Exploring the Art of Essay Writing: Understanding Different Writing Styles and How to Use Them Effectively

Intro

Where do you classify writing: art or mechanical action? Everything depends on the goal. When it comes to essay writing, it is nothing short of an art. Any art is distinguished by style. By understanding all the intricacies of writing styles, you can convey the message to the audience and reveal the topic in all details. 

It is time to get started with the art of essay writing to reach the top of your academic aspirations. In this blog post, we will explore each type — from persuasive essay writing to narrative style — so that you are better prepared for your next big project!

What are Writing Styles: Definition, Importance & Purposes

The writing style is the way authors express their ideas and opinions. It is the selection of words, sentence structure, and other elements that make up a particular piece of written work. Essay writing styles can help create an open dialogue between the writer and the reader.

You have probably come across texts that are so similar in content, style, formatting, and language that it is difficult to remember and distinguish them — tasteless written pieces that are very unclear and obscure. Paper writing styles are what help give color and flavor to your text. Hence, in the academic field, style is as important as content. 

Major Purposes of Writing

Remember, back in school, when we started comprehending various sciences, the first teacher told us about the goals of writing. Just imagine what important information we already possessed as children. It is time to remember these simple but important basics as the main purposes of writing:

• to inform (to share facts, evidence, and other info),
• to narrate (to tell a story, and to describe some events),
• to explain (to make some ideas and claims clear),
• to persuade (to provide sound reasons about an idea).

It is these purposes that form the styles of writing essays, which we will talk about in the following sections of this article. It will be interesting, stay with us!😉

Essay Types vs. Essay Writing Styles: Is There Any Difference?

We do not argue that a style and a type are two similar concepts. We can call them related, but by no means synonymous. Let’s define the traits of style and type within the framework of writing an essay. What is a term paper: style or type? What about an argumentative essay? 

In fact, the answer is simple and lies on the surface. Although here’s how to look at this point. Within a writing essay activity, a type is about the form while a style is about the message. Thus, we can conclude that the type is the external form of the text, and the style is the internal one. 

For example, you are writing a term paper “Linguistic Features of the Translation of Neologisms in Fantasy Literature”. A term paper is a type of academic paper. It has features of text formatting and organization, research methods, different ways to draw conclusions, and more. There are many more types of academic texts than styles, and here are just a few of them:

• essays
• reports
• reviews
• posters
• term papers
• coursework
• dissertation
• thesis, etc.

However, regardless of any type, you can stick to a certain style — most likely even styles — when crafting an academic work. As we said earlier, style conveys purpose. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish the four main essay styles:

• argumentative s.
• persuasive s.
• descriptive s.
• narrative s. 

You are perfectly correct to note that we highlighted the word main in bold. Back to elementary school again. Nice experience, isn’t it? Do you remember this simple rule: by mixing the primary colors — red, green, and blue — we get a whole palette?

Styles follow the same principle. By mixing the goals we want to achieve through our essays, we end up with an extensive pool of different styles of writing. Most likely, these styles will come in handy more often than the four main ones:

• reflective s.
• cause & effect s.
• analytical s.
• comparison & contrast s.
• exemplification s., etc.

And now the fun part: let’s find out how the styles differ, how to determine which style to follow, and most importantly, how to achieve it.

Comprehensive Paper Writing Styles Guide: Features & Purposes of Application

What are different styles of writing? How many writing styles are there? Let’s look at each style of an essay in detail. This academic tool should always be at your fingertips.

Argumentative style

Definition: An argumentative style of writing is a way of writing that presents and supports an opinion, stance, or theory on a particular topic. It requires the writer to thoroughly research the topic and construct arguments in support of their opinion. 

Purpose: The purpose of an argumentative essay style is to persuade the reader to adopt a particular opinion, stance, or position on a particular topic and provide evidence that supports it. 

Distinctive features: 

• logical reasoning
• objectivity
• formal language
• sound structure
• clear thesis statement

Tips to make the most of it:

• state with a clear concise thesis statement
• outline your position
• gather evidence to support your claim
• make sure your thesis is arguable
• anticipate counterarguments and refute them

Persuasive style

Definition: Persuasive essay is a style of writing in which the author seeks to convince the reader to agree with their opinion or point of view. When writing a persuasive essay, students need to use language that is clear, concise, and logical. They should also be aware of their audience’s needs and wants to craft an argument or problem that will appeal to them.

Purpose: The purpose of a persuasive writing style is to convince readers that one opinion is more valid than another, or even to convince them to take action on a particular issue.

Distinctive features: 

• deep understanding of the topic
• strong language
• using emotional appeals
• solid logic arguments (facts and statistics)

Tips to make the most of it:

• start with a strong hook
• use compelling arguments
• be aware of your audience
• learn about persuasive techniques
• keep it simple yet sophisticated

Descriptive style

Definition: A descriptive writing style is a form of writing that requires the author to create a vivid image in the reader’s mind through the use of words, phrases, and figures of speech. This type of writing often paints an intricate picture of people, objects, places, and emotions. 

Purpose: The purpose of descriptive writing is to draw the reader in and create an emotional connection to the topic being described.

Distinctive features:

• using sensory-based features (looks, smells, sounds, etc.)
• figurative language (similes, metaphors, etc.)
• many concrete, specific details
• strong, vivid adjectives

 Tips to make the most of it:

• avoid cliches
• be specific
• vary your sentence structure
• use active voice
• use figurative language

Narrative style

Definition: A narrative writing style is a form of writing that utilizes storytelling techniques to convey a story or message. It has the power to captivate readers and evoke emotion through carefully crafted descriptions, dialogue, and pacing.

