The Process of Writing

Description Essay

I Brainstorming:

Sit down at the computer or with a pen and paper and force yourself to write nonstop for seven minutes everything you can remember about significant events in your life: vacations, sports, rock concerts, parties, picnics, exploring, etc. Don't look up from the page. If you get stuck write, "I'm stuck, I'm stuck, I'm stuck" until your memory kicks in again. Don't stop writing because if you do you your mind will wander off the topic. You'll start worrying about your day, thinking of errands, your significant other, work, etc.

You may write a list or in fragments. Do not write in complete sentences or stop to think about grammar and spelling. That comes later in the writing process. And remember writing is a process; it requires a number of steps. Brainstorming is just the first.

After seven minutes, stop and read what you've got. Pick out the most significant of the significant events, one that you think will lend itself to detailed description.

II Focusing on the topic:

After choosing one event from your list of possible significant events. Repeat the same brainstorming process. This time concentrate on all the details you can think of, especially sensory details. What is the weather like? Warm or cold? What does it smell like? The sea smell of a beach, the smell of a forest? If you ate or drank describe the taste on your tongue. What do hear? Waves, wind in the trees. Describe each of these in detail. Also, try to use similes or comparisons; for example, "When my father found out what had happened, he roared like a tiger protecting his young. Good descriptive writing is a bit like poetry!

Once again make lists or scribble in fragments. No complete sentences yet.

III First draft:

Now write complete sentences. Use a chronology. Focus on the few minutes that made this occasion special to you. Half the essay should be a detailed description of your insight or realization of something important.

IV Second draft:

Revise grammar and check spelling and passive voice.

V Peer review: