Drawing on findings from psychology, anthropology, and sociology, this book examines motivation for writing and connects writing with the roles each person plays--in the family, the workplace, and in social and cultural groups including school--and with the lifelong search for potential new roles. As a blueprint for changing the writing of college students, the book offers portraits of four types of writing classes and discusses rationales, teacher roles, assignments, day-to-day classroom practices, student behaviors, and outcomes. The book presents the perceptions, concerns, and thought processes of writing teachers (from a practitioner's point of view) as well as findings from student interviews conducted outside of class. It is the thesis of the book that the new roles for students that emerge from a writer-centered workshop can change the way students learn, from passive absorption toward an ability to use experience to change their own lives and those of their communities. (KEH)