tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post8173703131746361288..comments2024-03-12T03:51:39.525+05:30Comments on Compulsive Confessions: Literature Straight From My Ovaries Because That's Where I Also Keep My Brain CellseMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716202062654957842noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-23615906965525373662012-09-19T13:57:17.469+05:302012-09-19T13:57:17.469+05:30I just discovered you. And boy! am I glad I did. T...I just discovered you. And boy! am I glad I did. The funny thing about labels: they create expectations - put you into boxes. With 'chick-lit' I expect, a modern day fairy-tale with a fair bit of sex thrown in. Fairy-tales are all well and good, but they become mind numbing after a while. After prolonged binging on M&Bs, my taste-buds couldn't handle any more of it; I have been avoiding those bright 'pink' books with 'stilettos and bags' on the cover. Now though, I am up for a re-think. Thank you. Keep confessing, the world can certainly do with more of such interesting confessions. Eliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09620791841014531029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-40853906872595219562012-08-03T02:29:29.298+05:302012-08-03T02:29:29.298+05:30Labeling people is something the society in genera...Labeling people is something the society in general seems to enjoy. And though some people here have said the label chick lit is not a big deal, some people understand it as - "Chick lits" are called "chick lits" for their lack of depth of understanding, more than anything else, even while by definition it is - genre fiction within women's fiction which addresses issues of modern women often humorously and lightheartedly. So yes labeling sucks whatever sort it is. Why not people learn to take a person for what she/he is rather than simply categorize and label is something to ponder on, that said you do have to rebel in order that the label is questioned, or the least the label-ers stop to thinkchembzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12261634482914324965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-23191533244080575282012-07-25T17:09:12.577+05:302012-07-25T17:09:12.577+05:30"Eh, whatever, as long as you lot are buying/..."Eh, whatever, as long as you lot are buying/reading what I write even if it is to bitch about how awful it is, I guess I shouldn't complain."<br /><br />Goddamnit you have taken all the fun out for me in reading your books. No more Chetan Bhagat for me either. And I will stop watching Khan Sisters.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-75529069547024926682012-06-19T10:41:10.616+05:302012-06-19T10:41:10.616+05:30I think 'Scarlett' has a point to prove he...I think 'Scarlett' has a point to prove here.... I liked what 'Scarlett' had said on this post. I also agree that this post can create a controversy...Jackhttp://www.technicaltalk.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-30059749907197417822012-06-17T21:26:36.891+05:302012-06-17T21:26:36.891+05:30Firstly, the title of this blog took me by surpris...Firstly, the title of this blog took me by surprise. I haven't read your books, but yes I shall consider reading them now. It is definitely because of this blog. <br /><br />I agree that pretty gals are not taken seriously, but then MOST of them, I repeat MOST of them are not good enough to be taken seriously. Out of 10 pretty gals that I know of only 2 of them are worth TALKING TO. Rest are only worth LOOKING AT and that's where it ends. Probably THAT 80% is responsible for the stupid belief that pretty gals are not intelligent.<br /><br />http://subhashdeviprabha.blogspot.in/Subhash Kumarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13450460719118768872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-71234000602609675212012-06-15T21:02:24.655+05:302012-06-15T21:02:24.655+05:30I havent read your book . I havent read your blog ...I havent read your book . I havent read your blog in ages .I'm not an avid reader of "chick lit" Indian or otherwise . And I disagree with you that most women writers are bracketed under the chick lit label . Hello - have you heard of Anuradha Roy? Or Kiran Desai or Anita Desai ? Gauri Dange ? Shashi Deshpande? Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, to name a few . Their writing has depth, substance and content which makes women and men ( surprise ! surprise! ) revisit them . Perhaps women who are labelled as chick lit writers can foray out of their petty little realms and look at the world at large and then write about something which fortunately will not warrant the statutory pink,blue,mauve covers with stilletos / handbags / lingerie draped over them ! MallikaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-49331948012023930532012-05-25T12:18:05.549+05:302012-05-25T12:18:05.549+05:30I just love all your blogs.. very much and am a bi...I just love all your blogs.. very much and am a big fan of yours... you really inspire me... but this ain't how you react