Genre is a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a

particular style, form, or content. Genres also provide the writer with general organizational
patterns that can help them arrange what they say and when they say it. For readers, genres help
organize information so that they can more easily make sense of what they are about to read.

Narrative writing
Narrative writing is storytelling in written form. It captures a journey, or a part of it, from the
start to the very end. That is to say that it has a beginning, interval, and ending. It is not
necessarily fictional, as it can be a description of a real-life incident from the life of the author or
any other individual or thing that the author has written about. There are vivid descriptions of
situations in narrative writing.
For example, actions, conflicts, and their resolutions between characters, descriptions of events
that provide life lessons, etc.
The writer develops a character and tells the story from their point of view. Hence, narrative
writing is written from a first-person perspective. One character might then interact with other
secondary characters and have dialogues.

Forms of Fiction Narrative

Realistic fiction is a genre of stories where the events are made up, but they could easily happen
in real life. These kinds of stories take place in familiar, everyday settings and have ordinary
characters. They aim to represent real life. Unlike fantasy or science fiction, realistic fiction
features normal people and normal places - there are no fire-breathing dragons or adventures
alongside aliens in outer space. Instead, realistic fiction focuses on conflicts and problems that
any person might face in their life. For example, it might be about losing old friends and making
new ones, moving to a new and unfamiliar place or winning a sports competition. Whatever the
story's about, it shows our world and our society. Example: ―Every Child is special‖

Historical fiction Historical fiction is fiction that takes place in some specific era of the past.
The events and characters might not have literally happened, but they’re rooted in the time
period. In other words, while they didn’t actually happen, they could have happened. Example:
Noli me Tangere

Science fiction is one of the most creative genres in literature. Sci-fi novels take readers on
adventures from faraway galaxies to underwater worlds and everywhere in between, introducing
them to otherworldly characters and technologies along the way. Learn more about the history of
this fascinating genre. Example: Star wars

A mystery is simply an unsolved question and the attempt to answer it. In literature, this mystery
is often a crime, but anything unexplainable can inspire a great mystery novel. Like all genre
fiction, Mystery follows a formula, one that readers expect. The thing that must happen:
something unexplainable. It could be a crime, a disappearance, or the impossible arrival of
something or someone. Example: ―Nasan ka Elisa?‖ ―The Da vinci code‖.

Myth is a traditional story or tale full of symbols. These superficially relate to reality or actual
events and are especially associated with religious beliefs and traditions. The key figures in
myths are gods, demigods, or supernatural humans with unrealistic powers and talents entangled
in extraordinary events or circumstances in an unknown period.
Myth Example: Pandora’s Box is an artifact in Greek mythology connected with the myth of
Pandora in Hesiod’s Works and Days.

Legend stories are a subgenre of folktales. The legend may be a traditional story or a group of
stories with a sound message for the audience. Also, legends are about a person or a place.
Earlier, the term Legend was used for telling a tale about a saint. These are quite similar to
folktales in content. They may include supernatural beings, elements of mythology, or
explanations of natural phenomena, but they are linked with a particular locality or person and
are told as a matter of antiquity. Legend Example: Some well-known legends are The tales of
Odysseus from Ancient Greece, Beowulf from the Norse lands, and King Arthur from Old
England,
FABLE- A fictional work of literature featuring inanimate objects or forces of
nature, animals, plants, or legendary creatures having human like attributes. A fable is written in
prose or verse, to highlight human foolishness and flaws or mistakes. These have a moral or
lesson weaved into the story and are often explicitly planned at the end as a concise maxim or
saying. Prose Type Fable Example – turtle and the monkey

A parable is a brief, educational story, written in the form of prose or verse, that explains one or
more informative lessons or teachings. It differs from a fable as fables employ animals, plants,
inanimate objects, or forces of nature as key figures, whereas parables have human characters. A
parable is a kind of metaphorical analogy. Parables in literature impart a moral lesson to the
readers. It is excellent for teaching because stories are easier to recall with clarity and interest.
Prose Type Parable Example: The prodigal son

A novel is a long literary fictional work, usually written in the form of prose. A novel is a book
telling a single tale penned creatively with human experience and exposure. The novel has
several chapters, each chapter is connected or linked to the other through a sequence of events
and has a specific setting and tone. We have a large number of genres of novels available which
have encompassed various styles and types, some of them are picaresque, comedy, drama,
romance, gothic, epistolary, and many more.

