genres in creative writing

Creative Writing Genre Guide – The Many Genres of Writing in The Creative Arts

Written by Scott Wilson

Like the hiss of a jagged sword slicing past your ear or the roar of a spacecraft entering the atmosphere of a strange planet, genre echos through every piece of creative writing.

Whether or not the author chooses consciously to conform to an existing genre or decides to break new ground, genre will attach to whatever they create. Even so-called non-genre, or literary, fiction is itself a sort of genre. Genre is a tool that is used by:

• Writers , to guide story and expectations
• Critics , to categorize and analyze creative works
• Publishers and Booksellers , to stock and market books to their target audiences
• Readers , to find and read works that align with their aesthetic preferences

Understanding and mastering genre is not optional for creative writers. But it’s not easy, either.

How Genre Defines Your Creative Writing Work

Genre is a hot topic in the world of creative writing. You won’t get far in the average creative writing program before you get into some kind of argument over how to classify some piece of work.

That’s because genre is necessarily subjective. There is no centralized Genre Board that puts a stamp inside the front cover of each new book that is released. The American Literature Association does not maintain an official list of genres that authors are required to choose from among before beginning their next story.

The reality of a serious writer is a reality of many voices, some of them belonging to the writer, some of them belonging to the world of readers at large. ~ Aberjhani

Our literary genres today are simply social conventions, conventions that evolve over time with community expectations and tropes. It’s impossible to come up with a genre writing definition that will satisfy everyone. At the same time, genre is descriptive enough to be indispensable for readers and writers alike.

Genre is so difficult to get a grip on because it is effectively a kind of rolling consensus.

Genre is defined by the authors themselves, by critics who seek to interpret works, by readers deciding what they like to read, and by publishers looking to market those works.

And those definitions change all the time.

The Rapid Evolution of Genre in Writing

Take the ancient and well-established genre of fantasy, for example. Myth and legend may be the oldest genres of fiction, stretching back to our earliest recorded works. The Epic of Gilgamesh and Beowulf both fall into the realm of fantasy.

But fantasy has evolved as its readers and writers have.

Fantasy writing today is nothing like what it was prior to Tolkien’s tales of Middle Earth reaching and shaping the expectations of readers. Epic works like The Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia set a standard for their writing genre, and subsequent tales are inevitably judged by those standards.

With the pace of publishing increasing rapidly and the ease of finding literature to taste getting easier and easier, genre is evolving at a lightning pace.

Writing Sub-Genres Have Become Ever More Niche With the Internet

That kind of specificity comes with very distinctive expectations, however. Niche works are often expected by readers to follow a very specific formula—hit a certain set of plot points, come in at a particular word-count, feature a distinctive type of characters. If you’re aiming for success in the Highlander romance niche, you had better have an evil Englishman somewhere in the story—and heaven help you if there’s not a shirtless man in a kilt on the cover.

While this kind of narrow, formulaic approach is seen as a constraint by some authors, it represents a kind of feedback loop that allows writers to reach very specific audiences. If you plan to make a career out of creative writing, understanding and selling to the market is door you’ll need to open. Genre expectations give you the key.

The genre of writing you pick for any given story you choose to tell will define how it is viewed and what readers expect before you even put down the first word. So understanding how genres in writing work and how to use them in your own pieces is a key part of being a creative writer today.

Picking a Writing Genre Can Be Empowering for Creative Writers

Understanding what genre is and how genres are defined is the only way that you can understand how your own work will be perceived. And developing that kind of knowledge allows your writing to grow and operate on multiple levels as your stories unfold. Genre offers subtext to your stories. Adding a new entry to the catalog of any particular genre expands what the field has to say.

The many types of genres in writing offer an avenue for every writer to explore and expand their craft.

Equally important for some writers is the sense of context that genre creates for their writing. Not only can it help shape creative works by offering standards to aim at, but it also provides a set of expectations that can be subverted to critical effect. For example, The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane would not have had the effect on readers that it did without a long tradition of glorious war stories from a genre that it mimicked, then up-ended with the hero’s cowardice.

Pure formless creativity and invention are wild and dangerous things. To develop a coherent story and a world that is true enough for readers to believe is a tricky business. Having a set of general rules to follow and expectations to meet brings focus.

Beyond that, the very act of channeling your imagination into a defined form and to tell your own story within those rules is a challenge that rewards the creative spirit. Finishing a novel can feel very much like clicking the last piece into place on a jigsaw puzzle. The picture on that puzzle is the genre. When everything lines up to match, your sense of satisfaction and accomplishment is immense.

Writing Genres Give Readers the Stories They Are Looking For

Those stores, and the publishers who print novels and magazines, live and die by genre sales. Some publishers either specialize in or dedicate certain of their imprints to particular genres. Editors, illustrators, and agents may also specialize by genre. Critics, industry awards, and writing groups are often dedicated to different genres. Even creative writing programs offer specializations or concentrations in certain writing genres.

Ultimately, however, genre in writing persists and is needed for the reader. The evolution of genres in writing has largely been in the hands of publishers and book sellers, all seeking to match works with groups of readers who will find them appealing.

Genre in Writing May Be Determined in Different Ways

Genres in writing are not absolutes. Any given work can fall into many different genres depending on how the term is being applied. For example, the two big categories of writing are the genres of poetry and prose. Every work will fall into one of those, as well as others.

The most common ways of categorizing genre are:

• By literary technique and style
• By setting or character type

Each of these different genres of writing will share certain characteristics, but may diverge through other categories. For example, there are works that have a common science fiction theme, but use technique and style more common to literary fiction. The Handmaid’s Tale , by Margaret Atwood, is one example… set in a dystopian future, it nonetheless develops characters and explores deep themes common to other classic works of literature.

In addition to crossing genres, creative writing works also may fall into sub-genres. The most writing genres evolve branches over time. In fact, science fiction, one of the biggest and most popular genre examples in writing today, is simply a sub-genre of the larger category of speculative fiction.

Sub-Genres Sprout From Pop-Culture in Unexpected Ways to Offer Something Uniquely Tailored to Every Audience

To give just one example of this process, consider the evolution of the genre of steampunk.

Steampunk is a sub-genre of cyberpunk, which already lies at the bottom of a long list of other sub-genres of fiction:

In addition, steampunk works almost all fall into the addition speculative fiction category of alternate history, since they imagine a historical era not as it was, but as it might have been. Some can be called Westerns; others are post-apocalyptic, taking another bite out of the dystopian genre apple.

The first proto-steampunk works were published in the ’70s and ‘80s by authors such as Tim Powers and James Blaylock, but it was 1990’s The Difference Engine , by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling that really kicked off steampunk as a genre—probably because Gibson and Sterling were also two of the prime movers in cyberpunk itself.

As steampunk caught on and became more popular, not only did newer works emerge to expand the genre (including its own sub-genres), but older novels that included or inspired the same elements were sometimes described as steampunk. Seminal works like H.G Wells’ The Time Machine and Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea are sometimes found in lists of steampunk works.

Why not just do away with genre, and consider each piece on its own merits? Ultimately, many scholars and creative writing professionals are able to do just that.

In the same way that a rock musician can understand, appreciate, and adapt techniques from the classical world, good writers recognize and respect good writing craft, regardless of genre.

But genre is also a part of artistic judgement. A creative work can be assessed by how well or poorly it conforms to the expectations of the genre it is aimed at.

How To Succeed as a Creative Writer in Different Types of Writing Genres

To be clear, you don’t need to pick a genre lane if you don’t want to. Iain Banks had no problem at all jumping back and forth between epic sci-fi novels, psychologically complex literary fiction, rollicking travelogues, and even poetry. All of it earned critical acclaim.

When J.K. Rowling decided she needed a break from fantasy, she picked up the pen name of Robert Galbraith and popped over into crime fiction instead.

But most creative writers aren’t made of the same stuff as Banks or Rowling. It may be that a particular genre is what inspires you to write in the first place. Perhaps it’s a fascination with the subject matter that draws you in to a particular kind of world. Or maybe it’s just a raw commercial calculation, playing to the market and what is most publishable.

In any case, deciding the genre or genres you are interested in writing in is only one part of the process. Each genre has its own unique path to success.

The Many Genres of Writing in English Literature

To help you get started, we’ve got a whole list of writing genre guides that take you step-by-step through the process of becoming a successful writer in that field.

Literary Fiction

Literary fiction is the non-genre genre of creative writing. It includes works that are too non-traditional to fit cleanly in existing genres or that focuses on characterization and exploration of deep truths over conventional plot or narrative structures. Much of the pantheon of great novels and works that are used in teaching creative writing fall into the literary fiction genre.

Fantasy authors excel in creating imaginary worlds where fantastic creatures roam, magic and the supernatural shape character’s lives, and medieval settings call classic mythology to mind. Fantasy is one of the oldest of genres in both Eastern and Western writing traditions, and its popularity continues to ensure steady careers for well-trained fantasy writers.

There is a fascination with the macabre and surreal that keeps horror novels on the top-seller lists year after year. From Anne Rice to Stephen King, some of the most commercially successful modern authors have chosen this genre. And with classics from Shelley and Poe as part of the enduring tradition of literature, a career in horror offers creative writers a shot at both fortune and fame.

Mystery, or crime, fiction embraces a whole spectrum of entertaining works from Agatha Christie’s classic detective novels to the hard-boiled works of Dennis Lehane. Writers who have the talent to deliver an intricate plot and keep readers engaged with a steady stream of clues, but still make the reveal and resolution a rewarding surprise, have a bright future in the mystery genre.

The Western genre is both relatively new and distinctively American in nature. Following in the footsteps of Louis L’Amour and Max Brand is no easy task, but there is plenty of life in the humble Western, as works by Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry have shown. Western writers may or may not need a ten-gallon hat, but the definitely need story-telling skills and a strong set of research skills.

Young Adult

Young adult works often combine other genres into stories that deal particularly with the interests and concerns of teenagers. Whether it’s a mix of fantasy and school, like Harry Potter , or pure works that explore contemporary problems and challenges like the classic The Outsiders , young adult novels can shape the perspectives and growth of a generation. Young adult writers have to develop not only a knack for telling stories cleanly and understandably, but also for tapping into the zeitgeist of their target audience. 

Science Fiction (Sci Fi)

Science fiction uses the prism of technology and time to explore both exciting theoretical science and social mores and consequences of humanity today. Science fiction is a genre that has a robust demand and strong traditions. Although it can be tough to break into sci-fi, studying creative writing offers the kind of analytical tools and techniques that can make it happen.

Short Story

The genre of short story is one rooted in length rather than subject. A short story can be told in almost any of the other genres listed here, but it is a form that requires its own set of skills and sensibilities. Creative writing degrees are one of the best places for writers to polish up their ability to deliver the crisp, clear, meaningful prose that is needed to build a successful short story.

Making people laugh is a rare skill in any kind of artistic endeavor. Comedic writing has a long and honorable history in the world of dramatic literature, serving as one of the first genres recognized by the Greeks. Comedy often crosses other genre boundaries, with tendrils in horror, science fiction, and crime. But pure comedies in the form of satire and parody serve important roles in social commentary as well as entertainment.

Historical Fiction

Writing historical fiction comes with a set of guard rails that play directly to the strengths of creative writers: research offers a glimpse of the world as it once was, and imagination fills out the humanity of those times. While the historical setting can be one grounded firmly in reality, like Hilary Mantel’s acclaimed Wolf Hall , it can also serve as a portal to the fantastical, as in Susanna Clarke’s incredible Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell .

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Last updated on Feb 14, 2023

10 Types of Creative Writing (with Examples You’ll Love)

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Savannah Cordova

Savannah is a senior editor with Reedsy and a published writer whose work has appeared on Slate, Kirkus, and BookTrib. Her short fiction has appeared in the Owl Canyon Press anthology, "No Bars and a Dead Battery". 

About Rebecca van Laer

Rebecca van Laer is a writer, editor, and the author of two books, including the novella How to Adjust to the Dark. Her work has been featured in literary magazines such as AGNI, Breadcrumbs, and TriQuarterly.

A lot falls under the term ‘creative writing’: poetry, short fiction, plays, novels, personal essays, and songs, to name just a few. By virtue of the creativity that characterizes it, creative writing is an extremely versatile art. So instead of defining what creative writing is , it may be easier to understand what it does by looking at examples that demonstrate the sheer range of styles and genres under its vast umbrella.

To that end, we’ve collected a non-exhaustive list of works across multiple formats that have inspired the writers here at Reedsy. With 20 different works to explore, we hope they will inspire you, too. 

People have been writing creatively for almost as long as we have been able to hold pens. Just think of long-form epic poems like The Odyssey or, later, the Cantar de Mio Cid — some of the earliest recorded writings of their kind. 

