Descriptive writing

Descriptive writing paints a picture in the reader's mind. It uses the five senses, precise vocabulary and imagery such as similes and metaphors to describe a place, a person or a moment: ⟦The ancient castle loomed over the misty valley like a sleeping giant.⟧

Key facts

  • Use the senses: what you can see, hear, smell, touch and taste. ⟦The air smelt of smoke and wet leaves.⟧ ⟦The old floorboards creaked under my feet.⟧
  • Choose precise words: ⟦strode⟧ or ⟦crept⟧ instead of ⟦walked⟧, ⟦emerald⟧ instead of ⟦green⟧, ⟦enormous⟧ instead of ⟦big⟧.
  • Use imagery: a simile (⟦as soft as velvet⟧), a metaphor (⟦the road was a ribbon of moonlight⟧) or personification (⟦the wind howled⟧).
  • Show, don't tell: ⟦Leo's hands shook as he waited.⟧ shows he is nervous without saying ⟦Leo was nervous.⟧
  • Organise your description: move from far to near or from the outside in, and vary your sentences, mixing short ones with longer ones.

Worked examples

Example 1

Which sense? ⟦Icy water stung my bare feet.⟧

  1. Your skin feels the cold water.
  2. It describes touch.

Answer: touch

Example 2

Which is more descriptive? ⟦It was windy.⟧ or ⟦A cold wind howled through the empty streets.⟧

  1. ⟦cold⟧, ⟦howled⟧ and ⟦empty streets⟧ help you see, hear and feel it.
  2. The first sentence only tells us a fact.

Answer: ⟦A cold wind howled through the empty streets.⟧

Example 3

Show, don't tell: rewrite ⟦Ava was tired.⟧

  1. What does a tired person do?
  2. ⟦Ava yawned and rubbed her heavy eyes.⟧

Answer: ⟦Ava yawned and rubbed her heavy eyes.⟧