Brenda Janowitz will be teaching a Chick Lit Novel Writing class in New York early in the new year. If you're interested in writing in that genre, sign up! She provides a few freebie tips below.

Ever read a chick lit novel and think to yourself, "Hey, I could write that?" Well, you can! But don't be fooled by the fun, informal tone of chick lit -- it's more than just throwing together a bunch of bad date stories. Chick lit still follows the rules of conventional fiction.

With that in mind, your story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. There must be conflict driving your story; things must actually happen.

So, where do you start?

Try this writing exercise to get you going:

1) Picture your protagonist (if you don't have a specific protagonist in mind, use yourself! After all, they say that your first novel is usually all about you....).

2) What does your protagonist want most in life (she has to want something, otherwise there is no point to the book….)?

3) What is standing in her way (try to come up with two obstacles)?

4) How does she overcome these obstacles?

Congratulations! You have the broad outline of your book! Granted, it's a very bare bones outline of a book, but it's something to start with nonetheless. Check out some of your favorite chick lit novels to see how the ideas get fleshed out from here. Then take Novel Writing: Chick Lit to learn more about plot, story, character, and all of the other tools you will need in your toolbox to write a chick lit novel that sells.