Descriptive Writing

When writing descri ptively it is important to think about what you are going to write and plan it carefully first. I suggest a sounds and senses diagram, which incorporates boxes for what you see, tounch, smell and hear. There are of course several approaches to how you then piece the writing together. The camera lens approach is often used. This is where you imagine that you are looking through a lens and describe what you see as you move it around. You can of course focus in on each sense at a time but I think stopping at each point and imagining you are focusing in works best. Describe for example, what you see in the right hand corner first, then describe what you can hear and perhaps smell. then move to another area. However,if you are describing a busy crowded scene you may wish to jump from left to right and front to back with what you can see, hear and smell to create the impression of chaos. The next step is to make sure that you use interesting and varied vocabulary (strong adjectives,verbs and adverbs) and figurative language (similes, metaphors and personification) to create vivid imagery. You may also wish to add some alliteration or sibillance. Finally, the sentence structure needs to be adressed. If you wish to create a tense atmosphere you may want to have longer sentences demarcated with shorter ones to create this. Your sentence opening need to vary to get a good grade and remember that you can begin a sentence with an adverb, verb, Proper noun, noun, pronoun, adverbial/prepositional phrase or with the definate or indefinate article (a/an/the). For example: Crashing waves descended angrily upon the soft silky sand recoiling and then plunging their treacherous fingers further and further up the beach. Night drew in, the heavenly curtains closed and darkness fell. Wailing seaguls, like wraiths clung to the rocks and grew silent. A light flashed. The light house warning ships to beware. Somwhere out at sea a boat was battered and seamen fought to stay afloat.Waves descended and hurled themselves furiously at the vessel and all was nearly lost.