A series of 13 questions is offered for sequencing student writing activities according to a problem solving model of the composing process. The questions are organized in a cyclical framework for approaching any problem solving task that writing students may face. The questions fall into four progressively developed categories, including articulation of the problem, defining goals, developing a procedure for solving the problem, and evaluating the problem/solution with prescribed criteria. A sequence of writing assignments based on the short story "Silent Snow, Secret Snow" by Conrad Aiken, shows one way of using the questions to help students develop personalized methods of intellectual discovery as they develop writing skill. (RL)