to the comments gal... there is little maturity needed.....Shilpanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-50886751223926952122012-05-24T21:43:37.105+05:302012-05-24T21:43:37.105+05:30Just as a point of clarification, Scarlett and co....Just as a point of clarification, Scarlett and co. didn't buy your book to bitch about it. They bought it because they thought they'd enjoy it. And they didn't. Seems fair enough to me.PIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10851884616301741291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-92139877446547630042012-05-18T20:03:57.831+05:302012-05-18T20:03:57.831+05:30Maybe the way to combat it is to go on the offensi...Maybe the way to combat it is to go on the offensive? Lets combine and make up a derogatory word for guys who write about relationships.Ah sexism!Miss Muffethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17583419275589485207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-72219108363514370242012-05-16T18:12:40.652+05:302012-05-16T18:12:40.652+05:30Never thought of your writing as chick-lit or shal...Never thought of your writing as chick-lit or shallow. I could totally relate to some aspects of Arshi - esp the part about having unconventional parents and how it affects you, the need for being on talking terms with someone and the way it takes a load off your mind, career-blues, loneliness etc...these are quite real issues and I think only people with a certain worldview can really get what you are saying. Your book may not be thought-provoking or address world poverty or hunger, but by no means is it shallow.VJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17006449751921032542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-24296272309940270382012-05-06T04:13:20.927+05:302012-05-06T04:13:20.927+05:30Scarlett: That's some tough love :)
eM: Good r...Scarlett: That's some tough love :)<br />eM: Good rant. Very pertinent and clearly heartfelt. Everyone is very sympathetic about the chicklit label being unduly derogatory, but if one has to pretend to depth, one has to be deeper. Sadly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-54413675831343560352012-05-06T03:49:08.365+05:302012-05-06T03:49:08.365+05:30ayn rand sucks a lot, WOMAN writer.ayn rand sucks a lot, WOMAN writer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-65497466136885663462012-04-27T20:23:28.338+05:302012-04-27T20:23:28.338+05:30This is one post of yours which I agree with start...This is one post of yours which I agree with start to end! I've frequently observed that people with a prejudiced mind judge before they soak things in and that's what usually happens and tends to labels.<br />I liked the 4th para.<br />And yes..I love your writing, may it be your blog or your books!Nehahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17218398979190360922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-81325881874116537252012-04-24T13:55:49.561+05:302012-04-24T13:55:49.561+05:30I agree with you on the fact that "Chick-lit&...I agree with you on the fact that "Chick-lit", as a label, is derogatory. We dont have labels for anything that men write on. <br />And yes, it is tougher for a pretty, fashionable woman to be taken seriously, unless she counteracts with gravest of demeanor.<br /><br />But the fact that books which are labelled as "Chicklits" are pretty much on the surface, is also true<br /><br />If your fight is only about the labeling, then you are true on your stand. <br />But if its about the depth of such books, compared to Jane Austen, Ayn Rand and other women writers(I can even cite some Indian women authors like Kamla Das), then they dont compare.<br /><br />Chick-lits are suited for some moods of a womanWomanInLovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17386945213269863756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-26224646885929202972012-04-24T12:49:09.221+05:302012-04-24T12:49:09.221+05:30This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Saranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-21827279754329794672012-04-23T21:01:22.996+05:302012-04-23T21:01:22.996+05:30Eh, whatever, as long as you lot are buying/readin...Eh, whatever, as long as you lot are buying/reading what I write even if it is to bitch about how awful it is, I guess I shouldn't complain.eMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12716202062654957842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-14477247588714687742012-04-23T20:10:25.649+05:302012-04-23T20:10:25.649+05:30eM, I love your blog and have been a regular reade...eM, I love your blog and have been a regular reader for a while now, but I see Scarlett does have a point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-9856914156662570692012-04-23T19:28:49.682+05:302012-04-23T19:28:49.682+05:30Bravo, Scarlett! Now THAT is the way to write a cr...Bravo, Scarlett! Now THAT is the way to write a critical point of view. Well done. And I fully agree about everything you