The purpose of this paper is to show teachers that composing is the conveying of "knowing" and that students' growth in writing is frequently stunted by teachers' stress on correct spelling, word choice, and syntax in student writing. Topics discussed in the paper include the following: the presence of "memories and experiences, cinemas, radio programs, and family albums" in the minds of all people, glimpses of which can be revealed in writing; the differing functions of the right and left hemispheres of the brain; stages of the writing process, which progress from the writer's "knowing" to the writing of words on paper; the way students' apprehension of writing impedes the composing process; studies indicating that teachers of writing frequently do not recongize good writing; an experiment in which teachers are helped to see the subjective nature of learning and the irrelevance of grading; the ways in which writing differs from reading; and the importance of the prewriting or expressive stage of writing, at which the writer should feel free to "spill out lumps of think" on paper (a function of the right hemisphere of the brain) without worrying about correct spelling and mechanics (a function of the left hemisphere). (GW)