<p>I certainly can relate to your situation. With our older daughter, she started out as an excellent writer, but something happened in high school, and her essays sounded stilted. My working theory is that there is so much emphasis put on passing the high stakes assessments, that teachers no longer had the flexibility to encourage students to write for enjoyment.</p>
<p>Now that she is a junior at a university, her writing is impressive. She thinks it’s just because she has to write so many papers. We are hoping the same “miracle” will occur with our younger daughter, who is experiencing the same lack of drive and proficiency that her sister did at this age.</p>
<p>I also agree that it’s not something that you can force. Sit back, relax, and it will work out.</p>