Short story- As the name suggests, a short story is a fictional prose narrative that is shorter than
a novel. A short story has only one or few events and passages, has few characters and few to no
chapters. The form encourages conservation of setting, concise narrative, and the omission of a
complex plot; character is disclosed in action and dramatic encounters but is seldom fully
developed. ―The lottery‖ by Charles Dickens

Non-fiction Narratives
Narrative nonfiction is also known as creative nonfiction or literary. Nonfiction is a true story
written in the style of a fiction novel. The narrative nonfiction genre contains factual prose that is
written in a compelling way—facts told as a story. While the emphasis is on the storytelling
itself, narrative nonfiction must remain as accurate to the truth as possible.
Biography- A thorough description of a person’s life is referred to as his/her Biography. It is a
kind of prose that is full of basic information about all the highs and lows in a person’s life,
including anecdotes and memoirs. A biography tells the tale of the person’s personal experiences
with life, relationships, work, and all other things. You are the major lead of your biography and
it tells your truth to the world. Biographies fall under the category of non-fiction. When written
in-depth, we know it as legacy writing. Example: Book of life

Literary journalism- Sometimes called ―immersion journalism,‖ ―narrative journalism,‖ or

―new journalism,‖ literary journalism is a type of nonfiction that combines reporting with
techniques and strategies associated with creative writing, such as character development.
Literary journalists often write in a third-person limited or first person point of view. The goal of
such works is not simply to deliver facts, but to spark a larger conversation among its readers.
Memoirs - One of the most common types of creative nonfiction, memoirs tell a story of the
writer’s own life. Unlike autobiographies, however, memoirs do not need to be exhaustive.
Memoirs are driven by narrative, and often connect the writer’s personal story to larger human
themes, such as grief, family, and youth

Travel writing- there are many different types of nonfiction travel writing, ranging from
travel guides to blogs, journalism, and memoirs. Regardless of what form it takes, good travel
writing helps your readers to imagine and experience an unfamiliar place. Travel writers thus use
evocative prose that engages the senses with the details of a world you may not otherwise
encounter.

Descriptive writing
Descriptive writing is one of those styles of writing where the author writes about every aspect of
the event, person, or place they are describing in detail. This is to make the reader feel as if they
are actually present there. It paints a picture with words in the reader’s mind. Descriptive writing
pieces are written in the first person and their tone is emotional and personal. It involves writing
descriptions using all five senses. Descriptive writing is filled with adverbs and adjectives for an
enhanced quality of reading experience. Sometimes, the author also includes similes and
metaphors. Descriptions of such kind can upgrade one’s writing style to a higher level that goes
deeper into the minds of the readers. Examples: Poetry, fictional stories, journals, copywriting,
narrative non-fiction, etc. Features: Detail-oriented writing presents a visual through words,
personal tone.

Forms of descriptive writing:

Travel essay- Use sensory words to describe the place
Definition essay- describes something abstract, for example courage or friendship drawn from
the writer’s emotional experience.

EXPOSITORY WRITING
Expository writing aims to explain or educate its readers about a particular topic. So the goal is
to teach the reader about something rather than persuading or entertaining them. This style of
writing is written to answer questions the interested reader might have about the subject that is
being talked about in the text. Questions like who, what, when, where, why, how are answered in
expository pieces of academic writing.
This is an objective style of writing where no personal opinions of the author are displayed. It is
not supposed to have an agenda, but just state facts to inform the reader. By use of this writing,
one attracts the reader towards something undeniable and concretely proven. It is written from a
third-person perspective.

