Writing is intimidating for students possibly because the focus traditionally has been on correctness. Good writing is thought-provoking. It is something that the reader can respond to, agree with, critique, ot argue with. The blank page can be a terrifying sight for student writers. We need to develop sensitivity to the student's
voice. Often their best writing is mixed up with their worst. Emphasis for decades has been on style, but voice is what makes the writing come alive. Voice explains why a poem is not written like a commercial, and why novels don't read like doctoral dissertations. Voice is the reason that bad translations are often awkward (and sometimes hilarious). Students who speak another language can make best use of voice by using that language in writing with enough context clues to help the reader figure out the meaning.
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