Every writer must have experienced this in any junction of their writing career. I’ve had it one too many times when people asked me what I do for a living. When I responded with a mere “I’m a freelance writer.” the typical response I get was always “Oh! That’s great. So what books have you written so far?” And there I was, constantly having the need to explain to them that there are many kinds of writers with endless writing purposes. They need not be just book writing.
So in case you were wondering. Here are 18 common types of writers I can think of out of many types that existed today.
- Biographers – write an account of another person’s life
- Bloggers – write blogs in short opinion pieces or “posts” form a commentary on issues of specific interest to readers that need no authorization to be published
- Business Writers – assignment done specifically for a business, for the internal players of the business itself, or for the bottom line of the business
- Columnists – write regular pieces for newspapers and other periodicals, usually containing a lively and entertaining expression of opinion
- Copywriters – write the text of advertisements or publicity material
- Creative Writers – express ideas and thought in an imaginative way where they get to express feelings and emotions instead of just presenting the facts
- Game Writers – write dialogue, text, and story for games
- Ghostwriters – write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person
- Grant Writers – have clear understanding of grantsmanship and complete an application process for funding provided by an institution such as a government department, corporation, foundation or trust
- Historians – study and write about the past and is regarded as an authority on it
- Journalists – write reports about current events after investigating them and gathering information
- Novelists – write novels – stories that explore universal themes through fiction with invented characters and plots in a narrative designed to be both credible and entertaining
- Playwriters – write dramatic literature or drama that may be written to be performed by actors, or they may be closet dramas – simple literary works – written using dramatic forms, but not meant for performance
- Reviewers – evaluate publication, product, service, or company such as a movie, video game, musical composition, book; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, play, musical theater show, or dance show
- Screenwriters – write a screenplay – or script – that provides the words for media productions such as films, television programs and video games
- Songwriters – write the words for songs in verses and choruses, they specializes in writing lyrics, the words that accompany or underscore a song or opera
- Speechwriters – prepare the text for a speech to be given before a group or crowd on a specific occasion and for a specific purpose
- Technical Writers – are professional writers who engage in technical writing and produce technical documentation for technical, business, and consumer audiences
So which writer am I? I do almost every kind of writings, after all writing is a passion and it does not stop you from exploring all sorts of possibilities. However, to make a living I focus on copywriting & technical writing.
