Interview with Author & Freelance Writer Suzi Parker

Describe how you approached freelancing before you made it a full-time gig. For example, did you, at first, work full-time and write & submit part-time?

No, I plunged straight in. I decided that if I was going to do it, then I was going to make it my job. That way I couldn't have anything to fall back on, I'd have to work hard to make it work. Early on, for about six months, I worked part-time at a restaurant but my full-time job was freelancing. So I went [to] full-time status as a freelancer immediately. Once I landed some plum assignments with prestigious magazines, my queries were answered quickly and assignments rolled in.

Do you have a writing schedule?

Ha! I hate schedules but my creativity flows best when it's dark and rainy outside.

What is your favorite part about writing? Your least?

The favorite part of writing is writing something really great, putting it aside and coming back to it. I often wonder who wrote it-–and, of course, it's me. I enter this zone often when I write and it's like a trance. When I come out it, it's hard to realize that I put something so amazing on paper. Then, of course, other times, it's not amazing at all but rather weak. But when I'm really in that mind set, some great things evolve.

The least favorite part of writing: When nothing comes. When writer's block hits and you can't move forth. It doesn't happen often but it does [happen]. As a journalist, the worst part of writing is tight deadlines. More times than not, though, writing is fun.

What would you be doing if you weren't a writer?

I'd be a spy.

How do you cope with rejection?

With a lot of cussing and a heavy dose of Merlot on the side.

How do you market yourself?

I have a website which I established in 2001 long before I had a book out. I also have a list serv for sending out my news stories and news about my book or myself. It has grown to several hundred names. That, in turn, often gets forwarded to several hundred more people. In that way, I can get my message out to a lot of people. I also speak to college classes and civic clubs. This summer, I offered to teach three writing workshops at Barnes and Noble. The important thing is just to get your name out to as many people as you can. If you decide to market yourself, you can't be shy. You can't fear that people will call you a self-promoter. My theory: If you don't promote yourself, who will? Who cares more about your success than you do? No one.

How do you define your own success as a writer?

I don't think about my success as a writer very much. Writing is just a part of who I am. Of course, one day I do want to be on the New York Times best-seller list. Who doesn't?

What are some of your favorite writing books?

Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott
Follow the Story, by James B. Stewart
On Becoming a Novelist, by John Gardner

The most important thing: Read good writing and new writers. Experiment. Read writers you have never read before and learn from them. I do that more than reading or studying writing books. I search out new writers with various styles.

What advice would you impart to new writers? (Budding novelists and freelancers)

The most important thing to do: Write. If people say you can't, prove that you can. Listen to the naysayers and embrace them. Then prove them wrong. Don't be afraid of rejection or what people think. Write from the heart and write what interests you. Write what you know and if you don't know about it, learn about it. Never take rejection personally but do listen to it and weigh advice if it's given to why a book or piece is rejected. Never give up.

You can read more about Suzi at her personal web site, www.suziparker.com. Visit Suzi's publisher, Justin Charles Books, at www.justincharlesbooks.com.

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