For eg, satire, epic poetry, theatrical dramas and even comedies were written and acted out. These were written, at times, in vernacular languages and not just in Latin, so all could understand them.
As we understood in school about music, even in the field of literature, many things changed. It can be viewed as a return to the literary forms of antiquity.
The literature and poetry of the renaissance was largely influenced by the developing science and philosophy. Francisco Petrarch, Boccaccio wrote largely on humanist ideas.
Even the printing technology at hand, authors could cheaply produce books for the masses. Overall, it helped to promote the spread of Renaissance ideas.
Dante Aligheri set the stage for Renaissance with his works like the Divine comedy and the new life. Machiavelli also described the political life as it really was in The Prince.
Many like Erasmus and Thomas Moore set to write about religious issues during those times. Others, for eg Shakespeare wrote many dramedies and plays like Hamlet, Twelfth Night and many more.
You know, poetry too was growing with sonnets and epic poems being written. It all bought a new way of writing to world.