Branches Book

BRANCHES

Author’s Statement: Mila Stromboni

The power that our thoughts have over us fascinates me. The thoughts we have affect our behaviors, which affect the actions we take. I wanted to write a story where I could explore a person’s complicated thoughts and emotions about self-love and loving other people. I decided to write a magical realism story because I wanted to combine real world events with magical elements. I used the symbolism of giving up part of you to make a relationship work into a literal action of giving your limbs to someone you love. I wanted to explore this girl’s thought process when making decisions. I have a passion for art and design. I love expressing my emotions and questions about the world through art. When something negative happens in life, I find it very therapeutic to make art about it. I create a tangible thing like a sculpture or a painting, and it helps me heal and grow. I separate the struggle from my mind and make the struggle into something beautiful and something I am proud of. When I was assigned this creative writing piece, I knew I wanted to continue with that work. I wanted to have my main character go through something negative in her life and I wanted her to use writing as a form of expression to help herself heal. Here is her story.

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