Book excerpt: This book takes a fresh look at what it means to learn and develop as a writer in response to concerns on both sides of the Atlantic, and elsewhere in the world, about standards in writing. In this book, the authors seek answers to some perennial questions: Why does performance in writing tend to lag behind that in reading? Are the productive skills of speaking and writing more difficult because they require the learner to make something new? What does it mean to develop as a writer? This book provides the foundation for developing the teaching of writing. It does so by: Reviewing and comparing models of writing pedagogy from the last fifty years Discussing the notion of development in depth Developing a new theory and model for writing in the multimodal and digital age Its basic premise is that writing needs to be re-conceived as one crucial component of communication among other modes. Andrews and Smith argue that although existing theories have provided insights into the teaching and learning of writing, we need to bring such theories up to date in the digital and multimodal age. Developing Writers is designed for teachers, academics, researchers, curriculum designers, parents and others who are interested in writing development. It will also be intended for anyone who is interested in developing their own writing, and who wishes to understand the principles on which such development is based. Continue the conversation at www.developingwriters.org.