Good Descriptive Essay Writing

A descriptive essay must be precise in its detail, yet not get ahead of itself.It’s better to go from the general to the specific.

Keep in mind, the most important watchword of writing a descriptive essay is show, don’t tell.

One of the best ways to show is to involve all of the senses—not just sight, but also hearing, touch, smell, and taste.

Prewriting for the Descriptive Essay In the prewriting phase of descriptive essay writing, students should take time to think about who or what they want to describe and why.

Do they want to write about a person of significance in their lives, or an object or place that holds meaning? The person could be a grandparent, the object, a favorite toy, and the place, a tree house.

Having a friend read the essay helps writers see trouble spots and edit with a fresh perspective. Publishing a Descriptive Essay Sharing a descriptive essay with the rest of the class can be both exciting and a bit scary.

Remember, there isn’t a writer on earth who isn’t sensitive about his or her own work.

Writers use the descriptive essay to create a vivid picture of a person, place, or thing.

Unlike a narrative essay, which reveals meaning through a personal story, the purpose of a descriptive essay is to reveal the meaning of a subject through detailed, sensory observation.

The descriptive essay employs the power of language and all the human senses to bring a subject to life for the reader.

If readers come away from a descriptive essay with the feeling that they have really met a person, gone to a particular place, or held a certain object, the writer has done a good job.