Writing is a unique form of communication that only includes words. Becoming a writer isn’t as simple as jotting down words on paper or in a word file. There are different types of writing styles serving different purposes. Some of them are closely related to each other some not. The technique for each type of writing style makes it different from other. Let’s have a look at the 5 different types of writings with examples to have a clear difference among them.
Narrative Writing
Starting with the one of the most common writing style i.e. Narrative writing. It is all about storytelling with words. It is sharing something happened to a character. The story could be a real one or a fictional story. When it comes to Narrative writing; it is considered to be one of easiest styles in terms of reading and most difficult in terms of writing. It requires a lot of imaginative skills to write a story that takes it readers with in its own world.
Narrative writing uses numerous common elements of storytelling, for example; plot, character, setting, conflict, emotion, and a core message that a writer is trying to convey. It always has a person who tells a story or an event from his / her point of view. A narrative story always has a specific beginning, interval, and ending.
Although narrative writing can take plenty of forms, one thing is constantly factual: One should take the reader on a journey with a beginning, middle, and end. Even if you’re just telling the story of a hilarious event that happened to you yesterday, your character should start somewhere, run into some sort of conflict or exciting experience, and then eventually reach a declaration.
Narrative writing is commonly used in Fiction. It is also seen in Novels, Short stories, Memoirs, Biographies, Autobiographies, Creative essays, Feature stories, Presentations or speeches. The best example of Narrative Writing can be found in Harry Potter, a series of seven books written by J. K. Rowling. One who has read Harry Potter has imagined the “Hogwarts” school differently.
Here are some great examples on the internet that you would enjoy reading as well as have a clear perspective on this writing style.
- “Wounding Radius” by Constance Squires
- “The Lady with the Dog” by Anton Chekhov
- “You Are Going to Be a Good Man” by George McCormick
Persuasive Writing
This writing style is all about getting your point across. The primary aim is to share an opinion in a thoughtful way in order to convince and persuade the reader regarding particular viewpoint or idea. It includes opinion and a personal point of view of the author. This type of writing is used when a person has a strong stance on an issue or need to inspire people to take action towards a cause
The author should have known about the other side of the topic so that he can present the strongest information to counter it. He/she should be able to develop a well-defined and debatable topic. Persuasive writing contains reasons, arguments, and justifications.
One can’t expect to simply state their point of view and have everyone convinced. The writer should effectively use several sorts of evidence to back up his/her argument which includes: Statistical evidence; such as hard facts or studies, Anecdotal evidence; such as personal experiences or interviews, Testimonial evidence; such as quotes from experts in the subject, Textual evidence, such as passages from books or primary sources.
Persuasive writing can be seen in editorial and opinion sections of newspapers, reviews (of books, movies, music, restaurant, hotel or city), Sales and Copywriting, Speeches or presentations, cover letters, letters of recommendation or complaint. Persuasive essays are widely used for academic purpose.
Here are some great examples on the internet that you would enjoy reading as well as have a clear perspective on this writing style.
- “I wanna Iguana” by Karen Kaufman Orloff
- “Why I Love Political Canvassing” by Sara Eckel
- “Smart, Educated and Skilled—But Stuck at Home” by Kavita Krishnan
Expository writing
Expository writing; as the title suggests, is intend to explain or describe something. It covers pretty much the absolute array of human experience, from inventions to nature, emotions to politics, family to hobbies and more. The goal is simply to teach the reader something.
The purpose of expository writing is to answer the who, what, why, when, and how questions. You must describe everything in a clear tone and avoid using any excessive technical language or jargons not to create confusion for readers. The trick is to write from a beginner’s mindset to make your piece as useful as possible.
Most importantly, keeping emotions and opinions about a certain subject at bay. Unlike persuasive writing, expository writing shouldn’t have an angle or agenda; just the facts.
Generally expository writing was considered to be academic style like in text books and on web with how-to articles. This type of writing can be found in; explainer How-to articles, FAQ Pages, Product Brochures explaining how something works, Help Center articles, Textbooks, Business or Technical Writing, or any sort of general training material.
Here are some great examples on the internet that you would enjoy reading as well as have a clear perspective on this writing style.
- This Blog Post Article
- “User Manual- Series 7 Spin” Notebook Laptop by Samsung
- PTB “English Text Book” for Grade 8
Descriptive Writing
Descriptive writing comprises of capturing of every single detail of a person, place or scene you are writing about. The goal is to engage and occupy the reader’s attention in such a way as they are present there. Think of it as painting a picture with words in reader’s mind. Writing exactly the thing that helps readers to truly envision the subject in their mind’s eye. This type of writing includes crafting a vivid description using not only all the five senses but the perfect mix of similes and metaphors in order to evoke the feelings and elevate the mood; connecting with readers on deeper level. Descriptive writing is about more than just making your story pretty.
As Kathy Fish says;
“Great description accomplishes four things. It immerses the reader and gives them a ‘felt experience.’ It also establishes, enhances, or changes the tone of the story. It can compel the reader forward into the story, especially if you include something that’s surprising or unexpected into your description. It can give the reader a sense of the internal state of your character.”
This type of writing style can be found in, Poems or song lyrics, Fiction, such as novels or short stories, Copy writing, such as when describing a product or travel destination.
Creative Writing
The art of making things up and put them into words is considered as Creative Writing. It is very much different from professional writing. Considering for the artistic medium there are no rules to follow. A creative writer can not only use any of the above mentioned style but also combine the styles in surprising new ways.
It allows a writer to follow his/her own way; trying new formats and structures, can even bring other elements and multimedia art in their write up. Some of the examples include; Humor writing or satire, Flash fiction, Horror, Crime, Data Journalism, Poetry, Creative non-Fiction etc. Mainly any piece of writing which originates from the imaginations of a person falls under creative writing.
Here are some great examples on the internet that you would enjoy reading as well as have a clear perspective on this writing style.
- “Floating Away” by Jamie Holweger- A Short Story
- “Savage Beauty” by Caleb Brown- A Poem
- “Educated” by Tara Westover- A Memoir
Resourceful Mentor 