Descriptive Writing - Make it Realistic

All our writing; be it stories, blog posts, essays, articles, or books are strengthened as we use descriptive details to engage our readers.

 

Our need and aim is to grow our observation skills in general and specific ways. These skills could be the most essential task for writers and is true for narrative pieces and stories. Further, it creates relatable writing. For this, we must build our descriptive muscles.

Tips for writing descriptively:
1.    Use sense words: sight, smell, sound, texture and taste, and paint a picture for the readers’ imagination. As the sensory detail flows, the reader forms a mental picture and is attracted to the piece.

2.    Brainstorm specific pictorial ideas using post-it notes or a whiteboard.

3.    Build a collage of photos from magazines or sketches.

4.    Use description to make your writing vibrant, essential and focused.

5.    Spend 10-15 minutes playing the scene in your own imagination and then write it.

6.    Descriptions of physical features and appearance will support the story.

7.    Boost interest by using comparisons, metaphors, and simile.

8.    Use detail to express items of importance: the big picture, a specific purpose, or significant points.

9.    Stay focused on the topic to avoid confusing the reader with non-essential wordiness.

10.    Writing descriptively doesn’t require writing more, but often less.

11.    Too many descriptions can slow down the story, use it with the purpose of slowing the piece or avoid it.


Quick checklist for description in a piece:
1.    Do we “see” a mental picture or impression?
2.    Do the words engage the senses, describe shape, or time?
3.    Does it form a larger picture for the story or narrative?

Rebecca McClanahan is the author of “Word Painting, The Fine Art of Writing Descriptively”.  This is my current read and her masterful use of descriptive writing is astounding. It’s worth checking out.

Descriptive Word lists help to recognize just the right word for the piece.
Helpful links:
* https://descriptivewords.org/
* https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/word-lists/list-of-descriptive-words.html

Wishing you all Wellness always! 

Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts.

Visit her writer’s website at: https://deborahlynwriter.com/  
Her caregiver’s website at: https://deborahlyncaregiver.com/
Facebook: Deborah Lyn Stanley, Writer    https://www.facebook.com/deborahlynwriter/?modal=admin_todo_tour

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Descriptive Writing for Fiction and Non-Fiction

Make it Personable and Tangible

All of our writing, whether it be short stories, blog posts, essays, articles, or books are strengthened by using description details to engage our readers.

Descriptive sense words for sight, smell, sound, feel/texture, and taste, paint a picture for readers to enter the story. As long as the sensory detail fits the piece, the reader will form a viable mental image. The purpose of descriptive writing is to provide a written impression from which readers can easily form a mental picture.

Today we’ll talk about essays.
An essay is a non-fiction piece with categories that include expository, descriptive, persuasive or narrative. A descriptive essay is a genre of essay writing that describes an object, person, place, experience, emotion or situation. It can be a particular account of an event. We use sensory details, metaphors, analogy and simile to enliven the piece and help support the thesis.

Tips:
•  Make it personable, tangible.
•  Create the picture first in your own mind and your prose will follow with the details.
•  Details build the scene.
•  We make the topic tangible by placing it in a setting.

Essay structure includes a thesis statement, core paragraphs regarding the topic, and a concluding paragraph to wrap the discussion and reaffirm the thesis. An essay can be as long as needed to express your message.

Advice we often hear is “Show, Don’t Tell”.
But a telling narrative also has its place. Telling could be the better choice when describing an unimportant detail, to summarize events that happen repeatedly, or to give context to a scene. Still, whenever it works, we want a detailed description to engage the reader and to move the essay or story forward.

Cultivate Writing Descriptively
Move It Forward

It’s time to gather lists of sensory adjectives to prime our reserves.
These links will help.
* https://descriptivewords.org/ 

* https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/word-lists/list-of-descriptive-words.html

Magazine submissions for personal essays: https://thewritelife.com/personal-essay/

Contests for essay submissions:
https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-competitions-pricing-and-deadlines

https://writeradvice.com/latest-contest-information/

Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts. 

Visit her writer’s website at: https://deborahlynwriter.com/   

See her caregiver’s website and her book for caregivers at: https://deborahlyncaregiver.com/

Facebook: Deborah Lyn Stanley, Writer    https://www.facebook.com/deborahlynwriter/?modal=admin_todo_tour