In order to study two aspects of the composing process, goal-setting and risk-taking, English and reading graduate students were given a set of readings on the topic of introspection and asked to write weekly papers in response. The papers were summaries, reaction statements, synthesis essays, and position papers, and students kept ongoing journals describing their responses and strategies in response to each task. When tasks were viewed as essentially purposeless (for example, writing summaries), the goals set were perfunctory and the commitment to the task drew on very low-level cognitive operations, but when the goals were stimulating, processes and responses were mobilized, leading to more reflective thinking. Analysis of one student's risk-taking revealed that the word"essay" instead of "paper" released her from constraints to produce what she believed the teacher wanted. The means must be sought, whether through task design or the atmosphere of acceptance created in the classroom, for fostering a willingness to explore one's own thinking and risk exposure of untested ideas. The dimensions of composing are complex and significantly influenced by the context of composing, the dimensions of which must be explored to create meaningful models of writing. (SRT)