Exactly. And this is why the concept of craftmanship is so important when it comes to writing — or creating anything. It’s an idea that has been swept aside by the cult of the author, but it’s been coming back in recent years. The problem with creative writing programs is that instead of being built on ideas of craftsmanship, rhetoric and discourse, the focus is on self-expression and “peer” feedback. The result paradoxically, is not enough emphasis on learning from the tricks of the masters (which is what learning to be a craftsperson is about) and too much emphasis on apprentices trying to rewrite each others works in their own image.

Writing leads one to appreciate others’ writing in a new way when principles of structure, syntax, detail, tone, rhetorical modes, etc. are part of the mix rather than just “voice.”