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- Descriptive writing
Descriptive writing
Descriptive writing paints a picture so clearly that the reader feels they are there.
Use the five senses
Do not just describe what you can see. Add sounds, smells, textures and even tastes.
"The air tasted of salt and diesel" puts the reader on a harbour.
"The air tasted of salt and diesel" puts the reader on a harbour.
Zoom in and out
Start wide (the whole beach), then zoom in (one gull pecking at a chip wrapper), then wide again. This gives your description a clear structure.
Pathetic fallacy and precise words
Pathetic fallacy uses weather or setting to reflect mood: a storm for anger, sunshine for hope.
Choose precise words. "The dog" becomes "the scruffy terrier". "Went" becomes "limped".
Choose precise words. "The dog" becomes "the scruffy terrier". "Went" becomes "limped".
Improve: "It was a busy market."
- Add senses: shouting traders, the smell of frying onions.
- Use precise verbs: jostled, haggled.
- "Traders bellowed over each other as shoppers jostled between stalls, and the smell of frying onions hung in the cold air."
Answer: Traders bellowed over each other as shoppers jostled between stalls, and the smell of frying onions hung in the cold air.
Use several senses, zoom from wide to close and back, use setting to reflect mood, and choose precise nouns and verbs.
Check you have got it
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