How to Write a Descriptive Essay
Descriptive essay is the type of essay that makes you create extremely vivid and extremely lively experience for the reader. One can achieve that affect by using colorful observations and experiences instead of dry statistics. One thing that a person should remember when writing a descriptive essay is that it is about you, your feelings, emotions, thoughts and experiences. A good descriptive essay should be written in first person, therefore using words “I”, “me” and sometimes “we” and “us” which always implies that one was a part of an adventure or experience. A dialogue is also very often used in expressive essays, for it gives the reader the opportunity to paint a more distinctive picture of the event. Use descriptive language, meaning feel free to describe people, sights and ideas. But at the same time one should remember not to go overboard with adjectives, adverbs, and metaphors.
An essay overloaded with adjectives gets the reader off thoughts off of the main point and plot, thus becoming boring and tiring. As for adverbs, it is recommended to avoid them, unless they are absolutely necessary for description. Because adverbs are, so to speak, “fattier” then adjectives, excess use of them will make anybody’s writing look bad and unprofessional. Another useful thing to remember when writing a descriptive essay is the famous saying: show don’t tell. What it means is be colorful and vivid in your descriptions instead of just stating dry facts about the event. Be specific about what you describe, but don’t get carried away, or you will sound scientifically boring. Be sure to focus on the five senses, which are: sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound, for it is the best way to create a lively experience for readers. The five senses will help you to show the reader what happened instead of just retelling.
There are some hints to make sure your paper has some conscious arrangement. First, plan your paper. Determine the reason for writing and qualities that you want to focus on. Second, draft your writing. Decide what details you want to include. And third, revise your paper once it’s finished. Make sure you focus on one aspect throughout the whole essay. Remove all unnecessary details.
