Her interview subjects usually recalled reading as a clearly demarcated activity. For example, some could recall the names of their first books. But teaching or encouraging writing was nearly unheard of, beyond showing very young children how to form letters or checking the spelling on homework assignments. People's memories of writing were vague. Nor is writing so readily identified as a separate activity.
Writing seems to be experienced more as a means to an end, than an end in itself.
For the most part, the interviews suggest that reading and writing were often linked in school assignments but usually in ways that subordinated writing. Writing seemed to be introduced in order to induce, support, or verify reading. People's stories suggested that much writing develops in situations and out of psychological motivations that are significantly different from those surrounding reading. While the motivations for reading were often adults and books, the motivations for writing were not. Children's impulses to write emerged from their immediate circumstances and feelings.