Poetry is also a great place to start if you want to dip your own pen into the inkwell of creative writing. It can be as short or long as you want (you don’t have to write an epic of Homeric proportions), encourages you to build your observation skills, and often speaks from a single point of view . 

Here are a few examples:

“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.

This classic poem by Romantic poet Percy Shelley (also known as Mary Shelley’s husband) is all about legacy. What do we leave behind? How will we be remembered? The great king Ozymandias built himself a massive statue, proclaiming his might, but the irony is that his statue doesn’t survive the ravages of time. By framing this poem as told to him by a “traveller from an antique land,” Shelley effectively turns this into a story. Along with the careful use of juxtaposition to create irony, this poem accomplishes a lot in just a few lines. 

“Trying to Raise the Dead” by Dorianne Laux

 A direction. An object. My love, it needs a place to rest. Say anything. I’m listening. I’m ready to believe. Even lies, I don’t care.

Poetry is cherished for its ability to evoke strong emotions from the reader using very few words which is exactly what Dorianne Laux does in “ Trying to Raise the Dead .” With vivid imagery that underscores the painful yearning of the narrator, she transports us to a private nighttime scene as the narrator sneaks away from a party to pray to someone they’ve lost. We ache for their loss and how badly they want their lost loved one to acknowledge them in some way. It’s truly a masterclass on how writing can be used to portray emotions. 

If you find yourself inspired to try out some poetry — and maybe even get it published — check out these poetry layouts that can elevate your verse!

Song Lyrics

Poetry’s closely related cousin, song lyrics are another great way to flex your creative writing muscles. You not only have to find the perfect rhyme scheme but also match it to the rhythm of the music. This can be a great challenge for an experienced poet or the musically inclined. 

To see how music can add something extra to your poetry, check out these two examples:

“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen

 You say I took the name in vain I don't even know the name But if I did, well, really, what's it to ya? There's a blaze of light in every word It doesn't matter which you heard The holy or the broken Hallelujah 

Metaphors are commonplace in almost every kind of creative writing, but will often take center stage in shorter works like poetry and songs. At the slightest mention, they invite the listener to bring their emotional or cultural experience to the piece, allowing the writer to express more with fewer words while also giving it a deeper meaning. If a whole song is couched in metaphor, you might even be able to find multiple meanings to it, like in Leonard Cohen’s “ Hallelujah .” While Cohen’s Biblical references create a song that, on the surface, seems like it’s about a struggle with religion, the ambiguity of the lyrics has allowed it to be seen as a song about a complicated romantic relationship. 

“I Will Follow You into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie

 ​​If Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks Then I'll follow you into the dark

You can think of song lyrics as poetry set to music. They manage to do many of the same things their literary counterparts do — including tugging on your heartstrings. Death Cab for Cutie’s incredibly popular indie rock ballad is about the singer’s deep devotion to his lover. While some might find the song a bit too dark and macabre, its melancholy tune and poignant lyrics remind us that love can endure beyond death.

Plays and Screenplays

From the short form of poetry, we move into the world of drama — also known as the play. This form is as old as the poem, stretching back to the works of ancient Greek playwrights like Sophocles, who adapted the myths of their day into dramatic form. The stage play (and the more modern screenplay) gives the words on the page a literal human voice, bringing life to a story and its characters entirely through dialogue. 

Interested to see what that looks like? Take a look at these examples:

All My Sons by Arthur Miller

“I know you're no worse than most men but I thought you were better. I never saw you as a man. I saw you as my father.” 

Arthur Miller acts as a bridge between the classic and the new, creating 20th century tragedies that take place in living rooms and backyard instead of royal courts, so we had to include his breakout hit on this list. Set in the backyard of an all-American family in the summer of 1946, this tragedy manages to communicate family tensions in an unimaginable scale, building up to an intense climax reminiscent of classical drama. 

💡 Read more about Arthur Miller and classical influences in our breakdown of Freytag’s pyramid . 

“Everything is Fine” by Michael Schur ( The Good Place )

“Well, then this system sucks. What...one in a million gets to live in paradise and everyone else is tortured for eternity? Come on! I mean, I wasn't freaking Gandhi, but I was okay. I was a medium person. I should get to spend eternity in a medium place! Like Cincinnati. Everyone who wasn't perfect but wasn't terrible should get to spend eternity in Cincinnati.” 

A screenplay, especially a TV pilot, is like a mini-play, but with the extra job of convincing an audience that they want to watch a hundred more episodes of the show. Blending moral philosophy with comedy, The Good Place is a fun hang-out show set in the afterlife that asks some big questions about what it means to be good. 

It follows Eleanor Shellstrop, an incredibly imperfect woman from Arizona who wakes up in ‘The Good Place’ and realizes that there’s been a cosmic mixup. Determined not to lose her place in paradise, she recruits her “soulmate,” a former ethics professor, to teach her philosophy with the hope that she can learn to be a good person and keep up her charade of being an upstanding citizen. The pilot does a superb job of setting up the stakes, the story, and the characters, while smuggling in deep philosophical ideas.

Personal essays

Our first foray into nonfiction on this list is the personal essay. As its name suggests, these stories are in some way autobiographical — concerned with the author’s life and experiences. But don’t be fooled by the realistic component. These essays can take any shape or form, from comics to diary entries to recipes and anything else you can imagine. Typically zeroing in on a single issue, they allow you to explore your life and prove that the personal can be universal.

Here are a couple of fantastic examples:

“On Selling Your First Novel After 11 Years” by Min Jin Lee (Literary Hub)

There was so much to learn and practice, but I began to see the prose in verse and the verse in prose. Patterns surfaced in poems, stories, and plays. There was music in sentences and paragraphs. I could hear the silences in a sentence. All this schooling was like getting x-ray vision and animal-like hearing. 

This deeply honest personal essay by Pachinko author Min Jin Lee is an account of her eleven-year struggle to publish her first novel . Like all good writing, it is intensely focused on personal emotional details. While grounded in the specifics of the author's personal journey, it embodies an experience that is absolutely universal: that of difficulty and adversity met by eventual success. 

“A Cyclist on the English Landscape” by Roff Smith (New York Times)

These images, though, aren’t meant to be about me. They’re meant to represent a cyclist on the landscape, anybody — you, perhaps. 

Roff Smith’s gorgeous photo essay for the NYT is a testament to the power of creatively combining visuals with text. Here, photographs of Smith atop a bike are far from simply ornamental. They’re integral to the ruminative mood of the essay, as essential as the writing. Though Smith places his work at the crosscurrents of various aesthetic influences (such as the painter Edward Hopper), what stands out the most in this taciturn, thoughtful piece of writing is his use of the second person to address the reader directly. Suddenly, the writer steps out of the body of the essay and makes eye contact with the reader. The reader is now part of the story as a second character, finally entering the picture.

Short Fiction

The short story is the happy medium of fiction writing. These bite-sized narratives can be devoured in a single sitting and still leave you reeling. Sometimes viewed as a stepping stone to novel writing, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Short story writing is an art all its own. The limited length means every word counts and there’s no better way to see that than with these two examples:

“An MFA Story” by Paul Dalla Rosa (Electric Literature)

At Starbucks, I remembered a reading Zhen had given, a reading organized by the program’s faculty. I had not wanted to go but did. In the bar, he read, "I wrote this in a Starbucks in Shanghai. On the bank of the Huangpu." It wasn’t an aside or introduction. It was two lines of the poem. I was in a Starbucks and I wasn’t writing any poems. I wasn’t writing anything. 

This short story is a delightfully metafictional tale about the struggles of being a writer in New York. From paying the bills to facing criticism in a writing workshop and envying more productive writers, Paul Dalla Rosa’s story is a clever satire of the tribulations involved in the writing profession, and all the contradictions embodied by systemic creativity (as famously laid out in Mark McGurl’s The Program Era ). What’s more, this story is an excellent example of something that often happens in creative writing: a writer casting light on the private thoughts or moments of doubt we don’t admit to or openly talk about. 

“Flowering Walrus” by Scott Skinner (Reedsy)

I tell him they’d been there a month at least, and he looks concerned. He has my tongue on a tissue paper and is gripping its sides with his pointer and thumb. My tongue has never spent much time outside of my mouth, and I imagine it as a walrus basking in the rays of the dental light. My walrus is not well. 

A winner of Reedsy’s weekly Prompts writing contest, ‘ Flowering Walrus ’ is a story that balances the trivial and the serious well. In the pauses between its excellent, natural dialogue , the story manages to scatter the fear and sadness of bad medical news, as the protagonist hides his worries from his wife and daughter. Rich in subtext, these silences grow and resonate with the readers.

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Perhaps the thing that first comes to mind when talking about creative writing, novels are a form of fiction that many people know and love but writers sometimes find intimidating. The good news is that novels are nothing but one word put after another, like any other piece of writing, but expanded and put into a flowing narrative. Piece of cake, right?

To get an idea of the format’s breadth of scope, take a look at these two (very different) satirical novels: 

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

I wished I was back in the convenience store where I was valued as a working member of staff and things weren’t as complicated as this. Once we donned our uniforms, we were all equals regardless of gender, age, or nationality — all simply store workers. 

Keiko, a thirty-six-year-old convenience store employee, finds comfort and happiness in the strict, uneventful routine of the shop’s daily operations. A funny, satirical, but simultaneously unnerving examination of the social structures we take for granted, Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman is deeply original and lingers with the reader long after they’ve put it down.

Erasure by Percival Everett

The hard, gritty truth of the matter is that I hardly ever think about race. Those times when I did think about it a lot I did so because of my guilt for not thinking about it.  

Erasure is a truly accomplished satire of the publishing industry’s tendency to essentialize African American authors and their writing. Everett’s protagonist is a writer whose work doesn’t fit with what publishers expect from him — work that describes the “African American experience” — so he writes a parody novel about life in the ghetto. The publishers go crazy for it and, to the protagonist’s horror, it becomes the next big thing. This sophisticated novel is both ironic and tender, leaving its readers with much food for thought.

Creative Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction is pretty broad: it applies to anything that does not claim to be fictional (although the rise of autofiction has definitely blurred the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction). It encompasses everything from personal essays and memoirs to humor writing, and they range in length from blog posts to full-length books. The defining characteristic of this massive genre is that it takes the world or the author’s experience and turns it into a narrative that a reader can follow along with.

Here, we want to focus on novel-length works that dig deep into their respective topics. While very different, these two examples truly show the breadth and depth of possibility of creative nonfiction:

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

Men’s bodies litter my family history. The pain of the women they left behind pulls them from the beyond, makes them appear as ghosts. In death, they transcend the circumstances of this place that I love and hate all at once and become supernatural. 

Writer Jesmyn Ward recounts the deaths of five men from her rural Mississippi community in as many years. In her award-winning memoir , she delves into the lives of the friends and family she lost and tries to find some sense among the tragedy. Working backwards across five years, she questions why this had to happen over and over again, and slowly unveils the long history of racism and poverty that rules rural Black communities. Moving and emotionally raw, Men We Reaped is an indictment of a cruel system and the story of a woman's grief and rage as she tries to navigate it.

Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker

He believed that wine could reshape someone’s life. That’s why he preferred buying bottles to splurging on sweaters. Sweaters were things. Bottles of wine, said Morgan, “are ways that my humanity will be changed.” 

In this work of immersive journalism , Bianca Bosker leaves behind her life as a tech journalist to explore the world of wine. Becoming a “cork dork” takes her everywhere from New York’s most refined restaurants to science labs while she learns what it takes to be a sommelier and a true wine obsessive. This funny and entertaining trip through the past and present of wine-making and tasting is sure to leave you better informed and wishing you, too, could leave your life behind for one devoted to wine. 

Illustrated Narratives (Comics, graphic novels)

Once relegated to the “funny pages”, the past forty years of comics history have proven it to be a serious medium. Comics have transformed from the early days of Jack Kirby’s superheroes into a medium where almost every genre is represented. Humorous one-shots in the Sunday papers stand alongside illustrated memoirs, horror, fantasy, and just about anything else you can imagine. This type of visual storytelling lets the writer and artist get creative with perspective, tone, and so much more. For two very different, though equally entertaining, examples, check these out:

Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson

"Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success, flat stretches of boring routine and valleys of frustration and failure." 

This beloved comic strip follows Calvin, a rambunctious six-year-old boy, and his stuffed tiger/imaginary friend, Hobbes. They get into all kinds of hijinks at school and at home, and muse on the world in the way only a six-year-old and an anthropomorphic tiger can. As laugh-out-loud funny as it is, Calvin & Hobbes ’ popularity persists as much for its whimsy as its use of humor to comment on life, childhood, adulthood, and everything in between. 

From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell 

"I shall tell you where we are. We're in the most extreme and utter region of the human mind. A dim, subconscious underworld. A radiant abyss where men meet themselves. Hell, Netley. We're in Hell." 

