Meet the Judges - Robyn Harding

Time to introduce our second guest judge, another fabulous published author. Please welcome Robyn Harding! Robyn is the author of six books, including The Journal of Mortifying Moments and her latest US release, Chronicles of a Midlife Crisis. She lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and two kids. To learn more about Robyn or to say hello, you can check her website. So let's hear more from Robyn, shall we?




Gabriela - I loved your guest post on the Guide to Literary Agents’ blog, Women's Fiction, Chick Lit, and Other Thoughts on Labels. What prompted you to write that?

Robyn - I recently sat on a panel about humor writing at a university here in Vancouver. I noticed that the male authors on the panel had numerous awards and accolades, while the female authors did not. I was asked to present a topic and I chose labeling in women’s fiction. Do labels like chick lit and mommy lit affect the critical acceptance of our work? The female members of the panel were very vocal and supportive. The male members didn’t have a lot to say.

G - In your post, you mention that “the chick lit label was hard to drop”. Have you been trying to drop it? Has the hostility towards chick lit changed your writing in any way?

R - No, I haven’t been trying to drop the chick lit label. But other than my first novel, “The Journal of Mortifying Moments”, my books don’t fit (what I consider to be) the chick lit profile: a single girl in the city comes into her own. Still, I’m frequently called a chick lit author. It seems the label has evolved to include all female writers who have a sense of humor in their work. But my writing hasn’t changed because of the chick lit backlash. I still tell stories that I find exciting and engaging. And my sense of humor still comes through in my writing.

G - On an article for the Telegraph entitled “Why is women’s fiction so miserable?", British writer Jojo Moyes says that women’s fiction isn’t taken seriously, especially the humorous kind. She mentions women are writing “serious” books because they’ve realized that “there are no literary credentials to be gained from writing upbeat prose. Current wisdom suggests you cannot be taken seriously if you include a happy ending, wit – or even in some notable cases – a plot”, and she concludes that “such fiction – with its humour, wit and affairs of the heart – is still not taken seriously, except by its legions of readers.” Do you agree with her? Are humorous books written by and for women overlooked? And do you feel a need to write about depressing issues to be taken seriously?

R - I do agree with Jojo. Critically, at least, humorous women’s fiction is often dismissed. And humor, in general, is never given the same consideration as drama. (When was the last time a comedy won the Oscar?) In Canada, where I live, the literary landscape is known to be deep, dark and downright depressing. I don’t fit into the scene here at all! But I simply can’t write about rape or incest or the death of a child. I’ve tried, on a few occasions, and it was torturous for me. I love writing stories that contain elements of drama and comedy. That, to me, is real life.

G - You have written books in different genres and for different age groups. Was there one that you considered easier to market?

R - I wrote a Young Adult book called “My Parents Are Sex Maniacs, A High School Horror Story.” It’s about a teenage girl forced to deal with her father’s infidelity with her best friend’s mother. It was a heavy issue, but tonally, it was similar to my other books. Maybe because this book was targeted at teens, it actually won some awards and got me invited to some writers’ festivals. It seems a light approach in teen fiction is more acceptable to critics and reviewers. I also wrote a fun, nonfiction book called “Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs?” about my struggle to raise my family in (arguably), the most environmentally aware neighborhood on the planet. The book got soooo much media attention in Canada. And in this case, the humor was really appreciated… except by hard core environmentalists. They wanted to lynch me.

"I love writing stories that contain elements of drama and comedy. That, to me, is real life."

G - What about your latest release, “Chronicles of a Midlife Crisis”? What is it about and what genre do you think it would fit into?

R - “Chronicles of a Midlife Crisis” is about the break up of a marriage, told from two perspectives: the husband’s and the wife’s. Lucy and Trent have been married for 16 years and have a 15 year-old daughter, when Trent suddenly realizes he’s not happy. Of course, this revelation devastates the family, but the crisis also prompts Lucy to have her own epiphany, and she begins a journey to find a new definition of happiness. Even though half the book is narrated by a man, my publishers definitely consider this book contemporary women’s fiction (judging by the pink bra on the cover). I agree that the book should be marketed to women, but unfortunately, this probably excludes male readers. (Not many men are secure enough to read a book with a pink bra on the cover on the bus.) I wonder how the novel would have been marketed if it had been written by a man? And how it would have been received?

G - How does “Chronicles of a Midlife Crisis” speak to women? What do you think will draw female readership to this book?

R - Women experience midlife crises just as much as men do – but in a very different way. A Time Magazine cover story explored this uniquely female experience. When women reach this turning point (often spurred on by a traumatic or life altering event) they’re not looking for excitement or adventure. They’re looking for meaning. I think a lot of women will relate to Lucy’s struggles to redefine her life. I also think female readers will enjoy getting inside a man’s head for a change. They can finally answer the question: What the hell was he thinking?

G - What has changed between your first novel, “The Journal of Mortifying Moments”, and your latest one? Do you think those changes have more to do with your own personal growth or with market demands?

R - My latest novel “Chronicles of a Midlife Crisis” is definitely more mature than “The Journal of Mortifying Moments”. The characters are almost a decade older, have a 16 year marriage and a teenage daughter. In “The Journal of Mortifying Moments”, my protagonist is single, with an on again off again boyfriend. “Chronicles…” is still very funny in a lot of places, but “Journal…” is an all out comedy. With “Chronicles…” I wanted to tell a dramatic story with some humorous moments. With “Journal…” I wanted to write a really funny novel that had dramatic elements. I think this shift was just a natural evolution in my writing – though it’s possible that I could have subconsciously been affected by the changing literary market.

G - Finally, what advice do you give to aspiring writers hoping to write women’s fiction?

R - I think you need to write what you love to write, and ignore the scuttlebutt about the marketplace. If you try to write what’s selling, you’ll probably miss the boat. By the time your manuscript is finished, something entirely different will be popular. Write the stories that you’ve got inside you, the stories that you need to tell. I think it shows when you’re writing from your heart.