Susan Isaacs

Susan Isaacs – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the life, literary journey, and memorable wisdom of Susan Isaacs — celebrated American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter born on December 7, 1943. Discover her themes, influences, and inspiring quotes.

Introduction: Who Is Susan Isaacs?

Susan Isaacs (born December 7, 1943) is an American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose works often center on sharp, witty, and deeply human characters navigating moral ambiguity, relationships, and identity.

Her 1978 debut, Compromising Positions, launched her into prominence, and over the decades she has explored a range of genres—crime, domestic suspense, literary fiction, and cultural commentary.

Isaacs’s writing distinguishes itself by balancing entertainment with thoughtful observations about family, gender, society, and the constraints people live with.

Early Life and Family

Susan Isaacs was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Helen Asher Isaacs (a homemaker) and Morton Isaacs (an electrical engineer).

She is Jewish, and her heritage and identity do sometimes appear as subtle undercurrents in her fiction.

Growing up in New York, she was exposed to literary and cultural life, but also the everyday dynamics of middle-class life—settings she would later revisit in her fictional worlds.

She attended Queens College, City University of New York, majoring in English and minoring in economics.

After college, she worked as a senior editor at Seventeen magazine and as a freelance political speechwriter—roles that sharpened her voice, discipline, and engagement with real-world issues.

In 1968 she married Elkan Abramowitz, a lawyer.

During those early years, she balanced domestic life with freelance writing—essays, speeches, magazine pieces—gradually building toward her fiction career.

Career and Achievements

Debut & Breakthrough

Isaacs’s first novel, Compromising Positions (1978), was a New York Times bestseller and a Book of the Month Club main selection.

Her fiction has been translated into more than thirty languages.

Range of Works

Isaacs has published multiple novels—some in series, others stand-alone. Among her novels:

• Judith Singer series: Compromising Positions, Long Time No See, Compliments of a Friend

• Standalone novels: Close Relations, Almost Paradise, Shining Through, Magic Hour, After All These Years, Lily White, Red, White and Blue, Any Place I Hang My Hat, Past Perfect, As Husbands Go

• Other series: Goldberg Variations, A Hint of Strangeness (Marianne Kent series)

• Corie Geller series: Takes One to Know One, Bad Bad Seymour Brown

She has also authored nonfiction, including Brave Dames and Wimpettes: What Women Are Really Doing on Page and Screen.

In addition to novels and essays, Isaiah has written reviews and op-eds for major newspapers—the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Newsday—and has engaged in political writing.

Film & Screen Adaptations

Some of Isaacs’s novels were adapted into films:

• Compromising Positions (1985) — Isaacs adapted her own novel into the screenplay.

• Hello Again (1987) — a film she co-produced and co-wrote.

• Shining Through (1992) — film adaptation starring Melanie Griffith and Michael Douglas.

She also contributed to the screenplay for After All These Years (2013) for the Hallmark Channel.

Literary & Community Roles

Isaacs is an active figure in the literary community. She served as chairman of the board of Poets & Writers for over a decade, and she has been president of Mystery Writers of America.

She is (or has been) a member of organizations such as PEN, the International Association of Crime Writers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the Creative Coalition.

She also served on boards at her alma mater (Queens College Foundation) and local Long Island institutions involved in literacy, domestic violence, and community development.

Historical Milestones & Context

• Isaacs’s early entrée into fiction in the late 1970s came at a time when women writers were increasingly redefining genres like mystery, domestic suspense, and feminist narrative. Her success paved the way for more women to write commercial yet meaningful fiction.

• Her choice to adapt her own novels for the screen bridges the divide between literary and cinematic storytelling—a move that demonstrates her versatility and control over her narratives.

• Her work as a speechwriter, editor, and journalist provided her with tools and insight into narrative, persuasion, and public voice—skills she brought into her fiction.

• Through her leadership roles in literary organizations, Isaacs contributed to shaping the publishing and writing landscape, advocating for authors and literary culture.

Legacy and Influence

Susan Isaacs has established a legacy as a writer who blends smart plotting, rich character, cultural awareness, and feminist sensibility.

• Her portrayals of female protagonists are often neither perfect nor stereotypes—they are flawed, dynamic, self-aware.

• She inspired a generation of writers (especially women writers of popular fiction) to balance commercial appeal with intellectual and emotional depth.

• She pushed the boundary for author-as-creator: not only writing but producing, adapting, and acting in the world of her stories.

• Through her leadership and mentorship, she has influenced not just readers but the infrastructure of literary life (writing organizations, critic groups, community writing).

Personality and Style

Isaacs is known for her wit, her sharp observational voice, and her sense of moral ambiguity.

She once said:

“I like to show ordinary people reacting to extraordinary circumstances. … I like women to have adventures. There’s been far too little of it with women.”

She also reflects on the novelist’s process:

“Keep in mind that the only person to write for is yourself. Tell the story you most desperately want to read.”

And on her practices:

“I can only write about two or three pages of fiction a day.”

Her style tends to prioritize character over plot at first; she has said:

“There is no ‘right’ way to begin a novel, but for me, plot has to wait. The character comes first.”

She is also candid about the challenges and contradictions of public life and creativity—balancing domestic roles, public expectations, and creative impulses.

Famous Quotes of Susan Isaacs

Here are a few memorable quotes that reveal her philosophy as a writer and as a person:

• “Keep in mind that the only person to write for is yourself. Tell the story you most desperately want to read.”

• “I can only write about two or three pages of fiction a day.”

• “Being a novelist is the adult version of a kid creating a make-believe world. But unlike a child, a writer of fiction has to come up with a structured story, one that has as much meaning for others as it has for her.”

• “There is no ‘right’ way to begin a novel, but for me, plot has to wait. The character comes first.”

• “It’s not that I’m apolitical… In my youth, I was a freelance political speechwriter, which taught me a lot about writing fiction, I must add.”

• “Our culture is so celebrity-obsessed that for individuals to show they matter, they need to display their intimacy to fame.”

• “It’s not all ‘Jane Eyre’ out there … most characters are more morally ambiguous.”

Lessons from Susan Isaacs

1. Write for your inner reader.
   Her famous admonition—to write the story you want to read—speaks to authenticity and intrinsic motivation.

2. Respect the slow work.
   Her daily limitation of two to three pages shows that consistency over time matters more than bursts of speed.

3. Let characters lead.
   For her, character often precedes plot. A story grows from who people are, not just what happens to them.

4. Bridge genres and media.
   She moved across fiction, journalism, screenwriting, adaptation—demonstrating that writing can be fluid across platforms.

5. Leadership matters.
   Beyond writing, her roles in literary organizations show that contributing to the writing community strengthens the field as a whole.

6. Embrace ambiguity.
   Her work often resists neat moral judgments—she trusts complexity, contradictions, and subtle shades.

Conclusion

Susan Isaacs is a writer who has built a body of work that is entertaining, humane, and probing. Her career shows that popular fiction—well crafted—can address serious themes, foster connection, and endure.

Her quotes reveal a disciplined but passionate approach to writing; her life embodies the balance between personal responsibilities and creative ambition.