Writing a descriptive essay is a unique challenge for many academics. Writing essays from scratch is definitely not an easy task and can take up a lot of your free time, as if you have any. This kind of writing involves building a detailed, sensory description of the subject of your paper – a person, a building, a place, a situation, or even an idea – with the purpose of creating a vivid image in the minds of your readers. However, correctly using language to paint a picture for someone else can be difficult for many students.
Knowing the dos and don’ts of writing a descriptive essay can help you focus your paper and come up with a solid final draft to turn in to your instructor. Keep in mind that writing essays is only a small part of your main responsibilities in college and it’s not a surprise that so many students are in need of assignment help and services like essay pro review by NoCramming. We are ready to lend you a helping hand, follow these tips to craft a beautiful descriptive essay.
DO: Create an outline.
This kind of assignment is more creative writing than a lot of students are used to – and they’ll often skip the brainstorming, outline step that is common with essay writing. However, this step is just as important for a descriptive essay as it is with a research paper, to ensure your ideas are clear and established before you begin writing. It’s always best to have a sense of direction.
DON’T: Just tell – show, instead.
You can say something is old, but it’s better if you can use sensory language to show readers how it looks, feels, smells – and let them determine for themselves that the subject is aging. Create concrete images using similes, metaphors, and other kinds of descriptive language to touch on each of the five senses.
DO: Use a thesaurus.
Rather than using the same words over and over again, look them up and see what other kinds of language might make your point more effectively. However, you don’t want to use words you don’t know – before including it in your paper, make sure you’ve looked it up in a dictionary to see how each word should be used. This is a great way to make your essay more colorful and interesting to read.
DON’T: Just stuff in random adjectives.
While it is important that your essay paints a picture, too many descriptive words can muddy the image for readers. Your writing should still be clear and concise, and overly flowery language has no place in descriptive essays. Pick the adjectives you use carefully, and use them only when necessary. You don’t want to confuse your readers with excessive wordiness.
DO: Share it with an audience.
Reading your paper to a friend or family member can help you see if the language you’ve used is effective. Ask them if they can picture in their mind the subject you’ve tried to describe. This is also a great way to find any grammatical mistakes or spelling errors in your work.
DON’T: Narrow your focus.
Sometimes, when you’re trying to accurately describe something, you can get stuck on minor details and forget the big picture. This can be confusing for readers, who need to build a solid mental image from your writing. While including details is a great way to help them create that picture, don’t spend too much time on each descriptive element. Find a way to draw it into the bigger concept of your essay.