Descriptive Writing Exercise #1

What is descriptive writing?

"The primary purpose of descriptive writing is to describe a person, place, or thing in such a way that a picture is formed in the reader's mind. Capturing an event through descriptive writing involves paying close attention to the details by using all of your five senses."

(source: readingrockets.org)

I have always been jealous of people who could beautifully write a scene describing it so well that I felt like I was sharing one of their memories. As a new writer, descriptive writing is one of my shortcomings. I would really love to strengthen my descriptive writing skills so I figured why not practice with you guys! I am going to warn you now though that reading my exercises might be cringe-worthy, so considered yourselves warned! I thought this could be a fun exercise for others to join in as well if you would like. Usually, I would put this topic on my Forum page but I'm not sure if my Forum is easily found, so I thought this would be a good place to share that I have a Forum that has different topics of discussion like this one open to everyone!

The exercise: I am going to observe the room around me and what's happening and just write what I see.

Some writing tips: I've been trying to do some research on what makes good descriptive writing and so far I have found many people agree that descriptive writing uses the five senses; seeing, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Analogies and figurative language can also help transport the reader into the writer's world.

Comments: I would love to hear critiques of my description and if you were able to visualize and put yourself in my shoes by my description.

Share your experience: I would love it even more if you joined in on the exercise with me and just put a quick sentence or two in the comments! The description can be as long or as short as you'd like!

Ok here goes nothing.

It's been a while since I sat on the couch with my feet up. I love this couch because it's the perfect length for me to be able to sit up, type on my computer, and just touch the end with my feet. I hear a heartbeat in my ears but only because I have my headphones in listening to concentration music which usually helps me get in the right mindset to write. It's comfortable and quiet in the house with the occasional pitter-patter of paws against the wood floor from my fur babies. I feel content sitting here on my computer that's propped on top of a throw pillow making it just the right height to type on. The house is starting to get darker now as the sun goes down making the rooms' light source come from the kitchen light instead of the window behind me. The shadows are slowly growing behind the dining room table and its chairs reaching for the wall behind them. It reminds me of how the downtown buildings cast their shadows on the sidewalks below. The wall across from the kitchen seems to be happily welcoming the light and its shadows. As I sit here typing on my computer with my fur babies laying around me I feel satisfied with the day and I am sleepily ready to accept the dreams that await me as night falls.

Ok, that may be a bit choppy but it's better than I thought it would be! :)

Let me know what you think in the comments friends and let's see some snippets of your creative side. :)

Remember, it's not about perfection it's about fun. If we wait for perfection we might be waiting until the end of time, so just jump in and enjoy putting words to print. :D

#descriptivewriting #writeitout #justdoit