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those things are products of collaboration, an essential, powerful element of writing. Collaboration moves beyond just the physical, especially in writing, where the minds of people come together to propel a story forward, to let it expand into all four corners of its possible capacity. More than anything, it connects the writers, the humans, to one another, and pushes them to think beyond the box. Once these things are accomplished, a sense of life permeates the prose and the authors gain a necessary mental sense of audience.

Much of the potential for human connection through writing waits in the classroom, i.e. writing workshops, English courses, peer editing, group work, and many other constructive exercises. Collaboration is not without its drawbacks; for example, "Diana George points out problems with group dynamics, such as gender differences, that affect students' attitudes toward and involvement in collaborative learning" (Connors 193). One must keep his wits about him as he enters the world of writing fiction, for the amount of opinion ready to burst in his face is quite large, and often fierce. The key to dodging the backfires of collaborative writing (including issues regarding plagiarism, editing, revision, reading, collaborative invention, etc.) is never to lose your own sense of voice, your own point-of-view. For example, some teachers tend to direct students' stories instead of simply making helpful suggestions. This creates a blatant teacher-student atmosphere, usually dismissing any open dialogue about the piece. Instead of just "following orders" and making the teacher "happy," you should consider the suggestions and decide if they can help you or not. Is it helping you reach your goal for the story? If the students around you seem to have little understanding of what you are trying to get across in your work, focus on a couple of peers that do. I know that in my writing classes, there are certain people whose opinions hold more importance to me than others. Try to be friendly and create a writing support group for yourself. If you ever feel you aren't getting enough actual training in writing, speak with a teacher or peer about meeting outside of class. Also, using inspiration from the objects or people around you is okay! Many people frown upon this, feeling as though they didn't actually "create" the thoughts or ideas, but that is not true. Utilizing the world around you is the only thing that makes you a writer. Everyone looks at everything

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