Capturing Moments With Words
The Art of Descriptive Writing!
Photos are awesome.
We all adore the technology that allows us to capture moments and store them forever.
Photographers take that several steps further and develop skills that allow them to smoothly tell a story. Some call it documentary photography.
But we’re writers.
Words are our output and paper and pen (or screen and keyboard) are our tools.
But you know, that doesn’t mean we’ve completely lost. With words, we can tell a story just fine.
What’s more, with words, we can capture moments. How?
Through Descriptive Writing!
The Art of Descriptive Writing!
Simply, descriptive writing is the art of using written words to create an image in the minds of your readers.
Visually, it doesn’t come close to a photo.
But by appealing to your readers’ sensory organs and imagination, you can make up for it. You can even do better than a picture.
How?
A photograph shows only what’s captured. It allows the photographer to recall the emotions he felt at that scene. But in many cases, that’s the extent of it.
A descriptive text goes further. It recreates the scene. It allows the reader to feel the writer’s emotions.
Descriptive writing is something all writers should have in their arsenal. Though mostly used by fiction writers, poets, and nature writers, it can come in handy in several areas.
Thankfully, the art of descriptive writing doesn’t require you to take any courses. It’s something we’ve all come across before.
And your intuition can probably pull it off.
You only need to write.
That said, here are some “official” tips to get you started:
Tips for Descriptive Writing
1. Engage the Readers’ Senses
Remember, with descriptive writing, you appeal to your readers’ five senses — Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch.
Therefore, your writing needs to contain details that trigger the reader’s senses and allow them to imagine what you’re describing. Otherwise, they’ll just read over it like mere words.
But don’t overdo it. A good descriptive text doesn’t need to appeal to all five senses, especially when there’s no need to.
For instance, in the simple example below, only three senses were targeted:
The sun is about to set.
It’s the golden hour and I’m staring intently at the sky from my passageway.
The wind rustling from the nearby trees gently grazes my chin. It’s relaxing and it sure beats the heat I’ve had to deal with during the day.
But what’s more relaxing is the red atmosphere I’m gazing at. This scene reminds me of a memory I had long forgotten…
Sight, Sound, and Touch.
Once again, you don’t need to target all senses. What matters is the message you’re trying to convey.
2. Choose the Right Words
Words make up the writing.
So, obviously, you have to choose the words that best describe the moment. These words should also be able to trigger your readers’ senses.
In the above example, the following words were aimed at their respective senses:
staring = sight
rustling = sound
grazes = touch
3. Be Evasive
Describe the moment. Don’t tell it.
The difference?
When describing an event, you use sensory details to convey the scene and what’s happening, without explicitly stating it.
For instance, rather than saying: “It’s cold,” you may say: “a biting wind whipped through the air, sending shivers down my spine.”
Yes, descriptive writing requires you to be elusive. Don’t present the answer to your reader. Instead, give him the formula and wait for him to figure it out.
4. Don’t Forget Figurative Language
While not strictly required, figurative language acts as the final piece of the puzzle.
Similes, Metaphors, Personification, and Onomatopoeia can help you enhance your descriptive writing and take it to the next level.
Using figurative language is key to being truly elusive in your writing.
5. Be Natural
Last but not least, be natural.
Don’t cloud your descriptive writing with too many sensory details and figurative language that it loses its meaning or you’ll leave your reader feeling overwhelmed. Know when to draw the line.
That’s why it’s best to focus on your message first and then pick the words that best describe it. Focus on conveying your message and not the writing itself.
That’s it for our “official tips.” To wrap this up, here are some examples of descriptive writing from the experts.
Some Examples of Descriptive Writing to Get You Inspired
(Or At least Feel Inspired)
“The flowers were unnecessary, for two o’clock a greenhouse arrived from Gatsby’s, with innumerable receptacles to contain it. An hour later the front door opened nervously, and Gatsby, in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie, hurried in. He was pale, and there were dark signs of sleeplessness beneath his eyes.”
–F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
“It was a cold grey day in late November. The weather had changed overnight, when a backing wind brought a granite sky and a mizzling rain with it, and although it was now only a little after two o’clock in the afternoon the pallor of a winter evening seemed to have closed upon the hills, cloaking them in mist.”
-Daphne du Maurier, Jamaica Inn
The forest was heavy with rain and the trees were absolutely motionless. Everything had withered and died, but right down on the ground the late autumn’s secret garden was growing with great vigour straight out of the mouldering earth, a strange vegetation of shiny puffed-up plants that had nothing at all to do with summer. The late blueberry sprigs were yellowish-green and the cranberries as dark as blood. Hidden lichens and mosses began to grow, and they grew like a big soft carpet until they took over the whole forest. There were strong new colours everywhere, and red rowan berries were shining all over the place. But the bracken had turned black.
-Tove Jansson, Moominvalley in November
Photos are awesome.
But we’re writers.
The closest thing we have to a picture is descriptive writing. Therefore, acquiring this skill is worth it regardless of the type of writer you are.
It’s the only way we can capture moments with our words.
Have you captured any moment with words already? Feel free to share your descriptive texts with me. I’m open to reading.
And stick around for more posts like this. Thanks for reading, and Till next time!
