Mina Witteman – author | editor | teacher of creative writing

Posts from the “YA books” Category

Gone Writing – Day 33

Posted on February 3, 2016

A visual post, because day 33 seemed like the perfect day for a break. No writing. Lots of thinking. And a re-energizing walk to clear my head after yesterday’s inspirational overload. I told my muse to sit back and relax and I set out for Kailua Beach.   What did I see? What did it spark?   A ghost crab (Ocypode ceratophthalma): like my skin ghost crabs are the color of sand and you can hardly spot them scurrying around. They also dart away at the tiniest disturbance and I was happy I spotted this one. Took a long wait and the skin on my shoulders is now the color of the setting sun.   Juvenile cone snail: we studied this one for a long time. Might…

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, YA books

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Gone Writing – Day 32

Posted on February 2, 2016

i have nothing left to give said the muse disconcerting news that forces my writer’s imagination to find release in solitary thinking in fantasies dreams words that propel me into ian’s blue hawaiian spiral wings send me soaring over red hot molten rock that burns the trees winding through lush green valleys forests that climb up steep cliffs where ropes of sugar sweet white fizz cascade down until my brain whirls like an airfoil pours out novel words new lines to paint a story like the goddess of fire gushes passion from her pit and coats the earth’s crust in black and silver mahalo pele  

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, YA books

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Gone Writing – Day 31

Posted on February 1, 2016

Totally unrelated to the writing. Or maybe not so unrelated.   In 2013, Tesla’s Elon Musk released the Hyperloop (Alpha) white-paper. In order to accelerate the development of a functional prototype and to encourage innovation amongst students, his company SpaceX organized the Hyperloop competition. A couple of students of Delft University of Technology decided to accept the challenge and formed the Delft Hyperloop Team to design the best Hyperloop pod possible. They invited other students to apply for a spot on the team and I was super proud when my son Olivier, who studies aerospace engineering at Delft University, was accepted and put in charge of the pod’s batteries. Since, the team has worked crazy hard to design their pod and to realize their dream: winning the competition and changing…

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, YA books

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Gone Writing – Day 30

Posted on January 31, 2016

A friend posted a picture on Facebook of a heron that he said looked like a murderbird plotting a murder. ‘Whoa,’ I commented, ‘I thought I was the murderbird plotting murders. Is that bird gonna write my books now?’   No, seriously. I do slip a lot of dark into my young adult stories and my adult thrillers, including murder, unintentional killing, suicide, and other vicious betrayals of and by mankind. Why? I ask myself that question with every new story and usually end up blaming my muse, even if I know, deep down, that I must have a dark and ruthless streak or his ideas and inspiration wouldn’t strike a chord. For what it’s worth, I never set out to write about death. I do know…

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, YA books

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Gone Writing – Day 29

Posted on January 30, 2016

muse-inspired thinking on the road through barren black fields of lava rolling hills of yellowed grass rainforests crawling up steep cliffs i open the window and let the wind brush my skin the camera ready i put my feet up and smile all the way from the warmth of the valley of the kings to the icy winds on sky father’s mountain and think up new adventures    

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, YA books

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Gone Writing – Day 28

Posted on January 29, 2016

Four weeks on the road and I moved from San Francisco to Hawaii, not just to write but also to research the third book of the Boreas series, and more specifically Wayfinding or Polynesian navigation, finding your way without instruments, like compasses, maps, or GPS but solely on what you see around you, the stars, the rising and setting of moon and sun, the ocean swells and how waves lap against the hull of your ship, the currents, the winds, the direction birds fly.   There’s several ways you can research stories. One is sitting at your laptop and surfing the Internet. You can also go out and meet people, pick their brains, hear their stories, learn about their lives. Obviously, the latter one will most likely…

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, YA books

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Gone Writing – Day 27

Posted on January 28, 2016

What else makes me happy?     Reaching my daily word count, even if it’s with a sad scene. My muse crawling back up to me. Finding the perfect wave ring to go with the book.   And this: Tasting the salty spray in my face, while I listen for the quietest sounds within the thunder of 40 ft kahunas crashing down on the beach.  

Categories: A Bit of Everything, Books, YA books

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