What is the secret of effective descriptions? How do you describe seeing, hearing, touching, tasting?

Effective description: Creates sharply etched word pictures of objects, persons, scenes, events, or situations What are the elements of description? How do you convey sensory impressions-reflecting sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch?

Elements of description: Purpose --Some descriptions merely create images and mood, but description can also stimulate understanding or lead to action Sensory impressions –begin with close physical or mental observation --when you can’t find the right words, try a comparison Dominant impression --an overall mood or feeling such as joy, anger, terror, or distaste Vantage point --fixed/moving Selection of details -- effective description depends as much on exclusion as on inclusion Arrangement of details--clear pattern of organization

Gargantua Erasmus

Ovid, Metamorphoses