Comics aren't just the realm of superheroes and one-joke strips, as Alan Moore proves in this serialized graphic novel released between 1989 and 1998. A meticulously researched alternative history of Victorian London’s Ripper killings, this macabre story pulls no punches. Fact and fiction blend into a world where the Royal Family is involved in a dark conspiracy and Freemasons lurk on the sidelines. It’s a surreal mad-cap adventure that’s unsettling in the best way possible. 

Video Games and RPGs

Probably the least expected entry on this list, we thought that video games and RPGs also deserved a mention — and some well-earned recognition for the intricate storytelling that goes into creating them. 

Essentially gamified adventure stories, without attention to plot, characters, and a narrative arc, these games would lose a lot of their charm, so let’s look at two examples where the creative writing really shines through: 

80 Days by inkle studios

"It was a triumph of invention over nature, and will almost certainly disappear into the dust once more in the next fifty years." 

Named Time Magazine ’s game of the year in 2014, this narrative adventure is based on Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. The player is cast as the novel’s narrator, Passpartout, and tasked with circumnavigating the globe in service of their employer, Phileas Fogg. Set in an alternate steampunk Victorian era, the game uses its globe-trotting to comment on the colonialist fantasies inherent in the original novel and its time period. On a storytelling level, the choose-your-own-adventure style means no two players’ journeys will be the same. This innovative approach to a classic novel shows the potential of video games as a storytelling medium, truly making the player part of the story. 

What Remains of Edith Finch by Giant Sparrow

"If we lived forever, maybe we'd have time to understand things. But as it is, I think the best we can do is try to open our eyes, and appreciate how strange and brief all of this is." 

This video game casts the player as 17-year-old Edith Finch. Returning to her family’s home on an island in the Pacific northwest, Edith explores the vast house and tries to figure out why she’s the only one of her family left alive. The story of each family member is revealed as you make your way through the house, slowly unpacking the tragic fate of the Finches. Eerie and immersive, this first-person exploration game uses the medium to tell a series of truly unique tales. 

Fun and breezy on the surface, humor is often recognized as one of the trickiest forms of creative writing. After all, while you can see the artistic value in a piece of prose that you don’t necessarily enjoy, if a joke isn’t funny, you could say that it’s objectively failed.

With that said, it’s far from an impossible task, and many have succeeded in bringing smiles to their readers’ faces through their writing. Here are two examples:

‘How You Hope Your Extended Family Will React When You Explain Your Job to Them’ by Mike Lacher (McSweeney’s Internet Tendency)

“Is it true you don’t have desks?” your grandmother will ask. You will nod again and crack open a can of Country Time Lemonade. “My stars,” she will say, “it must be so wonderful to not have a traditional office and instead share a bistro-esque coworking space.” 

Satire and parody make up a whole subgenre of creative writing, and websites like McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and The Onion consistently hit the mark with their parodies of magazine publishing and news media. This particular example finds humor in the divide between traditional family expectations and contemporary, ‘trendy’ work cultures. Playing on the inherent silliness of today’s tech-forward middle-class jobs, this witty piece imagines a scenario where the writer’s family fully understands what they do — and are enthralled to hear more. “‘Now is it true,’ your uncle will whisper, ‘that you’ve got a potential investment from one of the founders of I Can Haz Cheezburger?’”

‘Not a Foodie’ by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell (Electric Literature)

I’m not a foodie, I never have been, and I know, in my heart, I never will be. 

Highlighting what she sees as an unbearable social obsession with food , in this comic Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell takes a hilarious stand against the importance of food. From the writer’s courageous thesis (“I think there are more exciting things to talk about, and focus on in life, than what’s for dinner”) to the amusing appearance of family members and the narrator’s partner, ‘Not a Foodie’ demonstrates that even a seemingly mundane pet peeve can be approached creatively — and even reveal something profound about life.

We hope this list inspires you with your own writing. If there’s one thing you take away from this post, let it be that there is no limit to what you can write about or how you can write about it. 

In the next part of this guide, we'll drill down into the fascinating world of creative nonfiction.

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Types of Writing Genres: A Short Guide

• Post author By admin
• October 11, 2022

In this blog, we will discuss the different types of writing genres. Every genre of writing has its mindset and set of expectations. Genres are the tool for creativity and provide various perspectives to tell your story in different ways. 

As a writer, your work will fit into a certain genre whether you want it or not, and that is purely based on what you are creating. On one side, some work may fit into one Genre. On the other hand, some may have different genres.

There are three different types of writing genres that we will take a look at in this blog. We have separated writing genres like Professional Writing, Literary Writing, and, lastly, Academic Writing.

If you’re wondering which one is right for you then this is the right place for you. 

Here we will discover different writing genres that you need to know!

So, without further ado, let’s dive into it!

Table of Contents

What is the Need for Types of Writing Genres?

They Help Writers Sort Out Their Ideas and Feelings : When writers know what kind of writing they are doing, they can use the rules of that kind of writing to help them organize their writing. This can speed up the writing process and help writers make work simpler and more sense.

They Help People Know What to Expect From a Piece of Writing : When a reader knows the genre of a piece of writing, they can guess what they know about it to guess what the piece is about. This can help people read faster and better understand what they are reading.

They Help Writers Connect With the People Who Read Their Work : When writers choose the right type for their readers, their writing is easier to understand and more interesting to read. This can help writers connect with their readers and reach their goals for dialogue.

Aside From These General Benefits: there are other reasons to use different types of writing. For example, expository writing can help writers explain complicated ideas clearly, while descriptive writing can help writers paint detailed pictures in the minds of their readers. Narrative writing can help writers tell stories that entertain and teach, while persuasive writing can help writers persuade readers to do something.

They Can Help a Writer Find His or Her Voice : By trying different types of writing, writers can find the type that fits their style and attitude the best. This can help writers find their style, which will help them connect with their readers.

They Can Help Writers Come Up With Better Ideas : Writers can stretch their creative skills and develop new ideas if they try to write in different styles. This can make writers more creative and help them develop more original ideas.

They Can Help Writers Get Better at What They Do :  Writers can improve their skills by learning the rules of different types of writing. This can help writers write better and make their work look more polished.

In the end, there are different types of writing because they are used for different things. If writers know the rules for each type, they can choose the right one for their purpose and audience. This will help them write in a clear, powerful, and interesting way.

What are Writing Genres?

The writing Genre is mostly called the name of Literary Genre. It is a type of narrative that can be used or written. Mostly, it is used for one purpose only to share emotions, ideas, and news with other people. Writing Genre is used to tell the story interestingly. 

Writing within each Genre will reflect a whole new story and share several features like rhyme, image, and stylistic devices. The main focus of each Genre is to describe the events, theory, and several ideas in certain ways. In other words, the aim of each writing genre is how the elements are conveyed and described. 

What are the Different Types of Writing Genres?

Three main types of Writing Genres are as follows:

• Professional Writing.
• Literary Writing.
• Academic Writing.

Professional Writing Genre (Types of Writing Genres)

Social media .

Social Media is a growing genre in business communication. The level of discussion in social media may vary depending on the topic and audience. Well-considered successful post on social media to help understand how it’s used to reach a wider target audience.

Business Letters

It can be both formal and informal. A perfectly written business letter shows the reader why it is important. If you want successful communication, then a structured approach is very important.

Memos 

Well, Memos provide a clear summary, and the most crucial information is given at the beginning, but Paper Memos are no longer used nowadays. A positive tone is used to help the reader understand what the author is trying to say, making it appropriate for the users. 

In the past, memos were considered the best business correspondence. The Main Guideline of the memo still exists, even if the median of the paper memo has been changed. 

Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes include dates, times, attendees, and location. This is the standard format of Meeting Minutes. It is also important to record the most crucial details to avoid any misunderstanding later.

As a result, there are many ways involved in recording meeting minutes. The minutes should be uniform with the location and names. Unnecessary information should be avoided so that it can not cause any difficulty later.

This is the end of the Professional writing genre. Now we move to the Literary writing genre, and lastly, we will continue with the Academic Genre. 

Literary Writing Genre (Types of Writing Genres)

Mystery .

This Genre is mostly associated with crime, mainly murder, but it does have to be. Any story which involves the unraveling of a secret or mystery would be considered within this Genre. 

This Genre often describes a criminal investigation or legal case. Well, the most popular novel is The Sherlock Holmes Story. Mystery novels are a genre that typically has a problem to solve. 

Category of Mystery Genre:

• Locked-room mysteries.
• Historical mysteries.
• Police procedural whodunit. ( A story about a murder in which the identity of the murderer is hidden at the end )

Literary nonfiction

Literary nonfiction is all about real events and people. Nonfiction can be found in magazines like The Atlantic, The New York, and Harper’s Magazine. 

This type of Genre is associated with creating feelings of fear and dread. Some of you might think of this Genre as full of “blood and gore”. Anything which creates negative feelings about something will come under the category of Horror. 

Horror is the genre of film, literature, and TV shows. The main aim of the horror genre is to create fear. 

Gothic novels are an example of ancient horror literature. On the other hand, Stephen King is considered the father of modern horror literature. Well, nowadays, new writers have pushed the boundaries of horror stories. Writers include John Langan, Stephen Graham Jones, and many more.

In the Historical Genre, the story takes place in the past. Sometimes real people are included to interact with the fictional character to create a sense of realism. 

Romance 

This Genre deals with the love stories between two people. The element of romance can be found in many types of literature. Romance has been there since ancient times, but time travels so fast, and the paranormal romances have become more popular nowadays. 

Science Fiction

As the name suggests, Science Fiction is the genre that deals with science and technology in society. Science fiction is a special type of Genre that includes elements of time travel, futuristic societies, and space. People often call Science Fiction ( Sci-Fi ) . 

Magical realism

Magical realism is a type of literature in which the real world is depicted with an influence of magic and fantasy. In magical realism, the stories may occur in the real world but with some supernatural elements. Magical realism has close ties with Latin American Authors. Magical realism is used by literature from around the globe.

Fantasy novels are fiction stories that are set in imaginary universes. This Genre is inspired by folklore and mythology that is enjoyed by both children and adults 

Dystopian novels are about futuristic and oppressive societies. In other words, the Dystopian novel features some political and social unrest. It can help us examine real types of fear like mass surveillance by the government.

Graphic Fiction

Graphic Fiction is the category of Graphic Novels and Comic Books.

Short Stories

Well, this type of Genre may fit into any number of genres. In Short stories, there is only one plot to it, no subplot in this Genre. 

Tall Tales stories are not realistic or don’t try to become realistic. 

Academic Writing Genre (Types of Writing Genres)

Analytical writing.

In Analytical writing, the author has a chance to include persuasive writing. A common layout uses the structure of methods, results, introduction, summary, and discussion. 

Professional Writing 

Professional Writing is a wide category that includes emails, studies, reports, business letters, and summaries. If you are writing for a client, then it is beneficial for you to follow the style rule of the company. 

Argumentative Writing

Argumentative writing is a type of academic essay. In this, the writer breaks down an idea into its parts and then offers evidence for each part. This writing is mostly based on understanding and reading fiction or nonfiction texts. 

Argumentative writing has three sections:

• Evidence or supporting point.
• Conclusion.

Most Common Types of Writing Genres That You Should Know

Descriptive writing .

In Descriptive writing, the author writes about every aspect of the person, place, or event and describes all aspects in detail. 

Example of Descriptive Writing:

• Narrative Nonfiction.
• Fictional Stories.

Expository Writing

Expository writing is used to educate the reader. So the main goal of expository writing is to teach the reader rather than entertainment.

Example of Expository Writing:

• Technical Writing.
• Recipes writing.

Narrative Writing

Narrative Writing is used to tell people what happens somewhere or with someone. Narrative Writing includes Fiction and nonfiction. Whereas nonfiction is based on real events, and fiction writing is completely made up. 

Example of Narrative Writing:

• Short-story.
• Presentations
• Speeches, and many more.

Persuasive Writing

Persuasive writing is used to convince the reader about something. This type of writing is written when the author has a strong opinion on something. It is used to encourage people to take action regarding any issue. 

Example of Persuasive Writing:

• An opinion piece in the newspaper.
• Sales writing.

Read more about writing styles: Different Types Of Writing Styles

Now you know the different types of writing genres and their most used forms. So which Genre or form is close to you, and which one do you use the most. In this blog, we provide you with a short guide to types of writing genres, with the most common Genre that you should know. 

I hope you like it!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1.what are the seven styles of writing.

The seven most common types of essay writing Narrative Descriptive Expository Persuasive Compare  Reflective Personal

Q2. What are the three main genres of literature?

