All About Australian Women’s Fiction

Curious about what you can expect from Australian Women's Fiction? Well, look no further because this blog post is just what you need to learn all about Australian Women's Fiction. Read on to find out more.

Is Australian women’s fiction written by Australian women or about Australian women?

Some Aussie Women's Fiction authors

Australian Women's Fiction is written about Australian women, but it does not necessarily have to be written BY an Australian woman.

Though it would help if the author were Australian (note that many Australian women were not born in Australia), it could also be achieved through research, in the same way an Australian woman can write a Japanese wartime story. This Japanese wartime story would not be classified as Australian Women's Fiction just because it's written by an Australian Woman. Still, a book about an Australian woman growing up in Sydney in the 1980s written by a Japanese woman, could be classified as Australian Women's Fiction.

Okay, so,

What can I expect from Australian Women’s fiction?

A typical morning for this Aussie woman ☕️

For a book to be classified as Australian Women's Fiction, there are a few things that you can expect:

• Australian Language

  • Spelling, the Aussie way. This is mainly British English, but we are becoming more Americanised as time goes by (this applies to the next point, too). That being said, we realise (not realize), have colours (not colors), and most definitely have mums (not moms).

  • Speech - The way characters speak in Australian Women's Fiction will be the way real Aussies speak. We get fuel, not gas, and eat lollies, not candy, and we might stop for Maccas in the arvo. This leads me to my next point:

  • Slang - While the line, “just duckin’ to the servo for some snags n’ fags, ya flamin' galah,” may not be found in every Australian Women’s Fiction book you pick up, you could find it in one, somewhere (or perhaps I still need to write it lol).

• Australian Setting

  • Recognisable towns, roads, beaches, and landmarks - The book may be set in a real-life location or a fictionalised version of an Australian location, but the setting will likely be recognisably Australian (often featuring bush or beach), and...

  • Represents Australian life in a city/metropolitan, rural, or remote area.

Just another day in Oz 😍

• Australian Culture

  • Features the daily routines of an Australian woman. Obviously not all Aussie women are the same, so this will differ widely.

  • Relevant social issues and social structure

  • Australian laws and jobs

  • Australian customs and traditions

  • The Aussie way of life and all that it encompasses (at the time the book was set)

• More Narrow Genres

  Australian Women's Fiction can be an umbrella genre for smaller, more specific genres that fall under the broader umbrella, such as:

  • Small-town Australian fiction

  • Australian Outback Romance

  • Australian Historical Fiction

The list goes on.

So, Bob's your uncle (Translation: There you have it).

Expect spelling in an Australian Women's Fiction book to be the British English way, and to read about the lives of Aussie women in Aussie settings, and representing Aussie culture in the time that the book was set.

What else would you like to know about Australian Women's Fiction? Let me know in the comments.

Happy reading!

Much love,

Marley x