DESCRIPTIVE
WRITING
LOOKING INTO TECHNIQUES
CONSIDER THIS IMAGE
WRITING AND WORD
CHOICES
Words choices affect writing
Words like ‘good’ ‘bad’ ‘happy’ ‘sad’ ‘weird’ ‘nice’ ‘awesome’
etc. have lost its value
Adjectives help form an image
And so do figurative language
Powerful verbs make a difference
For example: the word ‘see’ or ‘look’ may not convey what
the writer exactly means
But words like ‘glare’ or ‘glance’ may add more layers
CONSIDER
SUBSTITUTING WORDS
1) We had a really nice dinner
2) The children had a great evening at the circus
These could become
1) We had a delicious meal
2) The children shared a thrilling evening at the circus
APPEALING TO THE
SENSES
HOW WRITING EVOKES
IMAGERY
He walked into the classroom and crossed to his desk. The
floor was worn where years of boys had kicked and scuffed
in their rush to escape. A damp, sickly-sweet aroma arose
from the pile of jackets crushed in one corner and a blind
tap, tapped against the window where a stone or ball had
cracked the glass. Mr Jones rubbed his hands across the
smooth polished top and examined his finger tips for dust.
HOW WRITING EVOKES
IMAGERY
He walked into the classroom and crossed to his desk. The
floor was worn where years of boys had kicked and scuffed
in their rush to escape. A damp, sickly-sweet aroma arose
from the pile of jackets crushed in one corner and a blind
tap, tapped against the window where a stone or ball had
cracked the glass. Mr Jones rubbed his hands across the
smooth polished top and examined his finger tips for dust.
DESCRIBING SCENES
Setting or scenes should bring out clear imagery to the
reader
In other words, the reader must be able to see, feel, hear
things when they read
If you are writing a descriptive essay, avoid telling a story.
Remember the classic cliché: show, don’t tell
Consider the following description
The room was square with a window along one side. It had
four chairs and a TV and video. There was a drinks cabinet
and computer in the corner. The carpet was red and the
ceiling cream.
What do you think of the above description?
DESCRIBING SCENES
Well, that description seemed like a list
Gave away a lot of information, some of which may not even
be pertinent to the story later
Consider this edited version
The room was brightly lit by a large window and housed
several modern pieces of electrical equipment but the effect
was softened by a drinks cabinet and a warm red carpet.
The above description gives an overall impression of the
room
May also give some insight about the character that lives
there
CREATING MOOD AND
ATMOSPHERE
DENOTATIONS AND
CONNOTATIONS
Denotation – dictionary meaning
Both dictionary and denotations begin with ‘D’
Connotation – interpretation of a word, associations made, an
idea or feeling that a word generates
‘A bright blue sky and the warm rays of sun’ might signal to
something positive because of words such as ‘bright’ and ‘warm’
‘Dark clouds, on a dull day, loomed heavy in the sky’ might
signal to something negative because of words such as ‘dark’,
‘dull’ and ‘loomed’
Word choices may generate specific mood and atmosphere
As a writer, it is up to you how you want to make your reader feel
CREATING MOOD AND
ATMOSPHERE
A wet, dull day greeted Mary as she stepped into the grey
light. Men huddled by in drab wet coats or stood in dismal
doorways waiting for a bus which never seemed to arrive.
CREATING MOOD AND
ATMOSPHERE
A wet, dull day greeted Mary as she stepped into the grey
light. Men huddled by in drab wet coats or stood in dismal
doorways waiting for a bus which never seemed to arrive.
Depending on your choice of words and your description, a
certain kind of mood can be formed. Try changing the words
in red to set a positive, cheerful mood
DESCRIBING
CHARACTERS
You control how your readers see your characters
Paul was tall and slim and walked effortlessly across the
room.
Paul was lanky and skinny and strode across the room in an
ungainly manner.
Look at the above descriptions of Paul
The first uses positive, flattering words while the second
uses negative words
RECAP OF TECHNIQUES
Adjectives
Adverbs
Verbs
Alliteration
Repetition
Connotation
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
REMEMBER ‘CAP’
Candidates fail to remember the simple reason behind their
descriptive piece
Often descriptions look out of place and seem to serve no
purpose
Remember CAP
C – Context – why is the piece written? What is the style? Is
there a background?
A – Audience – who is reading the text? Children? Young
adults?
P – Purpose – what purpose does the piece serve? Does it
entertain? Does it inform?
EXAMPLE
I heard the sound of a stick and a shambling step on the flags
in the passage outside, and the door creaked on its hinges as
a second old man entered, more bent, more wrinkled, more
aged even than the first. He supported himself by a single
crutch, his eyes were covered by a shade, and his lower lip,
half averted, hung pale and pink from his decaying yellow
teeth. He made straight for an arm-chair on the opposite side
of the table, sat down clumsily, and began to cough. The man
with the withered arm gave this new-comer a short glance of
positive dislike; the old woman took no notice of his arrival,
but remained with her eyes fixed steadily on the fire.
The Red Room by HG Wells
‘CAP’ THE EXTRACT
Context - This is a piece of highly descriptive writing taken
from the genre of a ghost story, designed to be entertaining.
It has a style we call gothic so is expected to be quite dark in
its style. It was first published in 1896 so some of the
language will be different from what we use today.
Audience - The original readers will have been educated
adults who enjoy reading ghost stories for entertainment.
Purpose - The purpose is mainly to entertain. As with all
serious literature, the writer might also have the purpose of
exploring certain themes that might even promote a
particular moral viewpoint. As it is gothic in style, it will
probably aim to scare us too.
ANALYSING TECHNIQUES
DESCRIBING PICTURES
Focus on aspects of the picture you want to describe
You will notice elements in the picture you could use to build
up your description
The sky, the ground, the colour of the whole place, the
house, its presence
Even without photographs, you can try the picture method if
you can develop mental images of situations
Then apply the techniques you have learned for a good
descriptive piece
REFERENCES
BBC Bitesize on Descriptive writing