Sarah Milicia

School: Fairfield Woods Middle School
Grade: 7
1st year at YWI
This is my first year at the writer’s institute, and I really like it. I know three people, and learned a lot of different techniques in writing. From meeting Nora Baskin and Lizzy Rockwell I saw how different writing a book, and illustrating a book can be. When Jack Powers came in I saw how you can take many forms of writing out of the actual poem. I like how when you are the illustrator you are in charge of what the book looks like. You get the call and are asked to draw for the author.

Every day we have free write, which is when we generate ideas and start the beginnings of stories. Then the high school kids go to a different computer lab as the middle school kids stay downstairs and go to the smaller lab. This way the age group is reasonable, and the writing is about the same. The institute is easy-going so you are the person who is thinking of every idea, and you are the only one editing your piece, with the exception of your writing group.