Description is writing that enables you to recreate your ...



Ms. Miller/Am Lit Writing Name____________________________________

Description is writing that enables you to recreate your experiences vividly and share them with others.

Imagery – The use of descriptive details, including sensory language to create a picture in the readers mind.

Sensory language is use the five senses: _________________, _______________, _______________, ________________, ________________.

Figurative language

• Metaphor – compares two unlike things by stating that one is the other.

Ex. The ball of fire rises each morning over the horizon.

• Personification – Giving human qualities or behavior to something non-human.

Ex. The washing machine danced across the basement floor.

• Hyperbole – An exaggeration

Ex. The guard was twelve feet tall, with muscles of steel.

• Simile – Compares two unlike things using “like” or “as.”

Ex. The car was as fast as a rocket.

Point of view – Who the narrator is and how much he/she knows. The angle the story is being told from.

• 1ST person – Uses “I.” - The narrator tells everything in his or her own words. The narrator is a character in the story.

• 2nd person – uses “you.” – The author speaks directly to the reader. Seldom used. Found mostly in non-fiction today.

• 3rd person – uses “he,” “she,” or “it.” – “The author (narrator) is telling about the characters.

Dialogue - conversation between characters. It brings these characters to life and gives the reader insight into to characters’ qualities, personality traits, and reactions to other characters.

Anecdote – a short account of a particular incident or event of an interesting or amusing nature, often biographical. It can be used in the middle of a story to enhance the reader or give more insight into the characters and the story’s theme.

Allusion – a reference to another literary work or to a famous person, place or event.

Analogy- a comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

• "an analogy between the workings of nature and those of human societies"

• “We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream” –Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a dream” speech.

Paradox – A contrast in ideas that seems to contradict itself, but still has some truth to it.

Things to Consider as You Add Description to Your Essay:

1. Think of an instance that you want to describe.

2. Why is this particular instance important?

3. What were you doing?

4. What other things were happening around you? Is there anything specific that stands out in your mind?

5. Where were objects located in relation to where you were?

6. How did the surroundings remind you of other places you have been?

7. What sights, smells, sounds, and tastes were in the air?

8. Did the sights, smells, sounds, and tastes remind you of anything?

9. What were you feeling at that time?

10. Has there been an instance in which you have felt this way before?

11. What do you want the reader to feel after reading the paper?

12. What types of words and images can convey this feeling?

13. Can you think of another situation that was similar to the one you are writing about? How can it help explain what you are writing about?

14. Is there enough detail in your essay to create a mental image for the reader?

Showing vs. Telling

Many times writers use a technique called “showing” to express important information, or a specific idea in the story, instead of directly telling it to the reader. This technique allows the reader to use his/her imagination, becoming part of the story. Writing should not be about listing facts, nor cut and dry, but about discovering through experience and making connections on one’s own. The writer, therefore, shows his/her reader the idea, fact, or image by describing it through details, emotions, dialogue, or action. Make the information part of the story!

Example #1:

Dilemma:

The writer wants his/her reader to know that the main character is in high school.

Telling:

“Aimee is in high school.” (boring!)

Showing:

“Aimee was dealing with the typical teenage crush; she couldn’t focus in her math class; she couldn’t eat at lunch, and she wasn’t running her best at the Varsity track meet. All she could think about was Zach’s eyes, his laugh, and most of all, how he said ‘hi’ to her in the hall after 3rd period.”

1. How, in the showing example, did the writer let the reader know that Aimee was in high school? _________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

2. What other things can you learn about Aimee, from the “showing” example, besides the fact that she is in high school? _______________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Example #2:

Dilemma:

The writer wants his/her reader to know that the main character hates salami.

Telling:

“Brian hates salami.” (boring!)

Showing:

“I hate salami,” Brian shouted when he noticed his mom was putting a freshly made salami sandwich into his lunchbag.

“You’ll just have to eat it!” Brian’s mom, Mrs. Murphy, shouted back.

Brian was devastated. The mere thought of the slimy, pink meat on his tongue made his skin crawl.

1. How, in the showing example, did the writer let the reader know that Brian didn’t like salami? What techniques did the writer use? ________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now you try!

Exercise 1:

Dilemma:

You want your reader to know that the main character of your story, Megan, loves the color pink.

