This week in Creative Writing, we learned about making our
writing more descriptive by showing the reader what is happening in the scene.
Good writing tends to draw an image in the reader’s mind instead of just
telling the reader what to think or believe. Readers are smart! We can read
through the lines! Give us some credit!
"If you find your writing feeling flat, particularly fiction
or narrative nonfiction writing, step back and imagine your scene yourself.
What sounds do you hear? What smells are in the air? What expression does your
character have on his face? What are his motivations? Once you are deeper in
your own imagination, see if you can make your writing better by adding a few
specifics and transporting the readers to the scene you have in your mind."
(Grammar Girl)
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The following
description was written by Jordan.
Can you imagine Tommy in your head as you
read?
Tommy was
one of those kids. He was one those kids
that people would look at and get angry.
He went to a school where he would pull pranks on the teacher, and annoy
his classmates. Sometimes, he would pull
pranks on the wrong person and would get beat up, but he didn’t care. He liked
what he did.
One day,
he came up with the best prank he’d ever thought up. He was going to fill up a big inflatable
swimming pool in the classroom, and fill it with goldfish. He spent a long time devising how he would
pull this off, and when the time came, he was ready. He snuck out of his house and rushed down to
the school. The next morning, the
teacher walked to her door, opened it up, saw the pool, and muttered to
herself, “Tommy.”
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Nice job, Jordan!
What is the golden line? Pick your
favorite word or sentence from the description above and type it in the comment
box.