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1. Have you always been a writer?

I’ve been a writer for most of my life. I started writing as a young child and just kept with it through college and adulthood.

2. When did you realize that maybe writing was actually a "thing" you could do, get published and even sell?

When I was in the 7th grade, I won a “Consequences of Crime” essay contest. I got a $100 gift card to the mall and thought that was the most money I’ve ever had at one time. Prior to that contest, I thought writing would just get me A’s, I had no idea I could get paid for it.

3. What was your first sale as a writer and how did it feel to sell your work?

My first official sale as a writer was when I sold one of my stories to be featured in a chapbook when I was in college. Though the pay wasn’t much, it was nice to be considered a published author and have my writing featured in a physical book.

4. How has writing helped you in other areas of life?

Writing has made me more creative in other areas in my life but it also has made me more analytical and careful with words. As a writer, you spend a lot of time editing and reviewing words and it starts to become second nature to edit on the spot for things as simple as a text message or an email.

5. What was your biggest accomplishment as a writer?

My biggest accomplishment as a writer was winning Best Short Screenplay at the Freak Show Horror Film Festival in Orlando in 2023. I was selected as a finalist and invited to the festival and had a wonderful time networking and talking with other horror fans. When I was called up as a winner, I was thrilled and having my husband there to cheer me on made it even better. I love writing stories and to have my screenplay selected as the best meant a lot to me.

6. Who has inspired you the most in the writing field?

I’m inspired by several authors but I think the one I most relate to is the director, Kevin Smith. I love that he writes and makes movies that he loves and enjoys, regardless of its popularity or box office success. Writing should be about telling your stories, not the stories that you think other people want.

7. What are some of the challenges you have faced as a writer and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge I’ve had with being a writer is trying to get people to read my writing. Of course, you’ll have people in your life that will read your stories no matter what but when you release something to the greater world, it’s hard to get people to buy into you as a writer without any social media presence or marketing team behind you. The way I’ve tried to overcome this is to just keep going, even if it seems to still be a struggle, because just having one or two more readers is awesome. Building a dedicated fanbase is more important to me than being on any bestseller list.

8. What is the best writing advice you have ever received and why do you feel it is important?

The best advice I have ever received is to just keep writing. Even when it seems like you’ve hit a wall or have writer’s block, the best way out of it is to write your way out. Even if it’s just journaling or writing notes to yourself, writing is cathartic and it will always return you to that creative place.

9. What sort of writing do you do now?

I stick mostly to writing horror short stories but I have also been working on developing a musical stage play with a friend of mine. I do have plans to publish a few horror novellas in the next coming years.

10. Where can we find some of your work online?

Most of my published work can be found via my website.

11. What advice do you have for aspiring writers thinking of taking the leap of getting their work published?

Don’t be afraid of rejection. Every writer has been rejected at least once so try not to take it personally when it happens. The best thing you can do is keep learning about yourself and your writing and improve where you can.

12. What are your final thoughts about being a writer?

If you’re a writer, you should never be done learning. Most days I’m either reading other writers’ work, studying techniques, or trying new genres just to see what else I can do to improve my work. Being a writer has been rewarding for me but it has also been very challenging, but anything worth doing, is worth doing right.

ABOUT CHRISTINE:

Christine N. Rifkin is a Florida-based horror author and screenwriter whose short stories have appeared in the Black Hare Press anthology Eerie Christmas 3 and the Creepy Podcast. Her short script "Right Hand Man" was the winner of Best Short Screenplay at the 2023 Freak Show Film Festival and her short story “Alternates” was chosen as an honorable mention for Season 5 of the Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay competition. When she isn't writing, Christine spends most of her time on adventures with her husband, Scott, or at home lounging with their two cats, Covie and Dr. Victoria Frankenstein. You can see more of her work at her website.