For example on my first generator (pdos.csail.mit.edu/scigen) it gave me a whole research paper that looked rather legitimate. They used common phrases that appear quite frequently in other published scientific papers such as, “Many mathematicians would agree that,” or “Suppose that there exists cache coherence.” The crazy thing about this generator is that publishers in real life have actually been fooled by this and have published “papers” even though the scientific paper they received was nothing but jargon they obviously didn’t understand. A scientific research paper is obviously a genre, and the makers of this website just used multiple conventions of the genre and meshed them together into what appears to be a research paper.
Memes have become immensely popular, and it’s very easy to tell when a meme is used correctly or not. Bad-luck Brian is classic for having the worst possible outcomes. The first world problems meme allows people to complain while at the same time acknowledging that it could always be worse. The Scumbag Steve meme is used when you want people to know how bad of a person your roommate is. Each different meme has its own genre, and its own conventions. If you ever decide pick a meme and use it incorrectly and post it on a website like 9gag.com or reddit.com you’ll certainly get backlash from the community because it’s expected that you know which memes to use for which situations. So basically, when you use a meme you’re telling the viewer what to expect, but if you use the wrong conventions, people won’t like the meme.
Many people who want to become writers will experience writer’s block a couple times in their career, and need either motivation or a new and unique idea. My last example is a writing prompt generator I found off the internet, it is a site called seventhsanctum.com/generate and all you do is ask the generator for a prompt and it spits one right up. Some examples of the prompts it gives are “A fusion of the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur and the legend of Orion” and "A fusion of the story of Hamlet and the tale of the Good Samaritan that concerns a group of band members." The prompts that created are entirely just a random person involved with another random event. Writing prompts are a genre on their own, they are all created to give inspiration to a writer that is fizzled out of ideas, and this generator does purely that. Just like every other generator this one gives results because it uses common conventions of the writing prompts and mashes them up hoping that they will inspire young authors.
Anyone who needs to understand what a genre is and how conventions are the building blocks of genres needs to visit any of these website generators. These websites were amazing in the sense that they can give you actual example of how conventions and genres work.
Generator websites: pdos.csail.mit.edu/scigen, pandyland.net/random, memegenerator.net, seventhsanctum.com/generate
I really enjoyed reading your PB. My favorite part was your first paragraph. I loved your comparison to puzzle pieces and conventions of genres. It made not only understanding but visualizing genres a lot easier-- which I didn't think was possible. I also liked the way you wrapped up your PB by tying it back to the puzzle thing by referring to conventions as "building blocks." I also loved the fact that you made conventions relatable-- you brought them into everyday life by talking about writer's block and how conventions can help in such a situation. You are already a very creative writer and I can't wait to read more of your writing! Love it!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I also read and liked your PB!
DeleteReally great job attributing all of your sources and using quotes. You absolutely supported your argument, which is an incredibly helpful talent when it comes to writing. While reading your analysis of scientific papers and the generator website I found myself nodding my head in agreement. I also really enjoyed that you found a writing prompt generator. I’ve never thought of writing prompts as being a genre, but they totally have conventions and exclusive qualities from other genres. I also kind of cracked up about that generator website because I feel like maybe some of my writing teachers from the past have used that website to create writing prompts themselves!
ReplyDeleteBruning,
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool blog—I feel like I’ve stepped into the late 50’s/early 60’s in the best way possible. The hyperlinked examples you’ve provided are very cool. Most readers really like examples to help hammer your thoughts home. ☺
Re: PB1A, you did a really fantastic job on this post. It’s full of insight, energy, examples… I’m very impressed. Great line right here: “They use this convention because they know it works. They know that people will scan this headline with a quick glance while browsing their Facebook newsfeed and think to themselves ‘Why yes! I do want to know how get drunk from a watermelon!’ “ The WHY behind the conventions is some of the higher-order thinking that I want the whole Writing 2 class to benefit from. You’re off to a blazing start.
Re: PB1B, you pinpointed many of the conventions that are associated and “meshed together” (your words) in these genres. I’ve written this on some other folks’ blogs, and I’d like to include it here too: with memes, the white capitalized font is outlined in black. Why would that be? Well, this way, the language can be displayed on any kind of background without getting drowned out. Also consider: what’s the content of pictures that are typically used? (Usually pop culture references, although some grainy “homemade” pictures are typically used too.) These are the sorts of angles and questions that I want us to develop an eye for.
Awesome work, Bruning. Keep doing what you’re doing.
Z