This report describes an approach to third-year college-level French literature instruction that used a more informal approach to student writing than that traditionally used in such a course. The approach evolved from a comparison of students' formal writing skills with the skills defined in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines, and discovery of discrepancies between the two. The teacher began with classroom exercises to build peer relationships and share student attitudes and concerns about foreign language literature study. Subsequently, the class read short stories, poems, and one-act plays, and each term read one longer classical work. In class, students analyzed the actions within each work and wrote brief journal statements of their perceptions of the works. As the quarters progressed, the assigned journal and free-writing tasks encouraged movement up the proficiency scale. Students shared their writing with each other and organized and reviewed their own journals at the end of the term. It was found that student response to the approach was positive, writing became more confident, and fluency and accuracy increased over that of students in previous years. Some practical guidance concerning journal management is offered. (MSE)