Purpose: The purpose of narrative writing is to shape an experience for the reader, often with particular themes in mind such as overcoming adversity, learning lessons, or exploring complex topics.Our narrative essay writing service can help you tell a compelling story in your essay.

Distinctive features:

• a specific structure
• written in first (I) or third-person (III) point of view
• characters and dialogues included
• a captivating plot

 Tips to make the most of it:

• choose a story you want to tell
• use descriptive language
• use dialogue to move the story along
• create characters that readers can connect with

Analytical style

Definition: Analytical writing style is an essay in which the writer must evaluate and analyze a topic, theme, or argument. This type of writing is often used in academic papers, as it requires critical thinking and in-depth analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of an analytical writing essay is to provide a critical evaluation of a given text or topic. The analysis should consider the subject matter’s strengths and weaknesses, any implications it may have, and any possible solutions to implement. 

Distinctive features:

• the formal tone of voice
• use of third (III) person point of view
• clear structure (an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion)

Tips to make the most of it:

• use strong evidence to support your claims
• use logical reasoning
• use primary and secondary sources
• use sure facts, not your opinion

Reflective style

Definition: A reflective style writing essay is a type of essay that requires the writer to look back over a period of time and reflect on how certain events or experiences have impacted them. This can include things such as personal growth, lessons learned, relationships with others, and changes in worldviews. 

Purpose: The purpose of a reflective style writing essay is to allow the writer to explore their thoughts and feelings about an experience or event. Through self-reflection, the writer can examine their reactions and emotions, as well as gain new insights into how they might have responded differently or made different choices.

Distinctive features:

• informal or personal style
• personal insights and observations
• first (I) person point of view

Tips to make the most of it:

• choose a topic you passionate about
• be honest
• use specific examples
• write from your own perspective

How to Develop Your Style of Writing Essay?

We have already agreed that writing is an art. Guess what? There is always room for creativity in art. If your assignment does not require you to adhere to strict requirements, you can customize your essay writing style.

How to diversify and refine your writing? We have prepared some practical tips on what to do and what not to do to develop your unique style of essays writing.

🟩 You should…

Read more books

If you want to hit the mark with your writing skills, read more books. It is an endless source of different writing styles and inspiration. You will not only begin to distinguish the subtleties of literary skill but also boost your grammar, spelling — literacy in general.

Scrutinize poorly written essays

Yes, this is such unusual yet very effective (trust us!) advice. Check and correct essays that were not written well enough (or were written frankly badly, the wording is up to you). Such an experience helps you identify the most frequent mistakes and seemingly invisible slips in your writing.

Avoid cliches

Always allocate time to reread your text. This will allow you to take a break from the essay and see all the roughness in it. Cliché is the enemy of uniqueness. Keep track of how the words look in the form of your text and evaluate them in terms of novelty.

Edit and proofread your text

Checking a paper for inconsistencies is a must for every academic paper. But when it comes to creating your own style, this point is growing in importance. Try to be an editor and you will look at your papers from a different perspective.

🟥You should not…

Take your draft for a ready essay

A solid text without formatting and clear structuring is not the final result. Writing is an important part but what about pretty packaging? When your professor checks your essay, all the formatting elements may bring you extra points. Moreover, a draft is not about a style of essay at all. 

Pass off a premade paper as yours one

Plagiarism is a bad tone in academia. And it is “the best way” to rid your text of style and uniqueness. You can use the essays of your peers or any other academic pieces as a source of inspiration, but not anymore. 

Force yourself

It can be easy to get caught up in trying too hard to create the perfect writing style, but this can actually have the opposite effect. Instead, try to relax and let your writing shine through naturally. 

Strategies for Enhancing Clarity and Organization in Writing 

Regardless of essay styles, good writing involves clarity and organization. When these two elements are present, readers can easily follow the writer’s thoughts, ideas, and arguments. So how do you ensure that your writing is clear and organized?

Use specific and concrete examples

It is important to use specific examples whenever possible to make your writing more understandable. Abstract concepts can be difficult for readers to grasp, so illustrating them with concrete examples can be very helpful. Using specific details will make your writing more interesting and engaging for the reader.

Use transitions

Transitions are words or phrases that signal the reader to move from one idea to the next. They help to create cohesion in your writing by connecting different ideas and concepts. When used correctly, transitions can make your writing more fluid and easy to follow. Some common transition words include “however”, “in addition”, “furthermore”, “thus”, and “consequently”.

Outline your ideas

An outline can be a helpful tool for ensuring that your writing is clear and organized. When creating an outline, list the main points that you want to discuss in your paper. Then, organize those points in a logical order. An outline can also help you to see where you need more information or clarification.

Repeat important points

Repeating important points is another effective strategy for enhancing clarity. When you repeat meaningful points, you help to ensure that your readers remember them and do not get lost or confused.

Get feedback from others

Another way to polish your writing is to get feedback from others. Ask a friend or family member to read through your paper and provide feedback on how to improve it. You can also submit your paper to a writing tutor or workshop for further guidance.

Outro

Writing an essay is a creative endeavor and it is important to understand the various composition styles available. By analyzing the different styles in writing and genres, you can determine which one works best for your needs and what type of story or message you would like to convey. 
It is up to you as the author to create a compelling and engaging essay that stands apart from other pieces of writing. Understand the style before using it so that you can fully utilize its potential for maximum effect. If you are willing to entrust your assignment to experts, contact us!