A study investigated one major aspect of the process of writing in a second language (L2), surface error correction, and two related issues. The main research questions included: whether (1) L2 writers were preoccupied with surface error correction during the generation of text; and (2) whether this regular interruption of the composing process resulted in poorer writing quality. Two additional questions were whether L2 writers' perceptions of their behaviors accurately reflect observed behaviors and whether there are significant differences in fluency of composition of Polynesian and Chinese students. Subjects were four Chinese and four Polynesian students at an English language institute in Hawaii. Data were collected in the classroom by external observation of the composing process and student self-report, using instruments adopted or designed for this study. Writing samples were essays written in class and evaluated with a holistic scoring system by two trained raters. Results indicate wide variation in amount of surface error correction occurring during initial writing, although the interruptions that occurred did appear to interfere with writing quality. No correlation was found between observed and self-reported writing behaviors, and no statistically significant differences were found between ethnic groups. It is concluded that fluency does have a positive influence on writing quality. (MSE)