Have you ever wondered what descriptive article writing was, or how to write a descriptive article? Here is your chance to find out! The following tips will help you to write better descriptive articles, descriptive essays, and descriptive prompts. More importantly, it will make your writing more vivid and engaging to readers.
1) Start with an eye-catching Descriptive Introduction
If you are writing a descriptive piece that focuses on a single scene or subject, don’t jump right into that scene. Start by introducing your topic in general terms and then describe one particular detail to get people interested in what they are about to read.
It does not need to be extremely detailed, but it should capture readers’ attention and make them want to keep reading. Whether you begin with an action shot, a comparison to something else or just a good bit of humor is up to you.
The point is to pick interest so readers will continue reading once you move into your descriptions.
2) Write with Interesting Details
When you’re writing a descriptive piece, chances are you’ll be describing a particular scene, setting, or character. One of your main goals in doing so is to make your reader feel like they are there (or at least understand what it would be like to be there).
One of the best ways to do that is with detailed descriptions. However, too many details can clutter up an otherwise perfect description.
While you want to include detailed descriptions, it’s important to avoid information overload. Most people don’t read a descriptive piece all at once; instead, they might read just one paragraph and then leave it for later.
If your descriptions are so detailed that someone can’t take them in at once, or if you use words that most people don’t understand, you risk losing your reader before he or she gets through even a single paragraph.
3) Make your Descriptive Article Visual
One of the most powerful ways to hook readers is by making your writing visual. It’s one thing to tell readers what something looks like, but it’s quite another to show them. When you can engage your reader’s sense of sight, you give them a much deeper understanding and appreciation of what you’re describing.
More importantly, Your aim should be to make someone feel as if they are seeing exactly what you’re describing in their minds eye. Make use of all five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste smell in particular; so long as there is no body odor involved!
4) Keep the Reader Guessing for your Descriptive Prompts
It’s easy to become lazy as a writer and forget that you have a reader. Before writing a word, it’s important to think about your audience. What do they know? What don’t they know? What are their values? Why should they care about what you have to say? Will they care if you keep them guessing in your descriptive essay?
Absolutely! You want readers engrossed in your work, so hold their attention by withholding descriptions and explanations until absolutely necessary. Use detail to paint an image, but only when needed.
Be like Picasso; leave something missing for your reader’s imagination to fill in. Let your words draw out their own conclusions, rather than spoon-feeding them answers with redundant details or excessive explaining. Here are some examples of how a reader might react when reading descriptive writing:
Just when I thought I had read enough, here comes another description...I hope it ends soon!
5) Avoid Being Too Literal in your Descriptive Writing
When you’re writing a descriptive piece, avoid being too literal. Don’t describe each part of your subject to death (or boredom). Instead, offer one or two details and focus on creating a picture in your reader’s mind with those details.
Moreover, Use adjectives and adverbs to paint a full picture for your reader and allow them to come up with their own interpretation of what you mean.
You should also be careful not to fall into old habits. Many writers use first person (I) or overuse said to make their writing sound conversational.
This is fine if you want your audience to feel like they are part of a conversation, but descriptive writing isn’t that type of writing. It’s more about evoking an image in your reader’s mind and less about starting a conversation with them.
6) Your Descriptive Content must end Strongly
You should never end a piece of writing with an incomplete sentence. It’s a cardinal sin in journalism, and it will make your readers feel that you don’t respect them enough to finish your thought.
If you are writing an opinion piece, consider ending with an assertive statement that sums up what you have just written. A good idea is to pick a few sentences throughout your essay to string together as a paragraph or section at its conclusion.
In terms of style, when approaching your conclusion, ask yourself if you are moving from one thought to another. Are there logical connections? Do ideas follow on from each other? In addition, are transitions being made between points? If not, why not? Is it because there isn’t a link or support between those two points? Why not try rewriting those sections to see if the links come out more strongly than before.
7) Use Sensory Words and Details: SEO
When you write about things that you’ve experienced in person, try to use as many sensory details as possible. For example, rather than writing I love my kids, write I love how soft my kids’ hair is when I rub it with my fingertips.
It adds a bit of depth and emotion to your writing. Where you can use these sorts of sentences in your description of features or products? What are some other examples from business blogs? What are some examples from travel blogs? Or hobby blogs? Or any other topic area where descriptions are part of what's being written about!
Furthermore, use related keywords for better SEO of your descriptive writing.
8) Consider Starting In The Middle Of The Story
A great way to begin a piece of descriptive writing is to start in media res, or in the middle of things. This idea comes from Aristotle’s Poetics and is often used in fiction writing. But it works well with nonfiction as well.
When you start your story or essay in mid-action, you keep your reader intrigued by not giving them all of your information right away. You can also learn about creating descriptive scenes in my guest post on The Write Practice.
9) Keep it Short!
When you’re writing a descriptive piece, try to keep your writing as concise as possible. It might be easy to become captivated by what you’re describing, but it will make your piece easier to read and therefore more effective if you can stick to shorter sentences.
Plus, longer sentences are also more difficult to understand and process, so getting right down to business can help readers stay on track with what you’re saying.
10) Practice, Practice, Practice
If you’re not a natural writer, then there’s no way around it. It takes time to practice your descriptive skills. The best way to do that is through writing lots of it.
Try to write every day; whether that means jotting down notes or starting a full-blown novel, just get used to your thoughts and ideas being on paper (or in a text file).
Once they’re out there, your brain will begin to understand that even if something doesn’t feel right at first glance, it can be worked out with more words.
And after enough practice and confidence-building in putting pen to paper/typing fingers to keyboard, you won’t need as much editing help when it comes time to transform those thoughts into an essay or other type of written work.
Remember: Describing isn't something anyone was born good at.
Conclusion
In conclusion, writing descriptive articles is a way to attract and captivate readers. Use these 10 tips to improve your descriptive writing skills.
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