I find myself on the island of Maui. Haven’t seen much of it yet, but going there reminded me of a family back in Amsterdam, who were so smitten by Hawaii they gave their children Hawaiian names: Maui, Lanikai and Ikaika. Names are important in stories. They reveal a lot about your character. I choose mine with care, knowing that often the name changes as I get to know my character better. Sometimes I choose a name of someone I know because my character resembles that person. Like with the names in my debut Deedee’s Revenge. I needed a name for a courageous protagonist. I picked Deedee, after a distant cousin, at that time a spunky girl just like my Deedee was. Deedee’s brother, her nemesis, has my personal nemesis’s middle…
Mina Witteman – author | editor | teacher of creative writing
Posts tagged “Mina Witteman”
While on my way I remind myself of my muse’s mastery replay his voice his words like mist on my skin tender brisk smoothing the serpentine twists of my memory rousing the radical thinking in my mind as he challenges me to live the sober lines and daunting scenes of my novel like a first
Tagged: #amwriting, Mina Witteman, muse, Poem
One more day and night to go before I travel on to my next destination. These past weeks were intense with days of glorious, sometimes even demonic writing and days of calm and reflective composing. Days of solitude and days when my muse popped in to shake up my thinking. Days when I shamelessly called in my writer friends Jim, Donna and Scott to brainstorm about this wretched project of mine. Days that I plunged so deep into the dark that I was beyond grateful to be enveloped by the loving care of the Adelson family. Good weeks. Productive weeks. Weeks that taught me my writing soars when I’m alone. The book ain’t half done and I have decided that I need to come back here to finish it. It’ll be a few months…
The other day, EcoSalon, a blog I follow, reposted an article by fellow writer and friend Scott Adelson, titled ‘Making Space for Your Inner Homebody‘ in which Scott makes a case for respecting your Inner Homebody as “the great indoors–and staying home, in particular—gets a bad rap”. In his article, Scott invites the reader “…to stop and look around, and pay some attention to your quarters.” because “…exploring your space can be a limitless source of creative and emotional inspiration…”. My space, my current home, is a café in North Beach, where I’ve taken up temporary residence to write a novel. After five days, no after the first day already, it feels like home, which is good because I’m an indoors kinda gal. There’s not much that I have…
What have I been up to? This summer, I finished the second book of my Dutch middle grade series Boreas and the Seven Seas (Boreas en de zeven zeeën). The first book came out in June and reviews are coming in now summer is over. It seems kids, adults and reviewers alike love this new adventure book that tells the story of 12-year-old Boreas, who has to go on a round-the-world trip with his parents. On a sailboat. For three years! Needless to say, Boreas isn’t psyched about this adventure. Which 12-year-old wants to spend three years on a small boat with his parents? Boreas wants to hang out with his friends, go to soccer games, start high school after summer break. But he has no…
Categories: A Bit of Everything
IllustWriter – Picture Book Writing for Illustrators and Writers
Mina Witteman
Posted on June 25, 2015
Illustrator, would you like to write your own story? Writer, do you want to hone your picture book storytelling craft? Here’s your chance! Take the next step and learn from two experienced colleagues, both children’s book writers, editors and creative writing teachers. Become an IllustWriter! IllustWriter is a 7-week (6 sessions) course in writing picture books for illustrators by Sieneke de Rooij and Mina Witteman. Zie IllustrAuteur voor de Nederlandse versie van deze cursus pentenboek schrijven voor illustratoren. Registration: Click here and fill in the form! Date/Time: October 1, 8, 15, – 1 week break, but the work goes on – october 29 and november 5 and 12, 2015 (backup date november 19, 2015); 10.00 – 13.00 hrs Location: ABC Treehouse; Voetboogstraat 11 – Amsterdam, 1012 XK Course fee: € 325,- excl. BTW (VAT), € 393,25 incl. BTW (VAT) This…
Categories: A Bit of Everything
What’s on my mind Facebook wants to know. That’s an easy one: books are what’s on my mind and one in particular. Next month my Dutch middle grade adventure novel will hit the shelves. And this is what it will look like: Action and adventure at sea! The story? 12-year-old Boreas is convinced his parents are getting divorced. They’ve been acting weird, lately. Secretive. When they, at last, tell him what’s going on it’s not a divorce but something else and it will uproot Boreas’ life just as much: the family is going on a three-year, round-the-world trip on their sailing boat. Everything’s arranged, up till the final details like enrolling Boreas into a distance learning school. At first, Boreas hates it. He misses his…
Categories: A Bit of Everything
Tagged: Adventure, boreas, middle grade, Mina Witteman, Ploegsma, refugee, seven seas, tractor race
Mina Witteman 