The three major genres are: Drama Poetry Prose

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19 Popular Creative Writing Genres with Examples

Last Updated on October 23, 2023 by Dr Sharon Baisil MD

Dive into the diverse universe of creative writing, where the mind dances with words and ideas, forming a tapestry of tales. From the playful poems of Oxford to the mystic memoirs echoing the halls of the University of Northern Iowa , each stroke of the pen (or press of the key) adds a hue to the narrative of human experience. But where does one begin on this path of storytelling? The answer lies in exploring the genres with unique flavor and essence. Ready to journey through the genres and find your narrative niche?

Short Fiction

Short Fiction is like a quick, refreshing dive into a narrative pool. It’s brief yet leaves ripples in the reader’s mind. From compelling novelettes to succinct short stories , this genre is about telling a captivating tale with a tight word leash.

Characteristics:

• Brevity : Short fiction is all about telling more in less. It’s the art of narrative economy.
• Complete Story : Despite the brevity, the whole story unfolds with a beginning, middle, and end.
• Character Arc : A succinct but clear character arc is often a hallmark.

Notable Examples:

• ‘A&P’ by John Updike : A snapshot of youthful rebellion.
• ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson : A chilling tale that holds a mirror to society.

“The short story is the art of the glimpse” – William Trevor

Science Fiction (Sci-Fi)

Sci-fi is the canvas where imagination meets science. It’s about venturing into realms unbound by earthly laws, where the narrative is often driven by scientific or technological innovations.

Sub-genres:

• Cyberpunk : Envisioning a high-tech, dystopian future.
• Space Opera : Grand tales set against the cosmic backdrop.
• Time Travel : Traversing the rivers of time, exploring ‘what if’ scenarios.
• ‘The War of the Worlds’ by H.G. Wells : An early epitome of alien invasion narrative.
• ‘Neuromancer’ by William Gibson : A seminal cyberpunk narrative.

“Science fiction is the most important literature in the history of the world, because it’s the history of ideas, the history of our civilization birthing itself.”  – Ray Bradbury

Action Adventure

The heart-thumping, adrenaline-fueled narrative realm where heroes rise, villains fall, and every page is a battlefield or a chase against time.

• Heroic Protagonist : A daring hero often drives the narrative.
• High Stakes : The stakes are monumental, often a matter of life and death or the fate of the world.
• ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer : A quintessential adventure of heroism and homecoming.
• ‘ Treasure Island’ by Robert Louis Stevenson : A timeless tale of pirates and treasure hunts.

“Adventure must start with running away from home”  – William Bolitho

Drama, the mirror to human emotions and societal norms, is a genre where dialogues and character interactions drive the narrative against a backdrop of conflict.

• Tragedy : Where heroes fall due to their own flaws, like in the tales of Euripides.
• Comedy : The lighter side of drama, often with a happy resolution.
• ‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare : A tragic tale of revenge and existential dilemma.
• ‘ Pride and Prejudice ’ by Jane Austen : A comedic drama portraying love and societal expectations.

“Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.”  – Alfred Hitchcock

Mystery is the genre of the unknown, the unsolved, where every clue is a step towards unveiling the truth, and every red herring, a detour.

• Detective Mystery : The sleuthing journey to resolve a crime.
• Cozy Mystery : A lighter, often humorous take on the mystery genre.
• ‘Sherlock Holmes’ series by Arthur Conan Doyle : The epitome of detective mystery.
• ‘Agatha Raisin’ series by M.C. Beaton : A delightful series of cozy mysteries.

“The mystery story is two stories in one: the story of what happened and the story of what appeared to happen.” – Mary Roberts Rinehart

Thriller/Suspense

Thriller is the literary roller-coaster. It’s about the rush, the chase, and the narrow escapes from the jaws of peril.

• High Tension : Thrillers maintain a high-wire tension throughout the narrative.
• Unexpected Twists : The plot is laden with unforeseen turns, keeping readers on the edge.
• ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ by Stieg Larsson : A modern-day thriller intertwined with mystery and drama.
• ‘The Bourne Identity’ by Robert Ludlum : A thrilling chase of identity and conspiracy.

“The thriller is the most popular literary genre of the 20th century.”  – Ken Follett

Ah, Romance, the genre that explores the many shades of love, with narratives often leading to a heartwarming union. It’s where hearts flutter, part, and reunite in a love story that stands the test of time.

• Historical Romance : Love blooming in the backdrop of historical settings.
• Comedic Romance : Love with a touch of humor, breaking the ice and warming the heart.
• ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Brontë : A classic tale of love overcoming adversities.
• ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen : A delightful dance of wit and romantic interest.

“Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.”  – Robert Frost

Young Adult Fiction

Young Adult Fiction , a genre resonating with the vibrancy and uncertainties of youth. It’s where adolescence meets adulthood, paving the path of self-discovery amidst the societal and self-imposed expectations.

• Fantasy YA : Where young adults navigate through magical realms.
• Dystopian YA : The narrative of young rebellion in dystopian settings.
• ‘Harry Potter’ series by J.K. Rowling : A magical journey of friendship, courage, and self-discovery.
• ‘The Hunger Games’ series by Suzanne Collins : A stark narrative of survival and rebellion.

“Young adult fiction is a genre that has captured the hearts of readers of all ages.”  – Unknown

Ghost/Horror/Paranormal

Step into the eerie unknown, where each page might send a chill down the spine. This genre explores the supernatural, the fears lurking in the dark corners of the mind.

• Supernatural Elements : Ghosts, spirits, and other paranormal entities drive the narrative.
• Psychological Horror : It’s not just about the external ghosts but the internal demons too.
• ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ by Shirley Jackson : A chilling narrative that dances on the edge of reality and supernatural.
• ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker : A timeless tale of horror and the fight against the unearthly.

“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”  – Stephen King

Speculative Fiction

Speculative Fiction is the canvas of ‘what if’, exploring narratives unbound by the conventional reality, often branching into various sub-genres like sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopian.

• Alternate Realities : Creating worlds different from the known reality.
• Innovative Concepts : Often presents novel ideas and perspectives.
• ‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley : An exploration of a dystopian future.
• ‘1984’ by George Orwell : A chilling narrative of surveillance and totalitarianism.

“Speculative fiction is the literature of change and discovery.”  – Orson Scott Card

Fantasy, the genre where magic breathes and myths come alive. It’s a realm where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, leading to narratives filled with adventure and wonder.

• Magical Elements : Magic is an integral part of the narrative.
• Mythical Creatures : The presence of beings from folklore and mythology.
• ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J.R.R. Tolkien : An epic saga of good versus evil in a mythical land.
• ‘Harry Potter’ series by J.K. Rowling : A tale of magic, friendship, and courage.

“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.”  – Lloyd Alexander

Children’s Fiction

Children’s fiction is the nurturing ground for young minds, where each story is a blend of fun, lessons, and imagination. It’s where kids meet characters and scenarios that stay with them as they grow.

• Picture Books : Visual narratives for the young minds.
• Middle-Grade Fiction : Stories for the slightly older kids, often filled with adventure and lessons.
• ‘Charlotte’s Web’ by E.B. White : A heartwarming tale of friendship and loss.
• ‘The Gruffalo’ by Julia Donaldson : A delightful tale filled with humor and cleverness.

“Children’s fiction is the bedrock on which we build our reading lives.”  – Unknown

Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

This genre is a reflection of real-life stories, a narrative mirror held up to the lives of individuals, showcasing the spectrum of human experience.

• Memoirs : Personal narratives focusing on specific experiences or periods in one’s life.
• Biography : The life story of a person as told by someone else.
• Autobiography : The writer’s own life story, often from birth to the present day.
• ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ by Anne Frank : A poignant memoir of a life amidst war.
• ‘Steve Jobs’ by Walter Isaacson : A biography illuminating the life of the tech maestro.

“Memoir isn’t the summary of a life; it’s a window into a life.”  – William Zinsser

New Adult Fiction

New Adult Fiction navigates the turbulent waters of early adulthood, exploring love, career, and self-discovery. It’s where the cocoon of adolescence unravels, revealing the challenges and charms of adult life.

• Emotional Exploration : Delving into the emotional and personal growth of the characters.
• Realistic Challenges : Facing real-world problems and learning to overcome them.
• ‘Beautiful Disaster’ by Jamie McGuire : A narrative exploring the tumultuous journey of love and self-discovery.
• ‘Easy’ by Tammara Webber : A poignant tale of overcoming personal tragedies and finding love.

“New Adult Fiction is the bridge between adolescence and adulthood, narrated with a fresh voice.”  – Unknown

Novellas are the middle ground of narrative length, offering a canvas large enough for character development while retaining the charm of brevity.

• Concise Narratives : A story told with precision, sans the extensive subplots.
• Focused Themes : Centered around a specific theme or message.
• ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad : A novella exploring the darkness within human souls.
• ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck : A narrative encapsulating the themes of friendship and dreams.

“The novella is the stepchild of literary genres, too long for a short story and too short for a novel.”  – Ian McEwan

Poetry is the garden where emotions bloom into verses. It’s a realm where every metaphor is a leaf, every rhyme, a blossom, and every stanza, a tree of expression.

• Sonnet : A 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme.
• Haiku : A 3-line poem with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5.
• ‘Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night’ by Dylan Thomas : A sonnet exploring the theme of death.
• Various Haikus by Matsuo Basho : Delicate snippets capturing the essence of nature.

“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”  – Robert Frost

Historical genre is a time machine crafted with words, transporting readers to bygone eras, making history come alive through fictitious narratives.

• Historical Accuracy : Incorporation of factual historical elements.
• Period-Specific Dialogue and Settings : Reflecting the essence of the era being portrayed.
• ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ by Anthony Doerr : A tale set against the backdrop of World War II.
• ‘The Book Thief’ by Markus Zusak : A narrative intertwined with historical events.

“Historical fiction is the closest thing we have to a time machine.”  – Unknown

Family Saga

Family Saga is the narrative orchard where the seeds of past actions bear fruits for future generations. It’s a genre exploring the intertwining branches of familial bonds, legacies, and secrets over generations.

• Multi-Generational Narratives : Stories spanning across several generations.
• Character Complexity : The complexity of relationships and individual character arcs.
• ‘The Thorn Birds’ by Colleen McCullough : A saga spanning across three generations of a family.
• ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ by Gabriel García Márquez : A magical realist saga of the Buendía family.

“In family sagas, the past casts a long shadow over the present, each generation a ring in a mighty tree.”  – Unknown

Literary Fiction

Literary Fiction is the genre of introspection, where the narrative dives deep into the human psyche, exploring the complex tapestry of emotions, relationships, and societal norms.

• Exploration of Human Condition : Delving deep into the emotional and existential realms.
• Stylistic Narrative : Often characterized by a unique or experimental narrative style.
• ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee : A narrative exploring racial injustice and moral growth.
• ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald : A tale reflecting the American dream and its disillusionment.

“Literary fiction explores the many layers of the human condition, narrated with an artistry that echoes the complexity of life.”  – Unknown

Creative Nonfiction

Creative Nonfiction is where reality meets narrative artistry. It’s about painting the canvas of facts with the colors of personal storytelling and reflective insight.

• Personal Essay : Expressive essays reflecting personal experiences or views.
• Narrative Nonfiction : Factual stories told with a narrative flair.
• ‘In Cold Blood’ by Truman Capote : A groundbreaking narrative nonfiction exploring a real-life crime.
• ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by Elizabeth Gilbert : A personal essay exploring the author’s journey of self-discovery.

“Creative nonfiction is not making something up but making the most of what you have.”  – John McPhee

Final Words

We hope this blog has helped you in understanding how different genres work and what makes them different from each other. While some of the genres mentioned above may not appeal to everyone, others have been successful time and again in capturing readers’ attention. What works for one person might not work for another but the key here is being sure about what kind of writing style suits you best before diving into the world of storytelling!

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Finding Your Footing: Sub-genres in Creative Nonfiction

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Memoir is perhaps the “flagship” of creative nonfiction, the sub-genre most familiar to those outside of literary and academic circles. Most human beings lead interesting lives filled with struggle, conflict, drama, decisions, turning points, etc.; but not all of these stories translate into successful memoir. The success of the memoir depends on the writer’s ability to sequence events, to tell a story, and to describe characters in believable ways, among other things. Writer Carol Spindel reminds us that in the mid-2000s a scandal surrounding writer James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces erupted after he was forced to admit that large sections of his “memoir” were “fictionalized:” he’d embellished, made things up. A memoir that strays from the truth is not far removed from lying, because regardless of the writer’s intention, the story deceives the reader. Spindel writes that, unlike in novels, “The knowledge expressed in the memoir has the legitimacy acquired through first-hand experience.” Good memoir also provides reflection on the events that have happened to the writer, so it “can give readers insights into society, and even into the larger meaning of life itself” (Spindel).

