Descriptive Essay Outline Fundamentals

Descriptive Essay Outline Fundamentals Descriptive writing is one of the kinds of writing that you are likely to need in life as well as in college. Who wouldn’t want to be able to write strong, vivid descriptions of, let’s say, the places they visited or the people they met? That’s why the earlier you master this skill, the better. Here, we will elaborate on the topic of descriptive essay writing and its main components. What is a descriptive essay? A descriptive essay is a paper designed to give thorough, detailed description of a place, an object, or a person with as much expressive power as possible. Ideally, a reader should see the picture you are painting with words. What should an outline for descriptive essay include? An outline for a descriptive paper should not differ that much from any other paper. Just as an argumentative or persuasive essay, it should include a clear introduction, a main part, and a conclusion. Since you are unlikely to have any evidential support, the narration can be done following the chronological order or just the natural flow of description. Thesis writing for descriptive essay It is a mistake to think that a thesis statement is unnecessary in a descriptive paper. You can still choose to make some kind of statement at the beginning to better guide your readers through your paper. Or you can choose to forego it completely â€" whatever the logic of your narration dictates. If you do choose to have a thesis statement in your paper, follow the best practices in this area. Make it: Broad to have room for maneuvering Narrow to preserve your focus Succinct to fit in a sentence or two Engaging to make your readers interested A thesis statement should serve as a basis for your paper. So, if you choose to have it, make sure it doesn’t go unnoticed. How to write an introduction for descriptive essay? An introduction to a descriptive essay should follow all the best practices in the introduction writing field. First of all, start by attracting the attention of your reader. Any kind of attention hook can be used for this purpose. However, descriptive essays are quite personal by nature, which means the best choice is a personal anecdote. Whatever you choose for this purpose, make sure it grasps you reader’s attention and doesn’t let go until the very end. If you want to include a thesis statement into your descriptive paper, insert it somewhere in the beginning of your introduction. If not, devote this entire chapter to making your readers interested and preparing them for the main part of your narration. The body for descriptive essay The body part of a descriptive essay differs from all the other papers. Whilst in an argumentative paper, you would go gradually from one argument to another, in a descriptive paper the flow of narration should define how your main part is organized. You should go where it takes you. However, do follow the rule of the logical flow â€" one paragraph should be devoted to one thought or one component of your description, or your readers might feel confused. The conclusion in a descriptive paper The conclusion is usually used to summarize what has already been said in the main body. However, in a descriptive paper it is more appropriate to use the conclusion to express additional thoughts and feelings on the subject. If you are describing a person, tell why you selected this person to for it. If you are describing a place, tell why it is significant for you. In other words, give your readers a closure. General writing recommendations As it has already been mentioned, descriptive writing is different from other kinds of writing. Therefore, you should approach it with certain caution. Here are some general recommendations on how to make an outline for a descriptive essay and then write the first draft. First and foremost, come up with ideas No good paper is born on the go. You should prepare yourself to writing. What is it that you are going to describe? Take time to think it through. What should be included in the paper to make it comprehensive? What are the details? Is the topic deserving at all? Jot down the ideas related to your topic â€" it will be easier to write your paper when you already have a certain number of things to include in your paper. Paint a picture The main technique of any action-oriented paper is, well, action. That is, you should be using verbs to convey the main idea. In a descriptive paper, things are different. Instead of doing you should be observing. Describe the state, not the action. Imagine that you are taking a photograph and take it with your words instead of a camera. Use stronger words Sometimes, it is very tempting to use “very” or “really” to emphasize something. Resist this urge. Instead of using modifiers choose a stronger form of a word. Change “angry” to “frustrated”, “big” to “enormous”, and “happy” to “thrilled”. There are plenty of words that are strong by themselves and thus, won’t leave your reader unimpressed. Be clear The longer you elaborate on something unimportant, the higher the chances that your reader’s attention will roam off. Be clear in what you are trying to say. Don’t beat around the bush, get straight to the point. Appeal to senses Appealing to sensory feelings is a good old copywriting technique, and it can be used very effectively in descriptive writing. Tell how things look and what they smell like. Describe the sounds that people make and tell what a certain thing feels to the touch. If possible, appeal to all senses to immerse your reader into your writing. They shouldn’t be able to get out until you decide to let them go. Make appropriate transitions Clear transition between chapters and thoughts is very important, and it is even more so in descriptive writing. You should navigate readers from one paragraph to another, from one thought to another one. Choose the transitions carefully so that they don’t violate the general flow of your paper. Get into details The devil is in the details, they say. It can be read in a positive meaning, too. The more details you provide in your description, the more vivid it will be, the better the readers will be able to imagine what you are describing. At that, don’t overdo it â€" only use the details that are absolutely necessary for your narration. Don’t forget to look at examples It always helps to find good examples to look at if you don’t really know how to approach your assignment. Look for an outline template for descriptive essay if you are having troubles writing one for your paper. See what other people wrote in their papers and whether your ideas are worth pursuing. Ask for help or at least consults if you feel that you might not have a very clear idea of the entire assignment. In general, try to enjoy this writing assignment. It is one of the rare cases when you can imagine yourself a full-fledged fiction writer who is working on yet another chapter for his next best-seller novel. Even though some effort should be invested, you are more likely to achieve a better result if you like what you are doing.