In this age of digital marketing, writers are taking on an increasingly important role. Many of them write blogs to add to web site content. Others write social media posts that drive business.
But digital marketing is not the only platform available. There are also novelists, poets and even songwriters who get creative with words.
Writers can also be classified by the type of genre they write. For instance, there are fiction and nonfiction writers, comedy writers, romance writers and more.
This article will review the different types of writers and genres so you can further explore the world of literary art.
Types of Writers
Let’s start by exploring the different types of writers that are out there.
Novelists: As evident by the name, novelists are writers that write novels. Novels are typically fictional in nature, but they have elements of nonfiction that makes them believable. They are long form, usually at least 100 pages. Shorter novels are considered novellas
Poets: Poets write poems. Poems consist of short lines of text constructed to make verses. Although conventional poetry often rhymes, modern styles are nonrhyming. Poetry often contains abstract images that may be perceived differently by different people. It can be humorous or serious and it can explore a wide variety of subjects.
Lyricist: Songwriters are writers too. Songwriters are similar to poets in that their text typically consists of short phrases put together to make verses. Both poets and songwriters look to create a certain rhythm with their words. However, songwriters may be more focused on how the words will sound when accompanied by instrumentation.
Playwriters and Screenwriters: Playwriters and screenwriters have very similar tasks. They write stories, much like a novelist would, only the story is told through dialogue and actions the characters perform. Therefore, a play or screenplay would be written in back and forth text along with descriptions of the actions being taken.
While screenwriters write for screen and playwriters write plays, the material they write is pretty much interchangeable. The only consideration would be the action scenes as there are more possibilities considering the effects that can be used in cinema as opposed to what’s available in a live play format.
Many books are adapted into movies. In these instances, it will be a screenwriter’s job to work with the text of the book and adapt it into screen play form.
Speechwriter: Have you ever seen a politician speak at a public appearance? They usually sound very eloquent. Some have the writing skills they need to make themselves sound knowledgeable and professional, but often times, they have a speechwriter assist them. A speechwriter takes their ideas and creates wording to ensure they sound intelligent and that they don’t make any grammatical errors.
Speechwriters are not only for politicians. Corporate hotshots, influencers and celebrities are just some of the types of professionals that call in a speech writer to make them sound their best.
Biographer: Tell all books are quite popular. Although many biographies seem as if they are written by the person they are about, if you look on the book cover, don’t be surprised if you find that they were actually written by another person. Sometimes, the person the biography is about will be listed as the author along with a co-writer who was probably responsible for taking the subject’s life and translating it to paper.
Biographers typically sit down with subjects to find out the details of their lives. Then they put those details down on paper in a way that sounds amusing and entertaining.
Blogger: In today’s digitally based world, it seems like everyone has a blog. But in order for your blog to have any success, it’s essential to have good writing skills.
Bloggers will typically write on one main topic such as fashion, mommy tips, automotive repairs and so on. There may not be a lot of creativity involved but having good grammar skills and using an engaging voice is a must.
Content Writer: Many businesses have blogs on their web site. The people that write for these blogs can also be considered bloggers, but I prefer to think of them as content writers. These are usually freelance writers that write for a company to provide content that will increase their online visibility.
Content writers often use keywords, links and other SEO strategies to get the web sites they are writing for to rank highly on search engines.
They may also provide content for social media sites. Unlike blogs that can be several pages long, social media content is typically short, sweet and to the point. It may also include keywords and other SEO strategies.
Editors: Editors go through articles before they are published to make sure they make sense and are free of grammatical errors. Although editors are not responsible for content creation, they usually have superior writing skills. This helps them oversee any type of content before it is made available for public consumptions.
Ghostwriter: Many of the types of writers listed in this article can also be considered ghostwriters. If you are a ghostwriter, it means the content you are writing will be credited to someone else. Ghostwriters are commonly used in the writing of biographies and online content.
Journalist: It’s a journalist’s job to write up news stories and conduct interviews. Often, the journalist will have to do the research involved before writing the story. Therefore, they may find themselves doing anything from interviewing celebrities to going to the frontlines in the middle of a war.
Once a journalist has the information they need, they must put it into article form using a very straightforward writing technique that focuses on the who, what, when, where and how.
Translator: It is a translator’s job to take text written in one language and translate it to another language. Although you may think that anyone who has Google Translate is qualified to do this job, that is not the case.
