There are many different forms of writers and writing.  In this article, we will explain a few of the types and why you should master all of them.

To be a successful writer, you often have to follow a path unknown to most.  Our society would tell you that becoming a writer involves going to college and getting a degree in Creative Writing, then voila – you are a writer.  Contrary to this belief, few collegiate writers actually see their work published.  It is the professionals in other fields who end up writing content you see in publications whether it be a book, magazine, or newspaper article.

While a college degree in literature will surely expand your vocabulary, polish off your grammar, and extend your ability to comprehend proper english, it will do little to actually get you published in our society.  As a published author in a multitude of mediums, I am here to show you the fastest and sure-fire way to get the public interested in your writing.

Different Types of Writers

First off, you need to become a ghostwriter.  As a ghostwriter, you will be the author of the work, but get no official credit.  You will write in first person about a subject and do extensive research as if you are the author.  When published, the professional will get full credit for this work.  Ghostwriting is a much needed job in our society.  Many professionals hate writing or don’t have the vocabulary to turn their knowledge into  a written piece of art.  You can capitlize on this by ghost writing for various professionals and be compensated by them for doing so.

Here is an example of a ghost-written article: The Nutrition Label Deception

This article was written by Genevieve, but when published in my book I will have full credit for it.

“That is absurd!?  I want to get credit for my hard work!” you say. Well, read on.  It pays off in the end.

After Genevieve has ghostwritten several articles, she now has a pretty good feel for what a professional usually talks about on a given subject.  If she continues to ghost write on the same genre – health & fitness for example – she may even consider herself closer to a professional.

Now it’s time for her to move on to the next form of writing, being a Content Writer.

As a content writer, Genevieve will write another article on Nutrition Labels, but this time it will be in 3rd person.  She will write the article as if she is interviewing me or as if she has talked to me about the subject at hand.  Throughout the article, you will see anecdotes and references to my advice.  She is simply relaying the information on a peer level with the reader.

Here are two examples of Content Written articles:

Why do our stomachs rumble loudly when we’re hungry?

by: Dave, Commerce TWP., MI

You’re referring to borborygmus. That’s the medical term for the gurgling in your gut, which usually isn’t a sign of hunger. Rather, it’s your gastrointestinal system’s house-keeping after your previous meal, says Sita Chokhavatia, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. A few hours after you eat, a 90-minute cycle of contractions- the interdigestive phase- moves any remaining bits of food from your stomach and your small intestine. Then the “migrating motor complex” noisily shuttles the mostly gas-and-fluid mixture onward. “It’s like squeezing and shaking a balloon filled with water and air,” says Dr. Chokhavatia. If you need to stifle the sound in your stomach because of, say, a meeting or date, munch some popcorn (for the insoluble fiber) or a piece of chocolate, which will immediately shift your GI system back into its quieter initial digestion mode.

Break Your Slump

Slouch in your office chair and you won’t just look like a slacker – you may become one. How you sit can help make or break your work performance, say Colorado College researchers, who found that male students with the best sitting posture scored significantly higher on a logic exam than those who slouched. An upright posture makes people feel dominant and successful, which in turn improves their ability to relax and focus on problems, says Tomi-Ann Roberts, Ph.D, the lead study author. To fine-tune your posture, sit and tie a string from an upper shirt button to your belt buckle so that the string is taut when you sit tall. If the string goes slack, you’re slouching.

As you can see, neither author claimed to be an expert on the subject.  Yet, both gave enough statistics and evidence from respected institutions or individuals to validate their article.  This is the benefit of only being a writer.  You may use someone else’s authority to write on any subject.  This is the concept known as content writing and is the most popular in the industry.

Lastly, you will want to author your own work.  This means you are the authority on the subject.  Your first time being an author, we recommend to use statistics and other anecdotes.  After you have established yourself as a successful writer, feel free to use your own words as subjective authority.  A book written by an author on a subject they are well respected in is an example of an author.  The Fire Within by myself is a great example of this.

