In writing laboratories where theme-writing constitutes the central emphasis of the program, other developments may parallel the progress in language-usage improvement. Among these beneficial by-products of writing are self-identification, self-confidence, humanitarian concern, and aesthetic appreciation. Learning experiences in a tutorial system are most meaningful if confidential rapport is established between each student and the teacher. Every qualified tutor has to become a kind of unlicensed psychoanalyst who must realize that sincerity is the quality which makes a success of most student compositions. Many systems find the news media a good source of subject-matter for theme-writing. Four topics are suggested for possible use in the writing laboratory: An Open Letter to the People of Northern Ireland; To the Parents of Jewish Athletes Slaughtered at the Olympic Games; Where (and Why) Blacks Constitute a Majority in This Country (in lines waiting at the welfare offices); and The New Emphasis on Athletics for Women. (TS)