Foreword

Genres in writing are never entirely homogenous. Variation in writing emerges from individual influence along with the powerful, more systematic factors like frequency and tradition. In fact, as we use language in specific ways, our goals, experiences, and values shape the characteristics of individual genres. In writing, for novices to a new genre, it can be useful to see the trends and structures that make communicating in a specific genre more effective. A guide to writing in a genre, consequently, provides insight into how what is actually happening in discourse communities that use the genre by analyzing current trends and the rationale for said practices. In this brief volume, the authors of each chapter offer insights and practical advice on writing in a range of genres, from folk music ballads to university mission statements. Each guide is based on careful analysis of authentic texts from their respective genres.

In a way, writing guides are their own unique genre. They follow common rhetorical moves and feature instructions, guiding principles, and textual examples (with occasional activities or checklists). In the following chapters, the authors repurpose the writing guide genre format to explore unique and often under-studied genres. Each chapter gives a brief but useful glimpse into the conventions of a genre, along with insight into how discourse communities and communicative purposes have influenced and constrained the features of the genre.

Part one of the book introduces three highly personalized genres of writing. The first chapter explains how to begin a blog to readers new to the idea. Christina Darby guides the reader through planning, authoring, and promoting a lifestyle blog. She explains the function of a blog (and the dual purposes it serves for blogger and audience) and gives instructions for creating posts that are engaging for readers. Darby draws on examples from leading lifestyle blogs and highlights key strategies that make these blogs so effective. The chapter ends with particular attention paid to practical issues of blog authorship: language choices, tone, organizational strategies, use of multimedia, and advice for picking a blog platform.

In the second chapter, Ashley Fountain explains to an audience of undergraduate students how write a letter to the editor. The guide examines the role of this venerable genre in modern media based on the author’s analysis of recent letters in the New York Times. Issues around authoring a letter such as how to make the letter stand out and get published, what topics to address, and how to tailor your letter to the newspaper’s audience are discussed with helpful numbered lists of details to lead the writer through the process. Fountain lists and explains traditional features of the letter-to-the-editor genre and then offers five key strategies for writing an effective letter with examples taken from authentic letters to the Times.

In “Write to Impress: A Guide for Chinese ESL Students on Personal Statements for College Applications,” Li guides Chinese students looking to study at North American universities through planning and writing an effective personal statement with a mix of humor and practical advice. The guide begins by considering the goals of the personal statement: why university admissions value them and why the applicant should invest her/his effort in this particular form of self-promotion and reflection. It then lays out concrete recommendations for word choice, grammar, and structure. Along with this instruction, Li offers step-by-step strategies for brainstorming meaningful materials and discusses what makes a good story in a personal statement. The guide concludes with a checklist for writing a personal statement that should be helpful for anyone interested in this unique, high-stakes genre.

The second part of the book includes three written genres related to the expression of authority, whether that authority be individual, or institutional, or political. Alyssa Klier begins this section by analyzing the genre of professional emails and providing even established professionals (despite the title) with useful insight into how and why we use email. The guide includes recommendations and examples genre-specific elements of correspondence (e.g., subject lines, greetings, closings). As a final hands-on addition, Klier has included tasks for readers to practice her suggestions.

The interpersonal nature of email contrasts sharply with the next chapter on public-oriented writing from authority. Darby Deutsch’s takes on the genre of university mission statements and provides a reader-friendly, hands-on guide for universities to define and express their values and goals. Deutsch compares mission statements from major universities and breaks them down into their components. She examines the rhetorical and linguistic elements that make effective mission statements and then leads the reader to draft their own statement.

The next chapter examines an even more authoritative genre. Katie Clower’s “How to Write a Presidential Speech” analyzes what makes a great political speech. Clower outlines what goals a presidential speech should have (how to connect to an audience and how to make the message meaningful and lasting) and the rhetorical moves that presidential speeches tend to include (in terms of language and tone). The chapter also offers practical advice on what not to do in a speech, based on analyses of previous speeches from US Presidents. And although the focus is on presidential speeches, in reality this guide has useful directions for writing (or critiquing) any politically oriented speeches.

The final section of this book includes three guides that focus on addressing the challenges of writing effectively for particular audiences. The first chapter in this section is a writing guide to stand-up comedy. In the guide, Reese Markland explores what stand-up comedy is, how it works, and what are effective rhetorical strategies for being funny. She offers a step-by-step process for writing a comedy routine and analyzes examples of effective five-minute sets from well-known comedians. The guide dissects the integral components of stand-up comedy, offering insight into the genre for not only aspiring comedians but also anyone interested in the genre.

The following chapter, Jordan Houston’s “Contemporary Folk Music and You” reimagines the genre of writing guide, mixing in analysis and storytelling along with self-aware guidelines for writing hit protest-themed folk songs. The guide begins by defining folk music through a summary of 20th Century American icons of folk (Dylan, Baez, Ochs, etc.) and explores in depth a popular genre of folk music song: the ballad. Houston outlines the conventions of a ballad, from the meter and rhyme to the topics covered in famous modern ballads. He then discusses how modern folk music is closely connected to political issues, current events, and even humor, returning to examples to illustrate the rich history of protest and activism that are a part of modern folk music. In the end, this “writing guide” is as much about understanding the composition and history of great folk songs as it is a manual for creation.

The final guide in this volume, Jones’ chapter on writing engaging scientific journalism starts with a discussion of how to convince your reader to read your article. To do this, the author blends research on science journalism with practical tips and examples of the genre. The guide asks potential writers to consider making word choices accessible to casual readers; while some technical terms are necessary, in Jones’ explanation, the rest of a sentence should use clear, high-frequency vocabulary when possible to explain ideas. The guide then expands to rhetorical strategies and proposes using metaphor and personal examples as useful tools for helping readers grasp complex scientific concepts. The examples and information here should be valuable for anyone looking to explain difficult or technical information to readers who may not share the same background.

This collection of nine brief writing guides demonstrate how broadly writing varies across communities and purposes. We see both systematic differences in mechanics and rhetoric, as well as opportunities for individual creation in each of these genres. There are useful examples, practical guidelines, and even hands-on practice in many of the guides here, which should help writers of almost any background begin working on that writing project they have been planning.