For example, I was just sneaking in five minutes of iPhone time in the loo at work, reading something where the protagonist just lost her job to a clear-cut case of sexual harassment. Of course, she’s just floating on home moaning half-heartedly about how she’ll have to find a new job. She can afford to kick off her Jimmy Choos and dig her toes into the plush cream carpet of her big-city apartment, but I bet you she isn’t going to head out in the morning and talk to a lawyer, or at least her HR department.
Throwaway fiction is a land of over-exaggeration and excess. There are no ordinary, in-between people, and I guess that’s the way it has to be to keep a reader glued to the book, because without completely contrived situations where you’re just shaking your head and yelling at the idiot woman, where would most chick-lit be?
I don't know. I’m still hanging out for a female character who:
- Has a healthy relationship with shopping and her appearance. She doesn't max out a different credit card each month on Blahniks and spa days, but she doesn’t let herself go because she’s damaged goods and it’s not worth putting in any effort and oh she's just so plain anyway and her boobs are tiny and that other girl is so much curvier and surely my boyfriend will think she is more attractive and oh I don’t deserve adoration anyway. Also, it'd be nice to see someone who doesn't binge eat at time of crisis, moan about how fat she’s gonna be, then wave it away with plans of eating nothing but water crackers for the next week. Oh, oh, and while we're on appearances - I also do not care, dear character, about what you are wearing. I don’t care one little bit. Most of your outfits sound terrible anyway.
- Has real, human flaws that aren't clumsiness or insecurity or naiveté or credit debt
- Isn't afraid to get her hands or feet or butt dirty (most places to sit outside in the city have bird poop on them. Get over it. I bet you hover over public toilet seats, don't you?)
- Doesn't have a supportive gay BFF or cuter/married/more successful ladyfriend, but also doesn’t have NO social network at all. I get that lots of these stories are catalyzed by moving to a new city, but surely you have someone else to talk to aside from your mum, your one co-worker and your new sexy man love who’s making everything difficult for you? We do have the internet these days, you guys.
- Doesn't have a bland office job (where are the stories about hairdressers or bicycle mechanics or factory workers?)
- Has other things to do that aren't working, shopping, going out for drinks, watching girly movies/reading classic literature and, of course, mooning over guys. Someone take up knitting or programming or go for a bike ride or something! Write some fanfic! I don't care!
- Doesn't drink Starbucks (seriously, what is the obsession with Starbucks? And why do you need to tell me your order as if it's such an important character detail?)
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