"Saying" and "doing" --One more attempt

So I'm reflecting on maybe a better way to explain what I mean by "doing." So I realize that there are several ways to describe what an author is "doing"--that there is no one thing that would constitute "doing." So look for

Rhetorical strategies such as figurative language (metaphor, metonymy, synechdoche, simile, extended images)

"movement" cues -- One the one hand, on the other hand, Although, However, In contrast, Consequently, First, Second, Third, Similarly, Analogously, Like x and y, Just as x, so y;

"Movement" cues are what indicates difference or similarity in the essay and makes the essay progress or move in a somewhat linear fashion.

Another metaphorical way to say this: What is the "function" of the language the author is using? How about the paragraph? What is the function of the paragraph within the whole essay?

I hope this gives you other ways to think about what I'm trying to say. What an author is "doing" usually describes some sort of writing strategy non-specific to the text at hand.

You may think that these are silly distinctions, but once we all acquire this vocabulary of "meta-discourse," we will be able to apply it to several different texts and hopefully end up on the same page. Grammar is another kind of metadiscourse that we can use to talk about writing. So another way to think about these words is that they are an extension of grammar to the realm of rhetoric.