists.
First and foremost, I take issue with labeling stories as women’s fiction when there is no “men’s fiction.” The idea that fiction written for men would simply be general fiction, but stories geared towards women would need a separate label has never made sense to me. It comes across as though women are meant to stay over here and read certain types of stories, while men are over here reading the important books. It simply makes no sense.
But beyond that, it sends a signal to men that these books aren’t meant for them, even though a person of any gender can enjoy and learn from and resonate with the types of stories found within the women’s fiction genre. The simple fact that the men in my life questioned whether my story would be one that interested them speaks to the fact that they’re being sent the message that these stories aren’t intended for them. And that feels like an incredible loss to me.
For marketing purposes, we often need to continue using the phrase “women’s fiction” to help readers find what they’re looking for, but it can also limit our ability to find our readers in the same way. Many readers I’ve talked to outside of the writing sphere don’t know what women’s fiction really is or think it’s the same as romance. As authors, we’re proud of the type of stories we write and want to proudly label them for what they are but calling them women’s fiction can them limit our ability to reach readers who aren’t aware of what the genre is or that this is the type of story they’re even looking for. Remember how I shared at the beginning that I wrote women’s fiction for years before even knowing that’s what it was called? If I didn’t even know that’s what I was writing, how can we expect the average reader to know to search out “women’s fiction” in particular?
A Call for Change
I know my concern over the term “women’s fiction” is not mine alone. I’ve heard from many other women’s fiction writers that while they love the genre, they’re not fond of the term. And there is some recent recognition of the fact that continuing to use the term “women’s fiction” is outdated and misguiding. Publisher’s Marketplace recently dropped the women’s fiction label, and I know of some agents who have stopped using the term as well.
But the problem is that no alternative name has been put forward for the genre. Instead, those arenas where the women’s fiction label is no longer being used have started grouping women’s fiction in with general fiction or, sometimes, romance (which while I also love a good romance, women’s fiction is not the same). Without finding a different name for this type of fiction, we risk losing our identity and what makes these stories special. The term existed in the first place as a way of differentiating these stories from general fiction to allow readers to more easily pinpoint what it is they’re looking for when searching for a story, so to revert to grouping them in with general fiction or contemporary fiction doesn’t feel like the answer. To keep this genre definable but not limiting, a new name that better describes exactly what type of stories this genre includes is needed.
As I said at the beginning, I absolutely love women’s fiction, and I’m a proud women’s fiction author. These stories have always been the ones my heart yearns to write. But to ensure that our stories find the wide audience they would appeal to, we need a better name.
What are your thoughts on the term “women’s fiction?” What title do you think would be better fitting?
