This article describes how students gain the confidence and skill to write personal essays by practicing their natural ability to tell their own stories orally in social situations. The author describes how her students' ability to chat with her and with one another at the start of each class became the cornerstone of their efforts to improve their composition skills. Using what she terms the "Barroom Raconteur Technique" has helped students discover the power of writing to articulate and unleash their hopes, wishes, dreams, and goals.