How to Write Chick Lit

An Author and Editor Share Tips and Strategies for Writing a Novel

Sep 3, 2009

In See Jane Write, an author and an editor team up to share their humourous, practical and valuable tips and strategies for writing chick lit.

In See Jane Write: A Girl’s Guide to Writing Chick Lit, best-selling chick lit author Sarah Mlynowski (Milkrun, Me vs. Me) and editor Farrin Jacobs share their experience and advice with any women who’ve ever read a chick lit novel and thought, “I could write that!”

What Is Chick Lit?

Mlynowski and Jacobs start out with a look at the chick lit genre. They say that “chick lit is often upbeat, always funny fiction about contemporary female characters and their everyday struggles with work, home, friendship, family, or love.” There are plenty of jokes in the book about chick lit clichés, like shoes and fashion, but Mlynowski and Jacobs point out that chick lit is more than this. Chick lit “reflects women’s lives today” and that’s why it’s so popular with women.

Mlynowski and Jacobs go on to discuss “Reasons to Write.” They compare writing chick lit to being in therapy or dating—for example, as a chick lit author, “You want to charm your reader. You want to put your best face forward. You want to be lovable and entertaining, but you also want to be taken seriously.” Just like if you were dating. The authors are always humorous and use practical illustrations to help readers understand both the genre and the writing process better.

Throughout the book, Mlynowski and Jacobs provide examples from current chick lit novels and even share interviews and advice from other best-selling chick lit authors. On the topic of chick lit, Sarah Dunn says, “I think chick lit has become a negative term, . . . used primarily as a way to put female writers in their place. . . On the other hand, as a publishing trend it has been positive for a lot of women.”

How to Write Chick Lit

In the second half of the book, Mlynowski and Jacobs cover the nuts and bolts of writing. They talk about how to create characters and what makes a chick lit character. They discuss plotting, structure and pacing. Even grammar is covered, with a few concrete examples for writers to consult as they work on their manuscripts.

Finally, in the last chapter, Mlynowski and Jacobs list a few publishers who take unsolicited manuscripts and give advice about seeking agents. They also talk about how to prepare a book proposal and query letter.

Several handy appendixes provide a list of “Books That Will Help You” and “Awesome Authors and Their Published Chick Lit.” The book also has an index. Cute little drawings add humour and style to this book, making it read, well, just like a chick lit novel.

The copyright of the article How to Write Chick Lit in Writing Novels is owned by Bonnie Way. Permission to republish How to Write Chick Lit in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.