Improving Descriptive Writing
Painting an Original Picture
Purpose of Descriptive Writing
Describe something in an original and
unique so that it appeals to the five senses
Touch it Taste it Hear it See it
Smell it
Keys of Being Descriptive
Be original Be creative Stretch your imagination For example, instead of this: Try this:
The sun cut itselfsun a • The hot, yellow on
sharp behind the went peak and bled into the valley.—John mountain and covered Steinbeck in red. the valley
How’s This?
She was super hero beautiful. Her hair was
as black as coal, her lips red as blood.
Is it original and creative?
Clichés: The Descriptive Killer
1 : a trite phrase or expression; Also : the
idea expressed by it 2 : something (as a menu item) that has become overly familiar or commonplace
Finding Clichés Through Experience
If you have seen it Or heard it It’s probably a cliché
Finding Clichés Through Others
Ask someone really old
(You know, anyone over 21)
Finding Clichés On-line
Choose a keyword to look up
Go to a cliché website and look up the
keyword Cliché finder is one of the best places to look: http://www.westegg.Com/cliche/ You may have to try more than one keyword
Fixing Clichés
Identify the clichés Replace them with more descriptive writing – Think of a new comparison – Look up words in a thesaurus – www.m-w.com
A Little Practice
Each of you will be given a poem Identify ALL the clichés Replace half of them (you can choose the easiest
ones if you’d like) Don’t worry about making it rhyme We’ll do the first stanza together
Which of the following do think are clichés?
She’s as pure as the driven snow, pure as the driven snow, Her face is as white as a sheet, Her hands are as smooth as silk, Her nails as red as a beet.
Same Old New Girl
She’s as pure as the driven snow, Her face is as white as a sheet, Her hands are as smooth as silk, Her nails as red as a beet. Her hair is like the golden sun, Her eyes blue like the sky, She’s as beautiful as an angel, and as hot as a firecracker on the 4th of July.
Her But I’m And
beauty may be skin deep, her mind is as sharp as a knife. just small potatoes, she seems larger than life
They say she’s one in a million, But I don’t believe what they say. If she’s all that and a bag of chips, Why say it with a cliché?
Her Her Her But
temper is as quick as lightning, hatred cold as ice, laughter is loud and clear, her crying is as quiet as mice.
Assignments turned in tomorrow at the beginning of class will be eligible for full credit