Exemplary adolescent creative writers' stories and poems demonstrate a connection between personal purposes for writing and the development of advanced technical skills. This hermeneutic analysis of 33 student texts (which were chosen because of their relation to the topic of literacy) reveals three main reasons for writing (remembrance, reinvention, and communion) as well as an understanding of the writing process as fickle. Writings that focus on remembrance include depictions of qualia through sensory imagery and poetic techniques. Writings that express reinvention and communion reveal an understanding of the history of words, forms, and the canon. Writings that depict writing as fickle invite discussions of the writing process and the value of perseverance, observation, and empathy. A practical implication of this research is that creativity and identity development through writing are compatible with comprehension, analysis, and technical mastery.