Teachers know that the most valuable learning occurs in classrooms where a sense of community exists. Community encourages rich learning because of the interactions among many individuals, not the limited, two-way exchange of ideas or information that is often the case when students fail to form a community. But what makes a community? Synthesizing from a number of researchers, Deborah J. Bickford and David J. Wright explain that "a real community . . . exists only when its members interact in a meaningful way that deepens their understanding of each other." So community requires "meaningful interaction" and "deepened understanding," two things that can occur as a result of writing and sharing, particularly informal writing. Too often students perceive writing in school as formidable--a risk or a threat, a way to be evaluated--and not often enough as a way to learn, to express ideas, just to be a writer. When they use informal writing and sharing in their classrooms, the authors shift some of the focus from writing as an evaluative tool to writing as a tool for living--and thus for learning. In this article, the authors describe informal writing assignments that have helped their students develop communal bonds with their classmates and learn more about writing well.