SammyHoe: So where are our contributors for today? Divepen, nice job u are really pulling up here. Kip it up pls.

Thanz alot.

whitemosquito: Audrey darling, muchas gracias. Youre a rep saver. Lol. Thanks. Finally got hold of a laptop only to be told that the wi fi is dead.. Mssstchew. Ill deal with Divepen later.

You're welcome, dear. Glad I could help. I understand how you feel. Don't deal with Divepen too much sha. The guy has been through a lot!

AudreyTimms:
You're welcome, dear. Glad I could help. I understand how you feel. Don't deal with Divepen too much sha. The guy has been through a lot!

saved by the rings.
Thank you, ma.

oooooops....what's wrong??

Funtygbemi is here.

great one guys. @Divepen, aw do we get ask our questions later on,in case we're off. can we do so even after the programme

I don't know what happened but I've not seen
Flakkydagirl,
Queenxstar anywhere near here.
But I must thank my one and only Masquadalicious Whitemosquito/ White mosquito whose effort save the day.

funtygbemi: great one guys. @Divepen, aw do we get ask our questions later on,in case we're off. can we do so even after the programme

Just mention the person's name and ask I'm sure the person would be kind enough to answer these questions.

noble4d: oooooops....what's wrong??

As in?

Please, allow me to post this again.
DAY3
Introduction- 12:00-12:20
12:21-12:30- Poem/Short stories
12:31- 1:30- Type Of Narator- WHITEMOSQUITO--: Followed by questions and answers at the comment thread.
1:31-2:30- CREATING IMAGE IN STORIES-- QUEENXSTAR...Followed by Q and A section @ The comment thread.
2:31-2:40- Short story/Poem
2:41-3:40- BOOSTENING YOUR IMAGINATION--FLAKKYDAGIRL-followed by Q and A section @ The comment thread
3:41-4:40 - HOW SHORT STORIES CAN HELP YOUR IMAGINATION---MISSYHORLAH followed by question and answer @ the comment thread.
4:41-4:50- Short story/Poem
4:51- 5:50--- THE DEEP STRUCTURE OF A PLAY- NOBLE4D-- followed by Q and A section
5:51-6:00- short story/Poem.

DEEP STRUCTURE OF A PLAY

It's a privilege for me to emphasize on the above topic. let me use this opportunity to humbly express my gratitude to Divepen for trusting and believing in my ability in the work of drama...and to my noble bosses and friends, I salute you.


what is structure?

It is vital for a writer to know what structure means before attempting to write. In the Collins English dictionary, structure is the arrangement and interrelationship of parts in a construction.

In playwriting, structure is simply the mechanics of your play. It is the nuts and bolts of how you tell your story through acts, scenes, sequences, units of action, character arcs, journey, and timeframe.

In construction, you will all agree with me that the way we construct our houses differs...The structure of Gtbank and shoprite differs. The same applies to plays, you will never see or read two plays the same just as content differs, every play has different structural choices, but there are three common types of structure:

1, One act play/structure

2, Three act play/structure

3, Five act play/ structure.


Before I proceed, let me briefly put emphasis on the following:

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ACT & SCENE

Most play writes do make mistakes in placing act for scene and scene for act. Playwriting is like wrestling alligators, it's an interesting and a difficult task.

An act is a part of a play defined by elements such as rising action, climax and resolution...while a scene is a part of an act defined with the changing of characters. e.g....

ACT 1
In act 1, the conflict of the story is discovered. In this act, the exposition, the introduction of the protagonist, and other characters that the protagonist met take place, as well as the incident that sets the events of the story in motion occurs. In this act we can create five to ten scenes.

BACK TO TYPES OF STRUCTURE

One act play/ structure: one act play is a short drama that consists of only one act; it has few characters and less time. One act play can offer challenges for first time writers but i must tell you its interesting, I advice you to try it out.

Three act play/ structure: The three act structure is a model used in writing. Its a popular model and structure for play writes.

