Guide to Writing Styles in English- Narrative, Descriptive, Persuasive, and Techniques Like OREO & AFOREST

By Sahr Ahmed

By Sahr Ahmed

Style is a critical component when it comes to writing because using the right style tends to grab the audience’s attention. Using various writing strategies, including OREO, AFOREST, PIE BME, and Story Mountain when writing a narrative, descriptive, or persuasive piece will help you develop good stories and structure. In this blog, we will explore and learn the different writing styles, structures, and strategies to apply when writing. 

1. Narrative Writing – Telling Stories

 Narrative writing is a way of presenting a story in which there are characters, settings, and a plot. Although the narrative might not follow a logical sequence, it is overly structured and follows a build-up to a climax and a resolution. One of the well-known approaches to structuring narrative writing is the Story Mountain, which also facilitates the organization of the events for the sake of further narrative. 

 

 Story Mountain Structure: 

 

• Beginning: In this type of introduction, you get to present the characters, setting, and conflict. 

• Build-up: This means that tension should be built up throughout the development of the plot. 

• Climax: The climax of the story is the moment when the actions reach their peak. 

• Resolution: This conflict is resolved, and the play ends. 

 Example: 

 Maya stopped and stood still as she heard footsteps coming closer to her; she might have thought her adventure had started.

2. Descriptive Writing 

Descriptive writing involves the use of elaborate language to paint a picture of individuals, locations, things, or situations. It paints a mental picture through the five human senses, including sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. 

 

 Key Features: 

 

• Focus on sensory details. 

Examples of figures of speech, such as similes, metaphors, or personification. 

• Is written to make the reader feel a certain way, or, in other words, to set a mood. 

 Example: 

The warm, golden rays of the afternoon sun kissed the soft petals of the wildflowers, while the gentle breeze carried the sweet scent of lavender across the rolling hills.

3. Persuasive Writing 

Expository writing, on the other hand, seeks to educate the reader by presenting facts or even relaying information. This way, it argues through logic, appeals to emotions, and appeals to authority. 

 

 Key Features: 

 

•  Clear opinion or thesis. 

• Cite the sources, figures, and statistics apt to the context of an argument. 

• Includes distinct forms of rhetorical appeals and appeals to emotions. 

 Example:

Plastic pollution is destroying our oceans, and we must act now. Reducing plastic use, recycling responsibly, and supporting eco-friendly products can contribute to the survival of marine life.

4. Story Writing 

Narration involves the art of story development, involving a plot, characters, and themes to the intended story. It is similar to narrative writing but provides greater freedom in terms of the organization and creation of content. 

 

 Key Features: 

 

• Has characters, conflict, resolution, and a theme. 

• May engage in dialogue and insert flashbacks in the telling of the story. 

• Essays are creative and stimulating in that they allow one to explore ideas and concepts. 

 Example:

Once upon a time, in a village nestled deep in the mountains, there lived a young girl named Elara. She longed to explore the world beyond her home. But her family warned her of the dangers in the dark forests.

5. Imaginative Writing 

Creative writing involves the generation of fantasy worlds, ideas, or situations. It opens the writer up to a realm of new experiences and ideas since it transcends the limits of reality. 

 

 Key Features: 

 

• If the work is in the form of art or based on creativity, it focuses on imagery. 

• Descriptive for creating new worlds or ideas.

• Encourages originality and creativity.

Example:

In a world with a sky made of glass and cities floating on clouds, the people depended on enchanted birds to carry their messages across the heavens.

Structures for Speaking Techniques 

The writing styles also apply in speaking fashion, especially when it comes to organizing speeches or oral business presentations. Here's how you can apply some of these writing techniques to speaking:

 Introduction: 

• Introduce emotions within the audience by providing a statement, a true story, or a question. 

• Plan and articulate a thesis or the aim of a talk. 

 Body: 

 

• When writing narratives, adopt the correct order; when writing persuasive, use the right order, and so far as writing descriptive, use sense appeal. 

• Illustrate or support ideas with examples, facts, and stories. 

• To link ideas together, transitions should be used to facilitate the transition from one point to another. 

 Conclusion: 

• Summarize the key points. 

• Finally, always make sure you give a call to action or leave your audience with a profound statement.

Conclusion 

Every writer needs to be familiar with the differences between writing, especially the five modes of writing: narrative, descriptive, persuasive, expository, and imaginative. All the styles give a different approach to sharing a concept, instilling a feeling, or persuading the listeners. You can adapt these styles to your speaking techniques in the same way to capture the audience's attention and present your ideas. Whether in writing or speech, the purpose is to communicate with an audience and convey information in a way that leaves a lasting impression.