Lena Visser-Oskam
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1. Can you briefly tell something about yourself? I was born on May 25, 1969, in Waddinxveen. After 'De Driestar,' I went to the PABO (primary teacher training), but after a year, I preferred to work instead. I became a saleswoman in a Christian bookstore, where I enjoyed all the beautiful books around me. Besides my job, I studied social pedagogy, and soon I found myself in front of the class as a teacher in Office and Sales Practice at the Van Lodenstein College in Hoevelaken. Two years later, I made the switch to the Reformatorisch Dagblad, where I was responsible for the youth page among other things. This page is now called Puntuit but was then called Magnet. After my marriage in 1996, I moved to Oud-Beijerland, where we still live today. We have a family with eight children. One daughter is married.
2. How did you come to writing books? I have always enjoyed writing. Essays, theses, and assignments...? I went for it completely! In addition, I devoured books. So when I started working in a bookstore, I could truly indulge my passion. Meanwhile, I had been writing poems and stories since high school, but I had no idea if a publisher would see anything in them, and I didn't dare to send anything off. During my studies in social pedagogy, I wrote a thesis on children's books. From that, I made a summary that appeared in a special book supplement of the Reformatorisch Dagblad. Not long after, in 1992, I became a youth editor and writing became my profession. For four years, I wrote for the newspaper, and I learned an incredible amount from that. It was a nice time, but due to my marriage, I had to leave; the travel distance was too great. I continued writing.I started writing short stories for the Family Guide, and in 1998 my first little book was published by Publisher Gebr. Koster: Marleen wants a little sister. Soon after, more books followed, such as the beautiful picture book series about Jasper and Sofie. The best-known book is probably The Torn Bible Page, of which 10,000 copies were sold.
3. You write in different genres. What is your preference? I enjoy everything. At the moment, I mainly write for children, but I have also written stories for teenagers and adults. Just take a look at the Christmas collections from Publisher Koster that have been published over the years. I would love to write a novel someday, preferably with a historical theme, but because I have a busy family, that is not (yet) possible. Writing a book for adults simply takes more time than writing a children's book, but maybe I just need to get started on it. So... who knows! For now, I can reveal that a new Marleentje is coming - after many years.
4. Do you conduct thorough research before starting on a topic?That varies. For children's books, it's often not necessary. I can draw from what I have experienced myself or what I see around me. For example, the little book Marleen goes to a new school is based on my son's experiences who, like Marleen, had to attend special primary education. For some other books and Christmas stories, I have done extensive research to write a compelling story. That research is just as enjoyable as writing itself, because I am actually always curious, and by diving into a subject, I learn an incredible amount about other cultures and times.
5. How long does it take you to write a book? If it concerns an early reader book, it often doesn’t take that long. I can finish that within a month (not including the time spent brainstorming, etc.), but of course, I need to have enough hours available each week for it. After that, I like to let the story rest for a while and then read it through carefully again. Often, I make some changes at that point. The children in the family also read or listen critically. So altogether, the period from writing to sending it to the publisher is a bit longer. The children's books for other age groups take more time; I think it definitely takes about half a year.
6. Do you receive feedback from the readership? Yes, certainly! Especially from children who want to hold a book presentation. I also sometimes visit primary schools to talk about writing books. It's a lot of fun to do! What I find the most beautiful is when I hear that people have benefited from my books.
