Three of our middle school students participated in a four-session workshop designed to enhance the skills of developing writers. In preparation, the students read “War Horse” by Michael Morpurgo — a story of World War I told through the eyes of a horse. Students discussed the the book and author’s writing style, and then wrote and shared pieces inspired by the conversation. In a final assignment, each student wrote a piece based on one of the themes we identified: 1) The invisible storyteller, 2) ‘you can’t go home again’, 3) a hard death or departure, and 4) rapid scene changes leaving many unresolved. The overall goal was to help students add depth and perspective to their own work. As a last act, they read their pieces aloud to a group of younger students.