The cognitive skills associated with the writing of fiction and poetry are equally important in analytical and evaluative writing. Excluding them from freshman composition in particular discourages the students from developing a genuine mastery of critical writing skills. Teachers of college freshmen should not define "creative" as the antonym of "expository," but should help their students to link emotional (affective) involvement with the critical writing at hand; or, conversely, to give critical attention to imagined situations. According to mystery novelist John D. MacDonald, there are three fundamentals in writing: (1) writers must be readers (students must read in order to associate reading with daily life, not just with the classroom); (2) writers must get outside themselves (they must be able to write to and from different perspectives); and (3) writers must abandon the idea that creative writing is all play. By presenting these fundamentals and by encouraging the development of creative as well as expository skills, teachers can help their students to write with the intensity of involvement that will make their critical writing both imaginative and engaging. (PRA)