What makes an effective description

It can help to think about what specific verbs and adjectives apply to the situation. For example, We had a really nice dinner, could become, We enjoyed a tasty meal. Reading the same words over and over again is boring. Variety makes writing interesting. Let me know in the comments! Behind on the Writing series? Click to catch up! Ready for Part 8? Like What You Read? Get access to even more writing epicness! A private Facebook community for authors Exclusive first-access to posts before they're published.

Great post, Kaitlin! And finding a balance between what to describe and what to leave out helps strengthen your writing, too. Specifically, how to cut down on overdescription. Yes, getting into the head of your POV character can definitely influence your descriptions in interesting ways! That sounds like a great post topic, I look forward to reading it!

This post has some amazing tips in it! I love using action words like in your castle example to really create mood in my writing. Sometimes I struggle though to bring in textural details, such as the feeling of an armchair, and scents as I tend to naturally focus on sight and sound.

Thanks for the great post! Skip to content The purpose of description is to help readers experience your story both with their senses and emotions. Sensory Details First, the senses. Manipulating Mood through Word Choice Now that we know how to make readers experience a story with their senses, how can we make them experience it emotionally using description?

For example: The barn was tucked away in a meadow between two oaks, its tin roof rusted and black paint peeling. Balance Finally, one of the important parts of good description is balance, or knowing what to describe and when. Here are 3 things to consider: 1 Choose the most important details, or the details that make the place interesting or different.

A private Facebook community for authors Exclusive first-access to posts before they're published Bonus weekly articles and resources delivered to your inbox. Yes, please! Almost there! Enter your e-mail below to gain instant access! Yes, Please! Read and review it repeatedly, breaking down the material into sections. It is often helpful to summarize smaller sections as you go.

Not all pieces are organized in the same way. For example, some pieces state their main points up front, while others bury them in the middle of the essay. After all, outlines are all you have room for. After you have prioritized the information, you will decide what to include, and how much of it, based on how much space you have to construct the summary.

If you have space, you can present a sketch of the supporting points. This will make it easier to put the points into your own words and sentence structures, which is important when summarizing.

After you have finished drafting, check your summary against the original for accuracy. On a separate review, check each sentence for hints of subjectivity or judgment, and remove them where you find them. The summary is a mainstay of informative and persuasive writing. Go back to the full list of Writing Power articles. Characteristics of effective writers Effective writers know that there are many different types of writing, from proposals to poems, from diary entries to legal defenses.