




“The Interior View” by Donald Murray gives an interesting perspective when it comes to the process of writing and what goes into composing a work of literature. Throughout this work, Murray breaks down one sentence which he feels is the key to what composition is all about: “A writer is an individual who uses language to discover meaning in experience and communicate it” (Murray 26). However, this statement really has two fundamental sentences, each of which are analyzed to describe this process of writing. The first statement is for professional or experienced writers, whereas the second is for the student writer who is learning the art of writing. Looking at the similarities and differences between the experienced writer and the student writer, we can analyze the different processes each writer goes through.

The first part of this phrase is “A writer is an individual” (Murray 26). This phrase is particularly interesting as it shows that writing is done all on one’s own. One quote which represents this is “At the moment of writing the writer has a fundamental aloneness” (Murray 26). This direct quote brings a new aspect to composition. It depicts a sense of isolationism with the writer during his or her period of writing. This is important because all of the thoughts which are transferred onto the page started in a remote and isolated place in the mind. The concept of aloneness contributes to the individual writer as no help is given to the creator of the story.

The next part of this pivotal sentence is “who uses language” (Murray 27). An author or person who is writing connects to the audience through language. It would be impossible to communicate our ideas and thoughts to those who are willing to listen, without the use of this language: “He feels language in his fingers, hears language in his ears, sees language evolving and working on his page” (Murray 27). This quote directly shows how language is evident throughout every work of literature. It is always present and is the symbol of which the writer uses to get across what he wants to say. 

The third part is “to discover meaning in experience” (Murray 27). What the author is writing about has some sort of significance in his or her life. A message is trying to be brought across to the audience. This message is very valuable or of importance to the person who is writing this story: “The writer’s basic job is not to say what he already knows but to explore his own experience for his own meaning” (Murray 28). What this quote is saying is that writing allows people to discover new ideas and thoughts. Also, it is trying to say that we cannot write simply about what we already know, yet we must try and broaden our thoughts and mind to come to new understandings. Each of these understandings is different to each writer and that is part of what makes the whole process so great.

The final part of this sentence for the experienced writer is “and communicate it” (Murray 28). Communication and language go hand-in-hand when it comes to composition. “The good writer communicates by building-through language-a sturdy discovery of thought” (Murray 28). Communication is the emphasis of every work. If the reader never fully understands what is trying to be told to them, then what is the point of reading that work in the first place? This is where communication and language come in as the two aspects of writing where the author is able to express his meaning to the audience. With a lack of communication, writing and composing becomes virtually useless. Those professional writers are often very skilled in this aspect of communication, especially to their respective audiences.

Switching over to the student writer, we are now vulnerable to a new aspect of composing. First, the beginning of the sentence is “A student writer is an individual” (Murray 29). This beginning component is extremely similar to the experienced writer as they are both alone in thought. A quote that shows the difference between an experienced and a student writer is “We must accept the individual student and appreciate his individualness” (Murray 29). A student writer has a much different mindset than an experienced writer when it comes to composition. A student has a more immature approach to writing style compared to one who is experienced. Usually, this results because of young age. The experienced writer is much more formal and deliberate in their approach to creating a story all alone. The student writer is more vulnerable to mistakes as he or she composes on their own. We must appreciate the student writer for attempting and hopefully succeeding in this whole process on their own.

The next part of the student writer’s sentence for composition is “who is learning to use language” (Murray 30). The key word in this sentence is “learning.” It takes time to become a well-educated and skilled writer. This is exactly the reason why a student is in the process of learning how to write an effective story. Educating someone takes long periods of time and hard work. Thus, we must be patient and understanding of the student writer who is still learning the fundamentals and basics of writing. “There are no absolutes in language” (Murray 30) is an extremely important idea to stress to the student writer as most of the time the student has a set perception of language. This is sometimes misleading as you can manipulate language to mean several different things. Getting rid of this idea will allow the student to approach writing more freely and openly as it should be approached.

The third aspect is “to discover meaning in experience” (Murray 31). This is the same line as an experienced writer as they both have similar meanings. “The student writer is searching for what is significant in his experience” (Murray 31). Both the experienced and student writer is in search for a greater meaning to convey to the audience. This process is difficult at times as you have to look deeper to discover something about yourself or your story that you didn’t know existed. Yet again this is why looking at composition from a different viewpoint is so valuable. It allows us to discover the great aspects of writing which we can use to create great pieces of literature. Discovering meaning in experience is vital to any writer, student or experienced.

The final part of this all-mighty sentence is “and communicate it” (Murray 31). Student writers often struggle with communicating their message to the audience. Whether it be language, use of metaphor, or even the wrong injunction, they experience difficulties in this aspect of creating a work of English. A quote that helps show this is “if language does not clarify your own mind it will not clarify your reader’s mind” (Murray 32). This sense of self-struggle which student authors endure is just part of composing as a whole. It is impossible to expect someone to immediately understand all of the components of writing right away. This is why composition can be considered a long and self-fulfilling process. 

“A writer is an individual who uses language to discover meaning in experience and communicate it” (Murray 26) and “A student writer is an individual who is learning to use language to discover meaning in experience and communicate it” (Murray 29) are the two sentences which allow us to analyze the writing process of both an experienced writer and a student writer. The first phase of each sentence talks about how writing is completely and entirely isolated. This aspect is a similarity between the student and experienced writer because both are forced to compose in their own heads and transfer their meaning onto paper. The next phase of these sentences talks about language. This is where the student and experienced writer differ. He who is experienced already knows the basics of language and how important it is to the meaning of the story. On the other hand, the student writer is still trying to figure out and learn what it takes to use language effectively in a composition. This is a major difference between the two as language is always so important when it comes to the process of composition. The third phase of the sentence talks about trying to find meaning through something in life. The experienced and student writers are similar in this case as they both struggle to find this meaning which they are in search of. However, they both differ in the fact that the student writer has a lot less experience than the professional writer. Thus, it is significantly more challenging for the student writer to find a topic which he believes has meaning and that he wants to share with his audience. The fourth and final sequence of this sentence is all about communication. This is another instance in which the student and professional writer differ. Communication comes with experience and that is something which someone who is learning how to compose properly doesn’t have. The professional writer, however, has this experience and is able to communicate their message to the audience effectively. 

This view from the inside allows the audience to analyze in detail how one goes about composing and what it truly means to write a piece of literature. What it means for one to compose differs throughout the world and that is fine, as long as they find a sense of achievement or reaching their goal. That is what the meaning of writing and desire to write truly is. In conclusion, professional and student writers have many similarities and differences, but the process in which they achieve satisfaction through writing will always remain the same.


