Page 3 - How to Write Descriptive Text in a Very Good Way

(using “like” or “as”) or metaphors (saying one thing is something else) can help

paint instant pictures of your characters or settings; for instance, “His nose was

a gnarled root growing out of his face” can pack a lot more punch than saying
“His nose was twisted and misshapen.” Other types of figurative language

include onomatopoeia, which uses words that sound like what they mean (e.g.,
“the pitter-patter of raindrops”), and hyperbole, which is a form of exaggeration

(e.g., “he rang the doorbell a million times”).

5. Think about who is doing the describing. In most points of view, you’ll be
writing from a character’s perspective—either using “I” and “me” in first-person

or “they” and “them” in third-person. It may not seem obvious at first, but point

of view is a descriptive element that can help you build a believable world for
your story. To use POV properly, make sure that you’re thinking about your

character’s perspective as you describe so that the description feels true to the

way they would speak.
6. Be wary of over-description. To create effective descriptive writing, less is

more. Try to limit yourself to one or two interesting details the first time you

introduce a character or setting, and readers will fill in the rest. For instance, if
you say “The cabin room was sparse except for the looming stuffed grizzly in

the corner,” readers can fill in the details for themselves without you needing to

describe the floorboards, the windows, the bedsheets, and what your character
had for dinner last week. This will help readers remember each character or

setting better than if you had an entire descriptive paragraph for each.

7. Read good examples of descriptive writing. If you start to feel stuck when
trying to write vivid description, look up a few of your favorite books or short

stories and see how other writers do it. Pay attention to what they do that you

like—whether it’s only writing their description in simple sentence structure or
making sure that the following sentences include strong action to counteract

the description. Then, sit down and try to replicate their tactics in a simple

writing activity to see where it takes you.