Recieved petition for written answer to court summons

I received a court summons stating that I need to respond with my written answer to a petition filed on behalf of Portfolio Recovery Associates. The original creditor has written off the loan and it must have been purchased by Portfolio. The person with the summons, said I could call and work with the people listed on the summons to work out payment, and that I needed to answer the petition. I know I need to answer the court, to avoid a judgement, but what kind of things do I need to put in the letter. I would like to work a settlement with them, but I do not want to pay the whole thing. I have been getting letters and calls from the collection people on this charge account for 2 years now. What can I do to keep this from going to court?