What is Descriptive Writing?

Descriptive writing describes the physical qualities of a thing using 5 sensory details. Although there are more than 5 senses with which we access the physical world, we will focus on writing descriptions using the following senses:

• Sight

• Sound

• Touch

• Taste

• Smell

How Many Senses Actually Exist?

• The Other Senses | Introduction to Psychology and Neuroscience

• Sensation and Perception | Introduction to Psychology

More on Descriptive Writing Techniques

• "5 Examples of How to Write a Good Descriptive Paragraph" by Richard Nordquist, ThoughtCo (March 7, 2018)

• A Look at Masterful Setting Description by Novel Structure

• Descriptive Writing by IUP

• The Gigantic List of Character Descriptions (70+ Examples) by John Fox

• Great Character Descriptions from Science Fiction and Fantasy Books by Charlie Jane Anders and Mandy Curtis

Beyond Sensory Details: Similes and Metaphors in Descriptive Writing

Q. According to James Geary, what is a metaphor, what is the formula for a metaphor, and why are metaphors important to our ability to understand the world?

How can metaphors enhance or confuse our understanding of reality? What are the examples that Geary offers to demonstrate his point?

Please explain, in in-depth writing, Geary's argument and reasoning with specific examples from the video.

Writing Descriptions for Artworks

Let's practice descriptive writing by describing the following artworks. You will need to employ a bit of your imagination to describe the artwork.

Writing Prompt: Describe the following artworks to someone who has never seen the artwork (or is unable to see the artwork). How well the person can envision the artwork in her mind depends on how extensive your physical descriptions are.

Google 3D Museum Tour at Museum of Contemporary Art in Bogotá (2016)

Google Poly (360) 

Airpano

360 Cities

Writing Descriptions for Games

"Hunter, in Darkness" by Andrew Plotkin

"The Imaginary Mariner" by Paul Darvasi