Types of writing

Writing can be used for a variety of reasons – to sell a product or service (commercially) as well as for hobbyist practise, or created for the wider publishing market – as well as many others! But there are also further ‘classes’ of writing, which explore how they can be used for a specific purpose with language choices and the right context.

In this blog post, I’ll be covering expository, persuasive, narrative, descriptive and creative writing – and how they’re all used to achieve different aims. There’s more intricacy to it than meets the eye, as depending on which you’re choosing to use, you’ll have to change your style, voice and tone accordingly.

1 – Expository

Expository or factual writing tends to lay more on the technical side of the line – a concept is explained in detail using facts and proven information. Usually the bread and butter of the good old essay, this style can also be used in business contexts to explain the merits of a procedure, service or product, as well as for B2B (business to business) communication of statistics or other information.

Informational writing like the expository type is great for expressing figures and facts professionally – and as such, has many applications for use in business contexts. Journalists, academics and researchers will usually rely on expository writing to get their points across.

2 – Persuasive

Much more convincing, persuasive writing is used to try to tempt readers into taking action, believing an ideology or purchasing a product or service. They usually come into their own when used for reviews, advertisements and opinion pieces, as the best result is a conversion of a reader into a buyer or supporter.

Yep, if you’re marketing, you’ll want to really amp up the persuasion in order to increase your sales. Using FOMO, or tugging on the reader’s heartstrings, as well as following trends are good ways of persuading the reader to take action. It’s important that persuasive writing hooks the reader’s attention, answers their questions and addresses their issues – this will make it more likely to be successful.

3 – Narrative

Narrative writing is what you’ll find in a fiction book – simply put, the storyline that follows a protagonist as they face a series of events. The order of events can either be linear (told in the order they happen) or non-linear (out of chronological order, usually done to build tension as parts are revealed surprisingly).

Consistency is key with narrative writing to ensure you don’t alienate your readers – keep the point of voice, tone and tense similar. There are basic elements of narrative writing, such as characters, plot, setting and theme which should also be adhered to in order to keep the reader’s attention without confusing them.

4 – Descriptive

As with all the other types of writing on this list, descriptive writing does what it says on the tin – it enables the writer to clearly set out parameters or information for the reader. It doesn’t draw a conclusion on its own, but allows the reader to see the context of the argument and is often a regurgitation of pre-existing information instead of newly created text.

Requiring a keen eye for detail, descriptive writing is often exemplified within essays, as often analytical and logical deductions are needed to justify a decision or event. Details and specifics are good ways of writing descriptively.

5 – Creative

There is a lot of creative writing out in the world – works of fiction, poetry, scripts, and millions more. There’s a lot to be said about creative writing, especially with so many widely-used forms. It’s a great way of expressing your innermost thoughts, desires, worries and beliefs or views – and if you’re too shy to say it outright, you can employ a whimsy metaphor or two to get your point across!

Emotionally-charged work can resonate with a reader, and similarly, piquing their interest with a masterfully-crafted mystery or series of unnatural events will keep them around to find out the answer or explanation. But there’s plenty more…

Typing is writing!

Using a different type of writing for a specific purpose is a surefire way of making sure it is directed right where it needs to be. Persuasive writing is good for marketing, creative writing is best for storytelling, and if you make sure to craft your writing carefully, you’ll be able to appeal to the right audience.