Composition theory and pedagogy have variously understood writing as a noun or as a verb, a product or a process. This paper proposes a shift to theorizing writing as a gerund (writing "g.") and argues that this approach opens a space for more productive composition theory. A gerund orientation focuses attention on the virtual and affective qualities of the writing experience--what writing does to and with a writer. The study of writing "g.", or what this paper calls "composition experience scholarship," frees composition scholarship from a pedagogic imperative while at the same time producing theory that has practical application.