Process and product are always in tension. In authentic writing, they can be messy and hard to assess. Because writing is recursive and generative, every word written opens new possibilities. Not only that, but writing is influenced by ability, time allowed, task definition, rhetorical situation, relationship to reading, and helpful thinking strategies that could include talk and drawing, as well as informal writing-to-learn. Among all of the potentially overwhelming layers that go into teaching writing, the authors found that two aspects of learning are particularly important. Both prepare students for the ongoing, unfinished nature of writing. Both also led to an authentic process-based exam. Authentic learning is more likely to happen, according to the authors, when we value students' questions and explore together where they will lead. The authors aim for finished arguments, but there's always room for more evidence, a counterpoint, or a more elegant thesis. More importantly, the issues themselves are unfinished. If the questions are truly open-ended, there isn't one correct solution.