Writing Descriptively

What's the Point?

The main purpose of descriptive writing is to describe something (a place, person, object, emotion, situation) so that you create an image, or a picture in the reader's mind, of what you are writing about. The key thing with descriptive writing is that you need to bring to life an image inside the head of your reader rather than give them a cold factual account of the thing being described. So, for example, instead of saying that something is beautiful you need to manipulate language in order to create the impression that the thing you are describing is beautiful.

Example of a factual description: Sunset

Example of descriptive writing: Sunset

A sunset is a phenomenon where the sun descends below the horizon, resulting in a gradual decrease in the intensity of sunlight. This change in illumination occurs due to the Earth's rotation, specifically as the observer's location rotates away from the direct line of sight with the sun. As the sun approaches the horizon, atmospheric effects come into play, altering the perceived color and brightness of sunlight.

"The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky with hues of crimson and gold. The water shimmered like a sheet of liquid gold, reflecting the last rays of daylight. Wispy clouds tinged with pink stretched across the vast expanse, as if brushed by an artist's gentle hand. The air was infused with a serene stillness, punctuated only by the soft lapping of waves against the shore."

When writing descriptively, think about the poetry terms you learned earlier in this module. Those are devices that can help make your writing more descriptive. Now, take a look at the videos below. These will discuss descriptive writing in general, the metaphor, and using precise language.

How to Write Descriptively

The Art of the Metaphor

Remember, the general characteristics of descriptive writing include:

rich, vivid, and lively detail
use of sensory imagery
figurative language such as simile, hyperbole, metaphor, symbolism and personification
showing, rather than telling, through the use of active verbs and precise modifiers.

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Narrative Writing and Descriptive Review

Narrative Writing

Narration means the art of storytelling, and the purpose of narrative writing is to tell stories. Anytime you tell a story to a friend or family member about an event or incident in your day, you engage in a form of narration.

A narrative can be factual or fictional. A factual story is one that is based on, and tries to be faithful to, actual events as they unfolded. A fictional story is made up, or imagined; the writer of a fictional story can create characters and events as he or she sees fit. Biographies and memoirs are examples of factual stories; novels and short stories are examples of fictional stories.

Writers use description in writing to make sure that their audience is fully immersed in the words on the page. This requires a concerted effort by the writer to describe his or her world through sensory details. Sensory details are descriptions that appeal to our sense of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Your descriptions should try to focus on the five senses because everyone relies on these senses to experience the world. The use of sensory details, then, provides you the greatest possibility of relating to your audience and thus engaging them in your writing, making descriptive writing important not only during your education but also during everyday situations.

Avoid empty descriptors if possible. Empty descriptors are adjectives that can mean different things to different people. Good, beautiful, terrific, and nice are examples. The use of such words in descriptions can lead to misreads and confusion. A good day, for instance, can mean many different things depending on the reader's age, personality, or tastes.

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The Case Against the Good and the Bad

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Descriptive Essays

Descriptive Essays typically describe a person, a place, or an object using sensory details. The structure of a descriptive essay is more flexible than some of the other rhetorical modes. The introduction of a descriptive essay should set up the tone and point of the essay. The thesis should convey the writer's overall impression of the person, place, or object described in the body sections or paragraphs.

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