Devitt talks about genre as a "template" for writers, but I'm curious, when y'all write (preferably something that isn't academic) which comes first, the form/genre or the content? Does the content shape the genre or the other way around?
Reiff mentions how a student of hers studied case briefs as a genre and among other things, came to the conclusion that, "Even the rigid structure of the format [suggests] the community's emphasis on logic and order, which are two esteemed values of the profession." What does your writing/your favorite writing/the writing we have our students read suggest our community (English students) value most?
Hi Kelsey!
ReplyDeleteStory first, form later. I don't write until I have something to write. For me, the writing process is one of developing and responding in form to the content that needs expressing. I've tried writing from the opposite direction. Some people are very good at it. I think those people are pejoratively called "hacks." I wouldn't sue this word (even if I just did). Basically, I think both approaches work, but one writing process aims to fit a story into a format ("genre" fiction, for example) and the other aims to tell a story and make the format work for it ("literary" fiction--though the use of either of these terms is infinitely problematic).
Hi kelsey
ReplyDeleteI think your first question is really interesting and I had not thought about it before! For me I believe I think about both simultaneously. The content of my writing is definetely influenced by the genre and vice-versa. I think you brought up an interesting question because should our content be limited to the conventions of the genre we are using?