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How To Write A Descriptive Essay: Guide To A Perfect Paper

how to start a descriptive essay

How To Start A Descriptive Essay

  • The Definition Of A Descriptive Writing

  • The Importance And Purpose of Your Essay

  • The 4 Key Elements Of Writing A Perfect Descriptive Essay

  • The Different Types Of Descriptive Essays

  • Descriptive Essay Outline

  • The Right Topic For Your Descriptive Essay

  • The Structure Of A Descriptive Essay

  • Tips On How To Write A Great Descriptive Essay

Writing a descriptive essay can be challenging because you need to describe something using as many senses as possible to paint the most vivid picture possible. 

 

Plus, it’s easy to forget that there are two distinct types of descriptive essays, which are the two types of thinking that people use when they describe something: visual or sensory thinking and verbal or analytical thinking; what you must understand about writing a descriptive essay so that you can capture your reader’s attention and help them learn more about what you’re describing.

The Definition Of A Descriptive Writing

A descriptive essay describes someone, place, or thing. To be considered a descriptive essay, you must describe the item in detail and include as many details as possible. 


This kind of essay tries to provide detailed descriptions of a subject. With your words, the reader can get an accurate idea of what you are talking about. 


The Importance And Purpose of Your Essay

A descriptive essay aims to detail your reader with as many details as possible so they can imagine what you are writing about. 


It’s also important that your essay be accurate and honest; you don’t want to make things up because the reader will see right through it. 


You should also include how you feel about the person or situation in your essay, whether negative or positive.


The 4 Key Elements Of Writing A Perfect Descriptive Essay

Writing descriptive essays takes work. It requires the writer to create images in the reader’s mind accurately. The four key elements of writing a perfect descriptive essay are imagery, figurative language, personification, and suspense. 


Imagery is used to provide mental pictures for readers. Types of descriptive writing that use imagery include detailed descriptions, precise words, sensory detail (sights and sounds), similes or metaphors. 


Figurative language includes allusion, hyperbole, metaphor or personification. Personification involves giving human qualities to an object or animal. 


Suspense creates tension by including details that make the reader want to continue reading without knowing what will happen next.


The Different Types Of Descriptive Essays

The first type of descriptive essay is about an object. This type of essay describes the object in detail and analyses its qualities. The second type of descriptive essay is about an experience. 


This type of essay tells about a personal experience with the intent of inducing empathy in the reader. The third type of descriptive essay is about a person or place. 


This type of essay details one or more aspects of someone or something and analyses their significance, often compared to others. 


Descriptive Essay Outline

1. Start with the basics and identify who or what you will describe.


2. Next, choose the type of descriptive writing you will use to convey your information. Interior monologue, narration, or dialogue. 


3. Focus on describing your subject from all angles. Physical appearance, character traits, feelings, thoughts and memories. 


4. Finish by tying everything together with an emotional climax that leaves the reader feeling close to your character and wanting more information about them!


The Right Topic For Your Descriptive Essay

The initial action you should take when writing your descriptive essay is choosing the right topic. You have many options, such as describing a person, an object, or an environment.


It doesn’t matter what you choose as long as it is something that will catch the readers’ attention and make them want to continue reading. These recommendations can help you write a descriptive essay about a person:


  1. Start with the basics by introducing yourself and briefly discussing who you are.


  1. Describe their appearance using specific details.


  1. Talk about their personality.


  1. Tell us more about them in terms of their physical condition and habits.

If you were describing an object (e.g., pencil), try to find all the facts about it. 


For example, if we were going to discuss how we felt about a pencil, we would find out its shape (sharpened at one end and round at the other), colour (grey), texture (smooth), and size (about 10 inches long).


We would also learn whether it’s new or old because this may affect our feelings.


The Structure Of A Descriptive Essay

The format of a descriptive essay is straightforward to follow. If you want to write one in person, there are five steps you should take:


  1. Introduce the subject by providing background information and mentioning what they do for work or what they’re best known for.


  1. Mention their physical features such as age, height, weight, etc.


  1. Talk about their personality traits, like whether they’re shy or outgoing or how they would react in certain situations.


  1. Include how the person dresses with what style of clothing and hair.


  1. Wrap up your descriptive essay with how well-known or popular they are.


Now, if you want to write a more general form of description called exposition, it’s done differently than the above example but is still relatively simple. 


It would be best to focus on describing something without an exact person or object in mind, so start by defining your idea, then talk about its qualities like size, shape etcetera before describing it in detail.


Tips On How To Write A Great Descriptive Essay

A descriptive essay paints a picture of the person or object being described. For the reader to accurately understand what you are describing, you need to provide vivid details. For example, you could say He had dark hair and deep brown eyes. 


The more specific you can be about how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, feels, or any other sensory detail, the better. Remembering as many details as possible will also help you avoid repetition. 


You want to keep your writing fresh and new, so your readers can read the same words repeatedly. In conclusion, this post has provided a brief overview of how to write a descriptive essay. Remember these tips when constructing your paper; you’ll do great!


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