Current literature on writing instruction focuses on the writing conference, which accompanies a shift in emphasis from product to process and potentially transforms the teacher's role from task master and evaluator to respondent, opening the door to greater peer interaction in literacy learning. However desirable this ideal may be, extant research on classroom communication indicates that teachers dominate instructional talk in both the classroom and also in the writing conference. The limitations of the conference arise perhaps because much of the talk is instructional, that is, geared toward an expert/novice distinction between teacher and student. To combat these limitations it may be necessary to change many of the current assumptions about the nature of instruction. Generalizing from research on the learning of oral language at home to language teaching in school, five maxims can be generated: (1) assume competence, (2) know the learner, (3) share interest in the task at hand, (4) follow the learner, and (5) capitalize on uncertainty. To change the way that teachers and students interact in a writing conference, it will probably be necessary to reshape the conditions of all classroom communication so that it is genuinely supportive of student growth and development. A three-page reference list concludes the document. (SRT)