COEUR d'ALENE - Samantha Tanner, 11, was bubbling with enthusiasm as she worked blue beads onto the strings of a small dreamcatcher. She sat at a table in the lower level of the Edminster Student Union Building at North Idaho College, enjoying the company of new friends during the second Writing Symposium on Saturday morning.

"It's been a fantastic experience so far," the Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy sixth-grader said. She said an important lesson she learned that day was how "less is more."

"Brevity is the soul of wit," she said, reiterating a quote she heard.

Nicole Cicero, also an 11-year-old sixth-grader at Charter, agreed. She shared what she learned about cutting redundancies from writing.

"More people would read your (works) if you don't have to repeat things over and over," she said.

The symposium, "A Celebration of Diversity through Writing," was presented by the Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy in conjunction with the American Indian Student Alliance at NIC. It featured six breakout sessions on writing tips and techniques, discovering the music of language and Native American storytelling as well as a keynote speech. About 50 mostly middle-school age attendees were present.

Amanda Johnson, of Coeur d'Alene, performed "Rainbow Crow Saves the World," a play about a story from the Lenapi tribe. She said it has been with her since she first heard it years ago and the meaning behind it is important for young people to understand.

"What stuck with me about that story is even though we might be ordinary, we all have the potential to do something great," she said. "And Rainbow Crow saves the world."

The keynote speaker was historical novelist and film producer Jim Proser of Sarasota, Fla. Proser discussed how the best time in history to be a writer is now. He contrasted the way things are today with how they were when he started out, to show the young audience members "that they have some opportunities that are unique in the history of the world," he said.

Proser said young writers are needed for cultural preservation, and that writing is an important skill.

"The use of writing as a tool to organize and amplify your thoughts is critical, because there is so much dissipation with social media, and texting and short attention span," he said. "The most important years for developing a facility for critical reading and writing are the younger years, I believe."

Proser said an event such as the Writing Symposium is crucial for a small community, especially its youth.

"Principally, it's to support young writers who carry the future of the culture with them," he said. "There's a lot of destructive and corrosive forces in the culture that need to be overcome, and I think young people need the support and guidance of their elders to address these things."

Event chair and Charter sixth-grade teacher Nancy Larsen was on hand to keep everything running smoothly for the half-day symposium. She said she hopes more schools will become involved next year because writing is great for young minds.

"Writing is often a vehicle that can express one's thoughts and feelings much better than the spoken word," she said. "Having kids learn that importance from a very early age can really assure that they can do anything they want. They can participate in society and be successful if they can communicate well."