1. Improving Descriptive Writing
Painting an Original Picture

2. Purpose of Descriptive Writing
Describing something in an original and unique so that it appeals to the five senses
Touch it
Taste it
Hear it
See it
Smell it

3. Keys of Being Descriptive
Be original
Be creative
Stretch your imagination
For example, instead of this:
The hot, yellow sun went behind the mountain and covered the valley in red.
Try this:
The sun cut itself on a sharp peak and bled into the valley.—John Steinbeck

4. How’s This? Is it original and creative?
She was super hero beautiful. Her hair was as black as coal, her lips red as blood.
Is it original and creative?

5. Clichés: The Descriptive Killer
What is a cliché?
1 : a trite phrase or expression; Also : the idea expressed by it
2 : something that has become overly familiar or commonplace

6. Finding Clichés Through Experience
Ask yourself the following:
Have I heard or seen this before?
Would I see this in a cheesy poem?
Do Grandma or Grandpa say this a lot?
If you answer yes to any of them, you have found a cliché, my friend!

7. Finding Clichés On-line
Choose a keyword to look up
Go to a cliché website and look up the keyword
Cliché finder is one of the best places to look:
You may have to try more than one keyword

8. Fixing Clichés Identify the clichés
Replace them with more descriptive writing
Think of a new comparison
Look up words in a thesaurus
Use powerful adjectives to
help your description!

9. Powerful Adjectives
Words like “pretty,” “mean” and “nice” are overused!
Use your 5 senses to describe these adjectives in a more powerful way! How do these people look? Feel? Sound?

10. Which of the following do think are clichés?
She’s as pure as the driven snow,
She’s as pure as the driven snow,
Her face is as white as a sheet,
Her hands are as smooth as silk,
Her nails as red as a beet.
Her face is as white as a sheet,
Her hands are as smooth as silk,
Her nails as red as a beet.