Writing to Describe (Paper 2 Section B)

1. Writing to Describe (Paper 2 Section B) Objectives To understand what makes good descriptive writing To be able to create effective descriptions

2. Starter (1) Describe what you see (colours, shapes, textures…)

3. Starter (2) Describe what you see (colours, shapes, textures…)

4. Starter (3): Describe what you see

5. What makes good descriptive writing? • GOOD DESCRIPTIVE WRITERS. . . • help the reader see, feel, touch, smell, taste the thing being • described, by using ‘sensory description’. • create a few vivid and originalmetaphors and similes to create • pictures in the reader’s mind • don’t overuse adjectives • use well-chosen verbs rather than a weak verb + adverb (e.g. • ‘murmured’ rather than ‘spoke quietly’) • use varied sentences • use advanced punctuation to clarify meaning

6. What makes this piece of descriptive writing effective? The camera is the eye of a cruising vulture flying over an area of scrub, rubble and unfinished buildings on the outskirts of Mexico City. Five-storey building no walls no stairs…squatters have set up makeshift houses…floors are connected by ladders…dogs bark, chickens cackle, a boy on the roof makes a jack-off gesture as the camera sails past. Close to the ground we see the shadow of our wings, dry cellars choked with thistles, rusty iron rods sprouting like metal plants from cracked concrete, a broken bottle in the sun, shit-stained color comics, an Indian boy against a wall with his knees up eating an orange sprinkled with red pepper. The camera zooms up past a red-brick tenement studded with balconies where bright pimp shirts flutter purple, yellow, pink, like the banners of a medieval fortress. On these balconies we glimpse flowers, dogs, chickens, a tethered goat, a monkey, an iguana. The vecinos lean over the balconies to exchange gossip, cooking oil, kerosene and sugar. It is an old folklore set played out year after year by substitute extras. William Burroughs, from The Wild Boys

7. What makes this piece of descriptive writing effective? surprise element – doesn’t at first sound like an inhabited place unusual viewpoint original metaphor The camera is the eye of a cruising vulture flying over an area of scrub, rubble and unfinished buildings on the outskirts of Mexico City. Five-storey building no walls no stairs…squatters have set up makeshift houses…floors are connected by ladders…dogs bark, chickens cackle, a boy on the roof makes a jack-off gesture as the camera sails past. Close to the ground we see the shadow of our wings, dry cellars choked with thistles, rusty iron rods sprouting like metal plants from cracked concrete, a broken bottle in the sun, shit-stained color comics, an Indian boy against a wall with his knees up eating an orange sprinkled with red pepper. The camera zooms up past a red-brick tenement studded with balconies where bright pimp shirts flutter purple, yellow, pink, likethe banners of a medieval fortress. On these balconies we glimpse flowers, dogs, chickens, a tethered goat, a monkey, an iguana. The vecinos lean over the balconies to exchange gossip, cooking oil, kerosene and sugar. It is an old folklore set played out year after year by substitute extras. sentence structure and punc- tuation echoes movement of camera and plane sensory description (sound) sensory description (light, colours) lists used to build up realistic- sounding detail simile conveys idea of guarded- ness and being a ‘backward’ place original metaphor conveys theme of poor and unchanging lives

8. How to plan a piece of descriptive writing • Brainstorm/plan: • the mood or theme you want your description to convey • specific details of the place, person or object you are going to • describe • what can be seen, heard, smelled, felt • an opening thatwill interest the reader and make them want to • keep reading

9. Paper 2 Section B exam question • Task • Describe a busy place. Aim to write one and a half • sides. • (You could describe a nightclub, station, shopping • centre, football stadium…any place that’s busy) • Success criteria • sensory description • opening that ‘hooks’ the reader • original similes/metaphors • adjectives not overused • well-chosen verbs • varied sentences • helpful punctuation