In comparing my two previous essays, one a narrative, and one an illustration, I have found many similarities in my writing, and some differences.
To begin, I have followed the basic writing structure for each essay with an introduction, clear thesis, body paragraphs that have topic sentences, support, and transitions. All of my ideas follow a logical progression, and I conclude with a concluding paragraph. The narrative paper is much longer because it is easy to write in narrative mode, to tell a story I am familiar with. There are fewer restrictions on narrative writing, such as using first person throughout as opposed to only in specific examples, as in the illustrative mode. Also, for the narrative mode, I could draw more on my own personal experiences, where in the illustrative mode, I had to think in more general terms so that more readers could relate. I like the narrative paper much better because my story flows better and the syntax is much more relaxed, informal.
The illustrative paragraph sounds a bit ‘ stiff’, which is simply because there is a more formal voice in that paper than in the narrative paper. I can write about myself and my family very easily; following a more strict pattern of development and level of formality is a bit more difficult with expository writing; this is where I think the difference in tone comes from in these two papers.