This document provides guidance on descriptive writing techniques. It emphasizes that descriptive writing relies on vivid word pictures and effective organization. It recommends choosing a subject and vantage point, then observing and taking notes. It discusses organizing details by importance, spatial order, or chronology. It also provides tips for using sensory details, analogies, transitions, and descriptive language to create mood. The overall document offers a comprehensive overview of how to craft effective descriptive writing.

3. 1.
DESCRIPTIVE
WRITING
Good descriptive writing
depends on the creation
of vivid word pictures and
the organization of those
pictures into an effective
pattern.

4. DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
Good descriptive writing depends
on the creation of vivid word
pictures and the organization of
those pictures into an effective
pattern.

5. BEFORE YOU WRITE
1. Choose a subject
2. Choose a vantage point
3. Observe and take notes

6. Describing from Vantage Points
The term vantage point refers to the
location from which a writer observes a
scene. A writer can describe a scene from
a stationary vantage point or, if the scene
continually changes, from a moving
vantage point.
Ex) Meanwhile, at Sue’s house…”

7. ● Insert an example of vantage point

8. Keep the Questions in mind as you describe an
event:
● Is my vantage point clearly defined
and consistent?
● Can I see, smell, taste, or touch the
things I am describing from my
vantage point?
● Is the passage of time logical and
believable?

9. Observing and Taking Notes
Striking, image-creating details
bring a place to life. The most
effective way to “capture” such
details is through direct
observation and note taking.

10. CREATE A UNIFIED, COHERENT, AND VIVID
DESCRIPTION
1. Create a Topic Sentence
2. Include Details That Support the Topic Sentence
3. Use Sensory Details
4. Organize Details
a. Order of Impression
b. Order of Importance
c. Spatial Order
d. Chronological

11. Organize Details According to Importance
Writers sometimes arrange details in
order of importance, from the least
important detail to the most important.
This lets the description build to a
climax, leaving the strongest image for
the end.

12. Organize Details in Spatial Order
Good descriptive writing depends on the
effective use of details for elaboration and the
organization of those details into meaningful
patterns. One natural way of organizing
descriptive writing is to arrange details in spatial
order—that is, left to right, front to back, near to
far, clockwise, or counterclockwise.

13. Use Transitions to Achieve Coherence
Use transitional words and phrases to achieve
coherence and to show
● Movement in time(when, before, soon, after,
second)
● Movement in space (beyond, farther, in front
of)
● Movement in importance (in fact, especially,
above all)

14. Use Descriptive Language
Use Energetic Words
Cartoonists highlight words like BAM, POW, and
BWHOOOOOSH. You can bring the same kind of
energy to your own writing by using specific,
action-packed words.
Choose Exact Verbs that create mood and
strong mental images in descriptive writing.

15. The best time to check the effectiveness of your
verbs is in the revising stage, after you’ve gotten all
your ideas down.
● To choose just the right verb to use in a
particular situation, do what many
professional writers do—use a thesaurus,
which is a collection of synonyms. Just
keep in mind that synonyms are not
necessarily interchangeable

16. Use Analogies
● An analogy is an extended comparison
between two things that are usually
considered dissimilar but share common
features. An analogy makes an extended
comparison, supported point by point with
examples and details. It can last through
several paragraphs or entire essay.

17. Produce a Mood
● The overall feeling, or mood of a pice of writing is
constructed through the details chosen and
language used to describe these details. The mood
of a piece will depend on your purpose. DO you
want your reader to get a sense of excitement?
Calm? Sadness? Changing the mood of a
description can alert the reader to a change in
feeling toward the subject or to shift in the action.

18. In preceding lessons, you’ve learned how to
describe a place by choosing a vantage point,
observing and organizing details carefully, and
using energetic verbs. You’ve also had a chance
to write a poem and
an essay about story setting. In this lesson you’ll
put together what you've learned by describing a
place that you know well.