Telling:

_________________________________________________________________________________

Showing:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 2:

Dilemma:

You want your reader to know that your character, Jack, finds the lemon he is eating is very sour.

Telling:

_________________________________________________________________________________

Showing:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now you are ready to go back to your paper and weed out all the “telling”! SHOW your reader what it is you want to get across to him or her! Let your reader enjoy your story by experiencing and connecting with it! Don’t bore your reader with facts! After all, do you like trying to remember facts or would you rather experience them?

One more point to remember when going back to revise your paper:

What information is important for your reader to know and what information could you possibly leave out? Remember, you want to only include information that has something to do with your story. Too many details can make a story overwhelming and confusing.

The Rule of “Write About a Pebble”

Don’t write about a general idea or topic; write about a specific, observable person, place, occasion, time, object, animal, or experience. Its essence will lie in the sensory images the writer evokes; observed details of sight, sound smell, touch, taste; and strong verbs that bring the details to life.

Don’t write about _______________. Writer about a ________________.

(pebbles) (pebble)

Don’t write about fall. Write about this fall day. Go to the window; go outside.

Don’t write about sunsets. Write about the amazing sunset you saw last night.

Don’t write about dogs or kittens. Observe and write about your dog, your kitten.

Don’t write about friendship. Write about your friend, about what he or she does to be a good friend to you.

Don’t write about love. Write specifically about someone or something you love; these are the greatest love poems.

Don’t write about sailing. Remember and write about a time you went sailing.

Don’t write about babies. Write about your babysitter, your baby cousin.

Don’t write about reading. Write about your experience reading one book.

Don’t write about pumpkins. Write about the pumpkin you carved last night, the pumpkin you grew from seeds, your family’s jack-o-lantern that the bad high school boys smashed on the road.

Being Specific

Your writing is much more effective when you use specific, interesting words—in other words, details. For example, here is a sentence that tells us something, but not much;

The cat got into the food.

Here is a sentence that gives us the same information, but in a much more interesting, informative way:

After Ms. Miller stepped into the laundry room, her cat Antoine sprang to the kitchen counter, stuck her nose in the butter dish, nibbled at the edge of the pork roast, tiptoed through the chocolate cream pie, and sat contentedly beside the toaster, licking her paws.

Below is a bare-bones story with only basic information. Rewrite the story, keeping the same essential facts, but adding details to make it more interesting.

The boys and girls were watching television. It was late at night. It was stormy. Three was a sound at the door. It frightened the boys and girls. Someone finally went to the door and opened it. The boys and girls screamed.

Questions to consider: (remember, though, too much can be overkill.)

• How old were the boys and girls?

• Where were they watching television?

• What were they watching?

• What kind of storm was it?

• What kind of sound was at the door?

• What did the boys and girls say when they heard it?

• How did they feel? What did they think?

• How did they act?

• Who went to the door?

• Who-or what- was at the door?

• Why did everyone scream?

• What happened next?

HOW TO PUT YOUR OWN

VOICE IN YOUR WRITING

When it comes to writing with voice, there are a few things to remember.

|[pic]|Voice isn't as hard as it seems. Just be yourself. Otherwise the voice won't be your own. |

| | |

|[pic]|Think of your audience. Your voice changes as your audience changes. For example, the way you would tell your friends you wrecked your mother's |

| |car is not the same way you tell your mother. If you feel that you have no personal connection to the reader, pretend you are writing for your |

| |best friend--the one you can tell anything. |

| | |

|[pic]|Think of your topic. How do you feel about it? Put those feelings into your writing. Get emotional, but don't tell your reader how you feel, show |

| |him/her how you feel. Do not hold back!  (However, please remember to keep your writing appropriate for school.  You have to watch your choice of |

| |words.) |

 

|[pic]|What is your opinion? Don't be afraid to share it. Opinions give us our voice. If you truly believe in something, prove to the reader that your |

| |are right. Support your opinions with specific details and reasons. |

| | |

|[pic]|Look at your topic from different angles, and choose the one you are most comfortable with presenting. Humor, seriousness, sarcasm, and |

| |mysteriousness are just a few of the angles you can use. If you get stuck, try using an unexpected angle. For example, if you are writing about a |

| |serious topic, like taking your driver's test, approach it with humor. |

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