The first act is usually used for exposition, to establish the main characters, their relationships and the world they live in. later in the first act, a dynamic incident occurs that confronts the main character ( the protagonist) whose attempt to deal with the incident lead to a second and more dramatic situation known as the first turning point which signals the end of the first act, ensures life will never be the same again for the protagonist, and raises a dramatic question that will be answered in the climax of the play.


The second act also refers to as " rising actions", typically depicts the protagonist's attempt to resolve the problem initiated turning point, only to find him or herself in ever worsening situation. part of the reason
protagonist seem unable to resolve their problems is because they do not yet have skills or ideas to deal with the forces of antagonism that confront them. This made them to pull their guts together to deal with their predicament which in turn changes who they are. This is referred to as character development or a character arc.

The third act features the resolution of the play. The climax is the scene or sequence in which the main tensions of the play are brought to their most intense point and the dramatic question answered leaving the protagonist and other characters with a new sense of who they are.

Five act play/structures: I will say this is an odd form of play, not commonly use.

The first act introduces the protagonist and other characters, buildings up the tension in second, third, fourth act and the fifth act is the climax.

If you have any questions or want to know more in drama, contact me ( inuwaslove@gmail.com).

And you can ask him here, also. Am I right @ Noble4d?

Divepen: And you can ask him here, also. Am I right @ Noble4d?

alright....

I did not remind this People but I'm sure their integrity will help them do well today...
DAY4
Introduction- 12:00-12:20
12:21-12:30- Poem/Short stories
12:31- 1:30- DESCRIBING EMOTIONS--REPOGIRL...: Followed by questions and answers at the comment thread.
1:31-2:30- THE BEST WAY TO USE DIALOGUE--SAMMYHOE..Followed by Q and A section @ The comment thread.
2:31-2:40- Short story/Poem
2:41-3:40- HOW TO MAKE PEOPLE LOVE OR HATE YOUR CHARACTERS--KINGZPEN-followed by Q and A section @ The comment thread
3:41-4:40 - STICKING TO YOUR STYLE OF NARRATION-FLAKKYDAGIRL-- followed by question and answer @ the comment thread.
4:41-4:50- Short story/Poem
4:51- 5:50---STYLES OF WRITERS.--THEROCK5555
5:51-6:00- short story/Poem.

Lol @ integrity, divepen, how nao? I will be here unfailingly to post on my assigned topic but question and answer might be 'iffy' as today is my off day from phcn, forreal.

I promise to do my utmost bestest, see you at the assigned time.

repogirl: Lol @ integrity, divepen, how nao? I will be here unfailingly to post on my assigned topic but question and answer might be 'iffy' as today is my off day from phcn, forreal.

I promise to do my utmost bestest, see you at the assigned time.

Thanz alot...ma.

wao am enjoyin dis and av learn alot. God bless everyone in d house amen

Kayemjay...will you be chanced to drop your write up tommorow...

I open today with gladness in my heart with the help of God.
I want to thank all for their time with us, especially, our Nlsw's Whitemosquito.
Let me shift for my Ogas to take over the podium.
DAY4
Introduction- 12:00-12:20
12:21-12:30- Poem/Short stories
12:31- 1:30- DESCRIBING EMOTIONS--REPOGIRL...: Followed by questions and answers at the comment thread.
1:31-2:30- THE BEST WAY TO USE DIALOGUE--SAMMYHOE..Followed by Q and A section @ The comment thread.
2:31-2:40- Short story/Poem
2:41-3:40- HOW TO MAKE PEOPLE LOVE OR HATE YOUR CHARACTERS--KINGZPEN-followed by Q and A section @ The comment thread
3:41-4:40 - STICKING TO YOUR STYLE OF NARRATION-FLAKKYDAGIRL-- followed by question and answer @ the comment thread.
4:41-4:50- Short story/Poem
4:51- 5:50---STYLES OF WRITERS.--THEROCK5555
5:51-6:00- short story/Poem.[/b]

DESCRIBING EMOTIONS

Hi guys, good day and welcome, so.... I'm talking about how one can effectively describe emotions in one's characters. Now, a few days back, my colleague and friend audreytimms talked on showing and not telling your readers bluntly everything your character experiences. This is because like a painter, we writers are meant to paint a picture for the readers, where they visualise the setting and all that is going on in there. Just putting it bluntly out there is lazy and amateur and to have one's writing taken seriously, then one has got to put in the hard work!

