Zoom-Method Descriptive Writing

__________________NOTEWORTHY______________
A resource created by Ms. Geetika D’Rozario
 Descriptive Writing - Key Points

1. Use first person and present tense.

2. Keep a picture of what you are describing in your
mind.
3. Put adjectives in front of nouns. Avoid vague words.
4. Create atmosphere by referring to all five senses.
5. Use figurative language; similes, metaphors.
6. Use a variety of sentence structure.
(simple/compound/complex)
7. Avoid facts/statistics. Keep it creative, not
informative.
8. Use Zoom Method.
 Zoom-Method
Zooming out - Instead of tiny details, you see patterns. You see the
colorful fields with millions of tulips in the Netherlands. You see how the
green countryside has turned brown after weeks of heatwave. You see
sprawling suburbs surrounding the skyscrapers in downtown Houston.

Zooming in, is the complete opposite. You see the mother lion licking
her young; you see the bee gathering honey from a clover; you see the
withering petals of a tulip. You see one specific situation—one flower, one
person or one animal doing one specific thing.

When you zoom in, you might see one person at the top floor of that
skyscraper flossing their teeth. But in your zoom out, that one person
becomes as small as just one pixel—you can hardly see her.
100% = beach - water - buildings
75% = people in general 100%
50%= family in the right corner g’pa,
ma, g’kids
25% = kid making a sand castle

100% = zoom back to full capacity

75%

50%

25 %
 Zoom-Method
100% = description of landscape
(Set the scene. Eg. - The sun shines bright in the
sky.)
75% = discuss a particular section
(building?people/characters)
50% = zoom in on one family/building
25% = describe one character/part of a building:
eg - the door

100% = Zoom back to the landscape

(similar ending to your opening.
Eg. - The sun is setting on the horizon.
 Plan Descriptive Writing

Introduction:
Which Narrative Hook
Will you use?
Speech Use
Descriptive Describe Similes/
Ambiguous landscape Metaphors/
(setting) Alliterations
100%

Zoom in 75%
What are the people
doing? Zoom 50% Zoom in 25%
Describe the building Describe a few One Character Zoom out 100%
characters (setting)
Link back to
opening
As the day begins the tepid sun, bright and boisterous, unveils
himself from behind the blinding blue skies. Emerald green waves
crash against a crumbling rock, birds dart in and out of the water. The
whooshing sounds calm the wailing babies. Whoosh! From a bird’s
eye view the people look like ants.

Gradually, the hustle and bustle on the beach slows down. The
masses begin to settle and prepare for the day. Parents check what
they have: fluffy towels; rickety chairs; oversized picnic bags; sparkly
new buckets and spades; gooey sun cream; floppy hats and
scratched sunglasses.

Carefully, the parents cover their impatient children. Without

hesitation, the little ones flee in all directions, squealing like pigs.
Gleefully creating masterpieces, they attack the sand. The small
footprints of children can now be seen, a trail left behind as they hop,
struggling to keep their feet off the dry, scorching sand. Occasionally,
children run back to their parents demanding ice-creams.
One little girl looks rather confused as she sweeps her chaotic fuzzy fringe out of
her brown eyes. Eyeing her with a motherly stare, a slim and attractive woman in
her thirties is wearing a maxi dress; her hand shades her eyes as she looks at her
daughter with a mixture of concern and amusement. In her other hand is the latest
Iphone; she taps impatiently at it with perfectly manicured nails. Beside the young
family, a rotund middle aged man is slumbering peacefully in the shade of an ice
cream van. He snores.

The chubby little girl of about three is having a silent battle of wills with her
haphazardly made sandcastle which resembles a mud pie with a green flag
fluttering feebly on top. Her face is screwed up in frustration as the tide claims the
west wing of her muddy masterpiece. Her pink swimming costume is adorned with
glittering sea creatures; amongst them is a scarlet
starfish with an enormous grin on its triangular face. The child’s legs look as if
they’re made from pink plasticine and they curl around her transparent bucket under
which you see the crippled crab; it is taking its final breath!