Examples: Textbooks, manuals, how-to articles, technical or scientific writing, editorial writing,
recipes, training materials, FAQ pages/ blogs, etc.
Features: Written in third person, objective tone, stating facts.

Forms of Expository Writing:

Compare and contrast essay- explores similarities and differences of two or more things for
specific purpose
Cause and effect essay- traces the result of an event or describes the reason an event happened it
is clearly organized and gives precise examples that support the relationship between cause and
effect.
Classification essay a writer organizes a subject into categories and explains the category into
which an item falls.
Problem solution essay- presents problem and then offers solution to that problem.
Pro-con essay- examines argument for and against an idea or topic.

PERSUASIVE WRITING
Persuasive writing is the style of academic writing where the author aims to make the reader
side with the thought or idea being conveyed in the text. It is written when the author has a
strong opinion on something or needs to encourage people to take action on an issue.
Empty statements/ arguments would not be successful in convincing anyone. Hence, proper
statistical, anecdotal, testimonial or textual evidence needs to back up every statement of the
author.

This style of writing is subjective in nature, wherein it’s actually best that the author uses their
personal feelings or emotions to further convince the reader of a thought or an idea.
The author must have an all-encompassing knowledge of the other side of the argument they are
writing about. This is so they can accordingly include possible counter-arguments to enhance the
quality of the written piece.

Forms of persuasive writing

Editorials- state the opinion of the editors and publishers of news organization.

Op-ed is an essay that tries to convince readers to agree to the writers view on an issue . the
writer may not work on the publication and is often an expert on the issue or has an interesting
point of view.

Letter to the editors- are letters sent to print and internet publications to express opinions in
response

Reviews- Evaluate items and activities, such as music from the writer’s point of view.
Advertisement- Are paid announcements that try to buy or do something.
Propaganda -Uses emotional appeals and often information to persuade people to think
Examples: Editorials, opinion pieces in newspapers, essays, cover letters, letters of
recommendation, sales writing, reviews, advertising, etc.
Features: Persuasive tone, personal opinion displayed, could be written in the first or third
person.

WORKPLACE AND TECHNICAL WRITING

WORKPLACE AND TECHNICAL WRITING- Writing done on the job or as part of the job,
often in an office setting. It usually communicates details about a particular job or work project.

To be effective, a workplace writing should have the following characteristics:

Presents well-organized and accurate information.
Includes purpose and intended audience.
Uses formal and polite language.
Uses reader-friendly formatting techniques.
Uses effective and error-free sentence structures.

Forms of Workplace Writing

Memos – are brief notes that give the reader important information on a topic.
E-mail – is an abbreviation for electronic mail. It is a common form of communication that uses
a computer and software to send and receive messages. (Electronic Mail)
Instructions – are clear, step-by-step guidelines used to explain how to communicate a task or
procedure. Project plans are short documents that outline the goal and objectives of a part.
Resume – is an overview of a person’s experience and qualification for a job. It lists a person’s
job skills and work history.
College Applications – are documents that employers use for hiring purposes. A person
applying for a job is required to list a work experiences and educational background.

RESEARCH WRITING

Research report is a presentation of thesis statement. It is based on organized from outside

sources.

Effective, an informational research should:

A thesis statement that identifies. A variety of information from multiple sources.
Facts, details, examples, quotations, the conclusions.
Clear presentations of summary of a bibliography and citations. Effective and error-free sentence
\
Forms of Research Writing
Experiment Journal and Lab Reports – focus on the purposes, procedures, and results of the
laboratory experiment.
I-Search Reports – blend informational and personal writing. In search report, the writer tells
the story of his/her research and investigation, the dead ends and small victories, and the results
of the research.
Scientific Report – analyze information and data concerning a scientific issue or problem.
Historical Reports – give in-depth information about a past event. They focus on narrow topics
and may discuss cause and effect.