Q&A with Suzy
What is the most memorable application of 10-10-10 you've ever heard of?
I've heard so many I love! 10-10-10ers, for instance, have used the
process to decide whether to try online dating, tell off a boss, run for
political office, confess a marital infidelity, buy a new house, have a
baby, and change careers. And that's just the beginning of the list.
What advice would you give to 10-10-10 "newbies" trying the process
for the first time?
At the very outset, I think it's useful to 10-10-10 with a paper and
pen (or a computer) to write down your thoughts. And it never hurts
to 10-10-10 with a friend, especially if that friend will help you push
your thinking.
What was your latest 10-10-10 decision?
Whether to attend the funeral of a person I literally did not know -- he
was a good friend of my husband's. The decision to attend would have
been a no-brainer except that I had an important child-related obligation the same day. In many ways, it was a classic 10-10-10 dilemma. Jack ardently
wanted me one place; Eve desperately wanted me to be someplace else, and
I saw both of their points of view. In the end, I was so conflicted that I
sat Jack and Eve down and the three of us 10-10-10'd the situation
together. I went to the ceremony with Jack and everyone understood why
that was the best solution.
What do you love/hate most about being a writer?
I love and hate everything about being a writer. I love the solitude
with my thoughts; I hate the loneliness that entails. I love coming up
with new ways of saying things all the time; I hate the pressure of
deadline creativty. It's a moot point though, as I am only equipped to
be a writer. There is literally nothing else I can do in life.
How long did writing the book take you from start to finish?
I first wrote about 10-10-10 for O, the Oprah Magazine in 2006, but it
was January of 2008 when I started conducting research in earnest on the
topic. I spent about four months making phone calls and traveling around
the country to meet people who regularly use 10-10-10. After listening
to their stories, I spent another few weeks making sense of everything
I'd learned and reading about brain science, and then I finally started
writing the darn thing in April of 2008. I finished the book almost a
year later. Suffice it to say, there were a lot of drafts.
Do you have a bizarre creative process?
I wish I had a bizarre creative process -- it would be fun to reveal at
dinner parties. Unfortunately, my years as a workaday journalist at the
Associated Press and the Miami Herald turned me into a real grunt when
it comes to writing. I'm really methodical about doing research,
preparing my thoughts, and organizing content. Frankly, on this front, I
even bore myself.
Now that 10-10-10 is complete, what are you planning to do next?
I'll continue writing other stuff, like the BusinessWeek column I
co-author with Jack, and I hope to keep blogging for my favorite website,
The Daily Beast. I'll certainly attend more of Marcus's swim meets.
Otherwise, the Next Big Thing awaits me.
I have a 10-10-10 story. How can I share it with you?
You can post it right on this site.
Did your children get mad that you wrote about them?
My kids were great about having their life stories included. Roscoe and
Sophia (who are 18 and 19) actually read the whole book and gave me very
useful feedback, and Marcus, who is 16, is just really cool about
everything. In the end, I only had to remove one anecdote from the book
because Eve, my youngest at 14, went ballistic. It concerned her choice
of a Halloween costume, and I am forbidden from saying more.
If you really did have a magic wand to bring you back in time, is this any one thing you would have done differently in raising your children?
One thing? Are you kidding? I can think of 100, starting with the fact
that I should have believed Sophia when, at age 8, she told me she had a
bead stuck up her nose and I ignored her for six months, until it popped
out. Honestly, I am like every mother. I have gotten more things wrong than right, albeit not for lack of trying. The fact that my kids are
wonderful and sane is a miracle.
What does Jack think about 10-10-10?
Jack is a huge fan of 10-10-10. In fact, he was the first one who said,
"Suzy, you need to write a book about this." He had just seen me give a
speech in Miami, and the crowd reaction to the idea blew him away.
Nowadays, Jack is always telling me to 10-10-10 dilemmas, especially if
he notices my decision is not breaking his way.
Who are your heroes?
My first hero, as I mention in the book, was Oriana Fallaci, the Italian
journalist. I admired everything about her. She was original, intensely
smart, fearless, independent, ceaselessly curious. The world needed her
and she died too young.
Since my early fixation on Oriana, I have gathered a pantheon of other
heros. I bow down to the doctors and nurses at Boston Healthcare for the
Homeless for the saintly work they have done, largely without notice,
for twenty years. I hugely admire Barbara Walters for her groundbreaking
career, brilliance, and goodness. I read everything Anne Lamott writes,
especially what she writes about being a writer. And I worship Mary J.
Blige for all the obvious reasons.
