Genres in the Wild

Back in high school, when we all had to apply to colleges and choose our prospective majors, I was drawn to writing due to the lack of rules. I would always tell people that writing is fluid which means you can do whatever you want. Nothing is right and nothing is wrong. But college has changed my perspective on that a little.

Genres in writing are a powerful thing. They teach us to use our words with precision and formality in order to convey a stronger, clearer message for our audience. Without genre, writing would be incredibly dull and I doubt people would do it for fun. Bickmore offers the concept that all writers bring their own adaptations to a genre each time they sample it, which continues to exemplify my original opinion on writing, even within specific and formal genres.

This class has taught me a lot about genre, but what was most exciting was learning how adaptable I am as a writer. Although I am no professional, I was astounded with my ability to create cohesive essays using only audio. I doubt that I will drop my writing career to make podcasts, but at least I know I could if I wanted to. This class taught me that there is freedom in writing, even when you're following the rules. Genres are not cages to block in your creativity, more platforms to truly expand and test the waters of creativity in your mind.