In the Permission Granted slack, there was a good thread about descriptive writing and resources for getting better with this element of writing. Whether fiction or nonfiction, descriptive writing is such an important part of the craft. I’m always working at getting better at this element of writing. This week, I wanted to share a little about what helps me in my own process.

Bringing a reader into the sensory experience is the foundation of descriptive writing that’s done well, in my opinion. When I read really amazing passages of prose, most often it will have touched on somewhere between three to five senses. If someone is walking into a room, what did it smell like? What did it sound like? How did it make the character feel? Was there something they touched? It sounds simple but this elicits an important response for the reader. They are not simply reading about what happened, they are putting themselves in that space. Take this passage from “You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty” by Akwaeke Emezi.

“The space was sprawling, marked by a platform king bed in the center, canopied with gossamer curtains. The entire outside wall was glass, looking out into a landscaped garden exploding with flowers, birds, and butterflies. A small stream sang through the garden, rippling over stones. Feyi walked over to the bed and ran her hands over the flax linen sheets, her fingernails golden against the olive green.”

Sprawling gives us a great description of just how large the room is that the main character Feyi is walking into. We can hear the small stream that “sang” through the garden. And Feyi touched the linen sheets. It may seem too simple, but it’s all about finding ways to utilize those senses that make for great description in storytelling.

One of my favorite memoirs “How We Fight For Our Lives” by Saeed Jones also did an amazing job with creative description in non-fiction. The stories are almost vignettes that draw you into the moment for sure. To be fair, Saeed is also an awarded poet which I think absolutely lends itself to his creative non-fiction approach. A short passage here:

“The air was noisy with crickets chirping and leaves rustling in the breeze. With my eyes closed, all the trees shifting in the night sounded like faraway ocean waves. I walked slowly down the long, gravel driveway between the house and the road. About halfway, I fell to my knees. I ran my hands through the dirt, pushing the stones, then pulling them back in handfuls as my tears stained them.”

Expanding your vocabulary is going to be another major key to improving your description. You need more words. And not in this way where you are using big words that don’t make sense. But words have a huge impact on a reader’s emotional connection to a story. It means something totally different when we say “she was exhausted” vs “she was tired.” Or “it was hot” vs “the humid air was suffocating.” There’s a visceral connection to more descriptive words and the only way to find more words is to READ!

Reading is sometimes an overlooked part of the craft. Yes, many of us read for leisure, but we should also have our writer's eyes and ears on at all times. Someone uses a word you like? Write it down. Keep a log of great words you’d like to incorporate into your writing at the appropriate time.

In your reading schedule, make sure you’re reading a variety of work. Whether that’s journalism articles, novels, non-fiction, and yes, poetry. Good poetry gives us an example of some of the best descriptive writing. It’s not about copying anyone else’s language, but finding new ways for you to think about what’s happening in your own work. It may spark new ideas for comparisons, metaphors and similes which are such important devices in descriptive writing.

I also use visuals when I’m writing if I’m particularly stuck. Can I find a visual that is similar to what I may be trying to describe? So for instance, I need to describe an apartment. I may find a photograph and try to write what I’m seeing.

“I walked into the inviting bohemian space. The burnt orange chair was situated in the corner surrounded by the lush, green leaves of a fig tree. The light glimmered off the shiny brass planters. Looking back at me in the circular mirror that hung on the wall was the reflection of a woman I no longer recognized.”

Lastly, don’t be afraid to say something plainly first. That is the beauty of editing. The first pass is about telling ourselves the story as we’ve heard so often before. Your job after that is to actually make it good.

With anything in writing, practice makes perfect. The more you do it, the easier it becomes in your own writing process.How can I say it a little differently? How can I convey this emotion or feeling? How can I describe a person without talking about their physical appearance? This is the work of creativity.