Descriptive Writing: Monsters

Descriptive Writing Descriptive writers use IMAGERY…they use vivid verbs and awesome adjectives with lots of details to paint a picture in the reader’s mind.

Show, Not Tell Your reader should be able to read your words, close their eyes, and create a mental image of what you are describing. Example 1: The rain was falling heavily, and everyone was scared. Example 2: Enormous raindrops pelted the galvanized roof and the windows rattled. We huddled under the bed and held each other tightly, as the sky lit up with great flashes of lightning.

Try to picture this: HELP! I’ve lost my monster!!! He’s big and green. He has big, googly eyes and sharp teeth. When he opens his mouth he has lots of white teeth. He’s usually pretty friendly, but don’t make him mad! Please call 845-5555 if you see him. I’m offering a $100 reward 

Did you picture something like this?

Let’s try one first… Draw a picture of my monster, Mitzy! Mitzy is a big yellow monster with three legs. She has five eyes and a red tail. She is like a fish and has sharp teeth. She has round skinny legs with green feet.

The REAL Mitzy:

Now, picture this: Help! My monster is missing! Yesterday evening, as we walked through our neighborhood, my monster, Pinky, spotted a pretty poodle and sprinted off down the street to try and catch it. I ran as fast as I could, but to no avail. Pinky is as fast as a cheetah. I saw her in the distance take a right on Mulberry Street, but when I got there, it was as if she had disappeared in thin air. Where could she be? Please help! Pinky is a relatively small monster. She’s about three feet high and has fluffy pink fur all over her body, and darker pink spots spread out throughout her fur. Pinky is ombre, so her fur starts off light pink at the top of her head and steadily gets darker pink down her body. Her arms, hand and feet are bright pink, almost purple. Pinky has short arms and three fingers on each hand. She has big feet like a dinosaurs, with three toes on each foot. There is a big pad of lighter pink skin in the middle of each of her feet, and purple spots on her toes. Pinky has two eyes, but her right eye is bigger than her left eye. They are so close together that they touch! The center pupil is dark purple with a yellowish/orangeish ring around it and then a white ring around that. Pinky is always smiling, so you can see she has thin black lips with four sharp white teeth spread out at the top and one big white tooth in the center at the bottom. She is extra unique because of the horns spread out on the top of her head. There are two and they are shaped like sugar cones. If you hear a POP! sound, that’s her. That is the sound she makes when she is looking for a lollipop. If you find her, be careful! She is super sweet, but also super sticky! She is always eating sweets. If you look sweet, she will try to taste you, and you will get licked. The good news is that she smells sweet, so you won’t stink too bad after getting licked. You can calm her down by giving her a lollipop. That will keep her occupied while you call for help. Please call 845-3355 and ask for Susan if you find her. I will be there on the double to pick her up. Thanks in advance for you help!

Descriptive Writing: You will be creating your own “Missing Monster.” To be successful, you will need: 1. LOTS of details (nouns and adjectives) 2. VIVID VERBS 3. Similes and metaphors 4. Alliteration 5. Onomatopoeia

LOTS of Details (nouns and adjectives) blue, spiky fur skinny, stick legs Three stick toes at the bottom of each leg, like a chicken

VIVID VERBS When he gets excited he will latch on to you with his sticky, hot-pink three-toed toes. He will also lick you with his red, skinny, snake-like tongue. When this occurs, the spikes on his back will stand at attention.

3. Similes and metaphors His stripes are as spaced out and pointy as a tigers. His horns are sharp and curled like a steer. His teeth are pyramids.

4. Alliteration The slimy, slug slithers through the sand sideways. You might notice his yellow, yucky spots.

5. Onomatopoeia When he meets new people, he gets excited, smiles the biggest smile you’ve ever seen, and shouts, “Boogity, boogity, BOO! I see YOU!” If you don’t laugh, he will say, “Wamp, wamp, wamp!”

Now, it’s your turn! Remember, you are being graded on: 3 paragraphs Lots of descriptive, details (nouns & adjectives) Lots of vivid verbs Similes & metaphors Alliteration Onomatopoeia You are going to describe YOUR missing monster! It CANNOT be a monster already in a book, movie, etc. It must be ORIGINAL!!!

FOLLOW DIRECTIONS!!! DO NOT PUT YOUR HEADING! On the back of your loose-leaf, write: Your initials (ex. SCW) Your ELA teacher Your class period Write a MISSING Monster description. Start at the top of the monster and work your way down. Be as descriptive and detailed as possible!!! Someone else will be trying to draw your monster 

When you are finished your description: When you have turned in both the description and picture, I will give you a description that another student from another class wrote. You will draw EXACTLY what they describe! If you do a GREAT job describing, then another student’s picture of your monster should look just like yours!!! The students with the pictures that look the most alike will win homework passes, Eagle bucks and candy  Winners will be announced on Oct. 30. You are going to draw and color your monster! Again, do NOT put a heading! You will put your initials, ELA teacher name, and class period ON THE BACK.

A great description will have pictures that look like this: YOUR DRAWING: ANOTHER STUDENT’S DRAWING USING YOUR DESCRIPTION:

If your description leaves things out or is vague, this will be the result: Your drawing of your monster: Their drawing of your monster: