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Writing Descriptions: Principles

1) The document discusses the key characteristics of descriptive writing, including using vivid sensory details to convey a single dominant impression and involve the reader. 2) It provides examples of how to establish a subjective or objective tone in description and notes the purpose is to allow the reader to visualize what is being described. 3) Strategies are presented for organizing descriptive details chronologically or through a "then and now" approach to show changes, and for selecting an emotion to describe.

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Anita Jankovic
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57 views

Writing Descriptions: Principles

1) The document discusses the key characteristics of descriptive writing, including using vivid sensory details to convey a single dominant impression and involve the reader. 2) It provides examples of how to establish a subjective or objective tone in description and notes the purpose is to allow the reader to visualize what is being described. 3) Strategies are presented for organizing descriptive details chronologically or through a "then and now" approach to show changes, and for selecting an emotion to describe.

Uploaded by

Anita Jankovic
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Writing Descriptions

Because description is a mode of expository writing which is relied upon in other


expository modes, we sometimes find difficulty in imagining a purely descriptive essay.
In a narrative, for example, description can make the setting of characters more vivid; in
a process paper it can insure that the audience understands the finished product.
Regardless of how we use description, it is easy to see that it strengthens an essay
considerably.
Principles
Students often ask, "But how do I write a purely descriptive essay? What's the point of
description? What's so different about it?" There are three characteristics of a purely
descriptive essay which are worthy of remembering.
1. a descriptive essay has one, clear dominant impression. If, for example you are
describing a snowfall, it is important for you to decide and to let your reader know
if it is threatening or lovely; in order to have one dominant impression it cannot
be both. The dominant impression guides the author's selection of detail and is
thereby made clear to the reader in the thesis sentence.
2. a descriptive essay can be objective or subjective, giving the author a wide choice
of tone, diction and attitude. For instance, an objective description of one's dog
would mention such facts as height, weight, coloring and so forth. A subjective
description would include the above details, but would also stress the author's
feeling toward the dog, as well as its personality and habits.
3. the purpose of a purely descriptive essay is to involve the reader enough so he or
she can actually visualize the things being described. Therefore, it is important to
use specific and concrete details.
Conventions
The descriptive essay relies on concrete, sensory detail to communicate its point.
Remember, we have five senses, not one or two.
The author of a descriptive essay must carefully select details to support the dominant
impression. In other words, the author has the license to omit details which are
incongruent with the dominant impression unless the dominant impression is one which
points out the discrepancies.
Description very often relies on emotion to convey its point. Because of this, verbs,
adverbs, and adjectives convey more to the reader than do nouns.
Unless the description is objective, you must be sure that the dominant impression
conveys an attitude.
Strategies
Try giving all the details first; the dominant impression then is built from these details.
Check your details to be sure that they are consistent with the dominant impression. You
might even want to write down the five senses on a scratch piece of paper and check to
see that you have covered them all.
Try moving your reader through space and time chronologically. For instance, you might
want to describe a train ride from start to destination, or a stream from its source to the
point at which it joins the river.
Use a then-and-now approach to show decay, change, or improvement. The house where
you grew up might now be a rambling shack. The variations on this strategy are endless.
Select an emotion and try to describe it. It might be more difficult to get started, but it can
be worthwhile.

How to Write Vivid Descriptions


Having trouble describing a person, object, or event for your narrative or descriptive
essay? Try filling out this chart:
What do you
smell?

What do you
taste?

What do you see?What do you


hear?

What might you


touch or feel?

Remember: Avoid simply telling us what something looks like--tell us how it tastes,
smells, sounds, or feels!
Consider this
Virginia rain smells different from a California drizzle.
A mountain breeze feels different from a sea breeze.
We hear different things in one spot, depending on the time of day.
You can taste things youve never eaten: how would sunscreen taste?

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