Description

As you write, the most important tool you can develop and utilize will be the power of description. First and foremost, describing an object or experience is more than simply combing an adjective and a noun. Accurate and exciting description does not simply "tell" readers about something, it "shows" readers what is being described. Excellent description goes beyond "showing" readers something--it makes readers "feel" the thing being described, as if it were a thing or event or emotion in their lives.

What is the best way to describe something? The best (and easiest) way to offer description is to appeal to the one shared constant in everyone's life--the senses. If you can focus on describing things and experiences using the senses, you job as a writer will be much easier. Focus on:

• Sight (size, shape, location, color, pleasing/displeasing to the eye, etc.)
• Sound (loud/soft, clear/muffled, pleasant/unpleasant, etc.)
• Smell (crisp/flat, good/bad, strong/weak, etc.)
• Touch (texture, consistency, temperature, etc.)
• Taste (flavor, good/bad, etc.)
• Emotions (the spark in your "heart" that is triggered by what you are experiencing)
• The Gut (i.e. the hairs on the back of your neck standing up, "butterflies" on a first date, "cramping" before an exam, or "weightlessness" as an airplane leaves the ground)

• Synesthesia (the description of one kind of sense, using language usually reserved for another sense--at its basic level, the combination of two or more descriptors to create a new, more powerful third. For example, describing a hot day using the language of touch ["The heat rising from the blazing pavement pushed me forcefully back into my air-conditioned car"] or describing a song using the language of sight and touch ["The 'Blue Danube Waltz' is a gentle ride in a slow boat, as the riverbank glides silently by and your hand is dipped in the cool waters surrounding you"])

Always remember that description is more than simply using adjectives or adverbs, however.

Keep in mind the difference in impact between objective and subjective description. Objective description relies only on the facts (the physical details as recorded by the senses). The above examples are generally objective, and while the facts do describe, they may not be your best choice. Subjective description relies on reactions, feelings, and emotions based on the facts. Using subjective description tends to carry more weight because it creates a bond between writer and reader based on (oftentimes) shared human experience.

Remember that figures of speech--similies and metaphors--also offer wonderful description. A similie is a comparison of two or more things using the words "like" or "as." An example of a similie is "Mondays are like prison." A metaphor is a comparison of two or more things not using the words "like" or "as." An example of a metaphor is "Mondays are prison." Try to visualize the subtle diffence between these two examples--it's there.

Try to draw comparisons between what you are describing and commonly known things when relating to the senses. If you can make the unknown relate to the known, your job as a descriptive writer is much easier.

Rely on the senses when describing--they are the shared bond between all people!