the “ nitty gritty” writer’s practice guide

The “Nitty Gritty” Writer’s Practice Guide

PLC Activity 4th Grade

S. Boyd2009/2010

USING VIVID IMAGERY

WORD IMAGESAuthors use words to “paint” pictures in our minds

about the stories they write… If the words are dull & lifeless, we can’t “see” the pictures in our head.

…SAID

…went…walked

These words don’t give us enough information to imagine the events clearly. We only have a faint idea what’s happening…

VIBRANT & VIVID WORDSVibrant, vivid words help us see, hear, feel, smell, and taste exactly what the author intended us to imagine…

“munched” is more vivid than “ate”…“argued” is more precise than “said”…“squealed” is more vibrant than “laughed”…“shrieking” is more vivid than “yelling”“bawling” is more precise than “crying”…

NOW, it’s your turn…

WHICH WORD?

dark gloomy hurled threw said bellowed raced ran exclaimed answered looked gazed

In each pair of words, delete the vague word & leave only the more precise term.

CAN YOU “PICTURE” THIS?Delete the words below that are faint & fuzzy. Only leave words on the screen that “paint” a picture in your mind.

told gobbled whispered said mean little peered good slammed looked gigantic ran bad whined strolled tattled big devilish drooling plopped walked

In each pair of sentences, underline the sentence that creates a more vivid picture in your mind.

The old witch laughed loudly. The withered witch laughed like wild animals screeching.

The blustery wind moaned as it rattled the windows.The strong wind blew outside our house.

The tired baby sobbed softly. The little baby cried a lot.

“SEEING” THE DIFFERENCE?

YOUR TURN…Change the colored words in the next few paragraphs to more vibrant, precise terms. Be sure they “paint” a more vivid picture in your mind about what’s happening in the story…

The Walk Home

The bell rang and I walked toward home. It was such a nice day that I decided to take a shortcut. I saw a mist coming toward me. Before I realized it, the mist had surrounded me. It was thick and I couldn’t see a thing, but I heard strange noises. It was scary.

The Adventures of the Lost Quarter

I’m a lost quarter that a little boy found laying on the sidewalk. He picked me up and dropped me into his pocket. It was dark and dirty inside, but I wasn’t alone. I bumped into a plastic bug, an old rubber band, a little toy car, some foil, and a piece of gum. I looked around for a way out, found a hole, and fell to the ground below. I hope my next adventure is more fun.

If you wish to save your work to show your teacher how your writing is improving, follow these directions:Click fileSave As

Select your H driveRename the file: Vivid Words

Hit Save