Brittany Crowl

Expository. This is the type of writing that explains everything. This is the most flexible and most commonly used genre of writing. Arguably, it is the most important as well. You could write the most detailed piece that has poetry flowing through it, but if nobody can understand it, it will be forgotten. Clear communication is a must, even on paper…or screen.

The main purpose of the expository genre is to provide information about the subject in the article. The trick here is to explain your topic without bias. You have to find a way to balance the support information in a neutral way and use only the facts. Chanel your inner Vulcan for this style, take out all emotion and personal standing.

Informational writing is primarily seen in factual examples such as news articles, dictionaries, textbooks, manuals, and helpful blogs (like this one). If it requires research and proven fact, you can bet that you will read less narration and description and more details. The “how to” and the “what you need to know” articles are the cream of the crop for this section.

How to write? Well that’s a loaded question don’t you think? As I mentioned briefly in my “What Is Writing?” post, there are many different types of writing. The “how to” portion varies depending on what kind of writing you need to perform.

The first step in writing is figuring out what kind of writing you are working on. After that, you need to zero in on the subject. The purpose of the writing can also help you figure out what kind of writing you’re working on if you’re struggling to nail that first part down. Once you have those answers, you’ll just have to add the filler text, which should include all of your supporting information or details.

Keep reading for a quick glance at the kinds of answers you can have here, but don’t forget to subscribe and come back later for the detailed articles!

The 6 Styles of writing

EXPOSITORY – You can also call this one informational, as the main goal of this type of writing is to inform. You can instruct, define, clarify or even just introduce a topic to someone. For example, this post is informing you of the writing process, and therefore it is expository.

PERSUASIVE – Do you have an opinion about something? Write it like you’re presenting a one sided debate. If you’re trying to make someone believe the same things as you, it’s persuasive.

NARRATIVE – To put it simply, this is the “Once Upon A Time” style. Tell me a story; fiction or non-fiction, both are included in this category. Narrative writing gives you the events of an entire story.

DESCRIPTIVE – This one is pretty self explanatory if you look at it. The purpose of this style of writing is to, you guessed it, describe. It sounds a bit like narrative, and to a point it is a component, but this is where you give the detail. The story of the Boy Who Lived isn’t half as interesting if you didn’t know about the purple faced uncle that ruffled his bushy mustache as he locked the rusty bold on the outside of the door on the cupboard under the stairs. If you’re writing for entertainment certainly, invite the devil with the detail.

TECHNICAL – <Insert topic here> for Dummies. Yes, I said dummies. Not that your readers should be viewed as dumb though. This is a type of writing that takes complex topics and aims to simplify it so anyone can follow it.

POETIC – This style is debated depending on who you talk to, but I personally like to count it as its own genre. This is the minute and quick style. Did you write a tweet today? Did you make it rhyme? Was it beautifully crafted? You just wrote poetry.

Define the subject of your writing

Who remembers writing papers in English class in college, or even high school? One of the things on the grading rubric was “subject sentence”, and that hasn’t changed. Usually, the title of the work will help you suss out the subject of the piece you’re writing. The subject for this article should be easy to find, it’s the same as the title. How to write.

Support the subject

This is the rest of the writing. Obviously this will be the supporting text, the details, the story, etc.; but this section also includes the usual checklist of writing. Full sentences, proper grammar, spelling, voice, not droning on and on and on… You get the picture.

My next six blog posts will dive further into the 6 Styles Of Writing. So don’t forget to follow the blog!

Writing shouldn’t be so difficult, and when you answer “What is Writing?“, it sounds easy as pie. However, writing is damn hard. But, why?

There are so many different reasons, and they’re different for everyone. Where one person may say their biggest obstacle is focus, another may say that they just don’t know how to organize everything. So let’s take a look at a few of the most hit-on issues and we can talk about a few ways to overcome them.

1. The Stepford Complex – I’m not sure that this is an actual term, but I certainly feel like I’m malfunctioning as I strive for perfection. How do you feel when someone tells you “it doesn’t have to be perfect”? For a long time, I took that as a challenge. Oh yeah? Try me! Well, then I had to back up my big mouth. 
   
   The issue with this issue is that nothing is perfect. Let’s admit something that a lot of people still struggle with. There is no such thing as a one fits all level of perfect. Perfect is only as much as we allow ourselves to be, and shouldn’t be dismissed by others. Let people complain, they can have their own opinions. You set your own goals, and you work diligently to achieve them. 
   
2. Perpetual Lack of Time – In this day and age, it’s a wonder people still have hobbies. Once you’ve finished meal prepping, working, working out, paying bills, cleaning the house, and getting your 7+ hours of sleep; how can you possibly have time to schedule anything right? It’s a problem that a lot of people face, but like the perfection issue, you set your limits. 
   
   The way around this one is focus. You come up with your 10 minutes to an hour for writing, and you focus only on that. The bills will still be there, if the gym closes there are a million videos online you can follow at home, and you can still sleep plenty. Focus on the task at hand. Jot down a plan for what you need to write, make an outline if you need it, and just do it. (Nike, please don’t sue me.)
   
3. Once Upon A Clock…That’s not right – Writing is sadly not like riding a bike. These particular wheels get rusty when you don’t use them. After a stretch of downtime, it’s easy to make a lot of mistakes as you get back into it.
   
   Can you guess the trick here? You got it! Practice! Emails with full writing can help out with this, but no the “TYSM! I’ll TTYS” doesn’t count. Text speak is completely useless in this situation and can hinder you. It’s too easy to fall out of practice, so if you truly can’t block out some time to devote to writing, jot down a random paragraph instead of a plain to-do list. 
   
4. To Burn The Writing, Or Not To Burn The Writing – Sharing your work can be very difficult. Artists go through this with their paintings often times too. They finish and they’re very proud, but as they look at the piece more, they “find” little flaws as they worry about what others might think. The same can be said of writers. I know I’m scared to share my creative writing a lot of the time. Short stories, flash fictions, and blogs are totally easy to hand over; but ask me to read the first chapter of the novel I’m working on? Oooohhh no. You could hate the character I love the most. The setting I toiled over could look different in your mind. ….Excuse me while I rewrite a few things. 
   
   Yes. I really do that. I’ve gotten much better with this issue, but for a long time, I would constantly write and rewrite something because of the fears I gave myself. I worried about what others might think, and if it was going to be right. Then one day I realized, most of what I personally write, is mine. It’s perfect as long as I’m happy with it. Sometimes people will see things differently than you do. When I read Undercurrent, I’m sure at some point Ari was said to be blonde, but it didn’t fit with how I saw her and my brain decided to omit it. Now, if it ever becomes a movie, I could be a bit mopey, but for now, it’s not even an issue! Certainly didn’t phase the author when I told him.
   

Long story short? There’s a lot of ways around the issues, but there will always be issues. The four listed here aren’t even the entire roadblock.

See? There’s another one, writer’s block. Hmm…how does one get over writer’s block? Subscribe and you might find out at a later date!

Historically, writing is the mixture of letters found in the alphabet and punctuation symbols to form legible thoughts. There are several types of writing styles available depending on the equipment you have. You could use a pen and paper, a chalkboard and chalk, markers and dry erase boards or even type on a computer (if you want to get technical with it).

Writing clearly is a basic essential function of human communication, and requires a knowledge of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure. A plethora of vocabulary is also very useful when crafting a visual piece of conversation.

Whether you’re writing for business purposes, essays for school, articles, blogs, or adding your next novel, you are writing using the same process. There are different approaches for the different types, but writing is always the same.

Check back with me later and we can talk about a few of them!