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SM: Having your own column is a dream for many writers. How did you feel when you began your "Sex and the City" column for The New York Observer?
Candace Bushnell: That was a big moment. Before that I had really been struggling. At that point I was in my early 30s, everybody else was making $50,000 or $60,000, and I was making much less. I remember one year when I made $10,000 - that was really bad. I do think that most people probably would have given up.
SM: What made you continue? What made you see your dream through?
Candace Bushnell: Right before I got the column was a very frightening time and I didn't know if I was going to make it. I actually had a boyfriend who moved to a different country and I suppose I could have moved with him. I remember thinking that if I moved with him, I would never be a writer, I would never write a novel and I just wasn't willing to give up that dream. I just had so much passion for it.
SM: What for you is the most rewarding part of being a writer?
Candace Bushnell: The most rewarding part is actually doing it. It is something that I love and I get a high from doing it.
SM: When you're writing a novel, how many hours do you write a day? A week?
Candace Bushnell: I usually try to write about 40 pages a week, or maybe more. I try to write 10 pages a day. I'll usually write for four to six days straight, and then maybe take a day off. I do find it hard to write for more than seven or eight days straight.
SM: How do you stay focused and driven in a career that offers so much autonomy?
Candace Bushnell: It is something you have to do on your own, so it takes a huge amount of discipline. You may not be in an office, but you have to mentally chain yourself to the desk. You have to be a self-starter. For 10 years, I didn't own a TV because my TV was stolen and I couldn't afford another one, but it helped me focus.
| Chloe -- Los Angeles | |
| After reading this article I feel inspired. It is so hard to continue reaching for success when you can't see whats around the corner. Dicipline is such an important indgreidient. One that I lack. I love the advice Candace Bushnell shares. I think I am going to read it again. Thank you Savvy Miss. | |
| Rosolye -- Endeavour Hills | |
| This is a great interview. Thanks! For me, achieving success is based on how much I believe in myself and how I learn to see or create favorable circumstances. Its not necessarily wealth or recognition, but these things can evolve. I agree with Candace that writing or any other passion can blossom into success from hard work. This also happens when we least expect. Goal-setting is very personal and so is the means by which we achieve anything. People will tell you what they think you can or can't do, then, you need to decide for yourself what you wish to so and what's really possible. | |