Now I'm going to try to make this as easy as possible for everyone, cos I believe writing should be easy, it should flow through one with ease, even though most times the inspiration might be lacking and then, it's the numerous requests for an update that gets us off our lazy 'you know where'!

THE POWER OF EMOTION

Believe it or not, all successful novels have one thing in common, that's emotion, no matter the genre. It lies at the core of a character's decision, action and words. Without emotion a character's personal journey is pointless, no stakes exist and the plot line becomes dry. Readers pick up a book to have an emotional experience, laugh, cry, doubt, some might even get angry on behalf of the character. Readers read to connect with characters who provide entertainment and whose trials may add meaning to their own life experiences.

We as humans, are propelled by our feelings, they drive our choices and dictate our values. Emotion fuels our communication, allowing us share our beliefs with others. It may seem that most exchanges happen via conversation but studies show that 93% of all communication is non verbal, wow!

As writers, we must take our innate skills of observation and transfer to page.

NOW....

VERBAL AND NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Dialogue is often used for expressing a characters thoughts but it cannot deliver a full emotional experience by itself. A writer must also utilize nonverbal communication. This can be broken down into three elements:

Physical signals (body language, actions)- How our body responds outwardly when we experience emotion. because our characters are unique, they will express themselves in a specific way.

mental responses - This is a window into the thought process that corresponds with the emotional experience. Utilizing thought as a way to express emotion is an excellent way to convey to the reader how a character sees their world.

Internal sensations - These are the most powerful form of nonverbal communication and should be used with the most caution. These visceral reactions i.e breathing, heart rate, light headedness, adrenalin spikes, etc, are instinctive body responses and because people experience them, they will recognize and connect to them far too easily. Relying too much on it can create melodrama.

Since visceral responses are limited, a writer can use clichéd phrasings when describing them. A little goes a long way when using this type of non verbal communication, so do use with a light touch.

THE BALANCING ACT

It is easy to see the power of emotion and how it connects with a reader to the story and characters. the difficulty is in writing it well. Each scene must achieve a balance between showing too little feeling and showing too much. above all, the emotional description needs to be fresh and engaging.

WRITING NON VERBAL EMOTION

Firstly be wary of clichéd emotions, they're a sign of lazy writing, a result of settling on the easy phrase because coming up with something new is too hard. Clichéd emotions like 'the grin that stretches from ear to ear' implies happiness and 'a single tear pooling in the eye before coursing down the cheek' most certainly indicates sadness. Unfortunately these phrases lack depth because they don't allow a range of emotions. that single tear tells you the person is sad, but how upset is she? Sad enough to sob? Collapse? Will she be crying five minutes later? To relate with the character, the reader needs to know the depth of the emotion being experienced.

When writing a certain emotion, think about your own body and what happens to it when you're feeling that way. Excitement for example, the heart races and the pulse quickens. The speech of the person can become fast paced, the voice is higher and louder. You must observe, watch people - real flesh and blood specimens, lol, at the market, at school, work, park everywhere. Note how they act when they're overwhelmed, confused or irritated but please do not become a stalker. The face is the easiest to notice but the rest of the body is just as telling.

Next, you should endeavour to know your character, divepen makes a sort of character trait list which helps him build the attributes of his characters. A character trait list is a comprehensive positive and negative trait guide to your characters attributes and flaws. Individuals do things differently even mundane activities and emotions are no different. not every character will shout or throw things when angry, some might go completely silent, many for various reasons will cover their anger and act like they are not upset at all. Whatever your character is feeling, describe the emotion in a way specific to him/her. Now, also try to be consistent with your characters emotions, for example, a person who shouts and brawls when provoked should not be sitting quietly with anger brimming in the depths of his eyes in another scene, it is inconsistent with the characters emotions and might leave the reader wondering, waiting for him to explode while he seems to be managing to control himself pretty well.

