Title: Describing a Fascinating Person . . .
1(No Transcript)
2Describing a Fascinating Person . . . From
Reading to Writing Good descriptive writing takes
the reader inside the writers world. Chaucers
remarkable character portraits in The Canterbury
Tales, for example, transport the modern reader
to the Middle Ages.
3Describing a Fascinating Person . . . Through
carefully chosen details, Chaucer creates living
personalities on the pagefascinating as
individuals and for their universal human
qualities. The same techniques are also applied
to writing a personality profile. A personality
profile combines compelling information and vivid
language to describe a person.
4B a s i c s i n a B o x
Personality Profile at a Glance
Standards for Writing
A successful personality profile should
writers feelings towards subject
- use lively descriptions, details, anecdotes,
and/or dialogue to create a vivid impression - put the person in a context that helps reveal the
subjects personality - convey why the person is important to the writer
- paint a word portrait that shows the persons
character - create a unified tone and impression
- capture the readers interest at the beginning
and give a sense of completeness at the end
physical description
anecdotes
MAIN IMPRESSION OF SUBJECT
setting
other details
dialogue
5Writing a Personality Profile
How to choose a person you want to write about
- Make a list of people you admire.
- Write a few words or phrases to describe each
person you have listed. - Consider writing about someone you know well.
6Planning Your Personality Profile
1. Explore your attitude towards the subject.
How do you feel about the person? Why is the
person important to you? What details or
incidents can you describe that show the
importance of the subject to you? 2. Picture your
subject in a typical setting. Try visualizing
your subject in his or her usual surroundings.
What stands out about your subject?
7Planning Your Personality Profile
3. Research or interview to gather information.
You can research a historical or famous figure
using library resources or the Internet. For a
profile of a lesser-known person, interviewing is
the best method of getting information.
Interviewing the subject and other people who
know the subject well may give you information
that is not available anywhere else.
8Planning Your Personality Profile
4. Set your goal for writing. What impression of
the subject do you want to leave in the minds of
your readers? Analyze your subject to find an
anglea dominant impression or theme that
captures the essence of the person. Then look for
special details that help a reader picture the
person.
9Writing a Personality Profile
Make visible what, without you, might never have
been seen. Robert Bresson
10Writing a Personality Profile
Start drafting by simply getting your ideas down
on paper. Keep your overall goal in mind as you
try to get into the flow of your writing. Set
down everything you want to say. Later you can
cut what you dont need and add what you forgot.
11Writing a Personality Profile
Organizing Your Draft Once youve gotten it all
down, look for a way to organize what you want to
say. As you rework your draft you are beginning
your revision process. Here are some ways a
personality profile might be organized.
12Writing a Personality Profile
- In Chronological Order. Narrate incidents in the
time sequence in which they occurred. You might
even focus on a day in your subjects life. - By Category. Analyze different aspects of your
subjects personalitysuch as characteristics,
actions, and traitsone at a time.
13Writing a Personality Profile
- By Setting. Show your subject in various settings
or situations. - In Order of Importance. Begin the essay with the
most important incident or detail.
14Writing a Personality Profile
Beginnings and Endings Begin with something that
will capture the readers interesta remarkable
detail about the person or setting, some
dialogue, or a good anecdote. You might end with
a memorable detail or your personal reflections
on the subject. Your ending should give a sense
of completeness.
15Writing a Personality Profile
Elaborating on Ideas Work to create a profile of
your subject as a whole person, not just a
one-dimensional figure. Lace your descriptions
with details, specific scenes, and quotations or
dialogue that indicate how the person you portray
interacts with others. It should also be clear
from your writing what things are important to
the person you are profiling.
16Writing a Personality Profile
Revising
TARGET SKILL ADDING DETAILS In descriptive
writing, concrete details and examples help the
reader envision the scene. They show the
subjects personality traits in action rather
than just naming them. Remember, however, to add
details selectively so that they build a coherent
impression.
17Writing a Personality Profile
Editing and Proofreading
- TARGET SKILL
- COMMA SPLICES
- With elaboration, you often have to link together
several strings of ideas into more complex
phrases and sentences. Commas, used carefully,
add clarity to sentences and enable the reader to
grasp how parts relate.
18Writing a Personality Profile
Editing and Proofreading
- TARGET SKILL
- COMMA SPLICES
- Used incorrectly commas can be distracting or
confusing. One common error is the comma splice
(or comma fault), in which the writer separates
two sentences with a comma instead of the proper
end mark.