The duty of conscientious writing teachers is to evaluate the kinds of feedback they are providing students, and to determine if it helps students to present ideas meaningful to them effectively in written discourse. Almost universally, the traditional way of providing feedback on student writing is by the red pencil method, which has made the teacher's role in a student's writing process basically one of an editor. To successfully motivate students to write, the teacher must provide an atmosphere which allows students to gain personal satisfaction from their writing. Less traditional theorists in the field of composition suggest that the teacher must transfer the power of evaluating writing to the student. Writing teachers must become listeners to the intents of student writers. The challenge writing teachers face is to provide suggestions which motivate the students to revise. Revision should be seen by the students as the repeated process of beginning again and thinking about fresh approaches and ideas which can enhance the intended message. The writer must always maintain strict authority over the content of his or her text, and all feedback should encourage student writers to self-evaluate, make their own decisions, and take control of their paper. (A 10-item annotated bibliography is attached.) (MG)