4 Things to Know Before Writing a Descriptive Essay

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How many times did you get a writing assignment without knowing what to do? At least once a year students get a writing task about which they have no clue. In most cases, it is either a descriptive essay, or a research paper. Why do so different types of writing make students of all ages and qualifications so confused?

Today we’re going to talk about descriptive essays. Writing a descriptive essay is not as easy as it seems. The task itself has a lot of pitfalls, which confirm the fact that the easiest things are the hardest ones. So, in this article we’re going to reveal a few tricks on how to write a descriptive essay correctly, explaining the main problems students face during the writing process. In case you need additional help, you can apply to top Australian essay writers, which provide a professional academic help online for students from different regions as well as Australia itself.

Writing a Descriptive Essay

First of all, let’s give a definition of a descriptive essay. A descriptive essay is a writing based on a person, place, experience, or object, which is showing the story instead of telling it. The golden rule for every descriptive writing is to show, but not to tell. A reader should experience through the story what the writer is feeling. So, if you want to describe that you’re tired and exhausted, you should write down the feelings that you experience at the moment instead of just saying that you’re tired and exhausted. That is the main difference between a descriptive essay and all other types of similar papers. It explains the feelings the writer experiences in details, making the reader imagine what he/she is trying to tell.

Of course, it is impossible to become an amazing writer of descriptive essays overnight. But following the tips we’re going to share below will help you to get a better perspective on the direction you should move when writing a descriptive essay. So, here are four major things you should know before working on a descriptive writing assignment.

4 Effective Tips for a Descriptive Essay

  • Work on the details that related to senses first. This means that the most important parts of writing should be devoted to the senses, which involve the smell, sight, sound, touch, and taste. For example, a beach or a mountain view. Compose the words in such a way to create an experience for the readers too. Give a reader a detailed vision of what you’re trying to describe, using an adjective.
  • Visualize the story in your essay during the whole process of writing. It is very important not to divide your story into several parts where you show or tell only. It should be a logical piece of writing, without losing the focus, which is in your head. So, a descriptive writing is not about providing 2-3 paragraphs of description only. Descriptive elements should be in the whole writing from the beginning to the end.
  • Express your opinion. A descriptive essay doesn’t mean you can’t express your own opinion on the topic you’re writing about. In fact, you should take a stand and tell whether you agree or disagree with the discussed question.
  • To describe an object or a place in a proper way, think about it in 3 dimensions – usual adjectives, senses, and imagery. This means you should use already well-known word combinations, adjectives, which relate to senses (shiny, soft, sweet, etc.), as well as comparison combinations (as blue as the sky, as light as a feather, etc.). This will make your essay more vivid.

But do not write more than it is needed. Sometimes, writers want to make a description so detailed that they use too many unnecessary words. They say something that can be described in three sentences using more than a paragraph, which is too much. Do not try to find some extraordinary adjectives to describe something simple, which doesn’t require those adjectives at all. Do not overcomplicate your work. If you can’t find a unique adjective to tell about something, use simple words or skip it to come back to this issue later. Do not let yourself get stuck on one paragraph for hours. This is a huge mistake many beginners make. What you should focus on are not the adjectives and not even the objects you’re describing. Focus on writing in an original way. For this purpose, use metaphors and similes. A cliche is something you should avoid in a descriptive writing if you want it to sound interesting and unique.

So, that’s those 4 key things you can do to become better in the descriptive writing assignments.