Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing is about using the power of words to arouse and capture the reader’s attention and create a lasting impact.

More than any other kind of writing, descriptive writing strives to invoke a vivid and involved experience for the reader. It is often considered as one of the most creative forms of writing since it is basically about being able to evoke emotions in the reader through the power of words. A good descriptive essay, for instance, has the ability to arouse the reader’s senses and create a lasting impact on his or her mind. This effect can be achieved not through statistics and facts, but by detailed descriptions and observations.

As you start with your descriptive writing, one of the most important things is identifying exactly what you are setting out to describe. Usually, a descriptive essay will include the depiction of the following: a place, a person, a pet, an object, an experience, or a memory. Anything that you experience or perceive about your subject can be the focal point of your descriptive writing.

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

For example, say you are writing a descriptive essay about your pet dog. You may have chosen to write about how your dog looks and the way he interacts with you. Instead of merely giving a general description of these features, you could convey how you love your dog’s intelligence and lovingness. In order to achieve this, one of your paragraphs could focus on describing how your dog’s eyes light up in pure joy whenever he sees you after an absence. You could also tell about how he will nuzzle up close to you, nudging you gently with his cold nose, thumping his tail on the floor, when you don’t pay attention to him because of being occupied with something else.

If there is one thing you need to keep in mind when you undertake any kind of descriptive writing, it is the famous maxim – "Show, don’t tell." But, how does one show and not tell? Well, take these two examples:

• I felt tired at work today.
• As the day wore on at work, I felt a cramp beginning to form at the nape of my neck, my eyes began to feel droopy, and the computer screen in front of me began blurring.

While the first sentence merely tells your reader directly that you felt tired at work today, the second one shows the reader how you grew tired. Effective descriptive writing is full of such ‘showing sentences’ because they allow readers to experience or imagine what the writer felt for himself or herself.

However, care must be taken not to overdo it. Don’t just use descriptive words merely for the sake of filling the page up. 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 have the ability of luring 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.

Hence, while writing, 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.

Therefore, it is a good idea to take the time to brainstorm, before you actually begin writing. For instance, if you are going to be writing about 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 the basic words, you could start writing descriptive sentences for each one. Then, carry on from there.

Make the language as descriptive as you can. Hence, instead of using merely ‘horse’, why not choose to use ‘mare’, ‘foal’ or ‘stallion’? Instead of bland ‘happy’, why not ‘joyous’, ‘glad’, or ‘delighted’? Or, why not ‘closefisted’, ‘niggardly’, or ‘miserly’ in place of insipid ‘ungenerous’? Such word choices color the image you are trying to create in the reader’s mind and also provide nuanced interpretations that help to serve your purpose better. The idea is to coax the reader to not only enter but also become a part of the world you are trying to create.

Language that relates to powerful emotions such as love, hatred, admiration, or disgust can convey the range and intensity of feeling. You can create a tremendous impact if you use a wide spectrum of words which encompass all the senses.

Make the descriptive writing a rewarding experience, both for your reader and yourself. If you like what you write, chances are high that your reader will too. As is evident, having a comprehensive vocabulary is the key to good descriptive writing. But mere vocabulary will fall short if your writing lacks passion, logic and interest. The trouble with descriptive writing is that it can easily become an incoherent rambling of senses and emotions. To avoid that, present what you are writing about in a logical and organized sequence of thoughts, so that the reader comes away from it with a cogent sense of what you have attempted to describe.

By Rita Putatunda