Writing researchers frequently hear students say that they dislike writing for school because it seems to be

Writing researchers frequently hear students say that they dislike writing for school because it seems to be

mostly about following rules and structures, and being judged for failure to observe all the rules correctly. In contrast, students often report preferring self-sponsored writing outside of school (sometimes they call it "creative" writing, sometimes "personal" writing) because they are free to write whatever they like without being constrained by rule structures. Try this thought experiment: What would your school writing look like if you could approach it as you do "home" or personal writing, and if you could expect the same kind of responses that you receive to your home and school writing? What would you do differently in your school writing? Would you spend more time on it or treat it differently? How would your writing itself change?