The Power of Descriptive Writing: Showing vs. Telling and Observing in Detail, Study notes of English Language

Download The Power of Descriptive Writing: Showing vs. Telling and Observing in Detail and more Study notes English Language in PDF only on Docsity! The key element in writing a memorable description is the point of view of the writer (or speaker) of the passage. The dominant impression can be thought of as the way the writer feels about the object of the description; for instance, a writer may regard a place as hospitable and inviting, or as cold and forbidding. Likewise, a writer may regard a person as warm and friendly, or aloof and reserved. In conveying the chosen dominant impression, the writer must both select details carefully, and presents them with the impression in mind. All good descriptions are crafted with steady attention to the dominant impression. "Show, Don’t Tell" There’s a simple reason that this is perhaps the most commonly used phrase where descriptive writing is concerned (and that you may well have heard it plenty of times already): this is truly the fundamental principle of descriptive writing. When it comes to describing something, ‘telling’ the reader about it comes off as flat, vague, and not particularly memorable; ‘showing’ the reader the object -- describing it in such a way as to paint it in words, and bring it to life in the reader’s eye -- renders the object far more vivid, visible, and active. But what exactly, are "telling" and "showing?" Telling is another way of saying ‘summarizing.’ Here’s a writer ‘telling’ readers about a room: "It was a nice room, a warm room. It was a happy place to be." The reader reads this and says to her or himself, "okay, but why? What did the room look like? Why was it a happy place to be? Was it warm, or hot? Or does the writer mean warm in terms of temperature? I can’t really see or feel this room; I wish I’d been given more details." These two sentences may represent exactly how the writer feels about the room, but to the reader they aren’t vivid enough to register this room as any different from any other room. More importantly, the reader is unable to experience the qualities of this room that the writer intends; because the reader has only been ‘told’ about the room (and told in very vague terms), the room itself remains fuzzy and unclear (essentially invisible), and the qualities of niceness, warmth, and happiness are merely the writer’s impressions of the room, nothing the reader can connect to. Far more vivid and communicative is to show the reader the room (with emphasis on the aspects of the room which provoke in the writer the feelings she or he receives). Here’s a brief passage which attempts to ‘show’ that the room is ‘warm’: “Sunlight pours through the window, pooling on the down comforter which lies across the bed. A block of light also angles across the wall opposite the bed, highlighting the pale orange color of the room. A thick red carpet sprawls over the floor, a corner of it lit too by a sunbeam; the room’s windows admit the sun along two walls, and tiny dust motes hover in the bright streaks which glaze the room.” Here the writer never says "warm," but attempts to present a series of details which demonstrate this quality of the room. Perhaps just the first sentence of this description conveys this quality; however, the writer has decided to continue describing the room in order to render a clear picture (and feeling) of the room for the reader. Each reader will respond differently to this description; however, it’s fairly clear in its presentation of this room as a warm and comfortable place, and the writer is well on the way to describing it in such a way as to make this room unique. Observation It isn’t possible to create a unique description of an object without first taking time to observe it. But to observe something means more than just to look at it -- the writer seeks not only the general details which comprise the basic profile of this object (the apple is red, roundish, and large for an apple), but the specific details which make the object unique: “The apple has two leaves still attached to the stem; it doesn’t stand straight when resting on a tabletop, on its left side a streak of yellow shines underneath the red, a small bruise hangs just below the apple’s crown on its back side.” docsity.com As a writer, one must ask why this object is not any object; what details about it make it unlike any other -- and specifically, unlike any other of its kind (in the case of the apple, the writer seeks the details which make this apple not just another red apple; the writer seeks to write such a precise description that the reader could pick this apple out of a bowl of six other apples). Using All Five Senses Up to here, most of the emphasis has been placed on visual details; there’s little doubt that in describing most things, visual properties form the dominant portions of our descriptions. This is because for most of us, our sight is the sense which is the primary -- and dominant -- sense through which we perceive our world. What something looks like is extraordinarily important in our ability to perceive it, particularly when we are trying to perceive something solely through a written description. However, the best descriptive writing evokes objects through the use of more than just sight. The more a writer can capture an object through senses such as sound, smell, touch, and even taste, the more vivid and unique the writer’s description becomes. If, in describing the apple above, the writer includes the aroma of the apple (if it had one), or a sense of what the apple’s skin might feel like, or even if the writer imagines the possible taste of an apple like this, the description of the apple becomes even more specific and memorable. In observing an object one aims to describe, the goal is always to try to see past the obvious -- and this most certainly includes observing not only the visual qualities of something, but attempting to perceive it through all five senses. Strong Verbs Good descriptive writing also employs the use of strong, specific verbs. Central in choosing verbs is -- as always -- the avoidance of the verb ‘to be.’ To say a thing ‘is,’ or ‘was,’ is not nearly as active -- and therefore specific -- as choosing a sharper verb. Consider these two versions of the same sentence: The sunlight was on the propane tank. The sunlight stretched over the propane tank. Clearly the second sentence is more interesting; here the sunlight becomes active. In the first sentence, there’s nothing interesting about the sun’s presence -- it’s simply there. Here are a few more examples of active verbs in action (taken from writing teacher Natalie Goldberg): The fiddles boiled the air with their music. The lilacs sliced the sky into purple. Her husband’s snores sawed her sleep in half. A good rule of thumb is that the more unexpected the verb (as in ‘boiled’ in describing how fiddles sound, or ‘sliced’ in describing flowers), the more specific and memorable a sentence will be. However, it’s also important to remember that active verbs can’t be used in every sentence; and sometimes, more general verbs like ‘run,’ ‘see,’ ‘go,’ ‘said,’ etc., are exactly what you need in a given sentence. The goal, as a writer, is to make your choice a conscious one -- choose the verb you want, not the verb that comes to you most easily. Push yourself to use specific, active verbs whenever possible, and to choose your verbs (and all your words) carefully and deliberately all the time. Example: "We had a really nice dinner" could become, "We enjoyed a tasty meal" Have a look at these examples and see if you can spot the improvements: • The street was empty and full of shadows. The street lay empty, full of shadows. • The children had a great time at the circus. The children shared a thrilling night at the circus. More on: docsity.com