Abstract
Written composition has long been regarded as a cognitively challenging task. It simultaneously makes significant demands on language, memory, and thinking. For lengthy compositions, the writing process entails multiple work sessions extending over days, weeks, months, and even years. The diligence required can be challenging emotionally as well as cognitively. At the heart of meeting these demands is the capacity for self-regulation. Not surprisingly, then, the psychological research on executive functions has much to say about writing skill-both its successes and failures.