Both articles from March 2008 Men’s Health Magazine

Different Types of Writing Styles

In addition to the three types of writers, there are four types of writing styles.

The Blurb

The Blurb is 25-200 words and barely whets the readers appetite.  Both examples given above are excellent examples of blurbs.  In our fast paced society, it is easy to read this amount of information on a topic without getting bored.  It is important to give at least one statistic and or author but no more than two in a blurb.  A small picture can be used as well to spice up this type of writing.  A common mistake most writers make is to try to write an article before attempting the blurb.  A blurb is easier and requires less credibility.  Read the author name on the stomach rumbling blurb for example.  All we know about him is that his name is Dave and he is from Michigan.  This is the appropriate way to give credit to a content writer such as Dave since he has no authority on the subject.

The Article

The article is 200-500 words and is written by a seasoned author or content writer.  It is recommended not to attempt writing an article until you have first written a few blurbs.  An article can be text based or picture based.  A great way to write an article in today’s magazines is with bulletin lists.  Many entries you will find on the MOVFitness Blog are articles.  The 5 Top Overlooked Protein Shake Ideas article is a great example of how to write in this fashion while maintaining the readers’ attention.  Notice how your eyes catch the numbered list and skim through the article as you are reading it.  Magazines love a writer who can utilize a catchy title plus subtitles that stand out.  Utilize this and give enough information to get your point across, but don’t elaborate or exhaust your point.

The Story

The story is a 500-5,000 word description that spreads across a few pages in a magazine.  it is important to catch the readers attention and then deliver some hard facts or description and repeat this process throughout your work.  This work is a story.  We start out with a catchy title and then we let the reader know why the article is important.  We quickly deliver information and show why this article is important to the reader.  We move on to the next subtopic or we move on to the next type of learning style, implementing the Visual, Mechanical, and Analytical learner in the article, but we don’t do both – that would be overkill.  The story should not be attempted until you are published in at least 5 articles.  It is difficult to maintain the reader’s interest for this many words, so be careful jumping to a story too fast.  However, the story is the best value in that magazines will pay very well for this article while keeping your word count relatively short compared to writing a novel.

The Novel

The novel is 5,000-60,000 words and by far the most daunting.  This should not be attempted until you have successfully created many stories and feel comfortable capturing the readers’ attention for at least 5,000 words.  Instead of worrying about capturing their attention for 60,000 words, just try to write 12 stories with the same theme.  This is easier said than done.

Different Types of Writing Mediums

Now that you know the different types of writers and writing styles, you need to know where you can publish your work.

The Blog

The easiest of any place to get published is the blog.  You need no credentials, you need no formal training, and you need no permission.  Simply go to www.wordpress.com and register for a blog.  It’s really that simple.  You can rant and rave or you can practice for your first real submission.  We recommend writing a blurb as a content writer for your first ten entries.

The Newspaper

The newspaper is a little more formal than the blog, but with daily deadlines and a lack of interesting topics to report on after writing the same thing for years, most newspapers will take articles from almost anyone willing to write to them with a decent vocabulary.  With this in mind, your first submission should be to a newspaper as a content writer or ghostwriter.

The Magazine

Some magazines are ran as chaotically as a newspaper, while some have a seasoned staff and require more thought and creativity before submitting.  Most local magazines are short on staff, lacking creative content, and lacking a strong budget.  You won’t be compensated initially, but start publishing your work in a local magazine and you’ll surely get your work in.  Though, we recommend only submitting work if you have been published in a newspaper, have your own blog, or are an authority in your field.  You can also put some more thought into a content written article or blurb after you have written a few solo articles on your blog.

A more prestigious magazine like Men’s Health requires more thought.  They get so many inquires, they actually have a list of requirements they send to prospective writers.  Most national publications have such lists as the Men’s Health Requirements document.

The Book

After you have been established in your field for quite some time and have been published in a number of magazines, newspapers, and have your own blog – now it is time to write your first book.  Inquire here for more information in how to do this.