A teacher of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to adults in a non-English-speaking country describes use of classroom writing conferences to improve student language use and introduce writing into the communicative syllabus. The approach is based on a conference format and focuses on self-directed inquiry. Students are provided with monolingual dictionaries and thesauri, a writing journal, and some reference works. Two basic formats were adopted: peer (student-student) and teacher-student conferences, with participants in pairs or small groups. Each conference focuses on one of three areas: content (while work is in process); process and style; or assessment of skill, form, vocabulary, structure, coherence. In each conference, four things happen: the writer reads his piece aloud; listeners respond by asking questions or commending good technique; the writer explains his perspective and asks for audience clarification of comments, focusing on content, process, or evaluation; and discussion turns to what the writer will do next with the piece. These steps are designed to build audience awareness and related writing processes. It is recommended that this be scheduled as an open-ended exercise. Students' favorite works are compiled at course conclusion. (MSE)