Poetry, novels, essays, and other pieces of literature use different types of writing styles based on the purpose they are serving. Penlighten talks about the four main types of writing styles.
"Style and voice are different. Style is standard conventions of writing; voice is the distinct way an individual puts words together. All good writers have a near-uniform understanding of style, but a voice all their own." ― Naveed Saleh, The Complete Guide to Article Writing
The writing style of an author often becomes his identity. Not only is it a reflection of his personality, it also shows how he intends to connect with his readers. Different styles of writing are used to fulfill different purposes. There are, in all, four types of writing. They are:
Expository
Persuasive
Narrative
Descriptive
The writing style is chosen on the basis of the writer's goals. It depends on whether the writer wants to narrate a personal experience, describe a character or event, inform the reader about a particular topic, or convince him to believe something. Let us learn more about the different types of writing styles.
Types of Writing Styles
Expository Writing
Expository writing is the most commonly seen form of writing. It is used to provide information to the reader. It does not involve the author's personal opinions about the topic.
The sole purpose of this style is to present facts and figures to the readers, and explain the topic in a straightforward manner. It is an informative type of writing, and is commonly found in textbooks, magazines, newspapers, as well as the Internet.
Since the author is only trying to inform the reader about the subject, his opinions are left out, thus letting the readers form their own opinions, with the help of the provided information.
Tips for Expository Writing
❖ Be well-informed about the topic. ❖ Do not wander from the subject. Keep it concise, clear, and to-the-point. ❖ Provide facts and reasoning to support your arguments. It increases the credibility of your content.
Persuasive Writing
Persuasive writing is the type of writing that is used to persuade the reader to believe the author's opinions about a particular topic. Persuasive writers often use various techniques to convince the reader. This style is often used in the advertising world to persuade the consumers to buy a certain product. It is also used in political speeches or reviews.
Writers often support their opinions with a series of facts and figures. Some even present opposite views that can be debunked, so as to show the readers that both the sides of the argument have been considered.
There are three main angles to persuasive writing - ethos, logos, and pathos. The writer appeals to ethos, when he wants to persuade the readers with the credibility and clarity of his content, logos when he applies logic, and pathos when he persuades them using emotions.
Tips for Persuasive Writing
❖ Do a thorough research. ❖ Establish facts. ❖ Support your arguments by telling different stories, and quoting famous personalities. ❖ Debunk opposite views. ❖ Know your audience, and ways to convince them. ❖ End with a strong conclusion.
Narrative Writing
Narrative writing is used when the writer narrates a story through his point of view. He narrates the story by placing himself as one of the characters.
This type of writing can be used for both, fiction and non-fiction. Poetry, novels, biographies, plays, screenplays, and stories often employ this style of writing.
Tips for Narrative Writing
❖ Include all parts of a story - introduction, plot, characters, settings, theme, climax, and conclusion. ❖ Use concise language. ❖ Write from a clear point of view.
Descriptive Writing
Descriptive writing is used to describe a particular person, event, place, object, experience, emotion, or situation in detail.
The author creates a clear picture for the readers by describing exactly how someone or something looked, smelled, tasted, sounded, or felt. This type of writing is frequently used in novels, stories, and plays.
Tips for Descriptive Writing
❖ Use words that will paint a clearer picture. ❖ Focus on the tone. Keep it consistent overall. ❖ Describe the subject's effect on all the five human senses. ❖ Do not put too many details. Describe only what is necessary.
There are a few sub-types of writing such as creative writing, copywriting, script writing, etc. It is important that a writer has knowledge of all the types, so that he can employ them effectively in his content.