Academic writing is something we all want our students to do well. The ability of our students to use writing in meaningful ways seems to lag far behind what we know they can do. The author introduces a technique to assist in teaching college academic writing. Writing for personal goals is contrasted with student academic writing. The integration of personal writing is used to demonstrate the developmental nature of writing and thinking in the progress of student learning in college so that these learners can understand more clearly and use more effectively their own thinking and writing capabilities.