said.Saranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-6824262744586373192012-04-23T19:18:32.784+05:302012-04-23T19:18:32.784+05:30Haha, I love what Scarlett said.Haha, I love what Scarlett said.Shrutinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-48167065054177888042012-04-23T16:46:37.935+05:302012-04-23T16:46:37.935+05:30See, this is just not on. A) By being an author yo...See, this is just not on. A) By being an author you've chosen to put yourself out there, and when you're out there, you're completely out there. There are no half measures. You have to be prepared for negative feedback as well as positive. I did not abuse you or criticize you on something completely irrelevant to what you do - such as the way you look, the way you dress, or the r/ships you have. I'm sure people have given you feedback via other forums, and I'm sure you don't ask them all to get lost if it's negative. <br /><br />B) I acknowledge this is your blog but it's a public blog and people will comment. If you're so sensitive about people's reactions to your posts/writing, you should either make your blog a private one or enable comment moderation.<br /><br />And I don't think I wasted my Sunday leaving you a comment. I've spent my money on your book, and that gives me the right to tell you whether I liked it or not. I did give it to you that you write well, so this is an honest feedback and you've got to take the negative with the positive. You're free not to care about it.Scarletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08909702073286784203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-85138136877188555852012-04-23T12:51:34.353+05:302012-04-23T12:51:34.353+05:30eM,
Agree with you that it's tougher for wom...eM, <br /><br />Agree with you that it's tougher for women to be taken seriously - especially if they dress well/are pretty.<br /><br />However, disagree with you that all women who write about relationships are immediately labelled 'chick-lit' writers. It is not just about the content, but also about the way it's written - light/frothy/etc, as people have said above. I've picked up such books because they're light reads. They're good for time-pass; they don't challenge you.<br /><br />Yes, chick-lit is a derogatory term, but women who write such books surely know who their target audience is. And, btw, there IS a category of lad-lit as well, though more in the UK than anywhere else, I think.<br /><br />P.S. - I have to admit I haven't read your books, so I can't comment on whether you're being rightly/wrongly categorized as chick-lit. (Your rant seems to have been triggered by that.)DRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13788359298040148878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-83615989821789783852012-04-23T06:07:41.861+05:302012-04-23T06:07:41.861+05:30Chick-lit usually refers to books that are written...Chick-lit usually refers to books that are written by women for women -- usually light, breezy, lacking depth in terms of the plot, which isn't complex. There is nothing of substance, so to speak of. It usually focuses on a woman's search for Mr. Right -- throw in issues like juggling her love and work life, financial issues, love of shoes, dropping some fashion names etc. and voila, you have got yourself a book. I say it's written for women because no guy I know wants to read about some women fretting about how her biological clock is ticking or how she really wants the new Gucci bag.<br /><br />I also don't know anyone who would call Chetan Bhagat's work "literature" and for that I am very grateful. There are many female authors whose work is enjoyed by both sexes and who aren't labelled as chick-lit. Suzanne Collins, Joyce Carol Oates, Alice Sebold, Margaret Atwood come to mind. Right now I can't think of any male authors who write books exclusively targeted at men about the latest in video-games or brewing your own beer and/or trying not to get a woman pregnant. Hey, maybe there's a market in that? <br /><br />I don't see anything derogatory in the label, I enjoy fluff once in a while and I am sure, so do a lot of women. I don't think there's anything to be ashamed of or not wanting to be associated with it. There's good chick-lit and bad chick lit, more of the latter than the former, if we were to be honest. I haven't read too much Indian chick-lit or your books, for that matter, but I whatever little I have come across, I have been put off by how trite the writing is, how inauthentic it feels. The plots feel forced and the whole thing feels like it is trying too hard. A perfect case for wannabe-dom, if there ever was. The whole "I am so cool and liberated because I drink gin-and-tonics/smoke a pack a day/sleep around" is mind-numbing.