Kristin Wolden Nitz


Kristin Wolden Nitz

  • I was wandering through the Publishers’ Weekly website when I ran across an interview with Megan Whalen Turner.  I smiled when I discovered that Ms. Turner has the same advice for potential readers that I always give.  She recommends reading…

  • I spent last weekend at a revision retreat sponsored by the Missouri SCBWI (Society of Book Writers and Illustrators) at the YMCA’s Trout Lodge.  Randi Rivers of Charlesbridge was the guest editor.  An incredibly nice aspect of this retreat was that…

  • Copy editors check over a manuscript for grammar and punctuation.  But they’re also the last line of defense when it comes to continuity and clarity.  Since so many books cross their desks, they can tell when things aren’t working.  I…

  • I’ve given my students and other fellow writers plenty of advice through the years on how to make a poem “scan” correctly.  And I’ve always felt like a bit of a fraud when I’ve done it because I hadn’t ever…

  • Betsy Bird admitted at the very beginning that her poll on the 100 best chapter books was not scientific.  But she did take a few wise steps.  Since some teachers required their classes to take part, she insisted that each book…

  • The copy edits for SUSPECT are flooding my mailbox.  What a great thing to come home to.  It definitely beats a wet basement.  I got peek at the final art for the jacket.  Very fun!  If I can figure out…

  • Calyn’s story, my work-in-progress, is set in the mountains.  So I’m getting excited for our trip to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.    Since I often like to work from pictures when I’m moving my characters, I know that photos of its old growth…

  • THE WESTING GAME came in at #11 on the Fuse  #8  countdown of the top 100 Chapter books.   Whenever any of my writing students express an interest in mysteries, this is one of the two or three books that I suggest.  Usually, I…

  • I made a new category for my current work-in-progress: Calyn.  That’s the name of the  main character.  It shows some of the issues that sometimes come with a massive rewrite.

  • Fuse #8’s unscientific poll featuring the Top 100 Chapter Books featured another one of my favorite books today: THE HOBBIT.   It was ninth on my list, but on another day, I might have put it higher.   It created a deep…

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