Andrew Pudewa -- Focusing on the Process and the Tools

IEW helps students build up repertoires for the purpose of enabling them to become better writers. 

repertoire: a stock of skills/tools that a person habitually uses.  
Our repertoire includes KWOs, organized approaches, brainstorming, clear thesis statements, topic/clinchers, strong verbs, quality adjectives and other dress-ups, openers, decorations, proofing, re-writes, reading with discernment

IEW checklists and practice assignments do not provide a formula for good writing or perfect writing. The checklist is not the objective, it is the means to the end. 

IEW writing's focus is really about process, not product. With this process, we are "gradually building up a repertoire of specific word

usages, specific grammatical constructions, specific literary devices. And we force the kids to do it *not* because we want their writing to be instantly better, but because we want them to be better writers."

Middle schoolers tend to challenge us, and high schoolers have strong default writing patterns that need tweaking. Both sometimes complain. If
the child grumbles, "I could write a much better paragraph if I didn't have to put in all this stuff," Andrew's response is to admit, "That may be true. The goal is not for you to write the best possible paragraph you could write. The goal is for you to learn the skills that will ultimately make you a better writer."   

He compares it to teaching violin: With a new student, he expects incorrect bowing, wrong notes, missed slides. 
 Writing is like music lessons. 
•  You aren't expected to get it perfect the first time. 
•  Let it challenge you and savor that challenge.
•  There is almost always room for improvement.
•  The process will teach you lessons that transcend the task at hand.


Graphic: http://www.kristenkoster.com/category/writing/writing-as-art/