English 1301Mr. Hall

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING WORKSHOP

Author Virginia Hamilton writes: "Capturing an event through descriptive writing involves paying close attention to the details by using all of your five senses."

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

This is the oldest cliché of the writing profession, and I wish I didn't have to repeat it. Do not tell me that the Thanksgiving dinner was cold. Show me the grease turning white as it congeals around the peas on your plate. . . . Think of yourself as a movie director. You have to create the scene that the viewer will relate to physically and emotionally."(David R. Williams, Sin Boldly!: Dr. Dave's Guide To Writing The College Paper. Basic Books, 2009)

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

using too many adjectives and adverbs can actually weaken your writing.

Always look for the most concise, specific way to describe something

For Example:

She walked smoothly.

She glided.

SOME USEFUL TIPS…

similes can be particularly effective for description as they evoke familiar connections.

That being said, try to avoid clichés

For Example:

When he told me he loved me my heart melted like a popsicle on the 4th of July.

SOME USEFUL TIPS…

Appealing to the senses…

EXERCISE #1

Example:

The dog’s soft black fur felt like silk against my skin and glistened as it absorbed the sunlight, reflecting it back as a perfect, deep, dark mirror. 

EXERCISE #1

You have an envelope in front of you labeled “Exercise #1.” Each member of the group needs to randomly select a task and write a descriptive sentence that appeals to the reader’s senses.

EXERCISE #1

Describing people…

EXERCISE #2

Example:

The old man was stooped and bent, his back making the shape of a C and his head bent so far forward that his beard would nearly have touched his knobby knees had he been just a bit shorter. 

EXERCISE #2

EXERCISE #2#1

#2

#3 #4

Example:

"Hemingway had on a red plaid wool shirt, a figured wool necktie, a tan wool sweater-vest, a brown tweed jacket tight across the back and with sleeves too short for his arms, gray flannel slacks, Argyle socks, and loafers, and he looked bearish, cordial, and constricted.

EXERCISE #2

Describing action…

EXERCISE #3

Describe an activity you do regularly. Tell what it feels like physically and mentally to do this task, as well as the task's most prominent sensory details.

Example: exercising, cooking, cleaning, etc.

EXERCISE #3

Putting it into practice…

EXERCISE #4

Go back to your literacy narrative and select three sentences that could use more descriptive language, or could be improved. Write the original sentence and then rewrite it using vivid and concise descriptive language.

EXERCISE #4