Some Notes By Brian Yablon Descriptive Writing Some Notes By Brian Yablon

Overall Purpose You want to create an image or series of images in the reader’s mind. If done well, your reader should feel as though he/she is experiencing the world through your senses -- as though he/she were transposed onto you.

A Basic Skill Descriptive writing is a “threshold skill.” It is the basic building block of all other forms of writing. In order to write all types of essays well, you must write well descriptively.

Some Specific Uses To entertain To relate an experience. Such as an amusing description of a teenager’s room. To relate an experience. Such as a description of your childhood home to convey a sense of wealth or poverty you grew up in.

More Specific Uses To express feelings Such as a description of your favorite outdoor spot so that your reader clearly understands why you enjoy that place so very much. To inform (for a reader unfamiliar with a subject). Such as a description of a newborn calf for a reader who has never seen one.

Still More Specific Uses To persuade, to convince readers that some music videos degrade women. Such as a description of a degrading music video. To clarify, to clear up a misconception. Such as the descriptions of two people, objects, places, or ideas.

Where Can Descriptive Writing Be Found? By itself Narratives Exemplifications Comparison-contrasts Arguments Definitions Division-classifications Cause-effect

How Do You Begin? First, figure out two things: Your purpose -- what are you trying to achieve with this description? Your audience -- who are you directing your description toward. Your purpose and audience determine WHAT you say and HOW you say it.

Then What? Generate as many ideas, details, examples, and images as you can -- more than you think you’ll need. Select which of those you want to use. You cannot use everything; it’s too much -- and you want to avoid sounding like a laundry list.

Focus on a Dominant Impression Support the dominant impression with specific, vivid, precise details that all lead toward that overall image.

Getting Organized There are three ways to organize a descriptive essay. Keep in mind that organization patterns tend to overlap.

Spatial Organization This is organizing your images in physical space: Top to bottom Front to back Left to right Near to far Head to toe Bumper to bumper

Chronological Organization Sequential order First to last Morning-noon-night First, second, third Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday September, October, November 1999, 2000, 2001

Emphatic Organization Order of importance Least to most Most to least

Then What? Express and explain your details in length and in depth. Avoid creating a laundry list of characteristics. Use sensory language. We are sensory creatures and experience our world with our senses. Hearing Taste Touch Sight Smell

Be Aware of: The power of words. Denotation (literal, dictionary definitions) Connotation (associations we make with words) They are often not the same -- and sometimes opposite!

You Gotta Be Smooth, Baby! Be aware of transitions; they help your reader move between ideas. They’re connectors between sentences and between paragraphs.

Do You Feel Like I Do? Use sensory language: Hearing Tasting Touching Smelling Seeing Be aware that sensory language enlivens your writing but also slows it down. Use it well but sparingly.

Precision, Precision… Always be vivid, specific, and precise with details. Use concrete details instead of amorphous, vague ideas.

Figurative Language Try to use: Metaphors Similes Personification

Sentences Vary sentence Length Structure Short Medium long Simple Complex Compound Compound-Complex

Focus Remember that descriptive writing is focused on images NOT EVENTS. Think of it as flipping through a photo album. Each image is static yet tells a story.