5The Disorganized Student
  
 


Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing is what puts the reader into a particular place and time. It uses rich language and lots of details to make the writing vivid. Most inexperienced writers are frugal with description. Few academic assignments can be satisfied with just description, but most or all can be enhanced by clear and precise delineation of details.  
 


The way to get good description is to think about the object or situation from more than one perspective, to ask the writer to try to perceive by more than one of the five senses. Ask writers questions like these to elicit good description:

  • What color is it?
  • How big is it?
  • What shape?
  • How can I get a picture of this in my mind’s eye?
  • How does it feel when it is touched?
  • What does it smell like?
  • How does it taste? 
  • What does it sound like?
  • To what can you compare this?

Possible Topics:

1. Your first day on the job
2. Your first date  
3. A visit to the dentist  
4. Your college dorm room  
5. Being in class  
6. Camp  
7. A county fair  
8. A high school football game  
9. Being with someone you love  
10. An epiphany—the joy of discovering truth

 

 
Home

The Writing Center: Past and Present The Student/Tutor Relationship The Clueless Student The Unfocused Student The Disorganized Student The Underdeveloped Student The Unrevised Student The Unpolished Student ESL Strategies Research Strategies Discipline-Specific Assignments Documentation Styles Writing Center Ethics Writing Center Publicity

 
© 1999, 2000, 2002 Virginia Bower (Mars Hill College), Charlene Kiser (Milligan College), Kim McMurtry (Montreat College), Ellen Millsaps (Carson-Newman College), Katherine Vande Brake (King College). All rights reserved. This manual was made possible by a Culpeper grant from the Appalachian College Association; click here for information. If you encounter difficulties with these web pages, please notify kmcmurtry@montreat.edu.