Murray and Writing

So, I came across this quote this morning (Berkenkotter) in a student's discussion board post, from the Berkenkotter/Murray article:

The writer, however, does not speak in a vacuum. Only when he begins to discern what his readers do not yet know can he shape his language, structure, and information to fit the needs of those readers. It is also natural that a writer like Murray would not be aware how significant a role his sense of audience played in his thoughts. After years of journalistic writing, his consideration of audience has become more automatic than deliberate. (228)

Interesting to think about Murray's sense of audience and participation in a larger community. Only when he discovers what his audience already knows and what his audience wants or needs to know can he... This is the way it works with academic writing...