When using straight translation techniques, you will find that many words and phrases sound awkward. It is up the translator to make sure the words flow in the language the text is being translated to.
In addition to translating text, translators may also be used to translate in live situations. This gives them a wide range of opportunities to earn income.
Critic: It’s a critic’s job to critique movies, restaurants, books and other places and materials people are interested in checking out. It is also up to them to put their thoughts on paper or into speech format so they can convey them to the public. This takes superior writing skills.
A critic must have the ability to communicate their thoughts in a way that sounds intelligent and is grammatically correct.
Librettist: Somewhere between a songwriter and a playwriter, a librettist is responsible for writing the text for musical works such as operas and musicals. These feature stories that are told partially or entirely in musical form. This makes the job challenging and interesting at the same time.
Encyclopaedist: Encyclopedias are not written by any one author. Rather they are a compilation of works contributed by various people called encyclopaedists. These people must not only have the skills to find the information, they must be able to put it into a written format that is grammatically correct and easy to understand.
Historians: Historians are not only responsible for finding out what happened in the past, they must put that information into written form that is understandable and without error.
Lexicographer: Lexicographers are people who write dictionaries. Using words to describe other words? I can’t even imagine how difficult that might be.
Researchers and Scholars: Researchers and scholars present discoveries and ideas through a written format. These ideas are often quite influential and have a profound effect on society.
Diarists: Anyone who writes in a diary can technically call themselves a diarist. But in the literary world, we often reserve the term for someone who writes personal accounts that cover important moments of history. The Diary of Anne Frank and private accounts from Samuel Pepys’ diary are great examples.
Letter Writers: Just like professionals might need speech writers to make them sound intelligent during public appearances, they also may employ letter writers to make sure all their written transmissions sound good. Although the term letter writer might seem kind of old fashion today, we can update the description to include email writer, text writer, direct message writer and more.
Report Writers: Reports can be written to describe conditions in a professional setting so they can be studied for review and reform. Often, these reports need to be written in an exacting manner that may require more than basic writing skills. However, having a mastery of grammar will be essential.
Grant Writer: Grant writers are familiar with the processes of writing a grant application. This includes not only the filling out of the application, it also encompasses writing a proposal that is worded in such a way that it is likely to be accepted. Grant writers are effective in raising funds for non-profits and other types of businesses and organizations who may be looking for financial support.
Young Adult: Young adult writing can fall into any genre, as long as it has a subject matter that is attractive to teens and people in their early twenties. However, young adult often defies age and is a genre in and of itself that people of all ages enjoy.
Genres of Writing
Now that we know the different types of writers, let’s talk about the different genres they can choose from. While certain types of writers, such as research writers, lexicographers and historians, may be limited in genre, other types of writers, like poets, bloggers and novelists, can explore different genres and get creative in what they write.
Keeping that in mind, here are some genres you might enjoy writing about.
Crime: A classic whodunnit is great for keeping people on the edge of their seats. This is a popular genre that has launched many successful authors.
Comedy: Being funny can be more challenging than it seems, but if you can master this genre, you may achieve some degree of success. Satire falls under the comedy genre and pokes fun at individuals or society. There are many famous works of satire that are well read and have received high literary acclaim.
Romance: If you like getting sexy, romance writing may be for you. Many writers have become hugely successful writing romance novels. Some even release series of books that are followed by fans.
Horror: A good horror story will keep readers white knuckling it all the way. If you don’t mind getting a little gory, this could be the perfect genre for you.
Fantasy: If you picture yourself as the next J.K. Rowling, consider trying your hand at writing fantasy. Based on the Harry Potter series, it’s obvious that this genre has unlimited possibilities when it comes to achieving success.
Sci-Fi: Closely related to fantasy, this is another popular genre that readers can’t seem to get enough of.
Children’s Writer: If you love entertaining children and never truly outgrew your own childhood, you may have the mentality to be a children’s writer. The books don’t require a lot of text and can be knocked out pretty easily by a writer who has the right mindset.
Western: If you like to fantasize about the Wild West, gunfights, and cowboys and Indians, try your hand at writing a Western. You can incorporate real and fictionalized elements to make your story exciting and believable.
With so many types of writers and genres out there, it may be difficult to find one that’s right for you. Think of your interests to determine what you think you would enjoy and try a few until you figure out what you’re comfortable with. Which ones will you be experimenting with?
Additional research for this article was sourced from the following: