Candice knew from an early age she wanted to be a novelist. She was always writing as a child and teen.
"I decided when I was 8 I was going to be a writer, so at 19 I told my mum I was going to be a novelist and I moved to New York to start my 'real life'. With only $200 in my pocket it was not easy. I moved apartments every 3 weeks and had very little money. I was so poor I had no bed to sleep on so I borrowed a piece of foam from a friend. They were some terrible times, at times I thought I should give up. I got small publishing jobs with a childrens publisher and a few womens magazines but it didnt pay alot and after a while my friend wanted his foam back and the only way to get it back to him was by taxi and it would cost $10 to get it to him. I didnt have $10. That was a make or break moment. But I thought to myself people move to New York to be successful. No one moves to New York to be a loser."
Where did the idea for Sex and the City come from?
"It came from a newspaper column I used to write "Sex and the City" for the New York Observer . It was about the feminist movement of women having careers. 30 something women living in the 90s and striving to have it all. It was about the preconceptions others have about women having careers and being single. I had to create an alter ego though, which is how "Carrie Bradshaw" was born. I didnt want my parents to know the column was about me. The column became really popular, people would be waiting every Wednesday morning for the paper to come out just to read it. I had friends fax the page to each other in other cities It started from that."
Everyone can see a bit of themselves in each of the characters - what makes them so relatable?
"The girls represent a selective group. Their values and morality were on show which at times could be shocking and disturbing but people still found interesting. Essentially we see a bit of ourselves in them as they have the same struggles we do - with friendships, finding their identity, finding prince charming... "
How did Sex and the City go from a column, to a novel, to a TV show?
"Popularity. There was a lot of interest from HBO when the column became popular as well as from ABC and Darren Starr. I sold it to Darren in 1995 then he sold to HBO producers to create a series in 1996. It wasnt written for TV in mind, it wasnt really a goal of mine. I didnt really know anyone who had done that before, so I wasnt thinking about it that much. I wanted to be a novelist, that was my dream."
What is your advice on succeeding in your career?
"Be willing to be uncomfortable, to know you will reap the benefits of difficult times if you stick with it, to have discipline and set goals, to love what you do at least 90% of the time and don't be afraid to lose."
celeb spotlight
CANDACE BUSHNELL author of Sex and the City, The Carrie Diaries, One Fifth Avenue, Lipstick Jungle and many more. Through her seven books, top rating television series and blockbuster movies, Candace’s work has influenced and defined generations of women.
We chatted with Candace about the book which started it all.