ˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən the activity of putting something in written form she did the thinking while he did the writing the act of creating written works writing was a form of therapy for him it was a matter of disputed authorship letters or symbols that are written or imprinted on a surface to represent the sounds or words of a language he turned the paper over so the writing wouldn't show the doctor's writing was illegible the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect) the writing in her novels is excellent that editorial was a fine piece of writing (usually plural) the collected work of an author the idea occurs with increasing frequency in Hemingway's writings