Do you believe writing is one of the world’s seven great superpowers? I believe so. It’s an ability that can be encouraged to greater levels than ever imagined. That being said, you have to be careful with it. Because with great power comes great responsibility.
Writing is integral to any industry, and many different types exist. Here, I want to start with the basics by discussing what you should know about the different kinds of writing.
If you don’t believe me, let me make a case for you over the next few blog posts. In this post, I’m going to start with the very basics. You see, there are many different types of writing.
And it’s imperative to know the difference between them. Learn More!
So what exactly is writing? Well, it’s a way for people to communicate that goes back to the beginning of history. We can pass on information to future generations by writing. Or share our thoughts and feelings. Or any combination of the two.
When you’re writing, you’re creating something out of nothing.
There’s the writing considered literature, the kind of writing that’s usually the purview of the literati. Then there’s the writing regarded as journalism, which people typically think of when writing.
• Copywriting
• Technical writing
• Creative writing
• Content writing
• Proofreading
• Literary
• Scriptwriting
• Journalism
• Speechwriting
I could go on and on, but I think I’ll stop there. The point is that you’ve got a wealth of options for writing.
There is academic writing, technical writing, descriptive writing, and narrative writing, to name a few. Your language may be expressive and fluid, but are your skills versatile, robust, and applicable to a broad audience? My goal is to arm you with the writing skills to communicate your message, regardless of your readership. So let’s get started with the basics!
First Of All, What Exactly Is Writing?
You need to know the different types of writing and the various uses to understand better how to use it to your advantage. There are many ways to write, but one foundational kind of writing helps power the others. Learn More
What Is The Fundamental Purpose Of Your Superpower?
The fundamental purpose of writing is communication. You’re using writing to communicate a message to someone else. The message has a sense. The purpose of the message is to cause the reader to do something.
- The doer is the audience.
- The purpose of the message is to cause the reader to do something.
Does this seem like a good idea to you? I hope it does. You should write a message if you think it’s a good idea. The question is, what should the message be?
And if you’re writing for business, you’re doing it to communicate a business message. That business message comprises your business goals, strategies, and outcomes. Your goals and strategy will guide the writing you do on a day-to-day basis, and your results will be the outcome of that daily writing.
Here are a few examples of short-term business goals:
- Increase product prices by 3% over the next three months.
- Hire three new marketing employees over the next five months.
- Increase traffic on your company’s blog.
- Implement monthly giveaways for customers on social media.
- Begin an “Employee of the Month” award program.
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This doesn’t mean that an audience of one is the only one you can have. You have one or more specific readers in mind when you write something. You have a particular message to communicate, and you’re writing straightforwardly to share that message with those readers.
It’s important to remember this fundamental purpose of writing. After all, there are many other purposes for writing.
As a writer, your first goal is to understand your reader. To write effectively, you must ask yourself: Who is my reader? What is my reader’s background? What level of English does my reader possess? What will my reader find interesting? What will my reader find tedious? What would my reader like me to do?
You’re not ready to write if you can’t answer these questions. Click here to learn more.
Thanks,
Kevin
