Mina Witteman – author | editor | teacher of creative writing

Posts from the “Thrillers” Category

Daily Distraction: True Colors and Free Will

Posted on February 5, 2014

Daily Distraction: True Colors

A typical Amsterdam view: a canal, 17th century clock gables, people wandering, walking, running, or colliding into bikes. But there is something odd going on in this picture. No one seems to notice the blazing fire at the end, an inferno that is about to burn the city to the ground. The great fire of 1421 revisited.

It took me a split second before I realized that it wasn’t a fire, but the sun showing its true colors: the colors of scorching hot plasma, 150,000,000 km away from the earth and yet so close. It immediately sparked an idea for a new novel. I love it when that happens. Just as I love to plot a new story. I love dreaming up alternate worlds, where I can take refuge from the real one, even if it’s only for a while. It’s the most exciting and at the same time the most comforting phase of story writing. It’s free will to the highest degree. Anything is possible. It’s up to me. I decide.

Next novel: True Colors and Free Will. Sounds good.

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, Children's books, Thrillers, YA books

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Daily Distraction: Post Manuscript Activities

Posted on February 2, 2014

Daily Distraction: Post Manuscript Activities

Today, I finished my manuscript, a middle grade adventure. Hurray! A load off my mind.
The final tweaks and refinements are always the hardest. It demands ruthlessness in killing your darlings and a scrupulous attention to detail. I’m good at killing my darlings, but the scrupulous attention to detail isn’t my forte if it concerns my own work. I don’t see the mistakes and typos as I do when I’m editing someone else’s work. I read what I think I wrote and I know that — particularly in those passages that are packed with action (and usually written at the same speed) — my mind outruns my typing. Thankfully, we have editors. Writers rely on editors. They are one of the most essential links in the publishing chain.

But the hardest part of finishing a manuscript is hitting the send button. I always hesitate, have to force myself to let go of the manuscript, place it in the hands of others. It feels like that moment dangling in mid-air when you are not sure yet where and how you will land. How appropriate was it that my son published a photo of himself in mid-air at the exact time that I hit that send button.
Isn’t life full of sweet coincidences?

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, Children's books, Thrillers, YA books

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Daily Distraction: Arctic Winds and Black Ice

Posted on January 29, 2014
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Midday in Sommarøy, a tiny island above the Arctic Circle. I love the bluish-gray light that is so characteristic for the days that the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon. This one was a particularly cold day, with a polar wind blustering in. We inched past an elk, our studded tires biting into the black ice. The elk was grazing quietly, confidently, still sure of its protection against the elements. Not a few minutes later it would skid the black ice like a child skating for the first time.

It reminded me of my first steps into the writing world, when every dash of the pen made me feel like I could skid and lose balance. Since, I have had three novels and 35 short stories published, and it feels like I have found my footing. And yet, sometimes when thoughts come but words fail, it’s like skating for the first time. The elk reminded me of that delicate balance between thoughts and the actual words you write.

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, Children's books, Thrillers, YA books

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Daily Distraction: Keeping a Log

Posted on January 25, 2014

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This winter, I am working for my Dutch young readers on a new MG adventure novel, which I have shaped into a logbook. Wherever I can I try and have a look at the logbooks of famous explorers and, without fault, they make me jealous. That is the way I’ve always wanted to keep a log, but never had the grit enough to keep it up for longer than a month. It’s one of my 2014 (or 2015) resolutions.

Of course, I am hoping that the new book will be illustrated, too. Maybe not as elaborate as the magnificent logbooks that were on display at the Polar Museum in Tromsø, but just enough to add that special feeling a travel log can give you.

How do you find the time and the willpower to keep a log or a diary? And if you do, is there a format you prefer?

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If you find yourself near Tromsø – and winter 2014 would be the time for there is aurora borealis galore – do pay this charming museum a visit. It is packed with the most amazing relics from the harsh life above the arctic circle.

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, Children's books, Thrillers, YA books

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Daily Distraction: namelos at its First Lustrum

Posted on January 20, 2014

namelos, a non-traditional publishing firm, was launched five years ago today. Now, it’s a thriving company. On his website, publisher Stephen Roxburgh tells about his dream and the way to namelos’ success. Yesterday, Stephen was a guest at the Dutch chapter of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) of which I am the Regional Advisor. We spoke at length with Stephen about the world of publishing and the opportunities the digital world presents us. It was an inspiring and invigorating event, and I was happy to get a peek in the life of a man with a vision and a huge heart for books. I applaud him, for showing us that there are new roads to walk, unexplored paths to travel, and…

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, Children's books, Thrillers, YA books

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2014

Posted on December 18, 2013
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Categories: Amsterdam Views, Books, Children's books, Thrillers, YA books

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Daily Prompt: Tattoo….You?

Posted on December 1, 2013

Permanent in Ink My breath hitches when the sleeve of his hoodie sags and gives me a clear look at his inked hand and wrist. Or what seems left of them. A snake’s black and blue, forked tongue licks his middle finger and wraps around it to his black painted nail. The head of the viper is tattooed over and around his hand, the mouth wide open, fangs curved over the knuckles of his index and ring finger. A rush of adrenaline tingles through my body. I lower my voice to a hushed, awed whisper. “What the hell is that?” He blinks and gives me a slight and confused shake of his head. Then his eyes light up. He unzips the hoodie. “The ink?” He…

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, Thrillers, YA books

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