At almost the same moment teachers became aware of the special power that writing has for the creation of thought, they also became aware that the world has moved from literacy into "secondary orality." For many, this new world is threatening, an apparent challenge to the analytical thought that is fundamental for academic literacy. In…

Argues that the word "creativity" can inhibit students from writing because they feel what they write must be completely new and original. Offers suggestions for helping alleviate writing apprehension such as stream of consciousness writing or free writing. (SRT)

Describes how the writer, an author of books for young adults, uses journal writing in many and varied ways: to deal with grief and confusion; capture his fascination with life; for free writing; keep quotes from people he admires; save things his friends say; keep wonderful passages from other books--a personal safe to keep precious things. (SR)

Reviews automaticity, effortless writing that enjoys freedom from excessive conscious interference, in terms of its origins in automatic writing and growth into contemporary techniques. Characterizes automaticity as a (1) form of dissociation from consciousness; (2) succor to spontaneity and creativity; and (3) key to understanding why some…

The Flind Middle Schools Writing Inservice Project grew out of the conviction that improving students' writing was a matter not of increased emphasis on sentence structure, grammar, or form, but rather of a change in the thinking about how writing should be taught. The project grew from a brief conference to a two-year commitment on the part of…