Now, if all emotions were of average intensity, they would be much easier to describe, but emotions vary in strength. For example, fear, depending on the severity of the situation, a person might feel anything from unease to anxiety to paranoia to absolute terror. Extreme emotions require extreme description or descriptors, while relatively subtle emotion can be described as such. emotion must notbe dramatic all the time. Sad people needn't burst into tears all the time, happy people needn't jump for joy all the time, this type of writing results in melodrama and creates disbelief in readers because in real life its not all the time you are happy that you jump. It all depends on the intensity. Extreme emotions call for extreme indicators, temperate ones should be expressed subtly, while indicators for intermediate emotions will lie somewhere in the middle.

Make sure your characters feelings progress realistically. map out the emotional journey within the scene to avoid unintended melodrama. Extensive emotional scenes should be long enough to convey the appropriate information but not so long that you lose your audience. Write the emotion well, develop empathy for the reader, maximize the words you do use, but don't overstay your welcome.

Do not over rely on dialogue or thoughts to express what a character is feeling as it will lead to problems. you will be reduced to weak techniques like telling the reader what is being felt and then using exclamation mark to show it's intensity. Without any action to break the dialogue, the conversation will also sound stiff. Its about balance vary your techniques for maximum impact.

Also try not to misuse back story when enhancing reader depth. Every character is unique, largely influenced by past events. one sure way to gain reader empathy is to reveal why a character is the way he is, people are products of their past and as author,its important for you to know why your characters are the way they are and to pass that information along to readers. The difficulty is in knowing how much of the past to share. Do not reveal too much in an attempt to gain reader empathy. It will slow the pace of your story and then bore readers, tempting them to skip ahead to the good stuff. Determine which details from your characters past are necessary to share and dole them out through the context of the present time story to keep the pace moving. balance is key, remember!

HELPFUL TIPS WHEN DESCRIBING CHARACTER EMOTIONS

How do you keep the emotional reactions fresh without resorting to the same words and phrases over and over?

1. Don’t worry about it during a first draft

You can use a lot of place holder words for your first draft. Smiled, frowned, and gulped are all words that encapsulate the reaction. They require no brainpower, leaving you open to focus on the scene itself.

Use as many placeholder words as you want while drafting. They’re like writing shorthand and are easy to find and edit later.

2. Do a reaction revision pass

After the draft is done, try searching for all those common words you know you use a lot. For example, search for all instances of smiled, then decide if smiled is the perfect word for that situation, or if you can show that emotion or reaction in a better way.

Possible options include:

Can this emotion be expressed through a synonym?

Swap smiled for grinned, or trembled for shuddered.

Can this emotion be expressed through internalization?

A quick What a jerk might convey the same idea as a frown.

Can this emotion be expressed through dialog?

“You're hysterical!” can replace a smile or laugh.

Can this emotion be expressed through movement?

Her lip twitched and her eyes sparkled might work better than a smile.

Can this emotion be expressed through bodily functions?

Tears wet her cheeks like diamonds could work instead of she cried.

Can this emotion be expressed through involuntary reactions?

She jerked away, eyes tight, might show more than she cringed.

Can this emotion be expressed through other senses than usual?

Fear is often shown by how the stomach or throat reacts, but what about sounds or smells? Ears might ring, or things might sound distant and muffled. Scents might trigger memories that evoke the emotion you want to show.

Can this emotional be expressed through subtext?

Sometimes what we don’t say is more telling. “Why of course you can stay,” she said, ripping her napkin into small pieces

4. Don’t feel you have to change everything

do not eliminate these words completely from your manuscript there’s a good chance it’ll sound overwritten and feel like you’re trying too hard. If one quick word works, don’t worry about it. Don’t mess up your pacing just because you’ve used she frowned a lot.

Look for spots where you can layer in more than just simple reactions. Those moments where delving a little deeper in that reaction will also show an aspect of the character or allow for description or world building. Someone who’s nervous might play with things around them, or notice more than they normally would, or think crazy thoughts.

