Read and Remix #4: Bedford Book of Genres Chapter 1

Genre is what I traditionally perceived as a way to classify books, movies, or music. The typical comedy, romance, drama, pop, rap, alternative, the list goes on, but never extended too far out of the box. Chapter 1 in the Bedford Book of Genres completely changed the way I perceived genre in writing. The high school I went to always complained that its students were too “formulaic” in their writing, sticking to the holy structure of an introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion. I was, and still probably am, totally one of those students who lacked originality or creativity in their work. The assigned reading emphasized that understanding genre is the key to straying from formulaic writing. Before you begin, you must consider multiple elements of your intentions, from who your audience is to what you’re trying to convey and how. Which way of writing can best entertain your audience and convey your message as creatively as possible? That is what chapter 1 of Bedford Book of Genres really taught me, how to step out of the box in writing and become more effective in conveying ideas. These fundamentals will certainly be helpful in breaking my own personal insecurities about my writing strategy in the upcoming projects for this class and the others to come.