Writing Descriptions

How to Write Amazing Descriptions for Stories, Essays, Poems, and More.

Have you ever wondered why some stories, essays, poems, and other types of literature seem more interesting than others? Apart from following the rules of grammar, spelling, and other technical aspects of writing, one factor that makes a piece worth reading is the use of amazing descriptions.

Amazing descriptions make any topic you write about more interesting, colourful, and alive. So, how do you try and achieve this?

The most important tip to remember is: make use of your senses. Using our different senses, try the writing exercises as follows:

Sense of Sight

What do you see around you right now? Don't limit yourself to simply writing down: "I see a computer in front of me." Describe exactly what you see. For example, "Red borders surround the language arts for kids web site. The colorful titles, logos, and tables resemble a rainbow."

Other than colors, you can take note of things like shapes, sizes, and patterns (among others) when describing something, someone, or some place.

Sense of Smell

When you read, "The aroma of coffee, freshly baked bread, and cinnamon wafting in the air," it is easy to picture a sense of homely calmness. Describing scents gives the feeling of familiarity - whether you're describing a flower garden, a stinking alley, or a hospital. You can set the stage for your essay, story or poem, with scents of lilies and roses, garbage dump stench, or the smell of anesthesia.

Other words about smell: perfume, smoke, rot, moldy

Sense of Taste

How do you describe taste? Other than writing the usual words associated with taste (bitter, sweet, dry), you can also try to liken something with another thing. For example, instead of simply writing "The apple is sour," you can write something like, "At first bite of the apple, I grimace in disgust. It's like eating a tropical green mango."

More words associated with taste: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, hot

Sense of Hearing

Listen closely to the sounds that you hear. If you're writing about a day at the beach, what would the sounds be like? An example of describing a day at the beach using your sense of hearing may be: "The shrieks and giggles of girls in bikinis disturbed me as I was reading my book. I looked up almost at the same time as the waves crashed on the shore."

More words associated with sounds: banging, animal sounds (woof/bark of a dog; meow of a cat; moo of a cow, etc.), clinking glass

Sense of Touch/Feeling

Try to continue describing a day at the beach by listing down the different things that you feel when you're there. Some examples may be: the scratching sand in your toes and swim suit; the sun rays burning your skin until it turns pink and itchy; the stinging splash of cold water on your sunburn...

More words associated with touch/feeling: scorch, dry, humid, wet, smooth, tight