The Rhetorical Murray

The teacher and the students must understand that writing is a process of discovery. This process can be identified by a close study of how publishing writers in all genres write most of the time. They do not follow an absolute and rigid procedure; their writing is flexible, varying according to the writer and the writing task (Why Teach Writing and How? The English Journal, 1973 p. 1236)

Traditional education focuses on the traditional voice; untraditional education focuses on the personal voice. I think they both miss the target. We need to know how to use the convention of traditional language, and we need to be able to hear the sound of our personal voice, but the focus should be n th voice of the individual draft. Voice, as we have said, is a matter of situation; what is appropriate for one message, in one genre, for one reader, may not be in another. (The Craft of Revision, p. 210)

10. There are no rules, no absolutes, just alternatives. What works one time may not another. All writing is experimental. (“Teach Writing as a Process Not Product,” p. 13-14)

There are two forms of revision--one internal and one external. Internal revision occurs when writers are trying to find out what they have to say; external revision when they know what they have to say and are revising or editing their work so it can be understood by another audience. These two forms of revision, of course, overlap, but I believe they are distinct and significant. Writers must first understand what they are saying if others are to understand what was said. ("􏰫􏰄􏰓􏰚􏰍􏰅􏰃􏰍􏰄􏰅􏰖􏰈􏰃􏰂􏰲􏰓􏰃􏰂􏰉􏰊􏰅􏰳􏰈􏰁􏰚􏰄􏰅􏰈􏰇􏰅􏰮􏰄􏰲􏰂􏰏􏰂􏰈􏰉􏰫􏰄􏰓􏰚􏰍􏰅􏰃􏰍􏰄􏰅􏰖􏰈􏰃􏰂􏰲􏰓􏰃􏰂􏰉􏰊􏰅􏰳􏰈􏰁􏰚􏰄􏰅􏰈􏰇􏰅􏰮􏰄􏰲􏰂􏰏􏰂􏰈􏰉Teach the Motivating Force of Revision," p. 57)

Establishing trust is also vital in writing, and voice convinces the writer looking for a subject and the reader looking for a writer. Readers are attracted to a writer because they believe the author's voice and are moved, entertained, persuaded by it. The sounds of the text supports and, sometimes, even reveals the meaning of the text to the reader. (Crafting a Life In Story, p. 40)

Voice is one of the most complex and yet least-investigated areas of composition. It is a subject that makes academics uncomfortable because it does not seem intellectual, but we all speak and write with voice. The absence of voice--the personal in writing--is also a voice, the voice of detachment and disinterest that may be appropriate depending on the subject and what the writer needs to say about it. (Crafting a Life, 40)

The effective writer tunes the individual voice to the purpose and meaning of the text as well as to the reader. This does not mean the writer abandons the natural voice, but instead tunes it to the writing. We all speak somewhat differently when we visit a hospital room, when we are in church, when we are on the playing field, when we are called to the boss's office, when we teach, when we are being taught. Each hour we tune our personal, individual voices to the task at hand. (Crafting a Life, p. 43)

The writer tunes the individual voice so that it serves the need of the text. (Crafting a Life, p. 43)

In all writing, even technical or scholarly writing, authority may be supported by citations from external sources, but the reader trusts the authority that comes internally from the writer who delivers information or commentary that sparks the shock of recognition from the reader who says, "Yes. That's the way it is. The writer knows what I have been through, how and what I think and feel about it. I'll read more." (Crafting a Life, p. 63)

For a passage on audience, Murray's "community of readers" see p. 75-76 in CAL.