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:

itselfsun
on a
The
The sun
hot,cut
yellow

sharp
peak and
went behind
thebled
into
the valley.John
mountain
and covered
Steinbeck
the valley in red.

Hows This?
She was super hero beautiful. Her hair was

as black as coal, her lips red as blood.

Is it original and creative?

Clichs: 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 Clichs Through

Experience
If you have seen it
Or heard it
Its probably a clich

Finding Clichs Through Others

Ask someone really old

(You know, anyone over 21)

Finding Clichs On-line

Choose a keyword to look up
Go to a clich website and look up the

keyword
Clich finder is one of the best places to look:
http://www.westegg.Com/cliche/
You may have to try more than one keyword

Fixing Clichs
Identify the clichs
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 clichs
Replace half of them (you can choose the easiest

ones if youd like)

Dont worry about making it rhyme
Well do the first stanza together

Which of the following do think are clichs?

Shes 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.

Same Old New Girl

Shes 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
But
Im
And

Her hair is like the golden sun,

Her eyes blue like the sky,
Shes as beautiful as an angel,
and as hot as a firecracker on the
4th of July.

They say shes one in a million,

But I dont believe what they say.
If shes all that and a bag of chips,
Why say it with a clich?

Her
Her
Her
But

beauty may be skin deep,

her mind is as sharp as a knife.
just small potatoes,
she seems larger than life

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