How to start Descriptive

Types of Papers: Narrative/Descriptive

To write a narrative essay, you’ll need to tell a story (usually about something that happened to you) in such a way that he audience learns a lesson or gains insight.

To write a descriptive essay, you’ll need to describe a person, object, or event so vividly that the reader feels like he/she could reach out and touch it.

Tips for writing effective narrative and descriptive essays:

• Tell a story about a moment or event that means a lot to you--it will make it easier for you to tell the story in an interesting way!
• Get right to the action!  Avoid long introductions and lengthy descriptions--especially at the beginning of your narrative.
• Make sure your story has a point! Describe what you learned from this experience.
• Use all five of your senses to describe the setting, characters, and the plot of your story. Don't be afraid to tell the story in your own voice.  Nobody wants to read a story that sounds like a textbook!

How to Write Vivid Descriptions

Having trouble describing a person, object, or event for your narrative or descriptive essay?  Try filling out this chart:

What do you smell?	What do you taste?	What do you see?	What do you hear?	What might you touch or feel?

Remember:  Avoid simply telling us what something looks like--tell us how it tastes, smells, sounds, or feels!

Consider this…

• Virginia rain smells different from a California drizzle.
• A mountain breeze feels different from a sea breeze.
• We hear different things in one spot, depending on the time of day.
• You can “taste” things you’ve never eaten: how would sunscreen taste?

Using Concrete Details for Narratives

Effective narrative essays allow readers to visualize everything that's happening, in their minds.  One way to make sure that this occurs is to use concrete, rather than abstract, details. 

Concrete Language…	Abstract Language…
…makes the story or image seem clearer and more real to us.	...makes the story or image difficult to visualize.
…gives us information that we can easily grasp and perhaps empathize with.	…leaves your reader feeling empty, disconnected, and possibly confused.

The word “abstract” might remind you of modern art.  An abstract painting, for example, does not normally contain recognizable objects.  In other words, we can't look at the painting and immediately say "that's a house" or "that's a bowl of fruit."  To the untrained eye, abstract art looks a bit like a child's finger-painting--just brightly colored splotches on a canvas.

Avoid abstract language—it won’t help the reader understand what you're trying to say!

Examples:

Abstract:  It was a nice day. 
Concrete:  The sun was shining and a slight breeze blew across my face. 

Abstract:  I liked writing poems, not essays. 
Concrete:  I liked writing short, rhythmic poems and hated rambling on about my thoughts in those four-page essays. 

Abstract:  Mr. Smith was a great teacher.
Concrete:  Mr. Smith really knew how to help us turn our thoughts into good stories and essays.

Descriptive Sentences

VIVID VS. VAGUE LANGUAGE

The sensory details you select in your writing should create for your reader the same picture you have in your mind. Instead of using vague, general words, your sensory language should be concrete and sensory-packed. This makes the difference between vivid and and vague language. Take a look at the comparison between vague and vivid sentences.

Vague	Vivid
The food was unappetizing.	The pale turkey slices floated limply in a pool of murky fat.
The sprinkler was refreshing.	The cool water from the sprinkler sprayed our hot faces.
The traffic was heavy.	Our old car puffed as Main Street became clogged with a line of clamoring motorists.

WHAT TO AVOID WHEN USING SENSORY DETAIL

• Too many adjectives—retain only the most powerful words in your writing, deleting any unnecessary words
• Too many adverbs—verbs are stronger than adverbs. She strolled into the room is more powerful than She walked casually into the room.
• Clichéd figures of speech—overused language, such as green with envy, signals a lack of imagination. Use fresh, descriptive words that go against rote thinking.

Now, consider this paragraph with all five sensory descriptors: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

My sister and I walked along the boardwalk one afternoon on our vacation. The hot boards warmed our bare feet. We watched the foam-covered waves topple over each other and then slide back into sea. The crashing water competed with the exuberant yells from the seagulls. We bought a perfectly oval fluff of pink cotton candy that dissolved sweetly in our mouths. Afterwards, we walked along the edge of the water, letting the warm salty air blow our hair away from our necks as the cool water lapped over our toes.

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