Being a good writer is both an art and a skill, which you need to learn and improve on regularly. There are certain types of writing, however, that can help you reach a higher level of competence and become a better creative writer. This article will discuss what these types of writings are, and how you can use them to improve your writing style and become a more efficient researcher.
Narrative Report
A narrative report is basically an academic or business report that is written in narrative form. A business report, for example, would detail the products or services that the company provides, while an academic report might describe a particular discovery that was made during an experiment or study. Both types of reports should follow a very similar structure and contain the same essential elements, such as the objective and the methodology used to reach that objective.
A narrative report, however, is much more than just a dry recitation of facts, figures, and events. A well-written narrative report will always make the reader feel as though they’re learning something new, as they’re engaged in the story. The narrative report should also make the reader feel as though they’re part of the discovery, as the writer has attempted to make the reader feel as though they are living through the experience, rather than just studying about it.
Analysis Of An Event
When you’re writing an analysis of an event, either real or fictional, that you’ve witnessed or participated in, you’re essentially breaking down that experience into key points and using those points to form a comprehensive argument or analysis of that event. This type of writing can be useful when you want to analyze the causes and effects of an event that you’ve witnessed or participated in, or when you want to examine and criticize political systems and/or social policies. Analysis of an event can also be a good way to determine the reliability of a source or witness, as you’ll want to know if what they’re saying can be corroborated by other information or evidence.
An analysis of an event usually starts with a short summary of the background for the reader, who may not be familiar with all the details of the situation. Next, you want to identify the specific elements of the event that you’ll be using to form your analysis. These elements should be significant enough to allow you to form a good argument but not so specific that you confound the analysis of the event. Once you’ve identified these elements, you can brainstorm potential causes and effects, as well as discuss the reliability of the source or witness relating the event. You may also want to consider the following when brainstorming potential causes and effects:
- The complexity of the issue
- The impact of the issue
- The likelihood of the issue recurring
- The policy implications of the issue
- The likelihood of different parties (e.g., politicians, lobbyists, interest groups, organizations, etc.) being able to resolve the issue
- Whether the issue can be resolved at all
- What are the short- and long-term consequences of not resolving the issue?
Once you’ve finished your analysis, you need to organize your thoughts and present your analysis in a logical and comprehensive manner, using appropriate citations and quotes where necessary. When writing your analysis of an event, it’s important to keep the reader’s interest, as they’ll be expecting a meaty, dull page on which to spend some time, and you don’t want to let them down.
Description Of A Product Or Service
If you’re writing a description of a product or service, either existing or planned, you’ll want to make sure that you include everything needed for the reader to be able to understand, use, or benefit from your writing. This can include any relevant information from the following:
- The objectives of the product/service
- The design
- The materials used in the production of the product/service
- The marketing aspects, including the following:
- The name of the product/service
- The manufacturer
- The distributor
- The place of purchase
- The prices for the product/service
- Any special offers/deals that you may provide
- The functionalities of the product/service
- How to use the product/service
- Any limitations, restrictions (e.g., platform requirements, etc.) that you may place on the use of the product/service
- Where can the product/service be found?
Writing a good description of a product or service can be difficult, as you’ll want to make sure that everything necessary for understanding your message is included, while still keeping the description concise and to the point. Make sure to read other descriptions of similar products or services, as well as the product or service’s users’ reviews, to get an overall feel for how others view the product or service.
Description Of A Location
When you’re writing a description of a location, whether it’s a building, neighborhood, town, or country, you’ll want to make sure that everything needed for the reader to understand your message is included. This can include any relevant information from the following:
- The objectives of the location
- The design
- The material used in the construction of the location (e.g., bricks, wood, steel, etc.)
- The landmarks and other notable things about the location
- The traffic patterns surrounding the location
- The accessibility (e.g., is it walkable to other locations? Is it near a park? Is it easy for kids to get to school? Is it safe? etc.)
- The climate (e.g., sunny or cloudy? Cold or warm?)
You may want to use this type of writing to give the reader a firsthand account of the location, or you may want to use it to examine and critique the location’s design or the ways in which it functions. Either way, you’ll want to follow the same basic guidelines in creating a good description of a location: make sure that everything necessary for the reader to understand your message is included, while still keeping the description concise and to the point.
Discussion Of Relevant Issues
Discussion of relevant issues can be a good way to develop your understanding of a particular subject area, which you may want to further examine and build on in later articles. If you’ve chosen a particular issue that you feel passionate about, either due to its social, political, or economic relevance, you may want to discuss it in depth in an academic or professional setting. You can use this type of writing to either prove your point, as in the case of an argumentative essay, or to describe and examine the issue, as in the case of an analysis of an event or a discussion of current affairs. When writing a relevant issues discussion, follow these guidelines to make sure that your discussion is both thorough and effective:
- State your objectives (e.g., to define and examine the issue, to argue for a particular viewpoint, etc.)
- Cite your sources (e.g., books, websites, etc.)
- Use appropriate citations (e.g., MLA, APA, or Turabian) and quoted material
- Organize your thoughts
- Write in a clear and concise manner
- Use relevant excerpts from the sources you’ve cited to support your position
- Make sure that your discussion is balanced and fair
A good discussion of relevant issues should include three writing tasks. The first task is to define and limit the issue. The second task is to collect the primary sources needed for the discussion, while the third task is to organize and write the discussion itself. After you’ve finished the discussion, you can always review and edit it to ensure that all the details and information are there, and that the overall tone and structure are appropriate. Following these guidelines will help you write a good discussion of relevant issues that will engage your reader, while also allowing you to learn something new about the topic. This is one type of writing that every writer should strive to become good at.