Notes: Types of Writing

Narrative
Narrative writing is used to tell a story. Some examples of narrative writing include romance, mystery, biography (and autobiography), and science fiction. Historical works are considered narrative because they tell stories of what has already taken place. Futuristic (science fiction) works are also narrative because they tell stories of what the authors imagine could happen in that time. Another type of narrative writing is called expository. As the name suggests, expository writing exposes or reveals details of events. A common type of expository writing is journalism, or newspaper/magazine writing.

Persuasive
Persuasive writing is used to convince the reader of something. Of course, the reader may not be convinced after reading a passage, but this type of writing is used to bring out the author’s point of view with facts and information to support the opinion expressed in the paper. Editorials and opinion columns are examples of persuasive writing.

Descriptive
Descriptive writing helps writers paint pictures for the reader without the use of illustration or photography. Imagery is an important tool for descriptive writing passages. This type of writing is used to create an image in the mind of the reader and helps tell a particular story or to help the reader identify with characters or settings in the story.

Compare/Contrast
Comparison/contrast writing is used to illustrate what is alike and what is different about two or more people, places, or things. Sometimes writers must use research and other skills to learn more about their topics before they can begin to write a proper comparison/contrast paper. This type of writing helps readers learn more about the topics as they discover how the subjects discussed are alike and different.

How-to
Sometimes referred to as technical writing, how-to writing is used to guide readers through a process with each step clearly listed. This is a test for the writer, since a reader must produce the intended results if they follow the directions given in the paper. This type of writing is particularly useful for teaching a new skill or way of doing something.

Literary analysis
Literary analysis is the process of writing about another piece of work. Commentary on a book or magazine article is an example of literary analysis. Most students are familiar with a common form of this writing – the book report. It is important for writers to use what they know about the work they are discussing and to fuse it into their own thoughts or opinions about the work. This writing is used to help readers understand what someone else thinks about another author’s work.