20. Prewriting
How will you describe your school? What details will you use to present a picture
of the building? What details will bring the people in the school to life for your
future schoolmate? The questions on the right may help you choose details and a
method of organizing the details that will help you write a vivid description.
Jot down notes of details as they occur to you. If you decide to describe the
school from a moving vantage point, walk through the building, noting any
striking images to include in your description. If necessary, research facts by
checking with the school administration.
Once you’ve collected your details, decide which ones you want to use, and
organize your notes. Does a fact or an image
stand out? If so, use that for your lead—the first sentence or two that will grab
your reader’s attention.

22. Drafting
● To begin drafting, imagine where you are—the place you’ll begin
your tour or where you will stand to describe all that you see
around you—or look at your lead. Then just start writing. As you
write, be aware of details unique to your school that might need
special explanation. Try to look at your school with a “fresh” eye
so you can make the description clear for the new student.
Visualize what you are describing. Use your notes to help you
remember details, but don’t stop writing at this stage to find the
perfect verb or image. If you get stuck, take a break, talk about
your description with a friend, or start over.

23. Revising
● To begin revising, read over your draft to
make sure that what you’ve written fits your
purpose and audience. Then have a writing
conference. Read your draft to a partner or
small group. Use your audience’s reactions
and the Revising Checklist below to help
you evaluate your work.

25. Editing/Proofreading
● When you are satisfied with your description,
proofread it carefully for errors in grammar, usage,
mechanics, and spelling. Use the quotations at the
right as a guide. In addition to proofreading, use the
Self-Evaluation guidelines to make sure your writing
describes the school well. When you feel that it does,
make a clean copy of your description and proofread
it one more time

26. Publishing/Presenting
● You might want to have someone from
another state read your description. Your
reader might be a friend who has moved
away, a relative, or a pen pal. Feedback
from such a reading would tell you how well
your description works.

28. 1. Find a Story Idea
For many short-story writers, thinking of a
good idea is the hardest
part about writing. However, good ideas are
everywhere, in other people's lives and in
your own life. Behind almost every action in
real life lies an attempt to solve a problem or
conflict.

29. 2. Develop Your Story
A short story can start with a problem or solution.
You decide who the characters are, what
problems they confront, how they solve them,
and what they learn.

31. After you’ve identified your story
idea, a main character, and a
problem, you’re ready to plan your
story. Creating a story outline or
diagram can help you organize the
events for your plot.

34. Write Dialogue
Essentially, a dialogue is a series of direct quotations. A direct
quotation is a character’s own words enclosed in quotation
marks. An indirect quotation is a report of what someone said.
Compare the following quotations.
Direct quotation: “I think I see Packy!” she said.
Indirect quotation: The widow said that she thought she saw
Packy.
In a dialogue, the words that identify the speaker, such as
“said the widow,” are called tag lines. Without tag lines,
readers might have trouble figuring out who is saying what.
Too few tag lines can make a dialogue confusing; too many
tag lines can make it choppy.

35. The Plot Summary
Why Write a Plot Summary?
A plot summary is intended to sum up the main
events in a story— specifically, the main
character’s problem and how it is resolved. It
does not include personal opinion or evaluation.
Plot summaries can be valuable in a number of
ways.

36. Analyzing Conflict
One way to understand a story is to examine its
conflict, or the struggle between opposing
forces.

37. Recognize Conflict
Most stories focus on a complication, a problem in the main
characters’ lives. Usually, the complication is a conflict, a struggle
between opposing forces. The conflict can be important (two
soldiers fight to the death) or petty (a sister and brother argue over
their inheritance). The conflict can be external (a family fight to save
their house from a flood) or internal (a girl is torn between love for
her mother and desire for independence). Conflict engages readers
by creating suspense, a desire to find out what happens. The
suspense ends when the conflict is resolved and readers know
which opposing force will prevail. Near the story’s beginning, the
conflict motivates the characters, leading them to act. By the
story’s end, the characters have usually learned something
significant.