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Megan Turner

~ Fiction Writer

Megan Turner

Category Archives: Publishing

Women Writers, “Women’s Fiction,” and Our Place in Literature

18 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by meganrturner in Fiction Writing, Publishing

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Tags

Literature, Women's fiction

“Women’s fiction” is a term that has always bothered me. In the publishing industry, this refers to fiction written for and usually by women, addressing “domestic” issues such as childbirth, marriage, and relationships. This type of fiction is often more commercially driven and is perhaps the equivalent to a romantic comedy or Lifetime drama in the movie industry.

I am not against light, commercial fiction—although it is true that I prefer more serious, literary novels—but I do believe classifying this sort of fiction as “women’s fiction” is a mistake. Both men and women enjoy lighter fiction, yet no fiction (For example, more men than women stereotypically enjoy spy or thriller novels) is ever referred to as “men’s fiction.” Works such as these are simply called novels.

Although women writers are not limited to writing women’s fiction, I believe as long as this term exists women writers will never fully be included within mainstream literature. While there are many more serious women writers than there once were, many are writing this kind of light-hearted novel—or they are not appreciated or recognized when they do write more serious novels. I think we should be encouraging women to write award-winning fiction and not saying that they are limited to a particular genre or area of literature. Using the term “women’s fiction,” seems to suggest this is where women readers and writers belong.

Perhaps I am entirely wrong about this, and women are being treated as serious writers, along with men. I don’t think Toni Morrison’s work could be classified as “women’s fiction” nor would Nadine Gordimer, Marilynne Robinson, or Zadie Smith’s. Still, when I look at my bookshelf I still see many classic novels by male writers and only a smattering of ones by well-known women authors.

It seems even the best of fiction by women is sometimes still classified as “women’s fiction” with the expectation that this is for women, not men. For example, I believe Jane Austen is one of the best novelists of our time, and yet some men and women seem to suggest her novels are only for women. At the same time, women and men alike are expected to read Cormac McCarthy, Graham Greene, or Ernest Hemmingway—great novelists who arguably address more “male issues” in their work.

While I do not necessarily believe women should begin modifying their work (issues such as childcare and relationships are important), I do not believe they should be limited to a particular topic or genre. I believe we need to get rid of categories such as “women’s fiction,” as they place limits on women readers and writers—and perhaps on men as well. More women writers need to be read and appreciated. While I believe this has begun to take place, we still have far to go—and appreciating women writers as writers who just happen to be women is the first step in letting go of these antiquated ideas.

I do not believe readers or writers should be limited to a particular genre or type of literature.

I do not believe readers or writers such as this one should be limited to a particular genre or type of literature.

Why MFA Graduates Are NOT Published

26 Sunday May 2013

Posted by meganrturner in MFA Writing, Publishing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Graduation, Master of Fine Arts, MFA, Publishing

I have been in touch with several MFA graduates since finishing my degree, and it seems very few of us have published a book. Some of us are publishing in literary magazines, and a few have had novels or poetry collections published by small presses, but it seems the bulk of MFA graduates do not have an agent or publishing deal. Many seem content this way, having little to no interest in working with commercial publishing houses. What I find concerning, however, is that many graduates seem to have given up writing and the publishing process altogether.

In a way, this makes perfect sense. As many MFAers know, an MFA does not prepare students for publication. There are many classes on the craft of writing and some basic contemporary literature courses, but there are no classes on marketing work, obtaining an agent or writing for a specific audience. It seems we have only been taught the art of writing.

While I agree our main priority should be creating a well-crafted piece, this should only be the beginning. The next step is figuring out how to get others to read our work. The problem is we often don’t care about this stage of writing process—or we are unwilling to look at our work from this harsh, often critical angle. I think many MFAers want to be published, but more importantly we want to write. If agents or publishers will only reject our work, we might as well just publish for ourselves.

I am not sure if this is truly the case for all MFA graduates, but many of those I have spoken to feel the publication process is just not worth the effort. In a way, I agree with this. While we should do more to publish our work, the publishing world is often an exclusive one. There are many good agents looking for debut writers, but perhaps they are not always looking in the right places. While many agents go to writing conferences and ask others for referrals, perhaps more should be reading their slush piles, meeting students at MFA programs, and finding talent at local bars, readings and bookshops. On the other hand, I sympathize with agents and understand they can only read so much material. Still, this process of weeding out mediocre from exceptional work needs to be refined.

It seems MFA graduates have their own circle of friends and colleagues, and likewise agents have an entirely different circle of acquaintances. In this way, it is possible that these social circles will never overlap. I agree that the publishing process is a difficult one, but I also believe we have to make a concerted effort to publish our work. I understand the need to retreat, to hide and write only for small audience of friends who understand our work. But, our writing is larger than that and needs to reach a broader range of people if we are to have a greater influence on the readers and world around us. That is the only way to make a career out of a passion that cannot be found anywhere else.

We need publishers to edit and promote our work. If this means knocking on every door, then so be it. When I think of the 15-20 graduates I finished my MFA with and wonder how many of them are trying to publish—it saddens me to think it might only be a few. The world is being robbed of these great talents, and I hope MFA graduates and those in the publishing industry will someday do more to ensure these great voices are heard.

The process of going from a finished manuscript to a bound book is often a difficult one.

The process of going from a finished manuscript to a bound book is often a difficult one.


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