Southborough – On April 30, Fay School’s budding writers met Newbery Award-winning author Sharon Creech who has written numerous novels for young people, including “Walk Two Moons” (winner of the Newbery Medal), “Love That Dog,” and “Ruby Holler” (winner of the Carnegie Medal). Each fall, the entire Lower School community – including faculty and parents — reads the same novel and participates in community-wide book talks and reflections.
Over the course of the day, Creech took time to tour the school and connect personally with students. She also spoke at an assembly for students and parents, where she talked about life and her writing process. She explained how some stories – like her novel “Absolutely Normal Chaos” – were inspired by her own childhood and experiences, while others – like the “The Boy on the Porch” – sprang from a thought, a phrase or an insistent idea. She also invited students up to the stage to perform short dramatic readings from “Absolutely Normal Chaos” and “Ruby Holler.”
Unlike many writers who take the time to outline their ideas before sitting down to write, Creech noted that she likes to start with an empty slate and just get the words down quickly, curious to see where her ideas will take her.
“Everybody starts with a blank page,” she said. “The hardest part is to write the first word.”