      At the start of every writer’s career they must take a journey. A journey to discover their voice as a writer and what they want to say with that voice. The writer must search deep within themselves to accomplish this, which can be a difficult and sometimes harrowing experience for the individual. The Interior View takes the reader through a condensed version of that journey, using theming, emphasis and signposting, we can see that the essay emulates a journey. This is important because it adds structure to the essay and gives the reader an idea of the writing process and the struggle the writer goes through to find their voice, even if they are not a writer themselves.

      The author’s use of theming is one of the more prominent aspects of the essay. Near the end of his introduction, the author defines the writing process through a single sentence:      “The writer is an individual who uses language to discover meaning in experience and communicate it,” (Murray, 1970, p. 26).

      This sentence acts as the foundation for the first half of the essay, focusing on Murray’s personal experience as a professional writer and what he thinks it means to write professionally. It sets up the structure for the remainder of the essay, as Murray picks apart the sentence a piece at a time, presenting them as easily digestible morsels for the reader to absorb one at a time. Even the second portion of the essay, where Murray discusses the writing process from the perspective of a student, he uses the same structure, with both sentences similarly written to emphasis the common goal of both the student and professional writer: Their wish to convey a message.

      To keep you focused on these phrases, Murray restates the original sentence at the topic of the upcoming paragraph, emphasising the specific topic he wishes to discuss to bring it to the immediate attention of the reader. It helps build on the structure that was laid out in the original topic, ‘This is what I’m going to discuss,’ it seems to say. ‘We’ll get to those other parts later, but for now this is the important bit.’ The structure of his essay allows him to focus on each phrase of his statement with laser precision. Carefully, picking it apart like a skilled surgeon to present each part and why he thinks it’s important to the idea of a writer and why they write.

      In Murray’s opinion, one of the main strengths of a professional writer is their way to effectively communicate a message to their readers. “When the writer is convinced he has found what he has to say and has said it as well as he can, then he shows it to the reader,” (Murray, 1970, p. 31) and one of the strengths of his essay is the use of signposting. The first sentence of the essay describes the exact purpose of the essay, to convey his message and how the student writer can relate to it. Murray is very explicit in all of his statements, his wording precise and accurate as he delves into the mindset of the professional writer and how they think and why that’s important to the student writer. Writing is only effective if there are people to read it and understand it. If no one understands what the writer is trying to say or is unable to produce their own interpretation, then that writer has failed.

      

      Murray discusses his experience as a writer from the perspective of both a well-versed professional, and a wide-eyed student. He divides his essay, into halves, dedicating one half to the thought purpose of a professional writer, and the other half to the purpose of a student writer. to stop and consider the meaning behind his statement and what it means to be a writer. 

      The Interior View is an excellent depiction of these stages of a writer’s life, describing the point of view from both ends of the spectrum in a way that even a person who wouldn’t consider themselves a writer would be able to empathize with the everyday struggles of writing.

      Before the writer even begins to write, they must consider one thing:

      Do I have something important to say?

      The writer should be able that question with a definitive yes before ever putting their pen to paper. The writer’s purpose is just as, if not moreso, important than the voice he speaks it with. If the writer does not have a reason to speak, then their words are nothing more than hot air.