PB1B

    Genre generators provide a large range of various writings, from long scientific papers to short comical phrases. 

    The computer science research paper generator offers a much more academically focused genre of writing. Researchers and students are most likely the intended audience. With no color or fancy framing, the paper starts off immediately with the title and author(s), while an abstract helps give background and goals for the following research. The table of contents organizes the sections and an introduction familiarizes the reader with history of the topic. Throughout the rest of the paper, the authors add in charts and graphs, labeled and dotted to provide visual data they have collected. They point out the experiment procedures and carefully explain any results and problems along the way. References to other studies end the research paper, after the conclusion to the experiment. The authors make sure they give credit where it is due, following proper scientific and writing etiquette.

     At first glance, the research paper is unappealing to the eye. With no colors or pictures, this genre is obviously meant to distribute and record information; the casual reader looking for entertainment would not be interested. The objective writing filters out any statements based on opinion, leaving only pure facts and data from observation. All of these conventions factor together to give a sense of credibility for the paper. 

     The meme and comic generators are vastly different in comparison to the research paper genre. Memes have no individual title and are identified by the picture label. The pictures can be of anything, but captions will usually frame it from the top and bottom. The phrases depict a humorous situation or tell an intriguing statement related to the corresponding picture. Anyone can make a meme, as long as they have internet access and a way to publish it. Since they are only one panel and don't continue the story on another slide, they are more geared towards those looking for simple or mindless entertainment. The bored web surfer may enjoy looking through pages of memes.

     The comic generator presented in this assignment offers an unusual aspect. This time, people do not create the content themselves. Simply by clicking 'generate', three panels of comics appear in no specific order. The comic writer created numerous individual panels and used a program that would pick them out with no particular order. Due to the nature of random mixing-and-matching, most results make no sense and are completely absurd. Each panel features the same two characters, interacting either verbally or physically. No context or history of the characters is provided, but the reader can infer the tone or style simply by knowing the artist's other works. Despite the cartoon style of drawing, the artist portrays violent or dark humor, sometimes involving blood and vulgar content. The audience probably consists of older, mature, and bored people, as these comics are inappropriate for children. This comic generator serves no practical purpose and probably acts as a little project for the artist himself. Comic readers that stumble upon the generator may entertain themselves with it for a few minutes. 

     Even though the given genres are only three in a countless list, learning to analyze and identify conventions can be applied to all writings. These generator websites may seen to give out random articles, but they are using a very specific formula. By studying and comparing the different genres, a person finds that specific genres have certain conventions to set them apart from one another. A proper research paper would not consist of just a few phrases and a meme would be better off without an abstract. No one looking for entertainment wants to stare at a wall of text. Intended audience, purpose, and tone can all determine the effectiveness of a piece of writing. 

http://writingexercises.co.uk/index.php

http://www.plot-generator.org.uk/

The links above generate prompts and story plots, either randomly or using keywords. The plot generator offers filters so the writer can tailor the given prompt to specific story genres such as fantasy, crime, or even freestyle.