It kept happening. My Dell laptop would freeze up and slowly shut itself down. I performed search after search of what could be causing it. Was it an update? Was it a fan that had too much dust? I made sure that I only had one program up when I was meeting a self-imposed deadline … More Shut Down!
My manuscript review service focuses primarily on middle grade and young adult novels. It starts with a “Let’s Get Acquainted” review of a manuscript for thirty dollars. I spend a half an hour reading an excerpt and making comments followed by a second half-hour in which I briefly discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your … More Nitzpicking: A Manuscript Review Service
A thirteen-year-old American girl plays on a fiercely competitive boy’s soccer team during the year her family spends in Italy and experiences culture clashes both on and off the field. WHAT CRITICS ARE SAYING What keeps this tale from being just another soccer story with play-by-play action is the unique setting; the inventiveness of … More Defending Irene
On my bookshelf, I have all sorts of outdated Rick Steves guidebooks from the days my husband I roamed around Europe with our kids. In one of his books, he recommended that parents have their kids watch movies to help get them excited about different locations before they arrived. I remember picking up the Italian-dubbed … More A Few International Reads
Do you have a fifth, sixth or seventh grade girl in your life who likes soccer? Well, here’s a spot of shameless self-promotion. I’m going to share a few reasons why you might consider getting a copy of DEFENDING IRENE as a Christmas present for a girl who loves to play soccer. Let me start with … More A Book for Girls Who Love Soccer
My friend and fellow writer Stephanie Bearce wrote in her blog about how she’s a fan of pairing fiction and nonfiction in the classroom: “It’s a great way to get students to try new genres of books. Those who believe nonfiction is “so boring” can learn just how exciting facts can be. And those children who … More Paired Texts
I’ve been neglecting this blog. I think one of the reasons for this is that I’ve moved twice in the past two and a half years. But more than that, I’ve been busy doing the YA Cha-Cha. What’s that? Well, the astonishing Conrad Wesselhoeft, author of DIRT BIKES, DRONES AND OTHER WAYS TO FLY and … More Doing the YA Cha-Cha
Some kids aren’t really sure whether or not they’d like to play a sport. If you know someone who’s thinking about trying soccer, strongly consider handing that person a copy of Ruth McNally Barshaw’s Ellie McDoodle: Most Valuable Player. This is the fourth book in Barshaw’s Ellie McDoodle series, a delightful collection of books for kids in … More Thinking About Soccer?
I”m looking forward to doing a day of writing workshops with students in Jefferson City, Missouri this Saturday. We’ll be looking at using specific detail and figurative language in the morning and examining the relationship between conflict and character in the afternoon.
While I’m not participating in the NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, I am tapping into some of its energy. Instead of polishing words and phrases, I’m only taking them to a certain level before moving on. I have dreams of wrapping up a draft for my high school and college-age beta testers by Christmas. It’s … More 34343 Words
Kristin Wolden Nitz 