A scene that is designed to bring out a particular emotion is a great place to elaborate the details of a reaction. If you’re building on a character’s fear, you might start out with simpler physical reactions (like a gulp or racing heart) and then move closer into more visceral emotional responses.

Keep the importance of the emotion in mind. The more critical to the scene, the more you can flesh it out. For example:

The floor above creaked. She tensed.

The floor above creaked. Her hand flew to her throat, fingers trembling though the rest of her coiled tight. What was that? Was someone in the house?

If the next line in this scene is “She relaxed—just the cat” readers might find the overreaction a bit melodramatic. But if there is someone in the house, and this moment has been building for six chapters, then a larger reaction is both justified and appropriate (and probably expected).

5. Take the character into consideration

Like i said above, people react differently to things, and you and use that to maintain variety in your descriptions. Maybe someone is very physical and notices how their body reacts, while another is more cerebral and thinks through their emotions. Someone might hide what they feel while another announces it. Use the emotions to reflect the personalities of your characters.

Okay, so this is where I drop my golden pen, lol, I know it's a bit lengthy but worth the read. Thank you for the opportunity, dive, it was a good learning experience, even for me. Writers, i implore you to add more depth to your writing using these techniques, I know I definitely will. There are also resources that could make your work easier, Do check out these links, I couldn't have written all this without them.

http://www.writershelpingwriters.net

blog.janicehardy.com

Thanks.

hi divepen, I see you....

Wow... This is tu muchi...
This absolutely excellent...
Any question..
@ Repogirl, I had to read too nah..

Divepen post=/post/26826752:
Kayemjay...will you be chanced to drop your write up tommorow...

Yes I will be.

Time please.

Wow! Repogirl, go and become a lecturer na! I totally loved it- concise and straight to the point. Weldone girl!

AudreyTimms: Wow! Repogirl, go and become a lecturer na! I totally loved it- concise and straight to the point. Weldone girl!

lol, thanks oooo, but its one thing writing and one thing speaking, am more of writer than speaker.... Glad U found it comprehensive.

I'm sorry for my lateness. Hi Repogirl. Hi Divepen! Weldone for this great concept.

Can I launch right now?

HOW TO MAKE PEOPLE LOVE OR HATE YOUR CHARACTERS

I would outline my view of the above topic under seven points:

1. Make your characters exceptional at something.
This alone could drive the love of your readers towards these characters. Or perhaps, arouse the jealousy in your reader towards them. Example is a CEO of a noble company who has everything she wants at the snap of her fingers, but still takes time to cook her meal.
2. Make your characters care about someone/something.
This is another way of making your readers love or hate your characters. Their excessive care for something, at the detriment of another, can either make your readers love him or wish they punch them in reality. Example is a boy who left the school premises, thirty minutes before his final examination paper, to check on his sick mother in the hospital.
3. Make your good characters do bad things and your bad characters do good things.
4. Give your characters a unique voice.
All your characters shouldn't sound same. As we are all characters in this world, some can’t speak broken-English while some can’t even speak English save it’s broken and some can mix both in a single sentence.
5. Give your characters something to be passionate about.
Passionate people are interesting. That’s just it, they just are. Their passion points their weaknesses and power points as the story unfolds which could either attract them to the readers or otherwise.
6. Know what your characters fears.
Ones you point out their fears to the readers, make them face it. Thereof, the result is fun.
7. Bring up their past.
How your characters handle their past tells a whole lot about them. This can hereby make your reader want to hug them or slap them as the case may be.

Bonus Point: As some writers do, they save their characters from dying or protect them from passing through hell. It’s a no no. Impose them to pain and reveal their strength to your readers. Don’t over-protect them. Let them die if they have to, then raise up another.

Bonus Bonus Point: Too many characters isn't good. Try working with few at the beginning of your story. And most importantly, there are some characters you don’t have to create or even emphasis on. Little description would just do.


My Lil Cents...

Thank You...


