Please post your two questions and response to your peers' questions about chapter 1 of the Bedford Book of Genres by commenting on this post!
Please include your full name as well.
Questions should be posted by 10PM the night before class, and comments should be finished by the time we meet in class.
1. When deciding on a genre what should be your main concern?
ReplyDelete2. Should you choose the genre first and let it dictate the audience, tone, design (etc) that you will be writing or should the genre be dictated by these factors?
One's main concern should be the rhetorical situation. What the purpose of your composition, who is the audience, what are the audience's expectations, what needs to be said? When one understands their rhetorical situation, knowing what to write and what genre to write it in becomes simple.
DeleteI think the genre should be decided from these factors. Understanding the audience, tone, and design of one’s composition makes writing much easier. Understanding these factors will also help one choose a specific genre. If you knew you had to write about a new band for the local paper; knowing that the audience will be local adults reading the paper, knowing that the tone should be formal and helpful, and understanding how to write your composition in a newspaper format is necessary. Then one can decide that their genre will be an editorial.
1. How can you grab the audience's attention and keep it?
ReplyDelete2. Do certain genres require specific style and design?
Grabbing the audience and keeping it is very important to your piece. You can do so by using Rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos and logos) to help convince and build credibility for your audience. Also sometimes adding media (pictures, videos, audios- depending on how you are presenting your piece) can add interest and attention grabbing. The design of your piece can also play a big role in this because how the layout is could influence people to like it more, and read it from that perspective. Lastly, if the sources cited and mentioned are reliable (professionals, have good reputation) then it can lead to people believe it more or even be more interested due to those sources.
DeleteYes, different genres require different/specific style and design. A certain genre calls out for certain audience, which can lead to the choice of tone (style) that would persuade or match with the readers. A genre doesn't have to follow one certain design, different writers choose different routes and put their own spin to it but it can follow a certain margin to achieve the overall purpose.
Keeping the audience's attention can't always be guaranteed. But something you can do to increase your effectiveness in keeping your readers interested is to use Rhetoric Appeals. These appeals are used to help persuade the reader to keep reading. Through emotion, credibility, and logic using these appeals can help keep the reader engaged in different ways. Certain audiences prefer one appeal than the other and this depends on your genre and style.
DeleteTo me personally, no genres have a set specific style. There are certain and conventional molds genres have in terms of style to appeal to the majority of that genres audience. But genres are a broad concept and this allows writers to ability to go off into different direction to fit their style they wish to accomplish. No audience member is exactly the same so some may prefer digital while other may like print or only film.
1. How do you know what genre will fit your audience?
ReplyDelete2. How do you use modes and media to make your writing more effective?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYou can assume which genre will best fit your audience by the demographic you're targeting with your form of media. It is not wise to make a gore or horror movie if your target demographic is children because not that many parents will allow their kids to watch the media thus resulting in very few viewers for your media. It can also be wise to keep up with what is popular with your demographic and produce whatever is most popular by their standards.
DeleteYou can use media to make your writing more effective by, using a form of media that will make your writing be the most entertaining. When choosing your media if a science fiction book would make your writing the most captivating and keep audiences engaged it is only logical to write a science fiction book. This is so you can get the most audience members while also pleasing most of them to have them praise your work which could lead to them referring your media to people and expanding your audience and reach your media will have.
1. How could genre be used to attract an audience?
ReplyDelete2. Do genres restrict media or does it do the opposite?
Genres are meant to interest a group of people or audience. To attract this audience the author of the piece has to think about what genre their audience will be most interested in. Genre attracts an audience when it is tailored to a specific group. To do this the author must have a good understanding of the audience. For example, if an author knows he is trying to target an audience interested in sports he will provide stories and highlights related to this genre and not something related to a different audience.
DeleteI believe genres do restrict media somewhat. This is because of the genres audience. Different audiences appeal more to different forms of media. For example, children's stories or cartoons would be in books and television shows, not in the newspaper. This is because the younger audience is not reached by this form of media (the newspaper).
The purpose of a genre is to establish a relationship with the reader. Writers use genres in their work to narrow down who they are trying to reach. A certain genre can attract a certain audience. For instance, if you are trying to tell your family and friends about your travels, then you would write a blog. Blogs are casual, personal, and not boring, so your audience would be more inclined to read it.
DeleteI believe that genres do restrict media. If you are trying to reach a certain audience by using your genre, then you know what media they would be interested in seeing. For example, most blogs are digital. If you chose to write a blog, then you would be limited to a digital media. Also, most essays for your classes are written. When trying to inform your teacher about a certain topic, you would most likely have to print your project to turn it.
Can a certain mode of media be more effective for a certain genre?
ReplyDeleteDo genres create a stereotype for their audience?
1. Yes, I believe that the focused genre can be more effective depending on how it is delivered. Such as, stand up comedy is more funny when you are listening to the comedian rather than reading the jokes. Hearing the way the comedian makes a different voice or a specific noise can only really be heard from them, not on paper. So yes, I believe that a certain type of media can be more effective for the genre it is in.
Delete2. I also believe that genres create stereotypes for their audience because when you think of a person that only reads nonfiction, you automatically think that they are very dull and when you think of a person that reads romance, you most likely think of a woman reading the book verses a man.
Even though any mode or medium can be effective, certain modes and media are more effective for a certain genre. If you were to write a research paper it would be most effective as a written document whether that be digital or print. While an audio clip of the essay could work it would not necessarily be the most effective option. In another example, if you wanted to document a vacation there are a number of effective modes and media you could use, including a video, a written diary with pictures, etc. In the previous example one mode or media is not necessarily superior as is the case with the first example.
