Kinds of Composition: Description

Good Examples of Descriptive Writing

‘But the door slid slowly open before Lupin could reach it. Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the
shivering flames in Lupin’s hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely
hidden beneath its hood. Harry’s eyes darted downwards, and what he saw made his stomach contract.
There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, greyish, slimy-looking and scabbed, like
something dead that had decayed in water…’
– Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

‘I don’t know what I’d expected but it was something different than I saw. She looked unexpectedly young.
Or, I suppose said better, she looked unexpectedly “not old”. Her hair, which was completely white, had a
yellowish cast that could almost have been mistaken for a pale blond, and it was loose around her
shoulders. And long. Longer than mine. No doubt she normally wore it pulled up in a bun, and such a style
would have given her a more predictable little-old-lady look, but the way it was here now, parted on the side
– long, loose, and straight – she seemed ageless as an ancient sculpture. This sense was enhanced by her
skin. Though it had the fragile crepeyness of age, she had few wrinkles, especially across her forehead,
which was smooth to a point of being almost waxy looking. She was of obvious northern Germanic
heritage, with pale eyes and prominent features. Although she was not overweight, her bones were big and
blunt, giving the impression of a tall, sturdy woman.’
– Twilight Children by Torey Hayden

Why be Descriptive While Writing?

 The purpose of descriptive writing is to inspire imagination. When you put your mind into making a
piece of writing more descriptive, you automatically begin to pay attention to detail and refine your
perception about things. You begin to imagine them as much more than, say a party hat or a hard-
bound book. You begin to look at them as a tall, pink, pointed paper hat with tassels, and a book
that had a gleaming golden spine, and weighed a few good pounds.
 The next, and probably the most important benefit of descriptive writing is that in the process of
trying to make the reader visualize what you want to say, you tend to use more interesting words.
You want to convey a mental picture to your reader. So you’re bound to use words that might be
unconventional or less-used. You will want to find words that exactly describe what you want to
say, and will look for different words that mean the same. This will help you suitably build your
vocabulary.
 The success of descriptive writing lies in the details. The more detailed your depiction of a plot or a
character or a place is, the more you engross your reader. You become a keen observer and
minder of details. You pay attention to the tiniest bits of information and appearance, which in turn
helps you transfer the details into your writing.
 Since you have picked something to describe and have observed all its details, you are sure to
understand the subject better. You may even come across bits and pieces that you may have
 missed the first time you looked at the object/subject in question. Thoroughly understanding what
you’re going to write about is exceedingly important to the process of writing about it.

Tips you Can Use

Identify what you are about to describe

As you start with descriptive writing, identify exactly what you are setting out to describe. Usually, a
descriptive piece will include the depiction of a person, a place, an experience, a situation, and the like.
Anything that you experience or perceive about your subject can be the focal point of your descriptive
writing. You build a backdrop by identifying an aspect of a subject that you want to describe.

Decide why you’re describing that particular aspect

While it can be a wonderful creative exercise to simply describe anything you observe, in descriptive
writing, there is often a specific reason to describe whatever you have set out to describe. Tapping this
reason can help you keep the description focused and infuse your language with the particular emotion or
perspective that you want to convey to your readers.

Maintain a proper chronology/sequence

Sometimes, you may get so caught up in making your work colorful and creative that you may end up
having a mash-up of descriptions that follow no particular order. This will render the effort of writing useless
as the various descriptions will simply confuse the reader. For instance, if you want to describe characters
in a particular situation, begin by describing the setting, then proceed to the most important character of
that particular situation, and then to the least important one (if necessary).

Use Imagery

Imagery is the best tool you can employ in descriptive writing. Since you cannot show your reader what you
are imagining, you need to paint a picture with words. You need to make the depiction of your imagination
so potent that your reader will instantly be able to visualize what you are describing. However, don’t go
overboard. Make sure that the focus does not dwindle stray. Keep your descriptions specific to the subject
in question. The writing must be able to draw in the reader; hence, the writer should say things that the
reader can relate to or empathize with. An introductory backdrop can often provide an effective setting for
the remaining part of the piece. Great descriptive writing has the ability to lure the reader, enticing him or
her to continue reading right to the end. While giving the details is important, it is how they are presented
that makes the difference.

Hone the senses

One of the most effective ways to make the experience you are describing vivid for your reader is to use
the five senses: smell, sight, sound, taste, and touch. When the descriptions are focused on the senses,
you provide specific and vivid details in such a way that it shows your reader what you are describing. So,
when you describe a subject, depict it in such a manner that it involves the reader’s possible sensory
interpretations. It must make the reader imagine what he would see, hear, smell, taste, or feel when he
reads what you have written.

She gently squeezed the juice out of the plump, red tomato. She blended this juice into the simmering mix
of golden-brown onions and garlic in the pan, and watched as they melded into each other. She then added
the spice mixture that she had prepared, and the air was permeated with a mouth-watering aroma.

