On the basis of a National Humanities project proposed by the English department of a St. Louis, Missouri high school, many different approaches to drawing students into writing about and understanding literature were developed. One of three such techniques is a sequence of writing-reading-writing that offers the possibility of both enhancing the success of writing with greater understanding and reading with a clearer focus. A second technique is the use of creative journal writing. Journal assignments before, during, and after reading can stimulate student interest in unit themes, anticipation of characters and plots in certain pieces of literature, and responses to literature in ways other than the traditional critical/analytical essay. A third technique is the use of writing for accountability in lieu of book reports or quizzes. Journal assignments can be structured to help teachers determine whether students have read their literature assignments and how well they comprehend the readings. (Appendixes include a series of writing assignments, including prereading activities, appropriate titles, and final writing topics; sample student book reviews; sample entries from student journals; and suggested journal assignments for American literature courses.) (HTH)