Jump Into a Painting – Descriptive Writing Rough Draft

1. Jump Into a Painting – Descriptive Writing Rough Draft • Pretend you are a character in this painting. • On your own paper, tell a story using the following questions as a guide. • USE YOUR IMAGINATION!!!

2. Jump Into a Painting – Descriptive Writing Rough Draft • Where is this place? • What are you doing there? • Who are you with? • What made you go there? • Are you appropriately dressed? • What is the climate (weather) like in this area? • What sounds do you hear? • Did you stay awhile, or did you go somewhere else? • What problems did you encounter? • How were the problems resolved? • What kind of person are you in this painting? • What kind of people are your friends?

3. Descriptive Writing Rough Draft • Remember to skip lines! • Your final draft will be typed, but corrections will have to be made on this notebook paper. • SHOW, DON’T TELL!

4. Show, Don’t Tell • Telling: He sits on the couch holding his guitar. • There’s nothing wrong with that sentence. It gives the reader some basic information, but it doesn’t create an image. Compare that sentence with this: • Showing: His eyes are closed, and he’s cradling the guitar in his arms like a lover. It’s as if he’s trying to hold on to something that wants to let go. • The second example takes that basic information and paints a picture with it. It also uses figurative language—in this case, the simile “cradling the guitar in his arms like a lover”—to help create an image.

5. Show, Don’t Tell • When using description, it’s important not to overdo it. For example: • He was tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a red shirt and jeans, and a brown leather jacket.

6. Show, Don’t Tell • Be specific, not vague • “I had never felt anything like it before in my entire life.” • AAAAAAAAAAAAAGHAGHGAGAHAGAHG