In these types of writing, the goal is to clearly convey information or persuade the reader of a specific point. A strong topic sentence acts as a roadmap, telling the reader exactly what the paragraph will cover and how it contributes to the overall argument or explanation. Without clear topic sentences, these types of writing can become rambling and difficult to follow.
While narrative writing (storytelling) and descriptive writing benefit from organizational structure, the emphasis on a clear, concise topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph is less critical. The flow of the narrative or the evocative language often takes precedence. However, even in narrative and descriptive writing, strategically placed topic sentences can improve clarity and coherence.