Description

Goal:    to gather enough details about places and people so that you can describe them with intense accuracy
Time:    40 minutes
Instructions:

Strong description does not mean that you remember exactly how something looked, smelled, felt, sounded, or tasted.  Strong description is always partly fiction--meaning that you get to choose details that will work to create a strong dominant impression.  Depending on the details the reader will immediately get an impression about the person or place you are describing.This activity is designed to help you gain total control over that impression, and write descrtiption that is unique, interesting, and accurate.

Describing  a Place
For this activity, choose one place that will appear in your story (you can do this later for all of the places you will describe).  The place should be room-sized so that it is small enough to describe in detail.  First, list 10 objects that appear in that place.  Do not add any adjectives to the list--make sure to use only nouns.  Below is a sample description of my grandfather's cabin.

1. couch
2. bookshelf
3. rug
4. coffee table
5. ashtray
6. records
7. slippers
8. books
9. chair
10. windows

Now add adjectives to the nouns in order to create a distinct dominant impression of the place.

1. weathered leather couch
2. large, heavy, cherrywood bookshelf
3. handwoven Navaho rug
4. carved mahogany coffee table
5. crystal ashtray
6. Vivaldi, Mozart and Chopin records
7. warm lambswool slippers
8. scholarly law books
9. antique overstuffed chair
10. wide, lake-view windows

Now add completely new adjectives in order to change the impression of the place.

1. dirty, broken couch
2. lopsided bookshelf
3. torn, stained rug
4. cluttered coffee table
5. overflowing ashtray
6. Van Halen records
7. stinky, beaten slippers
8. motorcycling books
9. lazyboy chair
10. dirty, smoke-stained windows

Describing People
For this activity, choose one person that will appear in your story (you can do this later for all of the people you will describe).  First, list 10 physical parts of the person.  Do not add any adjectives to the list--make sure to use only nouns.  Below is a sample description of my grandfather.

1. forehead
2. hair
3. arms
4. shoes
5. legs
6. hands
7. eyes
8. teeth
9. pants
10. shirt

Now add adjectives to create a distinct dominant impression of the person.

1. smooth, intellingent forehead
2. distinguished white hair
3. strong, welcoming arms
4. polished, shiny shoes
5. long, strong legs
6. well-manicured hands
7. kind, smiling, eyes
8. straight, white teeth
9. clean, pressed khaki pants
10. crisp, tucked-in shirt

Now add new adjectives to change the impression of the person.

1. wrinkled, angry forehead
2. disheveled, greasy hair
3. bare arms
4. worn, dirty shoes
5. stubby legs
6. spotted, crusty hands
7. beady eyes
8. brown, jagged teeth
9. baggy, torn pants
10. pit-stained undershirt