The Braided Essay

The braided essay is a good tool for introducing writers—especially student writers—to the CNF genre. In a braided essay, the writer has multiple “threads” or “through-lines” of material, each on a different subject. The essay is broken into sections using medial white space, lines of white space on a page where there are no words (much like stanzas in poetry), and each time there is a section break, the writer moves from one “thread” to another. Braided essays take their name from this alternating of storylines, as well as from the threads the story contains; there are usually three, though to have four or two is also possible. Though there is not a strict formula for success, the form usually contains at least one thread that is very personal and based on memory, and at least one thread that is heavily researched. Often, the threads seem very disparate at first, but by the climax of the essay, the threads being to blend together; connections are revealed.

Topical Writing

Perhaps the genre closest to an essay or a blog post, topical writing is an author’s take on a given topic of specific interest to the reader. For example, nature writing and travel writing have been popular for centuries, while food writing is gathering steam via cooking blogs. Nature writing involves exploring the writer’s experience in a beautiful and thoroughly rendered natural setting, such as a cabin on a mountaintop. Travel Writing, as the name implies, details the writer’s experiences while traveling, whether by choice on a vacation or out of necessity due to business or serving in the military. Finally, contemporary food writing explores the writer’s connection to cooking and enjoying food of any variety. All three will occasionally step into the writer’s personal experiences via memories, but these episodes are always related to the topic driving the essay.

Whatever form a creative nonfiction piece takes, it must remain based in the author’s actual lived experiences and perceptions. Like academic writing, the piece must be accurately researched and the sources must be documented. Finally, the author must also always leave room to reflect on how their experiences have shaped them into the person they are now. It’s the reflection that makes the reader feel satisfied: it offers something to the reader that they can carry with them, a way of seeing the world.

Works Cited

Cokinos, Christopher. “Organized Curiosity: Creative Writers and the Research Life.” Writer’s Chronicle 42.7: April/May 2015. 92-104. Print.

Ironman, Sean. “Writing the Z-Axis: Reflection in the Nonfiction Workshop.” Writer’s

Chronicle 47.1: September 2014. 42-49. Print.

Spindel, Carol. "When Ambiguity Becomes Deception: The Ethics of Memoir." Writer's

Chronicle (2007): n. pag. AWP . Association of Writing Programs, 1 Dec. 2007. Web. 13

Sept. 2015.

Terrill, Richard. "Creative Nonfiction and Poetry." Writer's Chronicle (2004): n. pag. AWP .

Association of Writing Programs, Oct.-Nov. 2004. Web. 3 Oct. 2015.

14 Types of Creative Writing

by Melissa Donovan | Apr 6, 2021 | Creative Writing | 20 comments

Which types of creative writing have you tried?

When we talk about creative writing, fiction and poetry often take the spotlight, but there are many other types of creative writing that we can explore.

Most writers develop a preference for one form (and genre) above all others. This can be a good thing, because you can specialize in your form and genre and become quite proficient. However, occasionally working with other types of writing is beneficial. It prevents your work from becoming stale and overladen with form- or genre-specific clichés, and it’s a good way to acquire a variety of techniques that are uncommon in your preferred form and genre but that can be used to enhance it.

Let’s look at some different types of creative writing. As you read through the list, note the types of writing you’ve experimented with and the types you’d like to try.

Types of Creative Writing

Free writing: Open a notebook or an electronic document and just start writing. Allow strange words and images to find their way to the page. Anything goes! Also called stream-of-consciousness writing, free writing is the pinnacle of creative writing.

Journals: A journal is any written log. You could keep a gratitude journal, a memory journal, a dream journal, or a goals journal. Many writers keep idea journals or all-purpose omni-journals that can be used for everything from daily free writes to brainstorming and project planning.

Diaries: A diary is a type of journal in which you write about your daily life. Some diaries are written in letter format (“Dear Diary…”). If you ever want to write a memoir, then it’s a good idea to start keeping a diary.

Letters: Because the ability to communicate effectively is increasingly valuable, letter writing is a useful skill. There is a long tradition of publishing letters, so take extra care with those emails you’re shooting off to friends, family, and business associates. Hot tip: one way to get published if you don’t have a lot of clips and credits is to write letters to the editor of a news publication.

Memoir: A genre of creative nonfiction , memoirs are books that contain personal accounts (or stories) that focus on specific experiences. For example, one might write a travel memoir.

Essays. Essays are often associated with academic writing, but there are many types of essays, including personal essays, descriptive essays, and persuasive essays, all of which can be quite creative (and not especially academic).

Journalism: Some forms of journalism are more creative than others. Traditionally, journalism was objective reporting on facts, people, and events. Today, journalists often infuse their writing with opinion and storytelling to make their pieces more compelling or convincing.

Poetry: Poetry is a popular but under-appreciated type of writing, and it’s easily the most artistic form of writing. You can write form poetry, free-form poetry, and prose poetry.

Song Lyrics: Song lyrics combine the craft of writing with the artistry of music. Composing lyrics is similar to writing poetry, and this is an ideal type of writing for anyone who can play a musical instrument.

Scripts: Hit the screen or the stage by writing scripts for film, television, theater, or video games. Beware: film is a director’s medium, not a writer’s medium, but movies have the potential to reach a non-reading audience.

Storytelling: Storytelling is the most popular form of creative writing and is found in the realms of both fiction and nonfiction writing. Popular forms of fiction include flash fiction, short stories, novellas, and full-length novels; and there are tons of genres to choose from. True stories, which are usually firsthand or secondhand accounts of real people and events, can be found in essays, diaries, memoirs, speeches, and more. Storytelling is a tremendously valuable skill, as it can be found in all other forms of writing, from poetry to speech writing.

Speeches: Whether persuasive, inspirational, or informative, speech writing can lead to interesting career opportunities in almost any field or industry. Also, speech-writing skills will come in handy if you’re ever asked to write and deliver a speech at an important event, such as a graduation, wedding, or award ceremony.

Vignettes: A  vignette is defined as “a brief evocative description, account, or episode.” Vignettes can be poems, stories, descriptions, personal accounts…anything goes really. The key is that a vignette is extremely short — just a quick snippet.

Honorable Mention: Blogs. A blog is not a type of writing; it’s a publishing platform — a piece of technology that displays web-based content on an electronic device. A blog can be used to publish any type of writing. Most blogs feature articles and essays, but you can also find blogs that contain diaries or journals, poetry, fiction, journalism, and more.

Which of these types of creative writing have you tried? Are there any forms of writing on this list that you’d like to experiment with? Can you think of any other types of creative writing to add to this list? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment, and keep writing.

20 Comments

What is “flash” writing or stories.

Flash fiction refers to super short stories, a few hundred words or fewer.

its very helpful especially to those students like me who wasn’t capable or good in doing a creative writing

I’m glad you found this post helpful, Elena.

I also found this to be very helpful, especially because I don’t do very well at writing.

Thanks for letting me know you found this helpful. Like anything else, writing improves with practice.

Thank you Melissa. It’s very helpful!

You’re welcome!

Over all good list. Yes blogs can be publishing platforms but only if something is written first. I read what you wrote on a blog.

Thanks a lot Good job

Are these types of creaitve writing the same or different if I need to teach children’s creative writing? Can you recommend a website to teach these?

Hi Marie. Thanks for your question. I’ve come across many websites for teaching children’s creative writing. I recommend a search on Google, which will lead you to a ton of resources.

these are very helpful when it comes to getting in college or essays or just to improve my writing

Thanks, Donte. I’m glad you found this helpful.

Free writing really helps me get going. For some reason my prose are much better when I am not beholden to an overall plot or narrative with specific defined characters. I like to free writer “excerpts” on theprose.com. It allows me to practice writing and receive feedback at the same time. I am also trying to blog about writing my first novel, both for writing practice and to keep myself accountable. It really helps!

I feel the same way. Free writing is always a fun and creative experience for me.

Was trying to give an inservice on writing skills and the different types of writing.

Your wok here really helped. Thanks.

You’re welcome.

Hi, Melissa can you assist me ? I’m trying to improve my writing skills as quickly as possible. Plz send me some more tips and trick to improve my writing and communication skills.

You are welcome to peruse this website, which is packed with tips for improving your writing. I’d recommend focusing on the categories Better Writing and Writing Tips for writing improvement. You can also subscribe to get new articles send directly to your email. Thanks!

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Understanding Different Genres in Creative Writing

• July 26, 2024

Are you a creative writer ? If yes, you might be seeking the secret to creative writing that transports your readers to a world of dreams and imagination. The secret lies in understanding the magical realm of diverse types of creative writing or genres in creative writing.    

Creative writing is a vast field of stories that deal with various genres. Understanding different genres not only helps you find your niche but also provides clarity about what kind of subject you want to write on. In this article, we will explore different genres of creative writing. So, let us dive into the diverse genres of creative writing and elevate your writing into a piece of art.   

What Is a Genre in creative writing? 

A genre in creative writing is a category, classification, or a writing style characterized by the theme or subject of the writing. Each genre has its specific area to deal with, based on which the whole story or writing revolves around. Examples of genres could be fiction and non-fiction.   

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What Are the Different Genres in creative writing? 

Genres are mainly classified into fiction and non-fiction, which are further classified into various sub-genres. Here is a list of distinct genres to help you understand.   

Fiction  

A story or a depiction created from the author’s imagination and is not proven as a fact is called fiction. Sometimes fiction can be inspired from real-life stories with the addition of imagination out of creative freedom .  

Categories under fiction are: 

• Action: This genre is something that consists of adventurous sequences like protagonists fighting with mighty enemies, chases, and explosions. It is fast paced and high in energy.   
• Fantasy: It is a genre that is all about imaginary universes and magical experiences. Harry Potter is the best example for this genre.   
• Science-fiction: Also called sci-fi, it deals with futuristic concepts with advanced science and technology.   
• Mystery/Thriller: This genre is all about mysterious series events related to crime and anticipation.   
• Horror: Horror genre uses fear of ghosts and monsters to keep the audience hooked to the plot. It explores dark subjects like spirits and apocalyptic events.  
• Romance: Stories that are about love, romance, and emotions.   
• Comedy: Stories of this genre consist of laughter, humor, and sarcasm. Comedy genre is for the audience who love to read something that makes them laugh aloud.  
• Historical: This genre is about imaginary stories that take place in a historical setting based on real events that happened back in time.   

Non-fiction  

Writings that provide information or speak about real life themes, situations, and topics instead of imaginary are categorized as Non-fiction.   

Categories in non-fiction are:  

• Memoir/Autobiography: When an author shares experiences, memories, and lessons from their own life, it is called a memoir while autobiographies are simply the biographies written by the person themselves.   
• Biography: Biography is a story of a person’s life. Usually, biographies are written about famous and inspiring personalities.  
• Self-help: This genre is to write something that gives the readers guidance or instruction on a particular topic or problem.   

Understanding various genres in creative writing will help you decide what topic and context to write about. As a creative writer, it is significant and fundamental to stick to a genre. Explore the 98thPercentile website to learn more about such insights.   

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1: What is a genre? 

Ans: Genre is a classification or category in writing to differentiate themes or topics of the subject.  

Q2: Why is writing in different genres important? 

Ans: Writing in different genres is important because it allows authors to touch various aspects of storytelling and gives clarity to readers to what to expect from a book or writing.  

Q3: Why is it important to know the difference between genres? 

Ans: It is important to know the difference between different genres, it helps the writers to stick to relevant theme or subject to narrate a story.  

Q4: How to select a genre to write? 

Ans: You can select your genre based on your preferences of selecting movies or books. Also, make sure you are confident about writing in the genre that you select.  

Q5: What are the examples of the fiction genre? 

Ans: Fiction is further classified into many sub-genres, but includes comedy, thriller, fantasy, romance, and action.  

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What are the Genres of Creative Writing?

The Black Bear Review boasts about accepting work in all four literary genres, but what does that mean? In simplest terms, genres are used to organize, categorize, and classify literature. The four primary genres of creative writing are fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and drama.

Fiction:  The fiction genre includes all works conceived primarily out of the writer’s imagination. Although fiction may include some elements of reality (names of real-life towns or natural phenomena), it relies on make-believe events to drive plots that often parallel, rather than recite, real-life circumstances. Some examples of fiction form are the novel, short story, or novella.

Creative Non-Fiction:  Writers of creative non-fiction develop stories based on true to life events but often infuse their own personal views and experiences in their work. Creative non-fiction pieces go beyond fact to appeal to readers through story, experience, and imagery. Some examples of creative non-fiction forms are personal essays, book reviews, memoirs, interviews, and cultural criticisms.

Poetry:  Poetry includes writing meant to be heard out loud as well as read on the page. Although poetry can take many forms, its foundation is built on a balance of rhythm, imagery, metaphor, and other techniques used to communicate abstract ideas to readers. Poems may be structured (haikus, and sonnets), unstructured (free verse), or even appear to read as a narrative (prose poems).

