The 18 Types of Writers, How to Recognize Them, and What They Do

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by Outranking
Updated On: October 6, 2023
The 18 Types of Writers, How to Recognize Them, and What They Do

The 18 Types of Writers, How to Recognize Them, and What They Do

How many types of writers are there?

Here are the 18 most common types of writers, how to recognize them, and what they do!

It’s easy for writers to fall prey to the various traps in writing. You may have a difficult time with this if you believe that everything must be perfect before you send out your work. You may experience writer’s block, fear that all your hard work won’t turn out well enough and needs more revisions, or struggle with figuring out where one idea starts and another end.

Who are these types of writers? You can recognize these types of writers by their unique techniques and styles for writing.

Here’s how to recognize them: Follow the guide to writing styles below, or if it doesn’t apply, look up the one in this list that best fits your work. If you have a hard time figuring out what type of writer you want to become, then take some online quizzes about yourself as well!

Why should you be a writer?

types of writers

There are many reasons why writing is a good idea. Some may write to release their thoughts and ideas, some may use it as an effective source of grounding and stress release, and others might want to speak to an audience. All these different types of writers have one thing in common: they all enjoy the process of writing despite the difficulties that come with it.

In this article, we discuss why writing can help you experience your life more fully and what makes a good writer. It’s important to be clear with the goal of communicating with words because it will improve your chances of reaching that goal.

Authenticity is key when trying to get published or reach an audience because it allows people to relate better to your work and gives them a sense of connection.

What are the different types of writers?

Writers are not all the same. Some may be more introspective, and some may be more analytical, but they are all about words. There is a difference between nonfiction and fiction writers because of their different purposes. Nonfiction is more about facts, while fiction is more about imagination. Writers come in different colors and shapes, but they are all about words.

Here are the types of writing jobs that you can do!

All these types of writers are variations of a much bigger category as types of content writers. No matter the type of writer you are looking for, they are all considered content writers.

Technical writer

Technical writers are specialists who are skilled at writing instructions and articles that help others understand complex technical information more easily. They gather information from a variety of sources and aggregate it in useful formats that maximize understanding.

A technical writer may work with product designers, engineers, and graphic designers to craft an instruction manual for a new product, often in the software development field. They are responsible for the formation of content that will be used by other teams to create or build products.

Healthcare technical writer

Technical writers gather information from a variety of sources and aggregate it in useful formats. They work with product designers, engineers, and graphic designers to craft an instruction manual for a new medical product, an effective part of medical practice SEO strategies . Healthcare technical writers also develop procedural documentation.

The term technical writer is used to describe those who write for a variety of purposes. Healthcare technical writers can work as self-employed independent contractors and be paid by the hour or word.

Medical technical writers are often hired by large institutions, such as academic medical centers or research organizations. They work with a scientific team to develop documents, shaping how projects are conducted and what they hope to accomplish. The median salary for a healthcare technical writer in 2021 was $67,640 per year.

Ghostwriters

Ghostwriters are people who write content under the published author’s name. Ghostwriters can be anonymous or named on the cover of their work. Copywriters, technical writers, and medical writers can also be ghostwriters.

A ghostwriter is hired primarily as a professional freelance writer who fills in for an author. The “author” usually gets full credit for all the original work produced.

When you need content, you can hire an SEO copywriter to write it for your website or blog. Ghostwriters are often a source of quality content, and you can find them online on websites like Upwork or Freelancer.com.

Ghostwriters are often hired to write a book for an author, who may or may not be the one writing the outline. If they want their credit shared with the ghostwriter, then there is usually a lower fee. The two parties should agree on how their gross profits will be shared over time before any payment is made. You can make good money by ghostwriting if you know what you’re doing and have experience in handling the ins and outs.

Copywriters

Copywriters create marketing materials. They also produce general business material, such as website content, blog posts, newsletters, sponsored articles, case studies, and white papers.

In 2022, skilled copywriters can easily earn six figures. They are responsible for producing engaging text and proofreading their work to ensure accuracy and quality. In 2022, the industry is predicted to continue growing, with many job opportunities opening up.

Copywriters were the most in-demand job of 2018. Although they don’t need formal training or education, businesses are hiring copywriters left and right because they need effective marketing.

Copywriting is a broad term that includes advertising, websites, emails, blog posts, and brochures. This type of writing focuses on the immediate response, such as an ad to drive activity or website copy for search engine optimization purposes. Branding has now evolved from general marketing towards a focus on results down the road.