Use strong nouns and verbs effectively, adjectives intelligently

It is true that the purpose of adjectives is to describe a subject, but overuse of adjectives in descriptive
writing can render the piece shallow and hollow. Hence, make it a point to use other parts of speech to
express the same sentiment. You’ll be surprised how effectively nouns, verbs and adverbs can be used to
describe something, sometimes even better than adjectives alone. For instance, look at the two sentences
below.

 The flowers were as fresh as the morning dew.

 The flowers had a freshness that could only equal that of the glistening morning dew.

The first sentence has used an adjective (fresh) to describe the flowers. It is a good description too,
because the comparison to morning dew is something that will immediately put the reader in the sense of
mind that you want. The second sentence too has compared the freshness to morning dew, but has used a
noun (freshness) and a verb (equal) to do so, and in the process has probably enticed the reader to
continue reading, more than the first sentence.

Pick related words

Before you actually begin writing, it is always a good idea to build a word bank of related words and ideas.
For instance, if you are going to be describing a flower arrangement, you could jot down a few ideas before
you start describing it, like: vase, color, types of flowers, leaves, stem, style, shape, fresh, etc. Once you
have these basic words, you could start descriptive sentences for each one. Then, carry on from there.

Display passion

Impact is what you’re looking to create in the minds of your readers. You want your readers to relate and
empathize with what you’re writing. This will be close to impossible if your work does not reflect the passion
that you feel for it. Make them feel what you feel with the words you write. Language that relates to
powerful emotions such as love, hatred, admiration, disgust, etc., can convey the range and intensity of the
sentiment that you are trying to express. Use them to your favor and get the desired effect.

What is Descriptive Writing?

We can define descriptive writing as a type of writing that gives a clear and concise description of
everything. It includes places, people, object or an event. The primary objective of descriptive writing is to
provide a clear picture of the place, people or thing in reader’s mind. The writer provides enough details to
evoke the senses. A reader can feel all their senses working while reading any descriptive writing work.

Descriptive writing is used to draw vivid details in the reader’s mind. The reader will use sensory details
when he/she reads the text. He can feel the environment of the text through senses like seeing, hearing,
smell, taste, and touch. This form of writing will help the readers to go into a world of the writer. You can
find descriptive writing in almost all forms of writing styles. These styles include a journal, travel writing,
biographies, poetry, diary writing, nature writing, memoirs, etc.

The purpose of descriptive writing

Being a student you want to understand and know the reason why one must use descriptive writing. For
every student, the end purpose of writing a descriptive work is the same, which is to describe. You need to
give a perfect description of the topic which you are describing. Your description should be so realistic that
reader can feel it.

Let’s see first the purposes of descriptive writing for students:

 It helps in writing paragraphs and essays in a detailed and structured manner. You will learn how to
describe various small and large things. It helps you to maintain balance, and you get the idea
what should you need to elaborate and what is not.
 Descriptive writing helps in holding the reader for your writing work. By this I mean your reader will
stay attracted towards your text. It will keep your reader engaged in your work. An engaging work
would be the best compliment for any writer. So if you want to see yourself as an excellent writer,
enhance your skills of descriptive writing.

 Are you the one who lacks the vocabulary, or feel difficulty in writing because of a shortage of new
words. It’s time to practice descriptive writing. Why I am saying this because, it will help you in
finding new words and enhances your vocabulary, when you get the task to write more and more,
you will look out on the internet for various new words. This automatically enhances your
knowledge regarding the new words.
 Descriptive writing is a great way if you want to clarify any topic or any subject. It describes
everything. You will see that you have to describe minute details as well as other details in an
elaborative manner. So more the description, better clarity it will make.
  With the help of descriptive writing, you will learn how to present sensory details. The presentation
of sensory details will help in conveying the main idea. For those who are planning to be a novelist
or a writer, descriptive writing is gold for them.

Descriptive Writing Techniques

As I have told you the definition of descriptive writing, it should contain all sensory details. Your writing
should evoke sight, taste, sound, smell, and touch. Evoking these senses is not as easy as it looks. You
have to gain mastery over the descriptive form of writing. Only then you can make your writing work an
excellent one. Below I am going to tell you some tips to enhance your descriptive writing skills.

Select a Right Topic

The first and most important thing is to choose the right topic. Before writing anything, choose topic aright.
You should be able to write on your selected topic. You must be able to provide a precise description of
your topic to the reader. Your topic should have enough details to convince and involve the reader. Your
topic should be able to make a picture in the reader’s mind.

Use Descriptive Words

As it is descriptive writing, so words should also be descriptive. If your words are descriptive only then it will
help you in a precise description. Use words which can provide sensory details more clearly.
Organize all the details in a Chronological Order

When you are writing a descriptive article, structure everything logically and in correct order. Your details
should not be erratic. Otherwise, it will reduce the readability and reader will not stay connected.

Use Figurative Language

Whenever you are writing a descriptive essay or paragraphs, use figurative languages like simile and
metaphors. For example, Her smile was like sunshine.

Figurative language will add feelings to your text and enhances the value of your work. A reader will also
find your work as a masterpiece of writing. It will help in stimulating the interest of the readers.

