What Is It? Enriching Descriptive Writing
Purpose: This exercise stimulates students to enrich their descriptive writing by using a plain object and writing about it in an extravagant way—using lots of detail, metaphor, and imagery. It makes students develop and possibly appreciate a creative approach to the writing method.
Description: Students will take a normal object and write a creative description and narrative about the object of their choice. By following a set of questions provided by the instructor, students will write a prose style response – not just a list or catalog.
Suggested Time: 30 – 35 minutes
Procedure: Students should pick an object that they have easy and tangible access – a pen, teddy bear, a washcloth, ID card, whatever they desire. They might physically bring this object to class with them. If they forget, they can use something from their bags, purses, or pockets. They should then write a creative response using the following questions or a similar format:
You look around the room and see your object. How well can you see it? Where is the light coming from?
What does the room feel like? Sound like? Look like? Why is that object there?
You walk over to your object. How many steps did it take?
Your object is lying next to several other things. What are they? One of these things reminds you of something or someone else. What does it remind you of?
Pick up the object. How heavy is it? Can you toss it in the air? What is its texture?
Put the object close to your eyes, so close that it becomes blurry. What do you see? (tiny bumps? little lines?)
Put your object against your ear. Does it make a sound? What does that sound (or lack of sound) remind you of?
Put your object under your nose. What does it smell like? What does the scent remind you of?
While you have the object this close to your face, you might as well taste it. Go ahead, stick out your tongue. What is that taste? What does it remind you of?
You are getting tired of this exercise. Get rid of your object. Dispose of it somehow. How did you get rid of it and how do you feel now that it is gone?
In order for students to successfully complete the exercise, each question must be answered in sentence form. Encourage students to be creative in the description of the object and its purpose