UX writer

A user experience (UX) writer creates microcopy for apps, websites, or digital products. They can create a copy in different formats, such as microscopy or long-form. A good UX writer also has a good understanding of product design and business strategy, which allows them to be successful in their career. The salary range can vary depending on where you work within this profession, with the 25th percentile being $104,000 to the 75th percentile being $139,000.

A UX writer is someone who creates copy for products and web experiences, such as user interfaces. They are also responsible for content strategy. One job at Netflix even asked for experience with fiction or screenplays!

Novelist

Types of creative writers include novelists, journalists, screenwriters, poets, and essayists. Novels are stories of fiction, but some authors may use a historical background. Some authors enjoy global fame; others might be perfectionists (or not). Ernest Hemingway rewrote the ending of A Farewell to Arms 47 times.

Poet

Many different types of writers exist. Poets are people who write poems in verse, often with shifting rhythms and patterns. Some poetry is written in sentences or incomplete sentences.

Poetry is unique, and unlike prose, it typically has a rhythm or rhyme. It can be compared with other literary forms, but it differs in its use of language and the emotions evoked by words.

Story writer

Different types of writers are identified by their skills and experience, but they all have one thing in common. They are the creative minds that create stories for themselves, media outlets, or other companies. Story writers can be social or non-social people, and the type of work depends on the contract terms.

Story writers are paid on average $49,046 per year and enjoy an artistic career. To become a story writer, one should pursue an education such as a bachelor’s or master’s degree in creative writing.

To find a job as a story writer, it may be useful to have experience in other jobs such as a producer or editor.

Lyricist

Lyricists are the authors who write songs. They write lyrics and sometimes the melody. Lyricists earn an average annual salary of $25,600, while songwriters earn $71,160 on average annually.

Freelance lyric writers have more flexibility in scheduling and can earn money from royalties. In general, freelancers write lyrics for a song on their own time, while staff writers can attend writing sessions during normal business hours. Collaboration is common between freelancers and staff writers, though this is not required.

Regardless of the success that can be achieved in this field, it is important to note that collaboration is key. Each person brings what they can bring, and advancement might mean working with higher-earning and better-known artists. Songwriting has the potential for a lucrative income, as well as high demand, depending on how successful you are at creating songs or lyrics.

10x your content production

Empowering writers, not replacing them.

Screenwriter

Screenwriters write and develop screenplays for film or TV drama by adapting an existing story, joining an existing project, or being commissioned by a producer.

A screenwriter is a creative person who develops and researches ideas for original movie screenplays. They write or adapt a story into scripts and pitch films to producers, directors, and financiers. The skills needed are knowledge of the English language, excellent written communication skills, persistence, and determination, as well as verbal communication skills to be successful in this field.

A screenwriter writes scripts for movies and TV shows. Scriptwriting jobs are growing at a slow rate, with an estimated 6% growth in the number of roles between 2010 and 2020.

Screenwriting is a type of writing job that involves the development and coordination of a screenplay. The highest salary for a screenwriter in the United States is up to $207,871 per year, while at the lowest it may be only around $14,531 per year.

Types of scriptwriting:

  • News writing
  • Video script
  • Screenplay

Biographer

Biographers compose compelling and accurate accounts of individuals’ lives. Biographers can focus on general biographies, modern figures, or historical figures.

Biographers often choose one person to write about and conduct extensive research on their subject. They may also interview people who were involved in the events of the person’s life they are writing about. A biographer is paid an average of $97,712 per year for this type of work.

A biographer collects information about a person’s life for publication in books, magazines, and academic journals. A bachelor’s degree is typically needed to be employed full-time as a biography writer.

Editor

An editor is a person in charge of ensuring that a company’s written material is accurate and quality. Editors plan, coordinate, and revise materials for publication in books, newspapers, periodicals, or websites. Editors are responsible for reviewing story ideas to decide what material will appeal most to readers.

Copy editors are the assistant editors in charge of a particular subject. They proofread text for errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling and check for readability, style, and agreement with editorial policy. Executive editors oversee copy editors ensure that they publish stories that meet their standards.

Critic

A critic is a person who evaluates and analyzes creative works such as books, fine art, films, television shows, fashion, and theatre performances and then shares their opinion. Critics typically have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

A critic is a person who may write about movies, books, or other media content. They offer their opinions on these works to the general public. A writer’s salary can range widely from $10,518 to $213,261, with a median salary of $38,902, while critics typically earn between $38k and $96k.

