Download Descriptive Writing

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
• A WRITER CANNOT USE GESTURES, FACIAL EXPRESSIONS OR VOICE TO CONVEY A MEANING LIKE IN A
CONVERSATION
• A WRITER CANNOT USE COLOUR, SHAPE, MOTION OR SOUND LIKE IN A MOVIE
• A WRITER CAN ONLY USE WORDS TO ENTERTAIN, OR TO CONVEY EXPERIENCE
AND MEANING
• DESCRIPTIVE WRITING APPEALS TO OUR SENSES (SIGHT, HEARING, TOUCH, SMELL, TASTE) AND OUR FEELINGS
• IT USES STRONG NOUNS AND VERBS WITH SOME POETIC DEVICES SUCH AS SIMILES, METAPHORS, AND
HYPERBOLES
• IT CONVEYS A PURPOSE
PURPOSE
LISTING OFF FLOWERY SENTENCES IS NOT
SOPHISTICATED WRITING. THE BEST
WRITING IS ONE IN WHICH THE PURPOSE IS
STRONG AND MEANINGFUL. IT CAN BE
DIRECTLY STATED OR IT CAN BE INFERRED.
REGARDLESS, HAVING A CLEAR PURPOSE OF
WHY YOU ARE WRITING THE PIECE GUIDES
YOUR DETAILS, YOUR POINT OF VIEW, YOUR
TONE AND YOUR IMAGERY
WHAT IS YOUR POINT
OF VIEW?
THE POINT OF VIEW IN YOUR WRITING
ENHANCES THE PURPOSE OF YOUR WRITING. IT
ALLOWS THE READER TO WITNESS CERTAIN
DETAILS OR BE EXCLUDED.
SKILLFUL AUTHORS CAN FIX THEIR READERS
ATTENTION ON EXACTLY THE DETAIL, OPINION, OR
EMOTION THE AUTHOR WANTS TO EMPHASIZE
IN PHOTOGRAPHY, IT IS OBJECTIVE- WE CANNOT
“HEAR” THE THOUGHTS OF THE SUBJECT
IN WRITING, YOU CAN CHOOSE:
•
FIRST PERSON- INSIDE THE HEAD OF ONE
PERSON USING “I”
•
LIMITED OMNISCIENT- INSIDE THE HEAD OF
ONE PERSON USING “HE” OR “SHE”
•
OMNISCIENT-INSIDE THE HEAD OF MANY
CHARACTERS
•
OBJECTIVE- LIKE A MOVIE CAMERA, NO
THOUGHTS
WHAT DETAILS NEED
TO BE INCLUDED?
IT IS IMPORTANT TO CREATE IMAGERY OUT
OF OUR SENSES: HEAR, SEE, TOUCH, TASTE,
SMELL AND FEEL(EMOTIONS) BUT
SOMETIMES THE AUTHOR DOES NOT NEED
TO ADD EVERY DETAIL AS IT BECOMES TOO
“WORDY” AND THE READER LOSES INTEREST.
ADDING DETAILS ENHANCES THE WRITING
BUT IT MUST BE RELATED TO THE PURPOSE
IMAGERY AND
VOCABULARY
THE AUTHOR WANTS THE READER TO BE
ABLE TO FEEL LIKE THEY ARE THERE, IN THE
SCENE. A TALENTED WRITER CAN CREATE
IMAGERY THAT ALLOWS THE READER TO
FEEL THE EMOTIONS, SEE WHAT THE
CHARACTER SEES, FEEL IT, TASTE IT, HEAR IT.
THIS IS CREATED BY USING STRONG NOUNS
AND VERBS WITH SOME APPROPRIATE
ADJECTIVES TO ADD DETAIL. IT CAN ALSO
CREATE THE MOOD (EMOTIONAL FEELING)
TONE
THE EMOTIONAL ATTITUDE OF THE PIECE
ALSO PLAYS A ROLE IN DEVELOPING
PURPOSE. FOR EXAMPLE “WE LIVED IN A
RUNDOWN DUMP NEXT TO A DITCH”
CONVEYS A DIFFERENT TONE THAN “WE
LIVED IN A QUAINT HOME NEXT TO A
STREAM”.
MOOD
WHAT EMOTIONAL ATMOSPHERE ARE YOU
TRYING TO CREATE? MOOD IS USUALLY
CONVEYED THROUGH THE SETTING AND
THE LANGUAGE (“THE SKY WAS SMOKY
BLACK” VS “THE SKY WAS BRILLIANT BLUE” )