Creating a vivid description ' ' '

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(No Transcript)
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Creating a vivid description . . . From Reading
to Writing In Isaac Bashevis Singers story The
Son from America, the main characters simple
lives are shown through singular details a goat
who lives in their one-room hut, an oil dish that
serves as their lamp.
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Creating a vivid description . . .
Through focused description, authors like Singer
can create vivid settings and help readers grasp
some aspects of the characters inner lives.
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B a s i c s i n a B o x
Focused Description at a Glance
Standards for Writing
RUBRIC
A successful description should

• focus on a person, place, or object
• convey a clear sense of purpose
• use sensory details and precise words to create a
  vivid picture, establish a mood, or express
  emotion
• include figurative language or dialogue when
  appropriate
• use a consistent method of organization such as
  spatial order, order of importance, or order of
  impression

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Writing Your Focused Description
You can observe a lot by watching. Yogi Berra,
baseball player and manager

• Find a subject for your description
• Recall a time when you found something so
  interesting you couldnt wait to describe it to
  your friends.

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Writing Your Focused Description
You can observe a lot by watching. Yogi Berra,
baseball player and manager

• Find a subject for your description
• Make a list of placesboth strange and
  familiarthat you find fascinating.

• Think of interesting or unusual people you know.

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Planning Your Focused Description
1. Decide your purpose. Why are you describing
this particular thing? Do you want to

• Show why something is important to you?
• Make your subject vivid and memorable?
• Create a particular mood?
• Recreate a scary event?

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Planning Your Focused Description
2. Gather information through your senses.
Careful observation is the key to powerful
descriptive writing. Close your eyes. Imagine the
smells, sounds, or textures you associate with
the person, place, object or event. What colors
or shapes help describe your subject?
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Planning Your Focused Description

• 3. Identify your audience.
• What do your readers know about the subject?

• What background information might your readers
  need?

• What details will best help them picture your
  subject?

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Writing Your Focused Description

• Begin writing even if you have not refined your
  purpose or chosen a specific focus. Keep going.
  Your focus will become clearer as you develop and
  refine your ideas.
• Start by stating the most important aspect of
  your subject. Then provide details that
  contribute to the overall effect.

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Writing Your Focused Description

• Use sensory language to convey a mood clearly.
  For example, words like dilapidated, rusty,
  cracked, dirty, clatter, and searching furtively
  all contribute to a mood of loneliness and
  neglect.
• Show what you are describing. For instance, if
  you describe people, let their actions and
  dialogue reveal their personalities.

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Writing Your Focused Description
You may choose an organization before you begin
your draft, or you may order and rearrange your
details in a later draft. At some point, however,
you must choose a method of organization in order
to create a clear, well-ordered description.
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Writing Your Focused Description

• There are three common methods for organizing a
  description
• Spatial order. This order reflects how a person
  might actually look at a subject

bottom to top
left to right
inside to outside
near to far
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Writing Your Focused Description

• Order of importance

Present the most significant detail first. Follow
with less important details.
Or
Begin with the least important details and work
up to the most important ones.
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Writing Your Focused Description

• Order of impression

Arrange details according to what first catches
your attention. Then describe details you notice
later. This type of organization can give a you
are there quality to your description.
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Writing Your Focused Description
Target Skill WORD CHOICE Apt word choices add
punch to your descriptions. Vague or abstract
words can leave the image fuzzy for the reader.
Try adding concrete words to leave a stronger
impression.
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Writing Your Focused Description
Target Skill SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT During
revision, if you change the number of your
subject, make sure your verb agrees.