Got these ideas from MenWithPens.ca

Hi to all readers and writers on this platform. Special thanks to DIVEPEN for this wonderful idea. God bless his big brain. Repogirl, Ishilove, TheRock, TeeDan, Zuby, I greet you all.
Here, the topic before me as you all know is

THE BEST WAY TO USE DIALOGUE
Have you ever read stories written in a way that you felt as if you were watching a movie throughout the time you spent on it to read it up? Yes, that’s the work of DIALOGUE in writing. Dialogue gives the readers the sensation that they are ‘watching’ whereas they are only ‘reading’.
Dialogue itself means conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play or movie
Dialogue in stories help to bring out the 3D images of characters in a story and impress them in your mind. It might sound strange. Yes, that is it! For example, you can predict someone’s nature by mere listening to the person’s voice through a phone conversation(though you may not be right sometimes).
That’s what dialogue does to your story. It makes you imagine what the general attributes of the person in your story would look like in reality.

Here is an example of dialogue:
“So, where are you going to?” Biola asked.
“Anywhere,” Sade responded in a tired voice.
“Anywhere is nowhere my friend.”

With the little dialogue above, you would understand the kind of situations the two characters are actually into, i.e a state of dilemma, indecision and despondency. Also, you have certainly known the relationship between them, just because one of them mentioned it. These are exactly what dialogue does.

Here is another example below:
“…through it all, I spent time…and time…and time…” the Professor was interrupted.
“Time times times, innit?”
…..
“Henry, I’m gonna test you as you said. Here are books, different in sizes, different in shapes, different in discipline…gyneacology, Mathematics, Psychology…”
“Library of literatures,” Henry cut him short.
…..
“Henry, people call me Professor Wilson G for a specific reason. You wanna guess what that ‘G’ stands for?”
“Don’t know,” Henry said. “I don’t guess.”
“Say anything,” the man persisted.
“Goat.”
The man was shocked.

Looking at the dialogue between the boy and the Professor, one would be able to infer a lot of things without even taking up the pain of reading through the whole story. Infact, you should be able to write a wordy description of the personality of the two characters involved,
i.e you should be able to know that the man is
i. a Professor because he mentioned it himself (Professor Wilson)
ii. easy-going and social
iii. verbose (uses too much words to say a little thing)
iv. not easily offended, etc.
Also, you will be able to tell that the boy is Impatient, rude, melancholic and not sociable. He is also curt in his manner of speaking(speaking too little words). He also seemed to be very intelligent and would not care if you get offended at him or not while he displayed his unusual attitudes(you can see him interrupting the professor all the time).

You will also know that they sound like Americans(precisely US citizens) with the use of their ‘wanna’ and ‘gonna’, especially the professor. You will also know that they are not discussing something official, but more of something personal.

To cut my long story short, I will go straight to how you can use dialogues effectively because it would be better to avoid using it at all than using it poorly to your own detriment. Now here are tips on how to use dialogue in the best way:
Use simple dialogue tags

For example, you may want to use phrases like ‘he declared’ or ‘she proclaimed’ at the end of your dialogue. They don’t really go well with dialogue because they tend to distract the readers. Instead, use common and simple phrases such as ‘he said’ or ‘she replied’ etc.
Example: “I am leaving right now,” she proclaimed.
“I am leaving right now,” she said. The second one looks more acceptable than the first.

Use dialogue beats to make readers see the actions and emotions that goes with the characters involved in a dialogue.

Yes, this is what gives you the sensation that you are watching a movie. For example, “Gush!” Racheal grotesque as she clapped at the irritating housefly which came over her lower lip.
Yes, the little narration after a dialogue is what we call dialogue beat However, avoid using dialogue beats after every single dialogue because it tends to make a story go boring.

Try to make your dialogues short, simple and straightforward, except in a case where you want to depict a character as a talkative or a verbose person like the professor in the previous dialogues.

Make sure you are aware of the setting of your story before using a dialogue.

You can only use a dialogue when you are conversant with the accent of the environment or country your characters belong. If you make your characters speak like a Nigerian in a US setting, then your story will not look original. E.g, you want to write a story having a British setting, then your dialogue must be in the Queen’s English.

