Descriptive Essay – Guidelines to Write One

Descriptive essays aim to present a vivid description of an incident chosen. The writer tries to make it point to create a situation where the reader while reading the essay feels so involved that it is almost like he is experiencing the same thing too. Such an effect has to be created by the writer only through his writing, and nothing else. So a writer will have to be careful while selecting a topic. A topic that a writer may wish to illuminate upon may vary from a description of a person to a description of a place to the description of a memory or object. So we can see that whatever a writer may perceive as an experience from his personal life and feels that it is worth sharing with his reader, can be fitted under the topic of a descriptive essay.

When starting to write a descriptive essay one will have to find out the reason behind the choice of his topic. He should be able to find out what is so special about the topic that he wants to describe it to his readers. Once the writer can find the reason he can then correctly describe and emote in the essay. As for example you as a writer may wish to describe your mother. Instead of just describing her physical attributes you may wish to describe her inner goodness and mental strength. So while writing the essay describe in great details the hardships she faced in her life and how she dealt with them. Show the reader vividly her daily labors and hardships that she undertook with a smiling face just to ensure that her children get a better future. Then show the reader how all this fight for survival revealed her inner strength yet did not make her an embittered woman. Describe in such a way that the reader understands the joy with which she faced her difficult life and the happiness she derived from serving someone poorer and needier than her. Paint such a vivid picture with your words that your mother comes alive and the reader can almost feel her. This is the trick in writing a descriptive essay. You will have to describe something in such a way that it comes alive to the reader.

While writing a descriptive essay be careful to check that the essay does not become too long and boring. Make good use of all the five senses to describe, that is, give more descriptions of the sights, sounds, taste or textures of the surrounding things to make the essay come alive. Cut out on all the unnecessary details to make the essay comprehensive and interesting. Follow the prescribed essay format religiously and cite and refer correctly. After writing, proofread and edit the essay to submit a perfect essay.

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