To build up your career as a movie critic, you usually need to earn at least a bachelor’s degree. Your critiques can be positive or negative.

Researcher

A researcher is someone skilled in gathering, organizing, analyzing, and presenting the information. As a research writer, you must be able to do extensive in-depth research, as well as know-how to work with databases.

A researcher is a writer that conducts research and then publishes the results of their work. Their job also includes writing technical documents, such as proposals, reports, journal articles, or books. Papers are typically written in a standard format, with headings and sections to make it easier for readers who may not be familiar with the content.

A researcher is someone who studies a topic in depth. A research paper includes the author’s knowledge of their subject, as well as how they use that information to answer questions or solve problems.

Historian

There are several different types of writers, including historians, prehistorians, and other historical writers. Historians evaluate sources for accuracy, and historical writers are concerned with the continuous narrative and research of past events. A good historian carefully evaluates their sources, links causes to effects, weighs competing explanations, and assigns significance to actors, ideas, and events.

Historians are typically found working with archives, books, and artifacts. They carefully evaluate sources to determine if they’re authentic or not before considering them and writing a report. Historians also analyze data gathered from these items to look for their significance and connections with other events that may have taken place during the same time period.

The highest salary for a history writer in the United States is $97,712 per year. The lowest salary for a history writer in the United States is $31,534 per year.

Blogger

A blogger publishes posts on an online journal or website. Their primary job is to write informative blog posts that provide valuable information for people. Bloggers create a free and easy-to-read platform for their readers, with the hope of getting more followers from those who find value in what they have written.

To build trust with readers, professional bloggers should make their content easy to read and free. Bloggers can easily earn between $300 and $400 per month by monetizing their website through advertisements or affiliate marketing.

Types of blogs that writers can create:

  • Fitness blog
  • Travel blog
  • Business blog
  • Review blog

And much more!

Columnist

Columnists are people who write opinion pieces for newspapers and magazines. This is one of the most popular types of writing that can be taken up as a part-time job. Academicians, senior journalists, and political activists often choose to take up writing columns as their career choice.

Being a columnist is a popular field of writing that can be taken up as a part-time job. A column generally showcases an expert in the field, who enlightens the masses by sharing their expertise to create awareness about certain topics and issues.

The word “columnist” is a broad term that can be applied to anyone who writes articles for publication, but the more specific definition would only refer to people who have expertise in a particular area of study. These experts often write columns and publish them on various news websites or blogs.

Journalist

Journalists are those who write about important issues and publish these writings on media platforms. Journalism may be the most revered type of writing, as it reaches global audiences.

Journalists have a wide range of career options, from starting as an undergraduate to complete a master’s degree in journalism. The two most common degree requirements for jobs are a BA or MA in journalism or English.

How to become a writer

How to become a writer

As there are books about every possible topic, there are also different types of authors. Some write nonfiction books, which are based on true information and facts. Other authors write fiction books or opinion articles. There is not one specific type of author that can be identified as the best to pursue as a particular career path.

It’s not easy to find a job as a writer, but the reason people write is that they have stories inside them that are burning to get out. You can look for inspiration from everywhere, including memories of your own life or incidents in your children’s lives. Keep an eye on what you’re writing about with this list of the 18 types of writers with descriptions detailing their roles and responsibilities.

Here are some tips that will help you become a writer!

Read everything!

The first step to becoming a writer is reading everything. Reading stuff that you know you like and stuff that you know you don’t like will help identify your ideal writing style, which can then be used to identify the type of writer you want to become.

For beginners to become writers, they need one thing: time. It might seem like an impossible task at first, but as long as you don’t give up and take small steps toward your goals every day or two, you’ll be fine.

Start writing

It’s not just about starting to write or writing the first 100 words of content. It takes a lot more work than that, and this is easier said than done. Writing doesn’t have to be difficult, and it can even be fun, so keep at it even when the going gets tough!

To keep that habit, you might want to start a blog as well or take up some part-time work in your free time to build up your experience.

Take a writing course!

A writing course is the best place to start to learn how to write better. One of the most important steps when becoming a writer is mastering the language, which takes time and practice. It’s not easy to construct sentences about your hero or heroine that will make your readers weep with envy, but it’s possible! The Art of Fiction by John Gardner is one of the best books out there for aspiring writers.

