Types of Writers: 14 Types of Writing Styles

From fiction writers who create works of imagination to business journalists who report on breaking news, writers use different types of writing to achieve specific goals.

1. 1. Novelist: A novel is a long piece of fiction, typically more than 40,000 words. Novels often include complex story arcs with multiple characters and span genres such as romance, science fiction, and historical fiction. Novelists are people who write novels; You can be a career novelist or write novels outside of your day job. Novelists generally fall into two categories: plotters—who meticulously plan the elements of their storyline and characters before starting; and pantsters—who are more spontaneous and “fly by the seat of their pants.”
   
2. 2. Poet: Poets are writers of poems— a form of literature that conveys a thought, describes a scene, or tells a story in a concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words. Poetry can be structured, with rhyming lines and meter, or freeform (which follows no formal structure).
3. 3. Songwriter: Songwriters craft lyrics that are set to music. A songwriter may be employed by a musician to provide lyrical accompaniment to a song, or they may write both the lyrics and musical notation.
4. 4. Playwright: Playwrights craft stories that performers act out on a theater stage. The market for aspiring playwrights is competitive, but for those wishing to see their stories come to life, playwriting can be a gratifying experience.
5. 5. Short story writer: Short stories are concise pieces of writing that tell a story in less time than a novel. Short stories are often published in magazines or compiled together in anthologies. The average short story runs anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 words but can be anything above 1,000 words. Flash fiction is a short story that is 500 words or less.
6. 6. Screenwriter: Screenwriters write original scripts for TV shows and movies. They may also write an adapted screenplay based on a book, story, article, or some other source material. Screenplays follow a specific format, and they tend to adhere to three-act structure.
7. 7. Blogger: Bloggers self-publish content online. Though not exclusive to non-fiction writing, blogs tend to provide curious readers with fact-based knowledge on various topics, including food, travel, entertainment, and technology. Whether you’re a creative writer looking for an easy way to publish stories online or an entrepreneur looking for a way to promote your business, learning how to craft a blog post to reach your target audience successfully is a valuable skill.
8. 8. Business writer: Most business writers work for newspapers or magazines that publish content for specific industries. Business writing can be a profitable form of writing if you’ve got a knack for networking and in-depth knowledge of industry-related terminology and concepts.
9. 9. Copywriter: Copywriting involves writing copy for marketing and advertising purposes. Copywriters can be in-house employees at a company or advertising firm, or freelancers contracted to create copy.
10. 10. Ghostwriter: Ghostwriters specialize in writing for other people. This requires the unique ability to be able to write convincingly in another person's tone of voice. Ghostwriters work with their clients— such as high-ranking government officials and media personalities—to craft a narrative and tell their story in the first person.
11. 11. Journalist: Journalists write everything from op-eds to news stories. There are many kinds of journalistic writing; for example, a reporter uses an expository style to report facts on a news story. On the other hand, a features writer or editorial writer may use more a persuasive tone and share their point of view to influence an audience on a particular issue or topic.
12. 12. Nonfiction book writers: Nonfiction is a popular writing form that combines in-depth research with compelling writing prowess. Common nonfiction formats include autobiographies, biographies, scientific writing, and more.
13. 13. Technical writer: Technical writers are often in-house employees for businesses and corporations. Technical writing involves producing copy for instructional manuals and system documentation. This kind of work often requires the writer to have hyper-specific knowledge of a given field or industry.
14. 14. Translator: To be a translator, you must speak two or more languages fluently and be able to accurately translate one to another. Translators work across numerous fields and have different specialties—you can be a translator for a technical manual, a novel, or even poetry.

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