Author Bio
Christine
Amsden has been writing science fiction and fantasy for as long as she can
remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired
by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and
imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining
themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about
people and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and
fantasy meaningful for everyone.
At the age of
16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, a condition that effects
the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but
has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams.
When she's not
writing, Christine teaches workshops on writing, usually at Savvy Authors. She
also offers professional editing services. She maintains a book review blog on
her website with occasional writing tips thrown in for the fun of it.
Christine
lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and two children.
Contact
A Day In My Writing Life
I'm always surprised by interest in my
daily writing routine. The truth is, writing is a solitary and outwardly
uninteresting task. Inside my head, it's a whirlwind of activity, but to the
passive observer, there's just not a lot to see. This is me, sitting at my
desk. Typing. I do that a lot.
As far as what I'm actually doing while typing, every day is just a little bit different. Today, I'm fixing a plot problem that involves switching the order of two scenes, and then smoothing them out so it looks like they were always written in that order. Tomorrow, I will continue writing new material. In a few weeks, this rough draft will be finished and I will move on to other projects while I await feedback. Then revisions begin. Then edits. Then the process begins again with the next novel.
I don't have a routine. Because I have young kids whose schedule constantly seems to change, I haven't managed to establish a schedule for myself. Sometimes I write in the mornings. Sometimes, in the afternoons. Sometimes, in the evenings. I do try to help ground myself by lighting a candle and doing some meditation when it's time to write. This helps me shift my mind from whatever else I was doing, and lets me focus.
But mostly, it's all in my head. I have entire worlds and multiple casts of characters in there, trying to come out through my fingertips. Drafting is my favorite part of writing, because that is when those worlds and characters fight for attention. During revisions, it's more about fine tuning. If the life isn't already there, you can't breathe it in during a revision.
In my head, I wake up thinking about my story. It's in the back of my mind all day long. And I fall asleep planning new details. Like I said, a whirlwind of activity, but it doesn't look like much to the outside observer.
As far as what I'm actually doing while typing, every day is just a little bit different. Today, I'm fixing a plot problem that involves switching the order of two scenes, and then smoothing them out so it looks like they were always written in that order. Tomorrow, I will continue writing new material. In a few weeks, this rough draft will be finished and I will move on to other projects while I await feedback. Then revisions begin. Then edits. Then the process begins again with the next novel.
I don't have a routine. Because I have young kids whose schedule constantly seems to change, I haven't managed to establish a schedule for myself. Sometimes I write in the mornings. Sometimes, in the afternoons. Sometimes, in the evenings. I do try to help ground myself by lighting a candle and doing some meditation when it's time to write. This helps me shift my mind from whatever else I was doing, and lets me focus.
But mostly, it's all in my head. I have entire worlds and multiple casts of characters in there, trying to come out through my fingertips. Drafting is my favorite part of writing, because that is when those worlds and characters fight for attention. During revisions, it's more about fine tuning. If the life isn't already there, you can't breathe it in during a revision.
In my head, I wake up thinking about my story. It's in the back of my mind all day long. And I fall asleep planning new details. Like I said, a whirlwind of activity, but it doesn't look like much to the outside observer.
Buy
Links (for Immortality Virus):
B&N (paperback and nook) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-immortality-virus-christine-amsden/1103019090?ean=9781606190036
Amazon paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Immortality-Virus-Christine-Amsden/dp/1606190032/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1308104440&sr=8-2
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/The-Immortality-Virus-ebook/dp/B004WOY0W4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324259273&sr=8-1
