Tompkins, Ch. 10: Descriptive Writing

As Tompkins noted, descriptive wring is especially difficult for EFL learners as they are not equipped with a rich variety of vocabulary. “Descriptive writing is painting pictures with words” elaborated with vivid details, sensory images, and figurative language such as simile, metaphor, and symbolism (Tomkins, 2008, p. 221). The students are advised to show, not tell, as they write” (Macrorie, 1985, as cited in Tomkins, 2008, p. 221). King, a famous author emphasizes the importance of visualization and imagination in descriptive writing by maintaining that “Description begins with visualization of what it is you want the reader to experience. It ends with your translating what you see in your mind into words on the page. It’s far from easy” (King, 2000, p. 173-174). This chapter suggests the teachers help their students become better descriptive writers through minilessons. Developing and using descriptive writing checklists to assess students’ use of descriptive techniques is also highly recommended. It should be noted that descriptive techniques play a role in almost every type of sophisticated writing; thus, students need to have concrete skills to describe and create a picture in writing so as to help readers see details.

Response to Minjung Kim

“A descriptive writing enables readers to draw pictures of the writing from the whole to the specific aspects. Readers use their five senses -seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting and touching- and visualize what they read, and get involved in feeling of the author’s perspectives or experience portrayed in the writing”. Reflecting on my own writing experiences, writing more specifically in detail using five senses was one of the hardest tasks. Personally, I emphasize the importance of vast reading to improve this type of writing. Seeing how novelists adeptly describe the world and people in their stories will provide good basis on which they can develop their writing skills. In that sense, writing is definitely a learned skill.

Sources

King, S. (2000). On writing: A memoir of the craft. London: Hodder & Stoughton.

Tompkins, Gail E. (2008). Teaching writing: Balancing process and

         product. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.