Writing is Writing?

So...I was conversing a while ago with some friends who knew I was in the midst of both writing a novel and updating a non-fiction book I did a few years ago about rock music in American culture. They seemed bemused.

It turns out, they didn't see how it was possible to concentrate on such different projects at the same time. When I asked, "What are you talking about, mon ami?" -- Well, I really didn't say this with the Francophilial affectation -- they said something about two contrary kinds of writing. (An aside: The "logician" in me wants to point out that this is not the same as contradictory writing -- which is essentially unintelligible.) By this they meant that the mind-set for doing one excludes the other.

My reply was, "huh?"

After a bit more reflection, I decided my answer should have been. "What are you talking about. Writing is writing!"

Hence, this blog...

I've always assumed that no matter what the subject matter, no matter what the purpose, no matter what the content, you still need to utilize the same language, the same grammar, the same structure!

There's going to be a "story" of some kind -- even if it's a technical piece on how to put together a kid's bicycle! It's going to have a beginning, a complication, problems to overcome and a dénouement.

Plus, you've got to make it intelligible and interesting and to the point -- in other words you have to communicate!

So there. I guess that settles that issue...right??