Discussion about the structure of writing genres and use of language should be on how meaning is constructed or revealed, rather than on rules or formulas. There is no one method or formula for telling a story, no one way to use creative language correctly, and no rule that cannot be broken by a good writer. Rather, the focus should be on what the student has done to develop and support meaning in his or her work. Reading is essential to students' development as writers. The connection between reading and writing cannot be overstated.
Literature provides students with the language and tools to write.
By examining the writing of others, students see the wide range of possibilities for creative and expressive language use. By finding writers who inspire them, students can come to understand their own reasons for writing, their own sense of aesthetics, and the value of writing to humankind. Through such writing students learn that their own lives and perspectives are worthy subject matter, that writers live everywhere in the world, and that the place where a writer lives has an impact on his or her content and form. By meeting writers, students learn that it is possible to become a writer as a career if they so choose, and are provided with the opportunity to ask questions of a professional in their field of interest. Teachers must provide latitude in allowing students to choose their own writing models.