Name of Author Jennifer Niven, (Continued...)

You stated that your education at the American Film Institute helped form your writing discipline. Do you still have a writing schedule and if so, what is it like?

I have a strenuous writing schedule, which is necessary to do all the work I need to do on a daily basis. I typically write five days a week for 10 hours a day, although during more intense writing periods I can work six days a week for 14-16 hours.

I have been writing full time for five years, and one of the wonderful things about working at home and for myself is that I can sleep until I wake up every morning and operate on my body's natural schedule. I have always been a night person and do my best writing in the afternoon and evening, so I usually spend my mornings taking care of all writer-related business matters—faxes, emails, phone calls, correspondence, interviews, and the other “housekeeping” duties of a self-employed business. Then, after a mid-morning workout, I eat lunch and set to work for the rest of the day and part of the night.

One of the key components for me in maintaining a healthy creative life is maintaining a healthy personal life. My family and my friends are hugely important to me, as are my cats, regular exercise, classic old movies, reality TV, belly dance, the electric guitar, traveling, and reading, reading, reading for fun.

What are you working on now?

I am continuing to promote Ada Blackjack, but I am also acting as technical consultant on the screenplay for Ada Blackjack, which has just been optioned for the movies. And I am beginning to work on my third book, which is very different from my first two. (But that's all I can say about it at this time…)

What is your favorite part about writing? Your least?

My favorite part about writing is the exploration of a new idea, the researching of an idea, the moment when you sit down in front of a blank computer screen and know you are about to start writing and that you can do anything and go anywhere with the words you are going to come up with.

And I really love the part of writing when I am completely immersed in my subject—somewhere in the middle of the writing—and I have a good chunk of the story written down, and a good chunk left to write. As for my least favorite aspect, I sometimes dread the editing and rewriting, but even that is much preferred to the business end of writing—all the every day matters I have to tend to that have nothing to do with the creative side of things.

When you sit down to begin an original screenplay, how much of it do you already have? i.e., just an idea, a beginning and ending, a full plot, etc.?

For a screenplay, as with a book, I begin with an outline—as detailed as possible. That way, I won't just wander around in the middle of the story and get lost in the words. It helps me to maintain my focus, even if I end up changing plot lines or scenes or characters along the way.

Why do you write?

Because there is nothing else I would rather do, and because if I didn't do it I'd be miserable.

Page 2 of 3