Descriptive Writing and the Senses

Painting pictures with words

Descriptive writing uses words to paint a picture in the reader's mind. Instead of just telling what happened, you help the reader feel like they are there. The best way to do this is to use your five senses.

The five senses

When you describe a place, person or thing, ask yourself these five questions:

• 👀 What do I see? (colours, shapes, light)
• 👂 What do I hear? (loud, quiet, soft sounds)
• 👃 What do I smell? (sweet, fresh, smoky)
• 👅 What do I taste? (sour, sweet, salty)
• ✋ What do I touch? (rough, smooth, warm, cold)

You do not have to use every sense in one sentence. Pick the ones that fit your scene.

Show, don't tell

A big secret of good writers is show, don't tell. Instead of telling the reader how to feel, you show details and let them feel it themselves.

• Telling: The forest was scary.
• Showing: Tall, dark trees blocked the moonlight, and a cold wind whistled through the branches.

The second sentence never says "scary," but you can feel the fear. That is the power of showing.

Choose strong words

Swap plain words for vivid ones.

Plain word	Stronger words
big	huge, enormous, towering
nice	warm, friendly, gentle
walked	crept, marched, wandered
said	whispered, shouted, mumbled

Strong words give the reader a clearer picture. Picking exciting words is easier when you know lots of opposites and synonyms.

A descriptive example

Read how senses bring a beach to life:

The golden sand sparkled in the sunshine. Salty waves crashed and hissed against the rocks. The cool sea breeze smelled fresh, and warm sand tickled my bare toes.

You can almost feel the breeze, can't you?

Try it yourself

Pick one place you know well — your kitchen, a park, your classroom. Write five sentences, one for each sense. Then read them aloud. Can a friend guess the place from your words?

Strong describing words also make stories come alive. See how they help create people and places in characters and settings.