This study explores how connecting reading and writing through a process-genre approach enhances EFL learners' academic writing competence. Based on quantitative and qualitative data, the study demonstrates that students made statistically significant improvements across seven writing traits, with the most substantial gains observed in discourse level features--interestingness, organization, content, and cohesion. These developments were supported by students' growing genre awareness acquired through scaffolded reading and analyzing of model texts, collaborative and independent writing tasks, and reflective activities. The findings also reveal how students systematically applied genre knowledge to their own compositions, particularly in understanding writing contexts, communicative purposes, and audience expectations. While improvements in linguistic accuracy and appropriacy were more moderate, students reported that they gained more confidence in writing. Through engagement with the reading and writing activities, students could observe how meaning is constructed in texts and apply these insights into their writing. This study underscores the pedagogical significance of connecting reading and writing within a process-genre instruction to enhance meaningful writing development.