This digest draws upon the thirteen published volumes of "Inside English" to offer a summary of practitioners' advice on techniques to improve two-year college students' writing skills. First, the paper summarizes underlying principles of writing instruction, indicating that: (1) usage, formal grammar, phonics, and spelling are best learned in a context; (2) students learn to write and read by performing real tasks; (3) drills may be useful following diagnosis of specific weaknesses, but not as a substitute for whole writing assignments; (4) students need help during the writing process; and (5) sentence building is more productive than analysis or labeling. The importance attached by the instructors to designing writing exercises tailored in form and content to the students' skill levels is noted. The paper then offers brief descriptions of writing assignments designed to build confidence in writing ability and emphasize communication skills, including clustering, modeling, brainstorming, and controlled writing, free writing, and journal writing. Other exercises more appropriate for more advanced students are also outlined; these may include summaries, practice essay exams, and computer assisted writing. Next, methods of providing feedback that build self-confidence, encourage writing, and shift student focus from mechanical accuracy to the logical expression of ideas are described, including peer critiquing, positive feedback, and holistic scoring. (EJV)