Most people know that there are many different types of writers. While some write for the fun of it, others do so because they need to make a living from their writing skills.

If you want to master the use of words and be more persuasive with your prose, then you could always take up a course in creative writing or other forms such as poetry and fiction.

Make a plot!

Writing a story or a large blog post is daunting, but you can start with the plot. With the proper direction, you should not have trouble completing the writing. For blogs, you can use Outranking to make your plotting and planning easy.

Also, you might want to set a goal to complete write-ups day by day and set an alarm for the same time every day.

Keep writing!

Sometimes, writing can be a difficult task. This is why it’s important to write at least 100 words every day. Writers should continue to write on the majority of days, even if you don’t feel like it or think that you’re not getting anything done. It’s also important for writers to understand that life happens; when bad things happen in life, it can offer inspiration and shouldn’t stop you from writing.

Keep writing!

Keep a journal and set small goals!

Rewrite

The best way to sharpen your writing skills is by rewriting your work sentence by sentence. After a writer has rewritten a story, they should go back and edit the heck out of their novel. The scariest step in being a writer is seeking advice from friends and family or those who have been in the industry for years.

Authors should always revise their work to make it the best version possible within the given time. This is a difficult task, but with patience and determination, an author can accomplish the goal of rewriting their work into a better form that they can feel proud of.

It’s also important not to get discouraged by negative feedback because there are many different types of writers in the world who might provide a variety of constructive criticism on your writing style or grammar mistakes that you’ve made.

Rinse and repeat

Once you have taken in all the critical feedback and are done with all the changes, then keep repeating what you have done right! Writing might feel boring, tough, and mentally exhausting, but if you love writing you should not stop. Rather, you should plan, flare up your creativity, and start writing again!

10x your content production

Empowering writers, not replacing them.

What is an author’s point of view?

There are four main types of writing: narrative, descriptive, expository, and argumentative. Each author has their own style which can change from project to project. The author’s overall tone or mood shapes their overall writing style.

Types of writers’ personas

A persona is a voice or assumed role in a literary work. It is defined as the thoughts of a writer or a specific person.

Writers need to be able to identify and understand various types of writing because this can help them reach their audience.

There are many different types of writing, but the most prominent is fiction. People read fiction for entertainment or escapism from reality; however, it can also serve as a tool for social commentary if used correctly.

Fiction has been used by authors such as Franz Kafka and William Shakespeare to explore philosophical ideas about human nature through characters that don’t exist in real life.

The author is often considered the narrator of the story, which can be in the first-person or third-person point of view. The narrator also has a perspective on what’s happening and how they feel about it, which may not match with reality.

Types of writers’ styles – What are the types of writing?

types of writing

There are four main types of writing: expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative. Each style has a distinct approach to telling a story or explaining an idea.

When writing, it’s important to know what type of writer you are. By knowing the types of writers and their styles, you can determine which ones will be most effective in your work.

Here is a brief introduction to those writing styles!

Expository writing is one form that includes both direct words describing something or an explanation on a topic without mentioning anything else about that particular issue. It relies heavily on facts, with little emotion or detail outside essential points for explaining how things work in general terms.

The descriptive style of writing provides more visuals rather than just relaying facts. There are many different types of descriptive writing, and they can be identified by their grammar or content choice. Writers who use this style often create vivid images in the reader’s head to show what it would look like if these events actually happened.

Narrative writing is used for fiction and can be utilized in various projects. The 18 types of writers above all have different styles, preferences, and interests. This article includes an explanation of each type, as well as how to recognize the writer’s style when reading their work.

The various types of writers are often categorized into two groups: persuasive writing and informational writing. This is an important distinction because the types of writing have different purposes.

Persuasive writers use their skills to craft captivating content that will likely be effective in getting people’s attention or can help them make a decision about purchasing something they need or want.

Why do writers use different types of sentences?

Different types of sentences are used because they have different purposes. The type of sentence is determined by the desired tone or effect that is being conveyed to the reader. The tone can be formal, informal, humorous, persuasive, or informative.

Informative writers take a systematic approach to layout the information that they have about a given topic or subject. They write in an organized way so that it is easier for the reader to grasp new concepts.

Conclusion

These types of writers often work to be interchangeable, so they can easily write in more than one style depending on their capability. You could easily be both a freelance copywriter and a video scriptwriter! All these types are flexible, except for some like medical writers, who might need additional qualifications.