This study investigates the effects of regular, one-to-one conversations with a native speakers of English on the writing skills of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) college students. The subjects, three undergraduate students (ages 18 to 23) in the ESL program of a small college, participated in standard conversational English with a native speaker, and the effects of this interaction were observed. Results did not yield conclusive evidence that such conversations caused improvement in the students' writing; however, several other patterns did emerge. The areas in which the students failed to make progress in both writing and speaking were remarkably similar to one another. While not defining the nature of the link between speaking and writing, the study suggests that such a link exists, implying an important or even essential role for native-speaker conversation in college-level ESL programs. Contains 16 references. (MSE)