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Descriptive Essay

Writing a descriptive paper is often considered “easy” because this type of writing is relatively free from the traditional five-part structure. However, instead of the mechanical side, it is more rewarding to regard a descriptive paper as a relationship between a writer and a reader. A descriptive paper is a reproduction of an object, a phenomenon, or an experience that the writer means to share with his/her reader; it is a picture coded into words by the writer and visualized into a new picture by the reader. A descriptive paper allows the reader to see the objects, understand the phenomenon, and live the experiences that the writer has seen, understood, and lived. Therefore, the main goal of the description is sharing.

The advantage of a descriptive paper is that the writer remains in control of the reader’s emotional and intellectual response to the “picture”: depending on the writer’s objectives, a written piece can serve as a source of information, as an appeal to one’s affective side, and so on. Consequently, the first step in writing a descriptive paper is to pick a subject and to identify what type of relationships the writer intends to pursue. At this stage, it is also necessary to select a target audience -- the reader -- and to adjust the choice of style, language, and format to the audience’s characteristics.

How to prepare for writing?

Even though it is not a full-scale study, a description still requires that the writer has better than average knowledge and understanding of the subject that s/he is portraying. Therefore, the second step of writing a descriptive paper is to conduct a preliminary research on the topic. The depth of the inquiry depends on the purpose of the paper and the characteristics of the anticipated reader. However, the more familiar the writer is with the subject, the better is his/her ability to identify, highlight, and explain the uniqueness of the object, phenomenon, or experience. In addition, it is the writer’s obligation to make the description informative, comprehensive, and clear; but clear should not equal plain. A descriptive paper attracts the reader with a promise of new relationships, which s/he can build with the object, phenomenon, or experience as a result of sharing the writer’s distinctive vision; thus, the reader should be rewarded for his/her interest to the text by a valuable discovery.  

What to pay attention to while writing?

A good description has as much power as a fiction or an argumentative essay to seize the reader’s attention and to maintain his/her stable interest to the progress of the topic. The key to such a power is a logical development of the paper, which starts with the claim of the subject’s uniqueness or a thesis statement. Even when physically a thesis statement is located at the end of the introduction, it is critical to write it the first because it serves as a condensed version of the entire paper: it identifies the audience and the purpose of writing; it points out the subject’s uniqueness; and it contains the promise of discovery for the reader. Therefore, a strong thesis statement sets a framework for developing a descriptive paper and for achieving its goals.

The next step is an outline. Writing an outline helps the writer analyze available information on the subject, select the facts to support the thesis, filter out overlapping or trivial details, and arrange the description in a logical and meaningful way. An outline is a pencil-sketch of the picture, which the writer will later fill in with colors; the authors who underestimate the importance of this step often end up overwhelming their readers with unnecessary details and confusing pointless descriptions.

To proceed with developing a descriptive draft, the fifth step is to surprise the readers with an engaging introduction and to ensure that they reach the thesis statement of the paper. A helpful approach to attracting and sustaining the readers’ attention is to release one of the exceptional or intriguing features of the subject in the opening sentences of the paper. This technique initiates the theme of the subject’s uniqueness and logically leads the introduction toward the thesis statement.   

The body of the paper sustains the “discovery promise” by providing a more detailed description of the subject. That is where the outline proves to be handy: the writer can use bullet points to develop paragraphs’ topic sentences and then follow up with more information by adding two or more supportive sentences. It is important to remember that, even though the body of a descriptive paper evolves out off the outline, it is not an outline. Therefore, the paragraphs need to fit together and to shape one solid image of the subject with the help of logical and linguistic instrumentation.

Finally, the conclusion of a paper presents a complete picture of the object, phenomenon, or an experience. If the picture is vibrant and detailed, then by the end of the paper, the reader sees and understands more about the subject than s/he was able to see and understand before reading the description. Therefore, the conclusion cannot just repeat the thesis statement or any of the claims made in the introduction. It has to allow the reader to step back, look at the subject from a slightly different angle, and to discover that fresh perspective, which the writer promised in the thesis statement. All the previous steps of preparing and writing a descriptive paper lead to this moment of discovery, thus, they should be arranged to inform the reader’s appreciation of the new knowledge.

What to do when it is done?

It is a courtesy of the writer to ensure that the reading of the paper is not only rewarding but also enjoyable. The last step of writing a descriptive paper is to check that the paper uses an appropriate language: the description flows effortlessly, the choice of words and style fit the purpose and context, and the spelling and grammar mistakes do not overshadow the beauty of the written word.

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