Drama:  The genre of drama can include both the fictitious and the fact. In a drama, the story is primarily conveyed through dialogue between characters. It may reference sound and movement, but much is left to reader’s imaginations. Drama includes movie scripts, ten-minute plays, screenplays, and written stage productions.

* Much of the information in this article has been taken from “Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft” by Janet Burroway and “Write Moves” by Nancy Pagh. We recommend looking into these books for yourself. They’re excellent resources to add to any writer’s toolbox!

Copyright © 2020 Black Bear Review

Genres of Writing

Writing in the Disciplines (Various Genres)

• Brief Guides to Writing in the Disciplines from Harvard University – Includes downloadable writing guides for History , Philosophy , English , and Psychology
• Genres of Writing from Duke University – Offers guides for the many genres you may encounter while writing in college, including annotated bibliographies , creative writing , ethnography , summaries , academic email , cover letters , and personal statements

Critique Writing

• Critique Writing from The University of Arizona – Explains each part of a typical summary-critique paper of an academic article, and includes a sample paper with notes

Literature Reviews

• Writing a Literature Review from Boston College Libraries – Describes the different phases of writing a Literature Review
• Literature Reviews from UNC Chapel Hill – Provides strategies and helpful tips for writing a Literature Review

Job and Fellowship Applications

• Navigating the Application Process from Carleton’s Career Center – Guides and advice on writing resumes and cover letters, asking for references, preparing writing samples, and even writing a thank you note

Research Writing

• Designing a Research Question from advanced authentic Research – Walks through the process of crafting a research question, with a focus on STEM

Science Writing

• Writing Lab Reports from Indiana University Bloomington – Provides explanations of each section of a typical lab report

Writing for the Web

• Writing for the Web from Carleton’s Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR) – Explains how to write effectively for online readers

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Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief

Psychology in Everyday Life

Fourth edition | ©2022 david starkey.

ISBN:9781319406530

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ISBN:9781319215965

Read and study old-school with our bound texts.

A lively, practical approach to writing in four creative genres.

How can students with widely varied levels of literary experience learn to write poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama — over the course of only one semester? In Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief , David Starkey offers solutions to the challenges of teaching the introductory creative writing course: (1) concise, accessible instruction in the basics of writing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama; (2) short models of literature to analyze, admire and emulate; (3) inventive and imaginative assignments that inspire and motivate. For the fourth edition, in response to reviewer requests, the literature and writing prompts have been significantly refreshed and David Starkey has added "Write Before You Read," prompts at the beginning of each chapter, brief author biographies and dates of publication following works in the anthologies, new guidelines on conducting genre-specific workshops both in-person and online, and a new section on writing for social change.

New to This Edition

“Starkeys Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief  is one of the most comprehensive introductory texts currently being published. The writing on craft fundamentals provide a strong foundation for beginning writers and the diverse examples in the anthology feature some of the best contemporary authors. Ive been using this text since the first edition and feedback from students is always excellent.” —Thomas Maltman, Normandale CC “My favorite part of the text is Starkeys clear, succinct chapters explaining the conventions of each genre. He provides students with enough information to begin writing in an unfamiliar genre without completely overwhelming them.” —Yelizaveta Renfro, Saint Mary’s College “A top-notch textbook on creative writing that dissects poetry, prose and drama for beginners.” —Robert Moreira, The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley “ Creative Writing is a fantastic book that deftly engages early writers in the craft. Starkeys focus on shorter forms cleverly balances the 21st-century drive for concision with the eternal elements of good writing: inspiration, practice, and revision.” —Christopher Cartright, Georgia Southern University

Fourth Edition | ©2022

David Starkey

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Table of Contents

David Starkey is Professor of English, Director of the Creative Writing Program, and former Director of the Composition Program at Santa Barbara City College. A frequent collaborator with the late Wendy Bishop, Starkey helped develop a pedagogy focused on the cross-pollination of composition and creative writing. In addition to his work with Bishop, which includes the co-authored Keywords in Creative Writing (2006), he is the editor of two collections of essays on pedagogy, Teaching Writing Creatively (1998) and Genre by Example: Writing What We Teach (2001), and a special issue of Teaching English in the Two-Year College (Dec. 2014). Starkey is a poet ( Dance, You Monster, to My Soft Song, 2021; What Just Happened, 2021), a writer of fiction and creative nonfiction (published in American Literary Review, in Cimarron Review, in Living Blue in the Red States, and elsewhere), and a playwright whose plays have been produced across the U.S. Starkey is also a committed practitioner, and his writing on corequisite composition is informed by his participation in SBCC’s Express to Success program, an early-adopter of the ALP/corequisite model. His conference presentations in recent years have emphasized his pedagogy and passion for working with a broad range of student writers. He is currently editing a collection of essays on teaching corequisite composition.

Fourth Edition | 2022

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The Complete List of Writing Genres (+ Examples)

Any written piece can be categorized into writing genres. These categories are not watertight, that is, one work of writing can belong to multiple genres. But what is a genre?

What are genres?

Genres are categories we put different kinds of writing into. Writing inspires genres, and genres, in turn, create rules for writing.

This can be approached from both ways: one may write their own way and let the writing fall into genres on its own, or, one can choose what genre to write in.

After similar kinds of writings have given rise to a genre, the genre takes a life of its own. It develops rules, techniques, jargon, syntax , patterns, and more.

How many literary genres are there?

Different writing has inspired different genres. Today there are several genres and sub genres under them. Not all genres are literary genres. For example, to-do list can become a sub-genre or a part of listicles.

Let us digress a bit to understand  mediums . Mediums are modes in which the piece of writing is delivered. These can be emails, letters, engravings, books, and so on.

Literature has many  forms  of writing: poetry, novels, essay, prose fiction, non-fiction prose, letter, short story, etc.

Literary fiction genres falls under the following categories:

Historical Fiction

Historical fiction writes about important historical events and characters. Historical fiction books go through thorough research and then a story is born out of it. All characters and events have significance, and it has its place in the past. They can be seen from larger historical and world perspectives.

There are numerous historical fiction novels today. Even minor historical events can give rise to that. Writers like Hilary Mantel, Madeline Miller, Leo Tolstoy, Philipa Gregory, Markus Zusak, Yaa Gyasi write historical novels.

Historical fiction can be divided into several subgenres. With deeper research in history writers have digged up intricate details series of works have been done on them. Historical works can come in the topics (both fiction and non-fiction) of Holocaust ( Schindler’s Ark , Thomas Keneally), Palestine ( Palestine , Joe Sacco), Jalianwaha Bagh ( Jalianwaha Bagh , V N Dutta), Colonialism ( An Era of Darkness , Shashi Tharoor), World Wars ( A Farewell to Arms , Ernest Hemingway), etc.

These works have historical settings and create an awareness of the world around us.

Romance Novels

Romance novels focus mainly on romantic relationship and love between two characters. In older times romance novel relied on man-woman relationships but romance genre has become more inclusive.

Romance meant something different in Medieval English literary. Courtly love, tales of chivalrous knights meant romance.  Arthurian Romances ,  Perceforest ,  Lancelot – Grail  are some famous medieval romances.

Some modern novels on romance are  The Fault in Our Stars ,  Gone With The Wind ,  Call Me By Your Name  by Andre Aciman,  Heartstopper ,  Red, White and Royal Blue  by Casey McQuiston,  The Return  by Nicholas Sparks, etc.

Romance books generally takes two or more characters, make them fall in love, creates obstacles and the quest is to solve them to reach their romantic resolution.

Science Fiction Novels

Science fiction novels deal with advanced scientific facts and worlds, and how these futuristic societies will function in such an environment. It is kind of a probable speculative fiction with plausible scientific backup and data.

Science fiction is a favourite among science enthusiasts. Today, we have science fiction romances as well, and inter-species love stories. Some popular science fiction novels are  Dune  by Frank Herbert,  The Martian  by Andy Weir,  The War of The Worlds  by H G Wells,  A Wrinkle in Time  by Madeline L’engle,  Jurrasic Park  by Michael Crichton,  Solaris  by Stanislaw Lem, and so on.

Mystery Fiction

This deals with mysteries simply as the name suggests. This can be a mysterious event like a puzzling death, a missing artifact or finding the cure of a weird disease. Detective novels are also referred to as mystery fiction.

The characters in the story solve the mystery using clues, and every chapter either contain a small resolution or a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger is an important part of mystery novels as it helps keep the readers hooked.

Thriller novels are also a part of mystery novels. Thrillers have high suspense, complex plots and further subgenres like psychological thrillers, crime thrillers and so on.

Well known detective novelists are Agatha Christie ( And Then There Were None ,  The Murder of Roger Ackroyd ), Dan Brown ( Angels and Demons ,  The Da Vinci Code ), and Arthur Conan Doyle ( Sherlock Holmes ). Gillian Flyn ( Gone Girl ), Stephen King ( Pet Sematary ,  The Shining ), Ken Follet ( The Evening and the Morning ,  Eye of the Needle ), James Patterson ( The Ninth Month ,  Murder in Paradise ),  Edgar Allan Poe , Henry James ( Turn of the Screw ), Ruth Rendell (have written mystery fiction.

Horror Novels

Horror novels tell horror stories that includes imaginative material, supernatural elements, ghosts, monsters, psychopaths and the fear of unknown. They are written to entertain a set of readers who enjoy macabre things and mysterious phenomenons.

Popular horror books include  It  by Stephen King,  The Haunting of a Hill House  by Shirley Jackson,  Frankenstein  by Mary Shelley,  Dracula  by Bram Stoker,  Psycho  by Robert Bloch, etc.

Fantasy Novels

Fantasy is a booming literary genre. It employs fantastical elements, supernatural plots, characters with superpowers, magical settings and phenomena. We have all heard of J K Rowling in this case.

J K Rowling was the author to bring  Harry Potter  and the world of magic into the popular literary scene. Since then, many fantasy books have been highlighted:  Game of Thrones  by George R R Martin,  Lord of the Rings  by J R Tolkein,  Six of Crows  trilogy by Leigh Bardugo,  The Chronicles of Narnia  by C S Lewis,  Alice in Wonderland  by Lewis Carol and so on.

Magical realism is a serious part of historical and fantasy fiction where supernatural elements are woven into the reality for specific literary purposes.

Crime Fiction

Crime fiction deals with crime stories of various sorts. Whether its murder, or theft, or other illegal activities, crime fiction covers all. Crime fiction involves the police, the government and organizations under it. The characters are either on the side of the law, or the rule breakers.

Murder on the Orient Express  by Agatha Christie,  The English Patient  by Michael Ondaatje,  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  by Stieg Larsson,  The Snowman  by Jo Nesbo,  The Postman Always Rings Twice  by James Cain,  The Silence of the Lambs  by Thomas Harris,  The 6:20 Man  by David Baldacci are some well-known crime novels.

Crime fiction can have imagined elements or be based on true story.

Biography/Autobiography

This type of books are non-fictional in nature. They deal with the life of important figures who have contributed to various fields of lifeor society in general.

While biographies are written by others, autobiographies are written by oneself.

Steve Jobs  by Walter Isaacson,  Frida: A Biography  by Hayden Herrera,  A Beautiful Mind  by Sylvia Nasar,  The Autobiography of Malcom X  by Alex Hayley, are popular biographies.

The Diary of A Young Girl  by Anne Frank,  Becoming  by Michelle Obama,  Wings of Fire  by A P J Abdul Kalam,  I Know Why A Caged Bird Sings  by Maya Angelou,  The Story of My Life  by Helen Keller are some of the greatest autobiographies.

What are the major genres of literature?

Literature today, with the advent of the internet, has given birth to numerous writing genres. Creative writing has taken a turn for the good. Literarature began with religious writings, magical elements, magical creatures, moving on to dramas of Shakespeare and other playwrights, then to travelogues, utopian fiction like  Utopia  by Thomas More, poetry of various sorts, literary prose, nonfiction genres of essays and business letters, war writing, academic writing. Poetry, essay and novels were the traditional narrative.

Novels were popular in Victorian times and branched into several major genres later. Novels began with travel writing, and moved into incorporating emotions, reflecting deeper psychological insight into characters like in  stream of consciousness , comedic elements like in  comedy of manners , dystopian novels of George Orwell ( 1984 ), Aldous Huxley ( Brave New World ) and so on.

What are the 21st-century genres?

21st century has thousands of micro genres under its wing. From sci fi novels to social media posts which contain short literary compositions, this era has seen it all. We have seen the rise of digital literature, writings on important social issues like refugees, minorities, ethnic studies, speculative fiction stories, magic realism like of Gabriel Garcia Marquez ( One Hundred Years of Solitude ), Haruki Murakami ( Kafka on the Shore ) are some popular writing genres.

Tomas Laurinavicius

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The 17 Most Popular Genres In Fiction – And Why They Matter

We have put together a list of the 17 most popular genres in fiction to help you with your writing.

