2008 Woodie Awards
Novelist Jennifer O'Connell '90 Speaks at Smith
Olivia Carrano
Issue date: 9/29/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
"I didn't always want to be a writer, but I loved writing," said Jennifer O'Connell, a Smith alumna who, after succeeding as a publisher, editor and businesswoman, is now a best-selling author of two novels in the "chick lit" genre.
What O'Connell had to say when she spoke on Thursday, September 22 was no different. After she graduated with the class of 1990, O'Connell received her M.B.A from the University of Chicago. She spent the following years learning about the writing industry as a publisher, and considers this to be one of the learning experiences most important to her triumphs as a novelist.
"Pursue a publishing career so you understand the industry," O'Connell advised future writers. "I can't stress how important it is to do your homework before you write a book you hope to get published... I think understanding the industry was a real advantage for me."
It was not just her achievements and familiarity with the publishing world that led Jennifer O'Connell to write novels with such convincing female protagonists. Her experiences at Smith contributed as well.
"Smith is all over my books, from the women characters to real-life things that happened. Of course, they are the most embarrassing things, and the names have been changed to protect the guilty, but my Smith friends know they are in there." O'Connell continued, "It's like an inside joke only we understand."
It took her knowledge of life and womanhood to write the kind of popular books that other women love to read. "There's a lot more to a book than just the writing and editing," O'Connell said.
Since O'Connell did not always want to be a writer, it is no surprise that she graduated from Smith College as a government major and continued to experiment with variations on her professional career. O'Connell spoke of the most important lessons she learned from Smith College: "If I took anything away from Smith, it's that I can do whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do it...It's the idea that the possibilities are endless."
"Chick lit," a relatively new genre of writing in both books and television, began in the 1990s with television shows like "Sex and the City," an HBO series focusing on the lives of four single women in their thirties; and books like "Bridget Jones's Diary," written by Helen Fielding. The genre is mainly characterized by being hip and trendy, spotlighting a female main character, who, like Bridget Jones or Carrie Bradshaw, (the main characters of the two titles mentioned above) is usually in her twenties or thirties. The stories follow the women's love lives, as well as struggles with friends and jobs.
"Dress Rehearsal" and "Bachelorette #1" have been deemed "poolside page-turners" by Cosmopolitan Magazine. "O'Connell creates modern she-protagonists with bittersweet character twists, and her novel "Dress Rehearsal" is no different," wrote the Denver Post.
O'Connell's third and most recent novel, "Off the Record," is due on shelves later this month.
What O'Connell had to say when she spoke on Thursday, September 22 was no different. After she graduated with the class of 1990, O'Connell received her M.B.A from the University of Chicago. She spent the following years learning about the writing industry as a publisher, and considers this to be one of the learning experiences most important to her triumphs as a novelist.
"Pursue a publishing career so you understand the industry," O'Connell advised future writers. "I can't stress how important it is to do your homework before you write a book you hope to get published... I think understanding the industry was a real advantage for me."
It was not just her achievements and familiarity with the publishing world that led Jennifer O'Connell to write novels with such convincing female protagonists. Her experiences at Smith contributed as well.
"Smith is all over my books, from the women characters to real-life things that happened. Of course, they are the most embarrassing things, and the names have been changed to protect the guilty, but my Smith friends know they are in there." O'Connell continued, "It's like an inside joke only we understand."
It took her knowledge of life and womanhood to write the kind of popular books that other women love to read. "There's a lot more to a book than just the writing and editing," O'Connell said.
Since O'Connell did not always want to be a writer, it is no surprise that she graduated from Smith College as a government major and continued to experiment with variations on her professional career. O'Connell spoke of the most important lessons she learned from Smith College: "If I took anything away from Smith, it's that I can do whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do it...It's the idea that the possibilities are endless."
"Chick lit," a relatively new genre of writing in both books and television, began in the 1990s with television shows like "Sex and the City," an HBO series focusing on the lives of four single women in their thirties; and books like "Bridget Jones's Diary," written by Helen Fielding. The genre is mainly characterized by being hip and trendy, spotlighting a female main character, who, like Bridget Jones or Carrie Bradshaw, (the main characters of the two titles mentioned above) is usually in her twenties or thirties. The stories follow the women's love lives, as well as struggles with friends and jobs.
"Dress Rehearsal" and "Bachelorette #1" have been deemed "poolside page-turners" by Cosmopolitan Magazine. "O'Connell creates modern she-protagonists with bittersweet character twists, and her novel "Dress Rehearsal" is no different," wrote the Denver Post.
O'Connell's third and most recent novel, "Off the Record," is due on shelves later this month.