





       The world that humanity has created is based on writing. Every bit of information, fact or fiction, is generally put down on paper. The two main styles of writing that are used in this collection and transfer of information are academic and creative writing. Academic writing is, in essence, an argument. Scholars use academic writing to form an opinion on a topic and provide evidence to back it up. Creative writing is more individualized than academic writing. Creative writing is often subjective and reveals more about the author because of personalized structure. Academic and creative writing share many similarities and differences. “They Say/I Say” by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein outlines the benefits and structures of academic writing. The piece focuses on explaining how using consistent structure in writing is the best way to argue a point. Donald Murray, who wrote “The Interior View: One Writer’s Philosophy of Composition”, would argue the use of repeated structure takes away from the creativity in writing. “The Interior View” argues that creativity and individuality are the key components of writing. Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein have a very different view of composition compared with Donald Murray. The two pieces have points to back their statements. By looking at the similarities and differences between “The Interior View” and “They Say/I say”, we can see that academic writing is important because it allows people to collect and share information, and 


creative writing is important because it helps keep individuality in humanity. Both styles of writing are important and play a role in literature.

Academic writing is the supporting element of new knowledge. Academic writing is commonly structured with a thesis or argument followed by evidence to support that argument. Graff and Birkenstein describe a formed argument in the title of their piece “They Say/I Say”. In academic writing, the writer takes what someone else has said, and argues a similar or different opinion based off of that piece. Academic writing is used for many things including critical reading/analysis of literary works and scientific theory. The purpose of “They Say/I say” is not to describe what academic writing is. However, the purpose of the piece is to argue the structure of academic writing. Graff and Birkenstein write “accomplished writers routinely rely on a stock of established moves that are crucial for communicating sophisticated ideas.” (Graff 370). This quote is saying that professional writers use predetermined structures and phrases to complete their writing/arguments. An example of a common phrase described in the piece is “One the one hand_____. On the other hand_____.” (Graff 371). This phrase is used to compare what another work is implying. Phrases like this one make up the common structure of academic writing to prove an argument or to pass on information. “They Say/I say” describes the importance of taking common structures and using them in your own writing. The piece mentions how using typical phrases is not plagiarism because they are used so frequently (Graff 377). Graff and Birkenstein also argue that the use of structure does not take away from the creativity of writing (Graff 376).

Creative writing is a style of writing that steers away from the conventions of academic writing. Creative style focuses more on character development and narrative, while academic 


writing focuses on an argument. Individuality is what makes up creative writing. Donald Murray agrees when he writes “A writer is an individual” (Murray 26). His definition of a writer begins with this phrase. It means that the core of every text is the author and his individuality. The author’s own style is what makes creative writing unique. Creative writing can still serve the same purpose as academic writing, to provide an argument. However, the conventions used in the text will be the author’s, which separates creative writing from academic writing. Murray uses the words of Andre Gide in his text when he says “Look for your own. Do not do what someone else could do as well as you.” (26). This quote signifies the importance of the writer’s individual style and breakaway from standard conventions. “The Interior View” allows the reader to see the individual benefit of creative writing.

“The Interior View” acknowledges the creative side of writing and “They Say/ I Say” recognizes the academic side of writing. The two texts have very different views on writing. However, both pieces are quite similar because they each teach a specific style of writing. Both pieces and writing styles have the goal of communicating a message to the reader. Donald Murray writes “The good writer communicates by building -- through language -- a sturdy discovery of thought.” (28). This quote means that a writer’s goal is always to communicate something to a viewer. In “They Say/I Say”, Graff and Birkenstein discuss the importance of the individual “putting in their oar” (378). The oar symbolizes one’s argument in a topic. This means that Graff and Birkenstein believe a writer should communicate their opinion to readers. Both “The Interior View” and “They Say/I Say” also explain the importance of each of their types of writing. “The Interior View” describes creative writing as important because it is an “individual search for meaning in life” (Murray 25). “They Say/I Say” describes academic writing as important because 


it advances the circle of knowledge/opinion between intellectuals. Between the two texts there are many similarities and differences. But in both texts the reader can find importance in the two writing styles described as well as how to use them.


