Which writing type are you?

There is not only one way to write a good academic text. Among other reasons, simply because we are all different types of writers. But which writing type are you, in other words, which writing strategies are you most likely to use intuitively or over and over again? Knowing this can be helpful for understanding your strengths and weaknesses and for consciously activating either familiar or new writing strategies according to the current writing phase or task for best results. However you should never forget that

These four writing types are archetypes and can only give you vague outlines of your own writing profile.
Writing types are not predetermined nor unalterable and it is worth trying out some of the strategies of other types!
The strategies that you prefer are not necessarily those that are best for you.

So, give it a try! Are you an explorer, a fisher, a barge captain or a skipper? Find out by answering the following questions. Decide for each question on the response that seems to apply most often. At the end of the test you will find your result with a brief description of the writing type closest to your own.

Have fun with it!

Below, you can click on the drop-down to read descriptions of all the writing types and to get some tips on the benefits and drawbacks of each. For further tips, come see us for a writing consultation!

This exercise has been translated into English from our own Schreibtypentest, adapted from the digital test on the website of the SchreibZentrum at the Universität Frankfurt. That test was itself based on a 2012 article by Sven Arnold, Rosaria Chirico and Daniela Liebscher (“Goldgräber oder Eichhörnchen – welcher Schreibertyp sind Sie? Über 350 Interessierte entdeckten ihren Schreibertyp und nutzten die „Speed-Beratung“ bei der Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften 2011 in Berlin.“ In: JoSch 4 (2012), S. 82-97). Further information about writing types comes from Ulrike Scheuermann („Schreibdenken. Schreiben als Denk- und Lernwerkzeug nutzen und vermitteln, 2. Aufl.“ Opladen/Toronto 2013, 51-60).

All writing types

Barge captain

You start by collecting everything you can find about your topic? And you frequently jump around from section to section within your paper? Then you are the writing type barge captain, also described as a patchwork writer. That is not bad at all, for you approach your writing destination (goal) easily and step by step. You don’t spend ages polishing each sentence, and when you get stuck, you simply go to work on a different section. However, you need to take care, as you chug around from place to place, collecting (and reading), not to lose sight of the big picture. Note that you will never be able to read everything about a specific topic, and that in fact you don’t need to read everything in order to write. In addition, even difficult passages need to be finished sometime. A work- and writing schedule as well as methods for targeted revision will help you to sail around these particular shoals and cliffs.

Fisher

You would rather write a text or a passage all over again than revise it bit by bit? Then your writing type is fisher, sometimes called a version writer. Maybe you are frustrated by the quantity of writing and versions, many of which you find yourself returning to the sea. This is true: you produce a lot of text. But it also has many positive effects. Fishers throw out their nets, writing easily and without perfectionist pressures. They see the larger context and use writing as part of their thinking process. Every text – even the discarded ones – is therefore a step on the way to the finished product. Fishers get the point quickly in that final version. Try to use your version-writing explicitly and consciously: as you begin each new version, consider what is missing from the previous version and keep that to-do in mind as you write. Then check for what else is missing, and write again. This way you will approach your ideal text step by step.

Explorer

You are not intimidated by a blank page. On the contrary: you look forward to what is ahead of you as you fill the pages one by one with text. Planning or outlining your text before writing is not your thing, though. You begin your paper with few concrete ideas and only a vague structure in mind. If you recognize yourself here, you are an explorer (or a pantser, from ‘by the seat of your pants’). The good side: you don’t get wrapped up in complicated plans, but simply start. Additionally, you are open-minded and curious, and you don’t find writing boring at all. There are also dangerous waters, though: you can lose your way and your view of the research question. At the end, you might have covered a lot of territory, but don’t have a clear route across the ocean. As you embark, plan a preliminary rough outline and schedule some ports of call to keep yourself on route. Check that outline from time to time, and remember that you will need plenty of time at the end to revise your paper for clarity and structure.

Skipper

You don’t start writing until you have conducted lengthy research, written a detailed outline, and set an exact schedule? Then you are probably a skipper, or a plotter. Plotted writing has many benefits, but also some drawbacks. The good part: as you write, you create small tasks that you can complete one by one. You rarely lose your train of thought, and always keep the larger map in mind. Also, you find it easy to explain your work to others. However, academic work does not always go to plan: weather, undercurrents and unexpected encounters may call for creative solutions. Don’t spend too much time planning routes, but give yourself space for new ideas! And above all, don’t wait too long to start writing. You will find some ideas from the other writer types.