The three children who are the focus of this paper emerged from analysis of KS2 (Key Stage 2, ages 7 to 11 years) writing during the Kirklees Writing Project. This involved a group of six KS2 teachers bringing samples of students' work to evaluation meetings in which key factors of a particular genre were identified and differences in children's performances discussed. One of the genres discussed was autobiography, and the six participants had brought in a wide range of texts. The work of one group of students stood out from that of the rest. Instead of the usual photocopied pages of an exercise book with a few minimalist illustrations, one teacher had brought a colorful selection of handmade books, each with a decorative laminated cover, illustrating key themes from the fragments of the autobiographies which the students had assembled. These children, close friends, had created a small publishing company to produce regular editions of a graphic magazine. Of course these Kirklees' children's collaborative writing venture is out of the ordinary, but the urge to write collaboratively and in doing so create an imaginary world in itself is not. All three children have maintained an interest in their school written work as well as their home productions, and as with the autobiographies, they have been enabled to incorporate elements of their personal interests into more school-based tasks. The response of teachers in the Kirklees project has been to focus on what children bring of themselves to writing and to incorporate in their planning opportunities for different modes of meaning-making which include drama, graphic representation, and the exploration of "creative" or "poetic" writing forms within the framework. The project's next stage will report on the effectiveness of the strategies they adopt. (Contains 29 references.) (NKA)