Descriptive Writing
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What is Descriptive Writing?
What is Descriptive Writing?
The primary purpose of descriptive
writing is to describe a person,
place or thing in such away that a
picture is formed in the reader's
mind. It does not tell the reader that the
flower is beautiful, it shows
them the flower is beautiful.
The reader feels like he/she is a part of
the writer's experience of the subject.
Descriptive writing is used in all modes of
writing (Expository, Narrative, and
Persuasive) to create a vivid and lasting
impression of the person, place or thing.
Examples of Descriptive
Writing
Stories
Poems
Essays
Reports
Cue Prompts for Descriptive
Writing
Some prompts that teachers may use
when they want a descriptive piece of
writing are:
Describe a place, a person or event.
Tell about a place, a person or event.
Relate what happened at an event.
Characteristics of Good Descriptive
Writing
includes many vivid sensory details that
paint a picture and appeals to all of the
reader's senses of sight, hearing, touch,
smell and taste when appropriate
may also paint pictures of the feelings
the person, place or thing invokes in the
writer
often makes use of figurative language
such as analogies, similes and
metaphors to help paint the picture in
the reader's mind.
Good descriptive writing uses
precise language…
General adjectives, nouns, and passive
verbs do not have a place in good
descriptive writing.
Use specific adjectives and nouns and
strong action verbs to give life to the
picture you are painting in the reader's
mind.
Good descriptive writing is
organized…
. Some ways to organize
descriptive writing include: chronological
(time), spatial (location), and order of
importance. When describing a person,
you might begin with a physical
description, followed by how that person
thinks, feels and acts.
Descriptive Writing Workshop with
Virginia Hamilton
-- an online workshop with Newbery
award winning author Virginia Hamilton
on writing description
1) A Friendly Clown
On one corner of my dresser sits a smiling toy clown on a tiny unicycle-a gift I received last Christmas from a close friend. The clown's short
yellow hair, made of yarn, covers its ears but is parted above the eyes.
The blue eyes are outlined in black with thin, dark lashes flowing from
the brows. It has cherry-red cheeks, nose, and lips, and its broad grin
disappears into the wide, white ruffle around its neck. The clown wears
a fluffy, two-tone nylon costume. The left side of the outfit is light blue,
and the right side is red. The two colors merge in a dark line that runs
down the center of the small outfit. Surrounding its ankles and
disguising its long black shoes are big pink bows. The white spokes on
the wheels of the unicycle gather in the center and expand to the black
tire so that the wheel somewhat resembles the inner half of a
grapefruit. The clown and unicycle together stand about a foot high. As
a cherished gift from my good friend Tran, this colorful figure greets me
with a smile every time I enter my room.
2) The Blond Guitar
by Jeremy Burden
My most valuable possession is an old, slightly warped blond
guitar--the first instrument I taught myself how to play. It's
nothing fancy, just a Madeira folk guitar, all scuffed and
scratched and finger-printed. At the top is a bramble of copperwound strings, each one hooked through the eye of a silver
tuning key. The strings are stretched down a long, slim neck, its
frets tarnished, the wood worn by years of fingers pressing
chords and picking notes. The body of the Madeira is shaped
like an enormous yellow pear, one that was slightly damaged in
shipping. The blond wood has been chipped and gouged to
gray, particularly where the pick guard fell off years ago. No, it's
not a beautiful instrument, but it still lets me make music, and for
that I will always treasure it.
3) Gregory
by Barbara Carter
Gregory is my beautiful gray Persian cat. He walks with pride and
grace, performing a dance of disdain as he slowly lifts and lowers each
paw with the delicacy of a ballet dancer. His pride, however, does not
extend to his appearance, for he spends most of his time indoors
watching television and growing fat. He enjoys TV commercials,
especially those for Meow Mix and 9 Lives. His familiarity with cat food
commercials has led him to reject generic brands of cat food in favor of
only the most expensive brands. Gregory is as finicky about visitors as
he is about what he eats, befriending some and repelling others. He
may snuggle up against your ankle, begging to be petted, or he may
imitate a skunk and stain your favorite trousers. Gregory does not do
this to establish his territory, as many cat experts think, but to humiliate
me because he is jealous of my friends. After my guests have fled, I
look at the old fleabag snoozing and smiling to himself in front of the
television set, and I have to forgive him for his obnoxious, but
endearing, habits.
4) The Magic Metal Tube
by Maxine Hong Kingston
Once in a long while, four times so far for me, my mother brings out the
metal tube that holds her medical diploma. On the tube are gold circles
crossed with seven red lines each--"joy" ideographs in abstract. There
are also little flowers that look like gears for a gold machine. According
to the scraps of labels with Chinese and American addresses, stamps,
and postmarks, the family airmailed the can from Hong Kong in 1950. It
got crushed in the middle, and whoever tried to peel the labels off
stopped because the red and gold paint come off too, leaving silver
scratches that rust. Somebody tried to pry the end off before
discovering that the tube falls apart. When I open it, the smell of China
flies out, a thousand-year-old bat flying heavy-headed out of the
Chinese caverns where bats are as white as dust, a smell that comes
from long ago, far back in the brain.
One might benefit from keeping in
mind this simple maxim:
If the reader is unable to
clearly form an impression of
the thing that you are
describing, try, try again.
Here are some guidelines for
writing a descriptive essay…
Take time to brainstorm…
If your instructor asks you to describe your
favorite food, make sure that you jot down
some ideas before you begin describing it.
For instance, if you choose pizza, you might
start by writing down a few words: sauce,
cheese, crust, pepperoni, sausage, spices,
hot, melted, etc. Once you have written down
some words, you can begin by compiling
descriptive lists for each one.
Use clear and concise language.
This means that words are chosen
carefully, particularly for their relevancy
in relation to that which you are
intending to describe.
Choose vivid language.
Why use ‘horse’ when you can choose
‘stallion’? Why not use ‘tempestuous’
instead of ‘violent’? Or why not ‘miserly’
in place of ‘cheap’? Such choices form
a firmer image in the mind of the reader
and often times offer nuanced meanings
that better serve one’s purpose.
Use your senses!
Remember, if you are describing
something, you need to be
appealing to the senses of the
reader. Explain how the thing
smelled, felt, sounded, tasted, or
looked. Embellish the moment with
sensory descriptions.
What were you thinking?!
If you can describe emotions or feelings
related to your topic, you will connect
with the reader on a deeper level. Many
have felt crushing loss in their lives, or
ecstatic joy, or mild complacency. Tap
into this emotional reservoir in order to
achieve your full descriptive potential.
Leave the reader with a clear
impression.
One of your goals is to evoke a strong
sense of familiarity and appreciation in
the reader. If your reader can walk away
from the essay craving the very pizza
you just described, you are on your way
to writing effective descriptive essays.
Be organized!
It is easy to fall into an incoherent
rambling of emotions and senses when
writing a descriptive essay. However,
you must strive to present an organized
and logical description if the reader is to
come away from the essay with a
cogent sense of what it is you are
attempting to describe.
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