Did you say chick lit?

Arguments about chick lit never seem to end.  It’s like some crazy boxing match with writers of literary fiction on one side, throwing epithets of “hack” and “whore,” while writers of popular fiction on the other side defend their right to entertain.  Emotions are high, and everything thinks the stakes are so very serious.

I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for these fights.  I sit in the front row with a big bowl of popcorn and watch the folks go at it.  I like being close enough to see the blood and sweat, to feel the heat.

I wonder, though, if the folks in the ring have any idea how silly the spectacle really is.  Go into any bookstore and ask the average reader their thoughts on chick lit and they’ll look at you like you’re speaking Martian.  

Most readers have never even heard this term.  They just read books they like.

My advice to writers is to stop being judgmental and/or defensive, and just keep putting the words on paper that make your own little heart dance.  Or not.  I’ve got a ringside seat and am enjoying the show.