Scribd
Upload
88 views

Descriptive Writing Exercises

The document provides guidance on descriptive writing techniques, including being specific with details, using adjectives, showing rather than telling, using senses to describe settings and characters, and exercises for practicing descriptive writing.

Uploaded by

Katie Whelan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
88 views

Descriptive Writing Exercises

The document provides guidance on descriptive writing techniques, including being specific with details, using adjectives, showing rather than telling, using senses to describe settings and characters, and exercises for practicing descriptive writing.

Uploaded by

Katie Whelan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 27

Descriptive Writing Exercises

The Key Features of Descriptive Writing


Be Specific!

When you are writing things in a story to do with a character, try to name things.

If you are talking about a product, be specific and name it. Ie: instead of saying ‘the car’ say
‘the nissan micra’ ect ect.

You need to have a picture of your character and your setting in your head or else your reader
will never be able to visualise them.

Physical descriptions, telling details.

Actions and reactions – what they do and say.

© Creative Connections
Setting and Atmosphere
Setting and atmosphere are vital to every story. It is important that you describe where the action is
taking place. Use descriptive language to create a picture of the setting in the readers mind and to
conjure up its atmosphere.

Use adjectives

Where appropriate, base the setting of your story on a place you already know.

You shouldn’t spend more than a paragraph describing a setting.

© Creative Connections
This is one of the most important things that you will have to make sure that you
do when you are writing your story.
We want our readers to be able to visualise exactly what is happening in your
story as that will make it so much more exciting then us just telling them exactly
what has happened.

An example of telling: Sandra was tired

An Example of showing: Sandra’s steps slowed, and finally stopped. She put a
hand to her brow, and massaged it.

Show Don’t Tell Do not tell the reader what is happening. Show them. This is far more effective.

What did I do here to show rather than tell?

What are some of the ways/techniques we can use to show rather than tell in our
writing?

If you are looking for help with this - use your senses!

A way to avoid showing rather than telling is to avoid the overuse of adverbs.

© Creative Connections
Use Your Senses!

• When showing and not telling – we need to use our 5 senses.


• Things we can:
• See
• Hear
• Touch
• Taste
• Smell
Writing Exercises
Adjectives to Use in Your Story
• Abandoned • Afraid
• Abrupt • Aggressive
• Academic • Alarmed
• Acute • Amused
• Admirable • Ancient
• Adorable • Angelic
• Adventurous • Angry
• Acclaimed • Babyish
• Accomplished • Bad
• Acrobatic • Baggy
• Beloved • Brilliant
• Bewitched • Buoyant
• Bitter • Busy
• Blank • Buzzing
• Bleak • Calm
• Blind • Carefree
• Blushing • Careful
• Bored • Cautious
• Bouncy • Cavernous
• Brave • Charming
• Bright • Cheerful
• Chubby • Comfortable
• Classic • Common
• Clean • Composed
• Clear • Concerning
• Clever • Confusing
• Cloudy • Creepy
• Cluttered • Cruel
• Clumsy • Cuddly
• Course • Curious
• Cold • Curly
• Colourful • Cute
• Damaged • Devoted
• Dangerous • Dim
• Dark • Dirty
• Dazzling • Disfigured
• Dear • Drab
• Decent • Dull
• Deep • Early
• Defiant • Easy
• Delicious • Easy-going
• Demanding • Edible
• Dense • Elastic
• Elderly • Everlasting
• Electric • Evil

• Embellished • Exotic
• Exuberant
• Emotional
• Fashionable
• Empty
• Faithful
• Enchanted
• Famous
• Energetic
• Fancy
• Envious
• Fantastic
• Enthusiastic • Fatal
• Ethical • Fearful
• Euphoric • Female
• Filthy • Intelligent
• Firm • Intrepid

• Flat • Jocular
• Jovial
• Flawed
• Joyful
• Flustered
• Jubilant
• Focused
• Keen
• Foolhardy
• Kind
• Gregarious
• Lanky
• Grim • Lazy
• Handsome • Limp
• Handy • Luxurious
• Mediocre • Organic
• Mellow • Ornate
• Miserable • Ordinary
• Nocturnal • Powerless
• Naive • Practical
• Nasty • Precious
• Neat • Puzzled
• Needy • Quarrelsome
• Negative • Querulous
• Nervous • Questionable
• Nice • Quirky
• Ragged • Scornful
• Rapid • Secret
• Ready • Selfish
• Recent • Super
• Regal • Talented
• Reliable • Tame
• Sad • Tasty
• Sandy • Tender
• Sane • Tense
• Scarce • Terse
• Scented • Terrible
• Varied
• Thankful
• Vast
• Thoughtful
• Victorious
• Thoughtless • Vivacious

• Tired • Wandering

• Tough • Weary

• Wicked
• Troubling
• Wide
• Ugly • Wild

• Uninterested • Witty

• Unusual • Worrisome

• Wrong
• Upset
• Young
• Uptight • Zealous
These sentences get the point across:

I could smell the peppers. It was dinner time. I


washed my hands.

Showing
not Telling But we can make them more detailed and
engaging:

The sweet, burnt scent of roasting peppers hung


in the air. I knew dinner was almost ready. I
washed my hands, watching the dirt swirl around
the sink and disappear.
You Try -

In your copies: turn these sentences from sentences that ‘tell’


the reader to sentences that ‘show’ the reader and puts them in
the middle of the story: The first one is done for you!
*Hint: Use your adjective slides to help you!*
• The car was red and fast.→The car was apple-red and could easily
go 120 kilometres per hour.
The cat is sleeping.
1. The pizza is delicious.
The book is on the table. 2. The music is loud.
I am wearing a blue shirt. 3. The sky is blue.
The car is red. 4. The water is cold.
The tree has leaves. 5. The flower is pretty.

The coffee is hot.


6. The movie is interesting.

The room is clean.


7. The beach is beautiful.
Description of
Images
Describe the following 5 images using
your senses and adjectives
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Image 5
Pick one object of your choosing, set a 10-minute
timer and write for a full 10 minutes describing your
object.

You cannot say the name of your object.

Describe an Object You cannot use the same adjective more than once.

You must describe every single feature of this


object.

Your description should be half a page in length.


Same rules apply as the
previous slide!

Describe your
Favourite Food Don’t forget about your 5
senses… think about the
texture of the food and how
you can best describe it for us
as readers.

You might also like