Descriptions. Those important little bits of writing that bring our five senses to life. They paint images in and induce feelings in a way the author intends. For a writer, descriptions are like paint to an artist or chisels to a sculptor. Without them, reading would be like looking at a grayscale world.
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| Image Courtesy of ninjatic (Deviant Art) |
A writer who uses interesting descriptive words can paint scenes like ninjatic's Man o War (pictured above) through our mind's eye, using descriptions like, "the waves lapped at the shore, beating against the tired man as he shoved the tiny boat further ashore, into the coarse sand." It's astonishing how words can bring images to life.
Chapter 5 of "Patterns for a Purpose" gives me a closer idea in how to utilize words in a way I was unaware of until today. The chapter described satisfactory ways to use descriptions. Personally, I found the section on specific words intriguing and enlightening. Never before had I really understood the differences between words like 'show' and 'flaunt.' The word 'flaunt' is definitely more interesting than 'show' because 'flaunt' is specific in how it describes the given situation, where as 'show' gives a broader sense of the same scene and doesn't engage the reader's mind. The chapter also points out different sites to help spice up your writing, but one in particular caught my attention. OneLook Reverse Dictionary is a place to find words or phrases when you have the definition. Quite often when I'm writing, I get stuck in the middle of a sentence, knowing what I want to say, but not the words to convey it with. It will be a great help in order to avoid using words that just don't quite fit.
I will never look at descriptive words the same way. Through the enlightenment chapter 5 has given me, words have become a new medium to represent infinite wonder and intrigue.
By Sierra Baumann
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