What Is Genre?

Genre is a style or category of art, music, or literature. As an author, genre controls what you write and how you write it. It describes the style and focus of the novel you write. Genres give you blueprints for different types of stories.

There are general rules to follow, for example, manuscript length , character types , settings , themes , viewpoint choices, and plots . Certain settings suit specific genres. These will vary in type, details, intensity, and length of description .

The tone employed by the author, and the mood created for the reader, must also suit the genre.

There are often sub-genres within genres, for example, a fantasy story with sinister, frightening elements would belong to the dark fantasy sub-genre.

Why Does Genre Matter?

Genres are great because they fulfil reader expectations . We buy certain books because we have enjoyed similar stories in the past. Reading these novels gives us a sense of belonging , of sitting down with an old friend and knowing we’re on familiar ground . There is also a camaraderie between readers who follow the same genres.

Writers can use this to their advantage because their boundaries are models on which to base stories. Genres reflect trends in society and they evolve when writers push the boundaries. Readers ultimately decide if the experiment has worked by buying these books.

The most important part of genre fiction, though, is that it fulfils our human need for good, old-fashioned storytelling . We sometimes need stories we can rely on to blunt the harsh realities of life.

 The 17 Most Popular Genres In Fiction

• Romance .   These stories are about a romantic relationship between two people. They are characterised by sensual tension, desire, and idealism. The author keeps the two apart for most of the novel, but they do eventually end up together.  There are many sub-genres, including paranormal, historical, contemporary, category, fantasy, and Gothic. There are also many tropes in the genre: 101 Romance Tropes For Writers
• Action-Adventure . Any story that puts the protagonist in physical danger, characterised by thrilling near misses, and courageous and daring feats, belongs to this genre. It is fast paced, the tension mounting as the clock ticks. There is always a climax that offers the reader some relief.
• Science Fiction . This genre incorporates any story set in the future, the past, or other dimensions. The story features scientific ideas and advanced technological concepts. Writers must be prepared to spend time building new worlds and using genre-specific words . The setting should define the plot. There are many science fiction sub-genres . There are also many tropes in the genre: 101 Sci-Fi Tropes For Writers
• Fantasy .   These stories deal with kingdoms as opposed to sci-fi, which deals with universes. Writers must spend plenty of time on world building. Myths, otherworldly magic-based  concepts, and ideas characterise these books. They frequently take cues from historical settings like The Dark Ages. There are also plenty of sub-genres here. There is also a specific terminology and many tropes in the genre: 101 Fantasy Tropes For Writers
• Speculative Fiction . These stories are created in worlds unlike our real world in certain important ways. This genre usually overlaps one or more of the following: science fiction, fantasy fiction, horror fiction, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history.
• Suspense/Thriller . A character in jeopardy dominates these stories. This genre involves pursuit and escape. It is filled with cliffhangers and there are one or more ‘dark’ characters that the protagonist must escape from, fight against, or best in the story. The threats to the protagonist can be physical or psychological, or both. The setting is integral to the plot. This is often described as a gripping read . A Techno Thriller is a sub-genre.
• Young Adult . Young Adult (YA) books are written, published, and marketed to adolescents and young adults. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) defines a young adult as someone between the ages of 12 and 18, but adults also read these books. These are generally coming-of-age stories, and often cross into the fantasy and science fiction genres. YA novels feature diverse protagonists facing changes and challenges. This genre has become more popular with the success of novels like The Hunger Games , The Fault in Our Stars , and Twilight .
• New Adult . New Adult (NA) books feature college, rather than school-aged, characters and plotlines. It is the next age-category up from YA. It explores the challenges and uncertainties of leaving home and living independently for the first time. Many NA books focus on sex, blurring the boundary between romance and erotica.  
• Horror /Paranormal/ Ghost .  These are high-pitched  scary stories involving pursuit and escape. The protagonist must overcome supernatural or demonic beings.  Occult is a sub-genre that always uses satanic-type antagonists. There are also many tropes in the genre: 101 Horror Tropes For Writers
• Mystery/Crime .  These are also known as ‘whodunits’. The central issue is a question that must be answered, an identity revealed, a crime solved. This novel is characterised by clues leading to rising tension as the answer to the mystery is approached.   There are many sub-genres in this category.
• Police Procedurals are mysteries that involve a police officer or detective solving the crime. The emphasis rests heavily on technological or forensic aspects of police work, sorting and collecting evidence, as well as the legal aspects of criminology.
• Historical. These fictional stories take place against factual historical backdrops. Important historical figures are portrayed as fictional characters. Historical Romance   is a sub-genre that involves a conflicted love relationship in a factual  historical setting .  
• Westerns . These books are specifically set in the old American West. Plotlines include survival, romance, and adventures with characters of the time, for example, cowboys, frontiersmen, Indians, mountain men, and miners.  
• Family Saga . This genre is about on-going stories of two or more generations of a family. Plots revolve around things like businesses, acquisition, properties, adventures, and family curses. By their nature, these are primarily historical, often bringing the resolution in contemporary settings. There is usually a timeline involved in these books.
• Women’s Fiction.  These plot lines are characterised by female characters who face challenges, difficulties, and crises that have a direct relationship to gender. This is inclusive of woman’s conflict with man, though not limited to that. It can include conflict with things such as the economy, family, society, art, politics, and religion.

• Literary Fiction .  This genre focuses on the human condition and it is more concerned with the inner lives of characters and themes than plot. Literary fiction  is difficult to sell and continues to decline in popularity.

Writing For Children

Writing for children is not really a genre, but a way of writing.

Please read these posts:

• Writing For Children – 12 Practical Tips To Get You Started
• 10 Powerful Recurring Themes In Children’s Stories
• Everything You Need To Know About Creating Characters For Children’s Book

Changes In Genres

With the advent of self-publishing and ebooks, these genre guidelines have become less strict. This is because a publisher does not have to produce thousands of physical copies of the book. However, if you want to publish traditionally, you should still consider genre requirements.

How To Become Generic

Isolate your target market, research it, and adapt your story if necessary. Look in bookshops – they are generic, sorting books into categories to make it easier for their busy readers to choose and buy whatever will guarantee them a good read. Read: How To Choose Your Genre .

TIP: If you want help with your elements of fiction writing, buy The Novel Writing Exercises Workbook .

If you enjoyed this post, read:

• The 5 Essential Elements Of A Perfect Ending
• 5 Really Good Reasons To Outline Your Novel
• How To Resuscitate A Lifeless Scene
• The 7 Critical Elements Of A Great Book
• 12 Crucial Things To Remember About Setting
• 9 Literary Terms You Need To Know

Top Tip : Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop .

• Genre , Publishing , Writing Tips from Amanda Patterson

7 thoughts on “The 17 Most Popular Genres In Fiction – And Why They Matter”

This is wonderful and so easy to read. I wish there were more sub-genres and I guess there are, but it would be weird to list them, like steampunk, vintage, and Western could be in every category except maybe sci-fi. LOL!

~Tam Francis~ http://www.girlinthejitterbugdress.com

I’m glad you enjoyed it, Tam. Yes, I could have listed many sub-genres, but it would have been overwhelming. Thank you for the feedback.

Amanda, thanks for the concise but telling descriptions. One question I have is about overlapping genres. Above, there are aspects of the Action Adventure genre that seem to overlap with the Thriller genre. It seems to me many stories have components of multiple genres and I assume you pick the one that fits best. Great article!

Thank you, Robert. You are correct. Genres do bleed into each other, but it’s impossible to categorise everything perfectly. When we teach our courses, we talk about crossing genres. In point 5, I talk about how genres overlap, and they all do to some extent. You might find this article helpful. It deals with children’s fiction – which is an age group – not a genre, and it shows how many genres and grey areas one can find in this age group. http://imc.library.appstate.edu/bibliographies/genres I hope this helps.

Maybe this is just the difference between South Africa and North America, but here we use “speculative fiction” to encompass both Science Fiction and Fantasy and all their subgenres. So in the US and Canada we wouldn’t say that speculative overlaps SciFi or Fantasy. We’d say the set SciFi and the set Fantasy are both subsets of the set Speculative Fiction. For more info: http://whatisspecfic.com/

Kristen, I do not think it is accepted as a fact anywhere in the world. There are many critics and writers who try to use speculative fiction as a blanket term, but there are just as many who reject it. ‘Margaret Atwood is one of these writers, and her use of the term “speculative fiction” generates strong reactions from her own readers as well as from science fiction readers in general. Atwood stresses the idea of speculative fiction is different from science fiction, for she sees science fiction as “filled with Martians and space travel to other planets, and things like that.” Atwood seems to view science fiction as inferior to speculative fiction in that science fiction seeks only to entertain, whereas speculative fiction attempts to make the reader rethink his or her own world based on the experiences described the novel. ‘ http://www.gradesaver.com/the-handmaids-tale/study-guide/about-speculative-fiction I have included more links about how these genres are seen to differ below: http://annieneugebauer.com/2014/03/24/what-is-speculative-fiction/ https://www.sfsite.com/columns/amy26.htm – This says that speculative fiction is a sub-genre of Science Fiction and Fantasy http://io9.gizmodo.com/5650396/margaret-atwood-and-ursula-k-le-guin-debate-science-fiction-vs-realism

Gosh … nothing for Comedy? 🙁 That’s my main interest ~

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© Writers Write 2022

18 Text Types (with Examples) – Writing Styles Explained

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Learn about our Editorial Process

Texts types, also known as genres or text forms, refer to categories of texts with different purposes. Depending on the purpose, each type of text will have have a different convention of style and structure.

It is essential to understand text types and their conventions because:

• Interpretation: It helps us understand the text’s intentions, trustworthiness, and bias
• Text Creation: It helps us to create texts that are most effective, depending upon the purpose

Below is a list of the most common text types and their key conventions, style, structure, and purpose.

Text Types Examples

1. narrative.

Purpose: A narrative text aims to tell a story to the reader. It isn’t always just about telling a story for entertainment, though. The purpose of narrative text also lies in its capacity to engage the reader’s imagination, impart a moral lesson, or just simply pass on a tale through generations. For example, narrative stories are used in folklore and folktales to pass-on cultural values and stories.

Style: The style of a narrative text is distinctive. It employs a chronological sequencing of events. Coherent, right-branching sentences, varying in length, create rhythm and draw the reader into the unfolding story. Active voice is favored to maintain directness and immediacy, bringing scenes alive.

Structure: Beginning with an orientation, it introduces characters, setting, and time. Short initial sentences establish the context. The complication, the next part, presents problems or conflicts. A series of sentences, varying in length and complexity, takes the reader through ups and downs. Ultimately, the story reaches a resolution, where the achievement or solution is laid out.

2. Descriptive

Purpose: A descriptive text is designed to describe something in a detailed manner. The writer attempts to paint a vivid image in the reader’s mind, often by intricately describing an object, person, place, experience, or situation.

Style: Adjectives play a significant role in a descriptive text. They enrich the text, adding depth to the description. Similes, metaphors, and other figurative language might also be used for more creative descriptions. The sentences can be diverse, ranging from concise statement of facts to long, detailed depictions .

Structure: A descriptive text often starts with a short, general overview of what is being described. Then, it delves into details, exploring appearance, characteristics, functions, and other aspects. It closes with a brief summary or a final remark on the described subject.

3. Expository

Purpose: The main goal of an expository text is to inform or explain. It aims to provide the reader with comprehensive information about a specific topic. This type of text gives out facts and provides deep insights, explaining complex concepts or procedures in a manner that the reader can understand.

Style: The style of an expository text is systematic and straightforward. It has an emphasis on clarity. It avoids ambiguity and confusion.

Structure: Beginning with an introduction that briefly outlines the topic, an expository text then offers a well-structured exploration of distinct aspects of the topic. Each paragraph introduces a different point related to the topic. The conclusion summarizes the main points and offers final insights.

Read More: Expository vs Argumentative Essay Writing

4. Argumentative / Persuasive

Purpose: An argumentative or persuasive text is structured to persuade the readers by presenting a point of view. It defends a position regarding an issue or topic, using reasoned arguments, facts, statistics, and real-life examples to convince readers and lure them into adopting this point of view.

Style: These texts should be precise, logical, and grounded in evidence. The use of rhetorical devices like ethos, logos, and pathos can help persuade and appeal to the reader’s sense of ethics, logic, or emotions.

Structure: Key here is to map out a clear and structured argument, often presenting the most compelling points at the beginning and end of the piece. Consider using an essay plan. Your piece may start with a clear statement of the thesis or position. Then, provide supporting evidence and arguments, section by section. Each paragraph can offer a different reason or piece of evidence supporting the thesis. A conclusion is then needed to sum up the argument, restate the thesis, and call the reader to action.

5. Instructional

Purpose: An instructional text serves to provide instructions or directions on how to do something. It aims to guide the reader through a sequence of steps to achieve a certain goal or complete a task efficiently.