Perhaps you want to depict characters who live in a ghetto in Lagos State, then you must be conversant with pidgin yourself because you will have the need to use pidgin in your dialogue sometimes. Also, be ready to learn the American “gonna” “wanna” and “innit?” if you want to write in the American setting.
It would be so funny if you ignorantly write a dialogue this way:
“You wanna come with me?” Queen Elizabeth says.


Be careful when writing dialect:

Too much of dialects in you dialogue would ruin your story. Readers will get sick and offended with your stories if you get them filled with dialects which they do not understand all in the name of promoting your own dialect(better you write the entire book in a specific dialect, i.e Yoruba, than you switching from one to another). If you do so often, then maybe you don’t want the general public to patronize you but those people of that dialect alone.

That’s the little cake I have to offer for now. Thanks

waoh kudos to all of you. you are really doing a great work. i havent written before but i think i would start. whitemosquitoe i am ur newest fan.

STYLES OF WRITERS

First and foremost, I am grateful to Divepen for giving me the opportunity to participate in this great workshop, not only as a reader but also a speaker. LOL.

I have really learnt a lot of useful stuffs here, lemme not waste much time and space anymore.

Leggo...

Am lecturing today on Styles Of Writers or Writing Styles as I would prefer to put it.

A writer style is that which an author chooses to write to his audience or a reflection of a writers personality, his unique style, his voice and his way to approach his audience and readers.

There are four types of write up or four writing styles that every writer employs or can use in their write up. Knowing all these four types of writing styles and their usages are important for any writer.

The following are the four different types and styles of writing;

(1)Expository Writing Style
Expository writing is a subject-oriented writing style, in which the main focus of the author is to tell you about a given topic or subject, and leave out his personal opinions. He furnishes you with relevant facts and figures and does not include his opinions. This is one of the most common type of writing styles.

Key points
*Expository writing usually explains something in a process.

*Expository writing is often equipped with facts and figures.

*Expository writing is usually in a logical order and sequence.

---

(2) Descriptive Writing

From William Strunk JR. And E.B White's Book-The Element of Style, Descriptive Writing is a style of writing which focuses on describing a character, an event or place in great details. It is sometimes poetic in nature in which the author is specifying the details of the events rather than just the information of that event happened

E.g In Descriptive writing, the author will not just say "The Vampire killed his lover" He will change the sentence, focusing on more details and description like, "The Red-eyed, bloody vampire, flushed his rusty teeth into the soft skin of his love and ended her life"

Key points
*It is often poetic in nature
*it describes places, people, events, situations or locations in a highly detailed manner.
*The author visualizes you what he sees, tastes, smells and feels.


(3)Persuasive Writing
Persuasive writing unlike 'Expository writing style', contains the opinions, biasness and justification of the Author. Persuasive writing is a type of writing style which contains justification and reasons to make someone believe on the point the writer is talking about. Persuasive writing is for persuading and convincing on your point of view like our politicians or folks in the politics sections tends to do.

Its is often used in complain letters, when you provide reasons and justification for your complaints, other copy writing texts, T.V commercials e.t.c are all different types of persuasive writing, where the author is persuading and convincing you on something he wants you to do and/or believe.

Key Points
*Persuasive writing is equipped with reasons, arguments and justification.
*In Persuasive writing, the author takes the stand and asks you to believe his point of view.
*It often ask for a call or an action from the readers.

---

(4)Narrative Writers or Writing Style

Narrative writing is a type of writing style in which the author places himself as the character and narrates you to the story. Novels. Short stories, Novellas, Poetry, Biographies can all fall in the narrative writing style. Simply narrative writing is an act to describe a story, it answers the question "What Happened Then?"

Key Points
*In narrative writing, a person, being a narrative, tells a story or event.
*Narrative writing has characters and dialogues in it.
*Narrative writing has definite and logical beginnings, intervals and endings.

Some examples of Narrative writings are- Harry potter(Book 1-7), The Hunger Games Trilogy Etc.



In conclusion these four types of writing are the styles mainly used by writers. There are many sub-types of writing styles which may fall in any of these categories so which ever a writer feels free to use its His or Her choice, as far as the audience likes to read.

References

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Copyright 2011 Syed Hunbbel Meer

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