Who are you?
First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to interview me! My name is Christine Virnig, and I’m a children’s author and youth librarian assistant living in Madison, Wisconsin. I used to work as a physician—a pediatric allergist, to be exact—but I hung up my white coat in 2020 after deciding I preferred to surround myself with books.
What do you write?
I write middle-grade fiction, middle-grade nonfiction, and picture books. I’m often asked why I write for kids instead of writing something more sophisticated—like adult literary fiction or a medical textbook—and I usually give one of three answers. The first: I love reading children’s books, so it only makes sense that I write them. The second: I sometimes think my brain hasn’t yet figured out that I’m no longer eleven years old. Because of this, writing for kids comes pretty naturally to me. And third, writing kidlit is simply really, really fun!
Where do you write?
I write all over the place! Every morning, I’ll write for at least an hour while walking on my treadmill. Twice a week, I meet up with writing friends to write at various coffee shops. I frequently write for an hour or two (or three) at the library before my shift starts. I’ll write while waiting at a doctor’s office, while waiting for my car to be fixed, in between games at a club volleyball tournament. I’m lousy at writing with pen and paper, so my only requirement is that I can bring my laptop and open a Word document.
When do you write?
Unless I’m on vacation, I do writerly stuff—writing, revising, plotting, marketing—for at least an hour a day (and usually more like three or four or five hours). That time is broken up into smaller parts, however, as I squeeze it between all the other things I need to be doing, like going to work, grocery shopping, and cleaning the litter box. I know that many people have specific goals they need to meet before they allow any given writing session to end like they need to write 1000 new words or something, but I never do that to myself. I just do the best I can in the time I have and call it good enough!
Why do you write?
I write because I love it! With fiction, I get to create whole new worlds and live through the lives of characters who are so much more interesting than I am. And when writing nonfiction, I get to discover all kinds of fascinating facts and then find fun, interesting ways to share them. I’m also motivated by the hope that someday I’ll write something that will majorly impact a kid’s life in a positive way. That would be so incredible!
How do you overcome writer's block?
If writer’s block comes at the beginning of a project, I’ll ask myself questions until I have enough of an idea to start writing or plotting. (Why are the woods I want to write about haunted? Why is nobody but my main character afraid? Why doesn’t Sally believe what her grandma just told her?) If I’m stuck in the middle of a book, on the other hand, I usually just work on something else and let the problem marinate in the back of my brain. That way, I’m still being productive even as I’m waiting for a solution. Thus far, the answer has always eventually come to me, most often as I’m taking a walk or trying to fall asleep at night; fingers crossed, I’ll always be so lucky!
Bonus: What do you enjoy doing when not writing?
I love to read (of course!)—mostly middle-grade fiction and nonfiction, along with a healthy spattering of picture books. When not reading or writing, I enjoy watching volleyball, going for hikes, planning my next vacation, watching murder mysteries, and just spending time with friends and family.
My thanks to Christine Virnig for today's interview.