Recently, an agent mentioned he was very fatigued when he had to read stories that were about forty-something women starting their lives again, setting up a bed and breakfast or a restaurant.
Hmm. I love those stories. But maybe for that individual he’s tired of that plot line but in real life and in fiction, women begin again every day of the year. Women re-organize themselves, re-order their priorities and are willing to tackle troubled relationships, money problems, health issues etc. Women are tough! We keep going!
And in fiction, I want my heroine to hang in for the ride. I don’t want her to be a quitter. Of course, she will learn about herself and others on her personal journey, but I don’t want her to ever stop trying. That’s why I read. For the possibility of a fresh start, a unique insight, the light at the end of the tunnel.
Starting over makes me tired, too
but that’s what we do! We start new stories, we start new businesses, we start life with kids, we start life after they move away…
I’ve just started reading a book about how people cope with transitions – from not changing at all (which makes them feel overwhelmed when the world changes) to changing too fast (without really looking at the new requirements) to learning new skills or adapting to the new environment.
I’m half afraid that I’m in the “overwhelmed” camp, but I think more of me is in the “learning new tricks” camp. I hope so! That’s what I’ll aim for in my next new start – whatever it is.
Rachel
Hi Jodie, thought I’d give you a splurge on my life. I am English and mature in years, I was very happy over there. I only had 4 years to go and the mortgage to my house would have been fully paid up. I ran a great and growing business in alternative therapies from my home.
The short of it is, I met a “nice” Canadian man when I was on holiday over here. Well, I lost absolutely everything when I foolishly married him more than a year later in 1999: my home, my money, my life, my pets, everything! (and almost my dignity)
I have struggled in Canada to survive ever since I married the “clever lying swine” who turned abusive. Won’t say too much here, but after the proceeds from my UK house sale “disappeared” I found myself disabled, with just two suitcases, a cat as my only companion (still) and no money or job, or hope of having one.
Yes, of course, after what he did to me I left him. “Oooh, If I knew then what I know now….”
The Hero’s Journey by Christopher Vogler tells us that a good story begins with our hero—in this case a forty-something woman—in her Ordinary World. That ordinary world is the comfort zone she’s become familiar with.
The second phase of the story is the Call to Adventure, in which the “seeds of change and growth are planted.” The heroine may refuse the call, but she will answer it eventually. If she doesn’t, there’s no story.
I’m sure the agent knows better than most that change is a prerequisite for an engaging story, so I suspect he was finding fault with how some writers create that change. If he’s just read a half dozen submissions about forty-something women, newly divorced, unexpectedly having to support themselves, and deciding to use their domestic talents to open a restaurant or a B&B, then he may very well be tired. But so are those premises.
As writers, it’s our job to dig deep and come up with a fresh new twist on the call to adventure, and make it believable. Easy, right?
Lee
I love “starting over” stories too, Rachel. I also love “coming of age” stories – and I think they’re often the same thing because life is full of transitions and growth as we move from stage to stage, sometimes by choice and sometimes because of what life sends our way.
But I think there’s merit to the agent’s comment. Mid-life women’s stories have become popular (as did chick lit several years ago), and there’s always a danger that the market can become saturated. Harlequin tried out their NEXT line, aimed at just those kinds of stories, and they ended up folding it. And chick lit “died” – though there are still lots of great stories in the chick lit vein, they’re just labeled something else.
There’s definitely room for women’s starting over stories, and for 20-something “finding yourself” stories, but the market is tougher. The stories have to be more original and the writing has to be more dazzling. So I suspect you’ll do just fine writing this kind of story!
Sorry, meant to say Jodie – as in, I love those stories too, Jodie. And I was writing my comment before Lee’s got posted, and I see she’s saying something similar, about finding the fresh twist.
After all, look at romance. Guy and gal meet, are attracted but there are obstacles in the way, eventually they both face the challenges and win love. It’s a pretty simple concept. Yet those stories still remain the most popular on the market, and there are still fresh ways of telling them.
Trends come and go, and there will always be room for great stories.
I like those stories too. The agent must have quite young. We all have times where we don’t do so well and…we need to start over. Reading
how someone else overcame greater odds that those we face is a great
lift. Keep them coming and ignore agents like this person. If he lives, he too will reach the forty.
I like some ‘starting over’ stories, but feel that there has been a dearth of ‘running away to renovate an old farmhouse in Provence’ plots. As Susan said, sometimes the market can become saturated. How about a story about moving to a forestry camp 500 miles north of Edmonton, right after graduation? I’ve tried to write about it, but it never did come out quite right.