<br /><br />ReplyDeleteSachinkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17358987461597301580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-37745305328434163982012-04-23T06:05:41.808+05:302012-04-23T06:05:41.808+05:30This comment has been removed by the author.Sachinkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17358987461597301580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-35120459734998811752012-04-22T18:41:39.032+05:302012-04-22T18:41:39.032+05:30Ohhkay. Maybe I didn't make my point as clearl...Ohhkay. Maybe I didn't make my point as clearly as I thought I had. So, basically summarising:<br />1) My writing is my writing. Obviously, I think I'm okay enough at it to continue to attempt to make a living from it. You are all, of course, free to read or not read, to agree or disagree. This was not meant to be a post on the QUALITY of my writing or my books. <br />2) The point of this post was to basically discourage the use of the phrase "chick lit". Many of you have written saying that chick lit is okay, it's escapist, it's FINE. I object to the "little girlishness" of the phrase, the fact that it sounds dismissive. You say not all covers are pink, in this case we shall agree to disagree, because all the covers I've seen so far have some sort of pink on them and that swirly font that is associated with women for some reason. I don't like the phrase "chick lit" because it looks down upon female writers, someone on this comment thread rightly pointed out David Nicholl's One Day as an example of a man who could write about a relationship and receive critical acclaim. I assure you, if David was a Diana, this would not be the case. I have nothing against escapist/commercial literature. I enjoy it myself. My ONLY objection is with the phrase "chick lit", which grates on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. <br />3) The other point I was trying to make, and which I have received several nice emails about is that it's an unequal world. We have to work harder to be taken seriously in our chosen fields because we're women. Reading comments over at a magazine website, a very well written article about a current event, made me sad. Because after a bit, all the comments were, "she's really not sexy". How is this something you feel the need to share vis a vis a piece of writing? Would this point be made if she was a man? I think not. <br /><br />Also, I get it. I read lots of blogs where I'm internally rolling my eyes at the blogger's newest antics. But I don't normally waste my time leaving comments on them. This is public space, this is also private space. My little square foot of the internet. I'm glad you chose to log in with your profile, Scarlett, because then I can't just dismiss you as a random troll. But I am concerned that you would spend this lovely Sunday telling me how derivative you think my writing is. May I point you towards my link list instead? You will find lots of good writers running good blogs that you might prefer to mine in the future.eMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12716202062654957842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382033.post-82593481087552387392012-04-22T17:32:59.461+05:302012-04-22T17:32:59.461+05:30Okay, here we go...
I agree with Carpe Diem above...Okay, here we go...<br /><br />I agree with Carpe Diem above. I think 'Chick lit' is called that b/c it's targeted at women and appeals to them, not b/c it's a book about relationships written by a woman. <br /><br />Historically, there have been countless women writers who have written about relationships - Jane Austen, Ayn Rand etc. But their books weren't classified as chick lit b/c they appealed to both the sexes.<br /><br />There are plenty of intelligent 'chick lit' authors out there - authors who write stuff that is genuinely funny AND clever. Sophie Kinsella, Helen Fielding, Jennifer Weiner and Lauren Weisberger being examples of that. 'Almost Single' by Advaita Kala is a great example of funny chick-lit by an Indian author.<br /><br />I'm sorry but your book 'You Are Here' was just nowhere close to being funny OR clever. You write well, I'l give you that. But the book was a bore, a total waste of time and 100 bucs, and enough to put me off your books for good. The only reason I still read your blog is b/c it's free, and I'm curious to know what you'll be going off about next b/c I think you're a try hard, and you're out to prove a point. It's like someone forgot to tell you that bra-burning feminism died decades ago.<br /><br />You couldn't even think of a better name for your first book ('You Are Here' is as lame as it gets), and you lifted Sophie Kinsella's title for your second ('Confessions of a List Maniac', really?)<br /><br />So there you go...I've wanted to give you this feedback for years having read your first book when it came out, but I resisted. However, when you write stuff like this, asking to be taken seriously as an author is when I've got to let you know what I thought of your book. <br /><br />Mine is just one opinion of course, I'm sure there are plenty of takers for your books. It just didn't work for me and I can't even consider you a good chick-lit author that I would want to buy again.<br /><br />PS: No, I don't like Chetan Bhagat either and it's got nothing to do with 'chick lit'Scarletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08909702073286784203noreply@blogger.com