Descriptive Writing Examples

Now after talking so much about descriptive writing techniques, I think we should now see examples. Below
you can see a few good examples of descriptive writing:

 The Life of Princess Diana

 Describe the Castle at Vincennes

These are the few examples of writing or beginning descriptive writing. You can choose any topic of your
choice also. But keep in mind that your topic should have things which you can fluently describe and evoke
some kind of emotion in the reader. This will make the writing work more impressive.
Types of Descriptive Writing
 Now its time to look out for the types of descriptive writing. These types will help you more to know in what
way you should begin descriptive writing. As I said earlier, descriptive writing could be seen in any form of
writing. Whichever writing is describing things in a detailed manner, it is called descriptive writing.

Let’s have a look at them one by one:

Biography

A biography is a form of detailed work, tell you about famous people’s life. A biography may include many
surprising facts and details which you never heard.

Travel writing

This would be the best thing one would love to experience. Being a writer, you will love to write on travel
topics. Being a reader one would love to read on travel topics. Travel writing also allows the writer to
portray skills of descriptive writing in a great way. You have to describe the beauty and uniqueness about
the places you visit. Your words will take the readers in that place.

Nature writing

Nature writing also describes the beauty of nature. It can be fictional or nonfictional. You must read John
Keats’s poems, or Wordsworth’s poems to learn the art of nature writing.

Journal

Many people form a journal. It is a daily record of events or work you do. Journals also refer to periodicals
and newspapers that are published on a daily basis. In Journal writing work you must give details of
important events to meetings in extended form to make it informative.

Poetry

This is a form of descriptive writing that describes feelings, emotions, and ideas. A poem is the best form of
descriptive writing when it comes to expressions. The poem expresses the best. A poet can bring a dead
person to live with his/her writing and use of words.

Features of Descriptive Writing

Descriptive Writing form encompasses the following features:

1. Descriptive writing describes all information in chronological order. If describing a person, start with his
appearance, nature, and background. If you are describing a place. Tell readers about the atmosphere,
 environment, day and night time, etc. these small things are very useful to make text excellent and keep
readers engaging.
2. When we talk about ideal descriptive writing, it should have nouns, adjectives and strong action verbs.
These three things bring life to text and only then a writer can create images in the mind of readers. The
reader will also love to read that text again and again.
3. Most of the forms of descriptive writing are colorful and holds a vivid description of sensory details. These
details play a key role in forming of the image in reader’s mind. The reader will also get escapism from daily
life only through this piece of art.
4. Last but not least is the use of simile, metaphor, and analogy. These things are like the final touchup to the
writing. Without them, a piece of descriptive writing will remain incomplete.

If you want to be a good descriptive writer, understand the above-mentioned features very well. I
understand that learning this form of writing is not as easy as it looks. You cannot master in it overnight. It
requires a lot of time and efforts to gain expertise in descriptive writing.
Tips for good descriptive writing work
So it’s time to write a descriptive essay. You cannot start it without any preparation or else you will fail for
sure. To make your first descriptive essay an easy one, I am going to suggest you some tips which will help
you out. Let’s look at them:

Prewriting for the Descriptive Essay

This is an important phase of writing a descriptive essay. Prewriting phase will define how you will shape
your essay. In this phase, sit back and think what you are going to write, how you are going to write, and on
what topic you are going to write. You need not to have a famous or popular topic, but your writing should
make it famous. When you select the topic, think about the qualities you are going to describe that topic.
Give your brain a boost and make a list of all the details you will describe. You will have to make great use
of what, where, and when.

Drafting a Descriptive Essay

Drafting is the second most important thing in descriptive writing. Make a rough draft of the final essay
which you are going to write. In that draft make an outline of your work. In the drafting, part focus on the
things which will make the images in the reader’s mind. This will include the vocabulary, jargons, and
emotional and psychological description. These things easily make an impression on readers mind. Also,
make a list of sensory information which you want to provide in your work.

Revising a Descriptive Essay

Now write a descriptive essay based on your rough draft. After writing it, revise what you have written.
Make required modification in it and reorganize it if needed. Reread your work and look out for language
errors. Correct if there are any grammatical errors.

Ask questions from yourself

 Does the essay unfold in a way that helps the reader fully appreciate the subject? Do any
paragraphs confuse more than describing?
 Are there enough details to give the reader a complete picture?
 Do the word choice and figurative language involve the five senses and convey emotion and
meaning?
 Has a connection been made between the description and its meaning to the writer? Will the
reader be able to identify with the conclusion made?
Whenever you write, keep the reader in mind. Your essay should be precise in details. It should cover
everything in a detailed manner but no exaggeration. Do not exaggerate or repeat if not required.
Repetition and exaggeration create monotony and dullness in work.

Publishing a Descriptive Essay

Publishing a descriptive essay is of utmost importance. If you do not share your work to others, you will not
be able to get the good and bad about your writing. Take feedback from your users in a positive manner.
And improve it in the next one. Publishing will also help in spreading your views and your skills. You may
get a good opportunity from somewhere.

These tips will help you to write an excellent descriptive essay. If you are still hesitant to write a one take
help from the expert writers online. They have got all the skills required for a great essay. They will
provide you with excellent help in the descriptive essay.