What is Chicklit?
This is the question that brought us all together, and it's one that we've all had a chance to discuss over the last couple of months. We share a common understanding of what ChickLit is at its core--undoubtedly stories about women--but there has been room for further questions and debate surrounding what those stories entail.
Are they serious? Are they light-hearted? Is there a place in the spectrum between the two where they sit most comfortably?
Do we use ChickLit to tackle important issues and experiences shared by many women? Or is that the purview of other, more 'serious,' genres?
Is romance an inextricable element of ChickLit? At what point does a story stop being ChickLit and move into Romance or Erotica (and vice versa)?
Is ChickLit legitimately a genre unto its own, or simply a microcosm of general fiction?
One thing we can agree on: for the most part, ChickLit seems to be grounded in realism. But does it have to be? Can we take ChickLit at its most stereotypical--The Devil Wears Prada, The Shopaholic Series, Bridget Jones' Diary--and transport them, seamlessly, into other universes?
What is SciFi ChickLit like?
How about Fantasy Chicklit?
Paranormal Chicklit?
Action/Adventure Chicklit?
What is Lara Croft's relationship with her mother like?
What was the Queen of Hearts like in her twenties (hello, Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister)?
What would a day for Daenerys be like if her entire family hadn't been murdered?
Is trying to date on a Mars colony as much of a pain as it is on Earth?
These might seem like ridiculous questions, but we encourage you to ask them.
The CBC would like to invite our members to write a genre-bending ChickLit work. The weirder, the crazier, the further out the marriage of genres, the better.
In 1-2 months, we'd like to collect a series of short stories that fall under the theme of genre-bending or crossover--truly Chicklit Plus. This prompt is open to any of our members--FM, OM, PR, and anyone who is interested in joining The CBC.
We hope to publish these short stories in an anthology on the CBC page, and dedicate each chapter to the author. You are also welcome to publish these stories on your own account, and you retain all rights over them for all of eternity, including removing them from the CBC page at any time (and if the Almighties say so, that's how it goes).
Depending on how many stories we get, we'd like to put that anthology forward for a session or two so that we may all read, critique, and enjoy the creative endeavors of our fellow CBC-ers.
What are your thoughts? Is anyone game? How much time does everyone need?
Think about it, and enjoy the break week--just remember to come back to us with answers!
Session 10 will showcase theredhairedbrunette's novel, Hello, Again.
YOU ARE READING
CBC: The Sessions (a.k.a. The Review Book)
RandomLOYAL SUBJECTS, The time has come to announce that your Royal Highnesses will be stepping down from their posts as Almighty Beacons of Beauty and Grace, and Lucy. In their honor, the castle in which they resided will be sealed up, brick by brick, a...
