Descriptions

Try this:

Write a description of someone. It can be anyone at all.
Now look at a real person, or a picture of someone, and write another description.

You should find that the second description will be much better.

Real people have:

Fictitious people - ones you have made up in your head - need these things as well. A spotty face or a torn coat or a noisy sniff may not be important to the story, but they will make your characters seem much more real.

Descriptions bring your stories to life.


Section 1: Describing People

It is very easy to introduce characters into a story without giving the reader any idea what they look like. You ought to describe every character, but don't write pages and pages of description or your readers may fall asleep. This exercise allow you to describe someone easily. In each of the first seven boxes is a list of words to choose from. The last box allows you to enter some text of your own.

Press the 'reset text' button to reset the text in the boxes.

 

The had skin and hair. was dressed in a   and a .

 


Section 2: Describing Places

Buildings
You have probably written lots of stories where people are in buildings. Did you tell your readers what those buildings were like or were you too busy making people fight, or do magic, or find skeletons under beds?
Choose a building and two adjectives from these lists:

The was and .

 

Streets
You probably have you characters walking along streets. Do you describe the streets?
A street can be .

 

Forests
If you have never included a forest in one of your stories you are very unusual. The way that you describe a forest is very important to your readers. Here are four different descriptions of the same forest:

Wet Forest

The rain was falling so heavily now that it was no use sheltering beneath the trees. The sound of raindrops striking the leaves was so deafening that Sarah feared no-one would hear here if she shouted. She had to tread carefully now as the path was rapidly becoming a quagmire and it was difficult to find enough firm patches to walk on.

Cold Forest

Sarah shivered as a sudden blast of icy air roared between the trees and struck her. Dead leaves were tossed into the air where they tumbled and swirled in the ear-aching blast. There was a loud crack as a dead branch was ripped away by the wind and a crash as it hit the frozen ground and broke into a hundred pieces.

Warm Forest

Beams of summer sunlight shone down through the trees and lit up the forest floor. Sarah sat on a fallen log and watched with delight as a blue butterfly settled on her knee. She closed her eyes for a moment and felt the sun's warmth on her face. The only sound to be heard was that of leaves rustling in the gentle breeze.

Creepy Forest

The gnarled trunks of the old oaks looked to Sarah as if they belonged in a fairy story about sorcerers and goblins. She imagined their branches were arms with bony fingers reaching out to grasp her hair. Seeing that the light was fading she wanted to run, but was frightened of taking a tumble. Spending a night in this gloomy place was not something she fancied.

 

Now it's your turn. Can you write a description of a really terrifying forest?


Section 3: Describing Actions

Action words are verbs. The words which describe actions are called adverbs.
Choose a verb and a suitable adverb. (Some combinations will not be sensible.)

The little rabbit .

 

Finally, see if you can match the following actions with their descriptions:

The lion so loudly that

As the lightning

The car through the tunnel so fast

The warrior's sword the rock with such force

When the door

The smoke upwards