In his essay “The Maker’s Eye: Revising Your Own Manuscripts”, Murray describes the very detailed process of revision; explaining how a writer should use their own reading ability and voice to revise their own work, and how that writer should be able to step away from their writing and read it though another’s eye.
Murray (945) goes on to explain how this process can differ from a student to a professional writer. This allows us to understand the detail a writer must take into consideration when reviewing their own work. Including the way a writer reads their own words, as well as being able to remove or replace words that distract from the flow or point of the essay.
The progression of drafts becomes central to the writer’s clear intention. From the first bare boned draft, which contains limited detail and expression, only bringing forth the main point of the essay. This leading into a succession of drafts, each expounding on the different materials and thoughts the writer has brought together. Murray states that writers must be their own “best enemy” (945) while reading these drafts, being aware of the need to revise again and again. It is important that the writer excuse themselves from their work, regain their composure, clear their mind and come back and read again what is on the paper. “The writer must learn to…show more content… Murray writes, “Writers read their own pages with infinite care. Each sentence, each line, each clause, each phrase, each word, each mark of punctuation, each section of white space between the type has to contribute to the clarification of meaning.” (P. 947). Thus, causing the writer to become aware if their words relay the meaning as they were intended. However, as important as this detailed reading is in this process, so is using the writer’s voice to hear the words spoken aloud, in doing this the author can be made aware of a word or phrase that does not