Dr. Susan K. Perry

By Jillian Leslie

Clammy palms, pounding heart, sweat beads on the brow . . . sounds like typical clichés from a cheesy B-film, right? In this case, I was the head cheese, starring in my own drama, fighting a fright and flight response, as I prepared to interview Dr. Susan K. Perry, author of Writing in Flow: Keys to Enhanced Creativity.

Why the self-imposed terror? Take a gander:

For starters, Dr. Perry is a social psychologist, with a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies and a doctorate in Human Development. For the past two decades, she's worked full-time as an author of multiple books, penning Fun Time, Family Time; and Playing Smart. Her book, Writing in Flow: Keys to Enhanced Creativity, has enjoyed time on the L.A. Times bestseller list.

Books aren't her only forte. Susan Perry's written more than 700 articles, for national and regional magazines, including Woman's World, USA Today, Parenting, Child and Billboard. She's won a number of writing awards for her work, including the Outstanding Service Article award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the first place Award of Excellence for feature writing, from the Parenting Publications of America.

If that's not enough, folks, there's more. Dr. Perry has been featured as an expert in a wide variety of venues: radio, TV and print. In addition to her writing, she teaches online classes for Writer's Digest. For added zest, she runs a wonderful Web site where, among other things, she offers a thoughtful, informative "Ask the Expert" Q & A section, offering advice to writers of all skill levels. (You'll find information on the Web site and her online course at the article's end.)

I must admit: her accomplishments intimidated me, but all my angst disappeared after my first contact with her. The woman behind the credentials, Dr. Perry--Susan--is warm, funny and modest. A mother of two grown sons, she is well traveled and has lived at both ends of the United States. Currently, she lives with her husband, Stephen (an accomplished poet), in Los Angeles, where neighbors passing by their home get their senses treated to scented petals from the Perry rose garden.

But let's get back to the book . . .

What's so special about Writing in Flow? Plenty. Susan diligently compiled research from more than 75 experts and award winning writers (like Sue Grafton) and picked their brains to see how they experienced flow in their writing. What's flow? You'll learn that it's the feeling of completely losing yourself in an activity, a means of tapping into your creative capacity. Susan looked for patterns of flow among her interviewees, garnering eye-popping results. Writing in Flow is chock-full of practical suggestions and advice, presented in a reader-friendly manner. All the tough topics are approached, too. For example, writers' enemy #1--writer's block--is treated in-depth; so are topics such as rituals and routines, writing with purpose and dealing with distractions. Want to know more? Susan will discuss much more in her interview. All I can tell you is I found this book to approach the enigmatic subject of creativity from a fresh, new angle, an angle that will inspire you to produce your best work.

Clammy hands? Pounding heart? Sweaty brow? Forget about it. Relax and go with the flow.

Interviews:

Writing in Flow
Loving in Flow

Jillian Leslie's articles have appeared in Family Circle Magazine, Bed and Breakfast Journal, Oregon Coast Magazine, Oregon Parks Magazine and Northwest Travel Magazine. She is the webmaster of EverydayWarriors.com. Read more about her here.

Relevant Links:

Author's Web site
Order Loving in Flow at Amazon.com
Order Writing in Flow at Amazon.com
Classes at Writers Online Workshops; Instructor's Page