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Christine’s Year In Books

Christine’s 2025 Year in Books

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Christine Burns

Goodreads Author

Born

London, The United Kingdom

Website

http://blog.plain-sense.co.uk

Twitter

christineburns

Member Since

December 2017

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Christine Burns MBE has campaigned for a quarter of a century for the civil rights of transgender people, and has been involved with the trans community for more than forty years. She has worked as an equalities consultant, helped to put together new employment legislation and the Gender Recognition Act, and wrote the first ever official guidance about trans people (as both staff and patients) for the Department of Health. She lives in Manchester.

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

Christine Burns Eek! Even the word gives me the shudders! In my poetry collection 'Fishing for Birds' you'll find a poem that I started in the 1970s and only finished…moreEek! Even the word gives me the shudders! In my poetry collection 'Fishing for Birds' you'll find a poem that I started in the 1970s and only finished in the 1990s - so it's something I'm familiar with. I find that, in the main, the best thing is to arrange life so as to not become stressed out about blocks. I've never been writing against anything other than my own self-imposed deadlines, so that's a good start. I also spend an inordinate amount of time just thinking about a book before I go near actually writing a word. I spend months just turning the project over in my mind and rehearsing the sort of things to say long before sitting down. I get myself into the state where I feel like I'm bursting to write and then I let rip. Once I've begun I find that I then write very quickly -- often more than 6,000 words in a day. I then start the next day by reading back and revising what I did before and then write some more. The day after that I re-read and edit the revised chapter and the previous day's new chapter before writing the next, and so on. So, each day begins by getting my head into the state it was at the end of the previous one and being sure I'm happy with what I've written so far. The rolling revise and extend approach means that, by the end of the book, I've already read and re-read most of the chapters at least three times and know that the work holds together.(less)

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Christine Burns Is it narcissistic to say, 'seeing your words in print'? I remember very well the first time I ever wrote an article for the school magazine. That wou…moreIs it narcissistic to say, 'seeing your words in print'? I remember very well the first time I ever wrote an article for the school magazine. That would be back in the mid sixties. It was such a thrill to see the words on a glossy printed page and my name in the byline. Later, after I graduated, I spent a while designing and writing educational materials for a large computer manufacturer. The first job they gave me was to write the company's glossary of computer terms for their customers. Again, it was such a big thrill to actually get the book in my hands and know that, because of the universal interest in the subject matter, it was going to be the company's top selling publication. I guess that bug has never left me.(less)

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Christine Burns’s books

Average rating: 4.18 · 405 ratings · 71 reviews · 10 distinct works • Similar authors

	Trans Britain: Our Journey from the Shadows by Christine Burns (Goodreads Author), Aaron Devor (Foreword), Adrienne Nash (Contributor) 4.18 avg rating — 387 ratings — published 2018 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gender Pioneers: A Celebration of Transgender, Non-Binary and Intersex Icons by Philippa Punchard, Christine Burns (Goodreads Author) (Foreword) 2.88 avg rating — 92 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pressing Matters (Vol 2) 4.50 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pressing Matters (Vol 1) 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Letters from Australia really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Making Equality Work by Christine Burns (Goodreads Author), Shahnaz Ali, Loren Grant (Editor) 3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fishing for Birds it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2013 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Life by Satellite: The Adventures of a Modem Girl it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Igniting Resilience: Overcoming the despair of receiving a death sentence 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Authentic Leadership Playbook: Step Into Your Power. Own the Room. Redefine the Rules by Elizabeth Pritchard, Christine Burns (Goodreads Author) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Christine is Currently Reading

Christine Burns is currently reading

Clearwater (John Milton #26)

by Mark Dawson (Goodreads Author)

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Christine Burns is currently reading Clearwater (John Milton #26) by Mark Dawson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19 hours, 16 min ago · like
Christine Burns rated a book really liked it The Secret of Secrets (Robert Langdon, #6) by Dan Brown (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 05, 2026 02:50AM · like
Christine Burns rated a book really liked it Imagine A Country: Ideas for a Better Future by Val McDermid	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 15, 2025 09:35PM · like
Christine Burns rated a book liked it Cross Roads by Val McDermid	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 06, 2025 08:46PM · like
Christine Burns rated a book really liked it Stranded: Short Stories by Val McDermid	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 04, 2025 10:56PM · like
Christine Burns rated a book really liked it Exposure (Charlie Cooper Thrillers #10) by Mark Dawson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 23, 2025 10:03PM · like
Christine Burns rated a book really liked it Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime by Val McDermid	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 19, 2025 01:17AM · like
Christine Burns rated a book really liked it Love in Exile by Shon Faye	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 10, 2025 12:48AM · like
Christine Burns finished reading Silent Bones (Inspector Karen Pirie, #8) by Val McDermid	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 04, 2025 03:48AM · like
Christine Burns is currently reading Love in Exile by Shon Faye	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 02, 2025 04:26AM · like