Style: Unlike persuasive texts, instructional texts should not try to convince anyone of anything. Your job is to strictly provide facts. The language is direct, to-the-point, and unambiguous.

Structure: Instructional texts usually start with an overview of the task or goal, and possibly, what the end result should look like. Following that, a list of materials or requirements would come next. After this, a step-by-step guide detailing how to accomplish the task is written.

6. Procedural

Purpose: Procedural texts are designed to guide the reader through a sequence of actions or steps necessary to accomplish a specific task. These tasks might be related to cooking, science experiments, emergency procedures, or machinery operation, among others.

Style: Procedural texts are characterized by precise and unambiguous language. It is critical that the wording is exact to ensure clear communication of instructions.

Structure: Procedural texts should be written with the same goal in mind as instructional ones: begin with an overview of the task, followed by any necessary materials or preparation steps. Next, a detailed, step-by-step procedure is included. It often concludes with any necessary follow-up instructions or warnings.

Purpose: The purpose of a recount text is to retell past events, usually in chronological order. It serves to provide a detailed account of an event, experience, or historical occurrence.

Style: A recount is usually descriptive and personal, involving a chronological presentation of events, with expressive language to convey emotions or impressions that the writer felt during the events.

Structure: A typical recount text starts with the introduction, setting the scene, and often specifying the time, place, and participants involved. The series of events then unrolls in the order they occurred. Finally, it concludes with a personal comment, reflection, or evaluation of the event.

Purpose: Report texts are written to present information about a subject. The subject could range from real-world entities like animals, humans, or natural phenomena to abstract concepts like principles, theories, or ideas.

Style: Reports are communicated objectively without the use of personal pronouns or subjective language. They contain facts, statistics, and specific information related to the subject, presented in a clear, systematic manner.

Structure: A report usually begins with an introduction, defining the topic and offering a brief overview. A series of sections or subheadings then ‘chunk’ the content to make it easy to navigate, each covering different aspects of the topic. A conclusion or summary often ends the report.

9. Discussion

Purpose: A discussion text is intended to present multiple perspectives on a specific issue, allowing the reader to consider all angles before forming their own viewpoint. It aims to deepen understanding and foster a broader perspective by objectively exploring diverse opinions and arguments related to a topic.

Style: Discussion texts use neutral, unbiased language. The writer presents all sides of the argument fairly and objectively, without leaning towards supporting one over another.

Structure: The text begins with an introduction of the issue at hand. This is followed by presenting point and counterpoint for each aspect of the issue, examining arguments in favor and against it. An effective discussion text ends with a conclusion or summary that encapsulates the multiple perspectives without indicating a personal preference.

10. Response

Purpose: A response text serves to provide a personal interpretation or reaction to a piece of content, such as a book, film, article, or speech. It aims to deepen the understanding of the original content, examine its components, and express personal thoughts, feelings, and reactions to it.

Style: Response writing is subjective, reflecting the opinion and personality of the writer. Despite the writer’s personal voice being apparent, a good response should maintain an even-handed and critical approach.

Structure: Commence with an overview of the content being responded to, including its title and creator. Next, give a brief summary or description of the content. Following this, present your personal reactions, impressions, and points of critique. Lastly, conclude by summarizing your views and stating your final thoughts.

Purpose: The purpose of a poetic text is to convey emotions, experiences, concepts, and ideas using creative and imaginative language. It’s a form of verbal art that uses aesthetics and rhythmic qualities to charm and engage readers.

Style: Poetic language heavily incorporates figurative and connotative language. It frequently uses devices such as similes, metaphors, rhyme, rhythm, assonance, and alliteration to create a specific mood or emotion.

Structure: The structure of a poem can vary vastly – it may adhere to a specific form (like sonnets, haikus, or limericks) complete with rules regarding rhyme, meter, and stanza length, or it may be free verse, with no such rules.

12. Journalistic

Purpose: Journalistic texts aim to report news stories to inform readers, viewers, or listeners about events happening locally or globally. These texts provide factual information about real-world event in a balanced, fair, accurate, and comprehensive manner.

Style: Journalistic writing requires use of clear, concise, and direct language. The language is primarily factual and explanatory, striving to be impartial and unbiased.

Structure: Journalistic texts usually adopt the “inverted pyramid” structure. The most crucial information is presented first – summarizing the ‘who, what, where, when, why, and how’ of the story. Following paragraphs provide further details and context, with the least important information towards the end.

See Also: Informational Texts Examples

13. Transactional

Purpose: Transactional texts serve to communicate an intended message between individuals or organizations. Common examples include emails, reports, proposals, business letters and memos.

Style: The tone and style of transactional texts depend on their intended audience and purpose. Formality levels may vary – generally, they are written in clear, straightforward language.

Structure: Transactional texts usually start with a salutation or an introduction, followed by the body containing the key message or information. They end with a closing, which may include a call-to-action, a closing remark or a sign-off.

14. Exemplification

Purpose: Exemplification texts are those which use examples to make a point, stress a point, or clearly present a pattern or form. These texts aim to make abstract ideas concrete, clarify concepts, or provide evidence supporting statements or theories.

Style: The language of exemplification texts is straightforward and facts-based, leveraging detailed examples to make concepts clearer and more understandable.

Structure: They start with a thesis statement or main idea. Next, they introduce and elaborate various specific examples to exemplify and prove the thesis statement. Finally, a conclusion wraps up the discussion and reiterates how the examples support the main idea.

15. Compare and Contrast

Purpose: The purpose of a compare and contrast text is to examine the similarities and differences between two or more subjects, such as concepts, items, people, or events. It aids in understanding and scrutinizing the association between the subjects.

Style: This kind of writing is analytical and require a balanced and objective presentation of facts, making sure to avoid bias or favoritism.

Structure: Such texts generally follow one of two structures: block or alternating. In the block method, all about the first subject is described, followed by all about the second. In the alternating method, corresponding points about the first and second subjects are alternated for comparison.

Read More: Compare and Contrast Essay Examples

16. Cause and Effect

Purpose: Cause and effect text is written to identify and explain the reasons or causes for an event or behavior and the resulting effects or outcomes. It establishes a relationship between variables and events.

Style: Clarity is particularly important in cause and effect writing because it should aim to lucidly explain causal chains where one thing leads to another.

Structure: Generally, the text starts with an introduction to the event. This is followed by the ’cause’ section explaining its origins or reasons. Then comes the ‘effect’ section detailing the outcomes, consequences, or results. Lastly, a conclusion synthesizes the major points and may contain author’s opinion on the event.

Read More: Cause and Effect Examples

17. Diary/Journal Entry

Purpose: A diary or journal entry is written to express personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences, making them a form of autobiographical writing. The objective is self-reflection, documentation of life events or ideas, and emotional exploration.

Style: Being highly personal, these texts don’t normally adhere to strict stylistic protocols. Language is informal and conversational, representing the writer’s voice.

Structure: Diary or journal entries do not follow a strict format. They often start with the date and proceed with the entries. Entries can range from brief notes to detailed narratives.

18. Critical Review

Purpose: A critical review analyses, interprets, and appraises a text or other work (like a film or play). It’s meant to provide an evaluation of the item’s merit, significance, value, or relevance, based on careful examination and evidence-based claims.

Style: Even though a critical review presents the writer’s opinion, it should be a balanced, logical, and professional examination of the work.

Structure: A traditional critical review includes an introduction summarizing the key details of the work being reviewed, the body containing the evaluation, and a conclusion summarizing the review.

Read More: Critical Analysis Examples

Full List of Text Types and Genres

• Descriptive
• Argumentative / Persuasive
• Instructional
• Journalistic
• Transactional
• Exemplification
• Compare and Contrast
• Cause and Effect
• Diary/Journal Entry
• Critical Review

Understanding text types allows you to effectively communicate ideas and information to your target audience. It provides a structured framework that guides the writing process, enhancing clarity and coherence. Additionally, it aids in comprehension, helping readers navigate and understand the text in its intended way. Lastly, knowledge of text types helps improve critical reading skills, enabling readers to discern the underlying purpose and structure of various texts.

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1 thought on “18 Text Types (with Examples) – Writing Styles Explained”

Dear Professor Drew,

My name is Ana de Mesquita and I am from Brazil. I have been teaching English, French and Brazilian Portuguese as a second language since 2008. I really appreciated your article about texts. It is quite helpful. Best regards,

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Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief

How can students with widely varied levels of literary experience learn to write poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama — over the course of only one semester? In  Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief,  David Starkey offers some solutions to the challenges of teaching the introductory creative writing course: (1) concise, accessible instruction in the basics of writing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama; (2) short models of literature to analyze, admire and emulate; (3) inventive and imaginative assignments that inspire and motivate.

View page at the Mcmillan Learning website. Also available from Bookshop.org .

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Throughout this immersive program, participants will explore storytelling craft and technique with daily thematic focuses. Engage with a diverse range of published works to build a comprehensive understanding of different creative writing genres.

This course isn't just about studying literature; it's about becoming a creator. Through varied prompts, students will craft their own stories, poems, comics, and nonfiction pieces. They'll receive personalized feedback from published authors to enhance their unique voices.

Our focus is on the evolution of writing itself. Engage in dynamic discussions on the writing process and the art of revision. Experiment with various writing forms and techniques, navigating different stages of crafting narratives.

For more details or to secure your spot in this unique creative opportunity, contact us at (813) 974-3355 or via email at [email protected]. Ignite your passion for storytelling and contribute to meaningful conversations on social justice through the power of words!

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Ukraine’s Push into the Kursk Oblast: Putin's Response Is Coming

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The policymaking season in Russia begins in the final days of August, as a critical number of officials return from summer vacations. It won’t be long before the full political repercussions of Ukraine’s Kursk offensive become clear.

Note: This op-ed was written as a contribution to the National Interest symposium on the Ukrainian operation in Kursk.

Ukraine’s offensive in the Kursk region has caught the Russian political and military leadership off guard. While many observers have long recognized Ukraine’s ability to strike within Russia’s internationally recognized borders, the prevailing assumption in Russia was that Kyiv would gain little from such an operation. This belief persisted amidst relative political stability in Russia and general skepticism among Ukraine’s international partners about Kyiv’s ability to shift the war’s dynamics.

However, the situation has evolved: ongoing purges among Russia’s military leadership, frantic Kremlin attempts to block access to YouTube and other messaging platforms, and other recent developments have contributed to growing uncertainty. This shifting landscape may have created an opportunity for Ukraine to launch a bold and risky incursion into Russian territory.

As of the end of August 2024, the scale of the Ukrainian advance in Kursk appears limited to several hundred square miles—a small fraction compared to the over 40,000 square miles of internationally recognized Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia. So far, Russian forces have largely contained the Ukrainian troops’ advance in Kursk. The extent of destruction and displacement in the Kursk region remains relatively easy to hide from the broader Russian public, at least for now.

Nevertheless, the mere presence of entrenched Ukrainian forces in the Kursk area, along with attacks on neighboring Russian regions, has visibly pressured Moscow. Russian social groups that support the war against Ukraine are demanding effective countermeasures. To appease these demands, the Kremlin needs to quickly expel Ukrainian forces from Kursk or achieve a breakthrough elsewhere along the battlefront. Whether Moscow can do so, even with potentially weakening Ukrainian resistance in the Donbas, remains doubtful.

What Kursk Means to Moscow and Washington 

The Kursk invasion has also exposed significant shifts in the public stances of Washington and Moscow. In late 2022, the United States reportedly viewed Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine as a real possibility, especially as Russian forces were being pushed out of Kharkiv and Kherson. This perception led to a temporary slowdown in U.S. military aid to Ukraine. Today, however, Washington appears unfazed by Russia’s reaction to Ukraine’s direct incursion into Russian territory. Ukraine, in turn, has noted the apparent blurring of Russia’s “red lines.” Could this signal a forthcoming shift in U.S. policy toward aid to Ukraine?

Meanwhile, the Russian leadership has struggled to deliver a clear message in response to the Kursk attack. Typically adept at crafting strong rhetoric and reassurance, President Vladimir Putin has recently shown limited ability to set the agenda in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Russian officials have also been inconsistent in their diplomatic posture. For instance, Moscow recently ruled out negotiations with Kyiv, using the Kursk invasion as a pretext. This stance could lead to a stalemate at a time when Russia might benefit from talks; Ukraine is unlikely to withdraw from Kursk voluntarily, and ejecting them has proven challenging for Russia. Additionally, China, Russia’s key ally and one of the few third parties it listens to, has been vocal in demanding a diplomatic solution . By refusing to negotiate, Moscow may risk alienating its primary ally.

About the Author 

Mikhail Troitskiy is a visiting scholar at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University, and a visiting professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. 

Image Credit: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.

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