DeleteYes, certain genres have conventions that are almost always followed. In the case of horror, many people would expect that the first character to die may be the dog or a "jock". The audience would not expect a character who did lots of wrong during the story to survive at the end. The audience would expect the "pure" female to survive because that is what is stereotypical.
1. Is it possible to use any kind of genre into any medium?
ReplyDelete2. How do you know what your audience wants / prefers?
1. Yes, I believe it is possible to use any kind of genre into any medium because it keeps the media different and creative. If certain types of media were only used are certain mediums, everything form of communication related to technology would seem redundant. With that being said, there are definitely certain patters that arise because certain mediums work more effectively with certain genres. Also, usage of media changes over time as technology advances, so genres and mediums will never be mutually exclusive.
Delete2. In my opinion there are two ways to know what your audience wants. The first is analyzing what you would want as the consumer. Just put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and ask yourself what you think they would want. There are also marketers and strategists that can help with this. The second way to know what your audience wants is experience. For example, novel writers know, over time, what time of books sell and what types don't. Being experienced always helps.
1. Are you allowed to use all three rhetoric appeals in the same piece of writing?
ReplyDelete2. Are genres flexible or do you have to be specific when choosing the category of your genre?
1) When writing anything, particularly a story or argument, it is typically encouraged for the writer to use a combination of ethos, logos, and pathos. In doing so, the writer can formulate a successful argument or can establish the tone and genre of his or her writing. By using each rhetorical appeal in varying capacities, themes, tone, and a defining genre emerge. For an example, if a film or book used more pathos than ethos or logos, the reader can infer the book was meant to be a drama. However, if the book was only pathos, the reader may become bored. Therefore, it would be prudent to use all the rhetorical if possible.
Delete2) Genres are flexible and do not necessarily fall into specific boxes. Genres often overlap and work off of each other to produce an intriguing story. For example fantasy and science fiction are often thought as opposites, but the Disney/Pixar film, WALL-E is officially categorized as both. Genre is based off the writer's purpose and their target audience, however writers can have more than one of each.
How does purpose influence style and design?
ReplyDeleteAre genre conventions necessary to follow or can they be disregarded?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeletePurpose influences style and design in the sense that what you are writing about will change the way your writing is displayed. If you are writing a children’s book you will most likely include many illustrations and words that are not very complex. However, in a serious novel you would be free to use very complex and descriptive language, as your purpose is to entertain a more mature audience.
DeleteGenre conventions are not necessarily essential, however it is extremely helpful to know and understand them. Understanding the conventions of the genre you are writing in will make it easier to connect with your audience and can be instrumental in composing a successful piece. For example when writing a horror novel you would not use cartoon bubbles to indicate dialog. This is because dialog bubbles are associated with comic strips and are usually goofy as they are meant to be funny. Simple genre conventions like these may seem trivial but if one was unaware of them while writing, the tone of the composition would be altered dramatically.
1. Is style and design limited to the standards of a certain genre or is it up to the composer?
ReplyDelete2. Are sources ever needed when writing fiction?
Style and design are not limited to any sort of standards of a genre, for the most part, it is up to the composer. However, there are certain styles and designs that composers use for their specific type of genre, like tone, voice, illustration, format, and more. For instance, if a writer was composing a comedy, they would make sure to incorporate humor into their work, however, they way they incorporate it is entirely up to them. The key is to make sure you're using the appropriate style and design for your genre.
DeleteWhen writing fiction, sources are not required to be cited. Whether or not sources need to be documented depends on the rhetorical situation. If you were writing a research essay, resources need to be documented because the reader needs to know where the writer is getting his/her information from. However, if you were writing in fiction, you wouldn't have document your sources because the reader isn't reading fiction to be informed, so sources are less important information.
1. Are all Genres acceptable for all forms of media?
ReplyDelete2. Can you use multiple types of genres for a single form of media?
Genres can be accepted for all forms of media. It helps define the subject of the media to make it easier for people to get a grasp on what they are viewing. It can also help market to a certain audience.
DeleteMedia isn't required to follow in certain boundaries meaning yes you can use multiple types of genres in a single form of media. A single form of media can be stretched to multiple genres and some say that this can improve whatever work that is trying to be shown to stretch to a broader audience. It can also be more beneficial in the way that it makes the media more interesting and unique. It can be harmful by having to many genres and the form of media is a big mess of things not knowing what to be. It all depends on the type of media that is being analyzed.
1) How do memoirs and autobiographies differentiate themselves from each other?
ReplyDelete2)How do we judge a book's genre by it's cover?
Laney Degroat
ReplyDelete1. Do you think that it is playing it safe to only use one to two genres verses three or more?
2. Before you write, do you think about who the audience you are writing toward first or slowly develop your writing and then figure it out?
1. I think it is easier to use only one to two genres instead of three or more because there is less that you have focus on and less expectations you have to meet. I'm not sure if it is "playing it safe", but it definitely has less room for error if there are only one to two genres.
Delete2. Before I write, I always think about the audience I am writing towards because it allows me to organize my message and how I want to execute that message. My writing develops as I write and think, but knowing my audience helps it develop.
1. when writing an analysis, should you literally include ethos, logos, pathos (the actual terms) or should you explain them in context?
ReplyDelete2. can different styles of writing go into one piece of work?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1. Do you think that if one fails to execute the tone, attitude, and setting properly, he/she will distracts the audience from the intended genre?
ReplyDelete2. Does a piece not qualify as a certain genre if that piece does not follow the "typical' and/or what is considered "normal" qualities of that genre?