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Spotlight on Candace Bushnell: Sex & the City Author

posted by ChickSpeak
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 4:26pm CDT

As you walk past them, their expensive perfume eludes from every corner, their high-end-high-heels leave a beating rhythm that you can’t get out of your head, and you are left watching in complete awe as they demand attention in every room they enter.

They are the powerhouse women we all aim to be: the ones with sky-rocketing careers, the best of the best of clothes and shoes, blissfully happy (and beautifully complicated) relationships, and above all, the world at their perfectly manicured fingertips.

They thrive off easy candor with their girlfriends, and live the lives they dreamed as children. These women are idolized more in more as women progress (and dominate) the workplace and every city around the country.

Through cleverly written chapters and characters that feel so real you miss them once you end the book, Candace Bushnell has built a career by giving her readers a bird eye’s view into the lives of successful, sassy and stylish women.

From books that became well-known television shows and movies, like Sex and the City and Lipstick Jungle to an array of New York Times best sellers, Bushnell is a lady all smart chicks admire.

Bushnell took the time to sit down with ChickSpeak and give advice to young writers and journalists about becoming savvy businesswomen with style and confidence:

ChickSpeak: All of your books feature strong, independent women and ChickSpeak aims to encourage that positive attitude in our readers. What qualities, in your mind, make a woman a powerhouse today?

Candace Bushnell: That’s a big question and one without a simple answer. I know many women whom I would describe as powerhouses, but the reality is that they have used their life experiences to evolve; therefore, they tend to be in their mid-thirties, forties and fifties. That being said, I also know young women in their early twenties whom I suspect will become powerhouses. They’re open-minded, excited about life, respectful, are able to fail and pick themselves up, and most of all, are willing to learn and say yes to new and challenging experiences.

When you’re in your twenties, it’s not necessary (and probably unreasonable) to expect to have your whole life figured out. Rather, it’s about experiencing as much as you can, good and bad, figuring out how to survive disappointment and developing a work ethic that will carry you through the rest of your life.

CS: How did you start in the publishing industry? When did you know you’d be an author?

CB: I started very early. I knew at eight that I wanted to be a novelist, and this informed my choices later on. When I was seventeen, I went to Rice University in Houston; after two years I’d taken all the writing courses they had to offer and I decided to move to New York. I sent short stories to publishing houses and wrote pieces for downtown newspapers. I had my first piece published when I was nineteen, and also got an assignment from Simon & Schuster to write a little children’s book. By the time I graduated from New York University, I already had a portfolio of several published pieces and I just kept knocking on doors. I became a freelance writer for women’s magazines, like Mademoiselle and Cosmo, did a short stint as a staff writer for Self magazine, and went on from there.

CS: Are the characters in Sex and the City based on your friends or personal experiences you’ve had?

CB: The characters and stories in all of my novels are certainly inspired by people I’ve met and stories I’ve heard or experienced myself. However, “real life” is merely a jumping off point for fiction, in which one needs to create, in a sense, an alternate universe that feels real.

People often like to think that characters in books are based on real people, but the fact is when you’re writing fiction, you have to know your character far better and more intimately than you could ever know a real person. For instance, you have to know what your character was eating for breakfast on Christmas morning when they were five.

CS: What was it like for you to see your characters in Sex and the City and Lipstick Jungle come to life on television series and then on the big screen?

CB: Both were exciting and rewarding experiences. The process of writing a novel and making a TV show or movie are nearly polar opposites: A novel requires the creativity of one person, while a TV show or movie demands the collaboration of a hundred talented and creative people.

The schedule for producing a television show or movie is incredibly demanding, and people often work twelve to eighteen hour days. I like to joke that if you want to be in show biz, you have to enjoy being tired. So I’m always grateful for all the hard work that is put into these projects.

CS: What advice would you give to young women who want to have successful writing careers? What’s the secret to getting your foot in the door?

CS: I’m often asked this question. The reality is that publishing is difficult these days. Publishers used to accept unsolicited manuscripts, which was terrific for writers, but now many publishers will only look at manuscripts submitted by an agent.

And, given the bad economic times, agents are less open to taking on new clients. That being said, one of the aspects of becoming a writer is to find a way around the “no’s.”

It really does help to work in the industry if you can-writing for a small newspaper or blogs-and getting to know other people in the business. I do believe that if writing is in your blood and you’re driven to do it, you will succeed.

I can think of two writers in their mid-thirties who kept working at it and working at it and have just had novels published. It’s very exciting. It’s also important to keep in mind that being a writer is a long-term profession. One needs patience. And it really is about practice, practice, practice.

CS: You’ve already accomplished so much, but we know there’s always more. What projects are you currently working on?

CB: I have three novels lined up: Two young adult novels about Carrie Bradshaw’s early years, and another novel that I haven’t begun to formulate yet. I also have a few side projects that I’m not allowed to talk about yet.

CS: What message do you hope all of your novels send to your readers?

CB: One of my shortcomings is that I can easily become “preachy,” so I try to stay away from delivering any particular message. Instead, I try to reflect certain truths about life and the times we live in, juxtaposed against the realities of human nature.

I like to think I write about human foibles, and the tension that occurs when our aspirations and desires come up against the parameters of “real life.”

CS: When you’re not busy with book signings, touring and watching your books turn into series, what do you do? What are you reading? What’s your current beauty obsession? What song do you have on repeat?

CB: Well, I try to spend most of my time in the daily process of writing. When I’m not on a book tour, I write about five or six days a week, for four hours a day; however, as a novel proceeds, I’ll spend up to eight hours writing and sometimes longer.

Despite the inherent difficulties in writing, I love the challenge and I love being in my head and in my imagination. Sometimes I think I’d write for twenty-four hours a day if I could, but unfortunately I have to sleep and my legs and hands get cramped and then I have to lie on the couch and watch reality shows.

As for beauty obsessions and the like, I was a teenager in the 1970’s when “all-natural” was in and women were barely even expected to shave their legs. No one I knew ever went to a spa or even a salon, so I guess I somehow missed that formulative imprint.

Even today, I only wear makeup if I have to, and, of course, do all the other standard maintenance routines, but I don’t spend much time thinking about it.

CS: Where do you find the inspiration for your writing? Who or what inspires you?

CB: I’m mostly inspired by books. I taught myself to read at a very young age, and I was one of those kids who always had my nose in a book. I read for about an hour a day, usually before I go to bed. I read for enjoyment and also to see how other writers have solved certain problems like character development, plot, time, pacing, etc.

Recently I’ve re-read Brideshead Revisited, The Group, Brave New World and The Bell Jar, all of which I highly recommend. At the moment, I’m reading an obscure first novel by Virginia Wolf titled Melymbrosia. It’s brilliant, and when I finish it I’ll probably go back and read it again.

CS: If you could have any career other than incredible, successful author, what would it be? Why?

CB: First of all, you’re very kind in your assessment, so thank you. My occasional fantasies about other professions would be jockey, race car driver, lead guitarist, Broadway star or television executive. Don’t ask me why. But in the end, I suspect it would always come back to writing.

Lindsay Tigar is the Editor-at-Large for ChickSpeak, has read every single one of Candace Bushnell’s books, adores vintage shopping and can’t wait to move to New York come January. Photo courtesy of Candace Bushnell’s website.