This special journal issue consists of 14 articles by outstanding teachers explaining what they do to get their students to write effective stories and essays. The issue's introduction discusses a study of similarities in techniques among successful writing teachers. The second section, "Writing Approaches, Ideas and Assignments," contains six articles covering such subjects as writing workshops, warmup exercises for writing short stories, and a process for teaching detail. The four articles in the third section, "Classroom Environment and Teacher Philosophy: An Overview," report on the beliefs and specific practices of successful writing teachers and programs. The final section, "Learning from Students," contains three articles that reveal how teachers have improved their teaching and their knowledge simply by appreciating the wisdom of their pupils. (JL)