An addition to the "wholeness of language" debate, this document is divided into two sections. The first reviews theories regarding the reading writing relationship, suggesting that an awareness of the interdependencies and commonalities among various forms of communication may provide insights leading to students learning to read like writers and write like readers. The second section describes and critiques a study conducted by Braun and Gordon (1983) that explored the effects of narrative writing instruction on reading comprehension. This section highlights the methodological problems (including the failure to provide students with a purpose or an audience for their writing, or the opportunity to revise and edit their work) and misguided assumptions that led to inconclusive results. The critique concludes that (1) research problems must be formulated within the context of a holistic approach to language, (2) research design must provide for observation of the steps in the learning process, and (3) research design must also provide for observation of the cognitive transition from writer-based to reader-based writing. A separate "response," by Robert D. Armstrong is appended to the critique. It elaborates on the previous conclusions regarding the importance of the "wholeness of language" perspective and the means of making the common elements of language competencies available for use. (LLZ)