About

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ‘Tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

~Mark Twain

It’s all about the right words. In reading, the right words transport you, change you, and offer a new lens for seeing the world. In writing, the right words create telepathy: showing someone else the inner workings of your mind. In teaching, the right words turn on metaphorical light bulbs for students.

There’s so much potential, but all three can be so difficult! How do we harness that lightning zap of perfection? That’s what I explore on these pages and in the blog entries.

My name is Nikki Mantyla, and I’m an avid reader, a wannabe author, and an education junkie (a.k.a. teacher, so I can stay in school forever).

I majored in English Education, completed a semester of student-teaching high school sophomores and seniors, then went straight into an English graduate program with a creative writing emphasis.  My thesis was a young adult novel. I also taught freshman composition as a grad student, and now I teach Intro to Writing, Intermediate Writing, Grammar & Style, Novel Writing, and Imaginative Writing at Salt Lake Community College. After grad school, I also began a novel based on Peter Pan that I hope to eventually publish. Subscribe to stay tuned!