As the day draws colder the sun, tired and weary, buries its soft fuzzy head in the
blue blanket of the darkening horizon.
Finally, the parents gather their belongings and head back. Exhausted.
 Embedded sub-clause

As the day begins the tepid sun, bright and boisterous,

unveils himself from behind the blinding blue skies.

Emerald green waves crash against a crumbling rock, birds

dart in and out of the water. The whooshing sounds calm the
wailing babies. Whoosh! From a bird’s eye view the people
look like ants. Simple Sentence

Try this:
As the night begins
the cold wind, harsh
and powerful, blew
from behind the tall,
dark buildings.
 Compound Sentence
Gradually, the hustle and bustle on the beach slows down. The
masses begin to settle and prepare for the day. Parents eye
up what they have: fluffy towels; rickety chairs; oversized
picnic bags; sparkly new buckets and spades; gooey
sun cream; floppy hats and scratched sunglasses.
Semi colon for lists
Fore grounded sub clause

Carefully, the parents cover their impatient children.

Without hesitation, they flee in all directions squealing
like pigs. Gleefully creating master-pieces, they attack the
sand. The small footprints of children can now be seen, a
trail left behind as they hop, struggling to keep their feet
off the dry, scorching sand. Occasionally, children
run back to their parents demanding ice-creams.
 Semi-colon: join two sentences together.
One little girl looks rather confused as she sweeps her chaotic,
fuzzy fringe out of her brown eyes. Eyeing her with a motherly
stare, a slim and attractive woman in her thirties is wearing a
maxi dress; her hand shades her eyes as she looks at her daughter
with a mixture of concern and amusement. In her other hand is the
latest Blackberry phone; she taps impatiently at it with
perfectly manicured nails. Beside the young family, a rotund
middle aged man is slumbering peacefully in the shade of an ice
cream van. He snores. Minor Sentences

The chubby little madam of about three is having a silent battle

of wills with her haphazardly made sandcastle which resembles a
mud pie with a green flag fluttering feebly on top. Her face is
screwed up in frustration as the tide claims the west wing of her
muddy masterpiece. Her pink swimming costume is adorned with
glittering sea creatures; amongst them is a scarlet starfish
with an enormous grin on its triangular face. The child’s legs
look as if they’re made from pink plasticine and they curl around
her transparent bucket under which you see the crippled crab; it
is taking its final breath!
Minor Sentences

As the day draws colder the sun, tired and weary, buries its soft
fuzzy head in the blue blanket of the darkening horizon. Finally,
the parents gather their belongings and head back. Exhausted.
1. Semi Colon:

It can join two sentences together.

i) Her pink swimming costume is adorned with glittering sea

creatures ; amongst them is a scarlet starfish with an enormous
grin on its triangular face.

It is used for lists.

ii) Parents eye up what they have: fluffy towels; rickety chairs;
oversized picnic bag; sparkly new bucket and spade; gooey
sun cream; floppy hats; scratched sunglasses.

2. Minor sentence:

A single word sentence

i) Exhausted.

3. Simple sentence:

Contains a verb and a subject

i) The whooshing sounds calm the wailing babies.

4. Compound sentence:

Two or more simple sentences joined together with a conjunction.

i) The masses begin to settle and prepare for the day.

5. Exclaim:

Used at the end of a sentence to show high emotion.

under which you see the crippled crab; it is taking its final breath !

6. Embedded sub clause:

This can be found inside a main clause.

i) As the day begins the tepid sun, bright and boisterous , unveiled himself from
behind the blinding blue skies.

7. Foregrounded sub clause:

A sentence where the sub clause is at the start of a sentence

1) Without hesitation , they flee in all directions squealing like pigs.

100%

75%
50%
25%
Writing a Descriptive Essay

The key to writing a descriptive essay

is to show or portray to a reader the
significant elements of a person, place
or object. So, select an essay topic
that you connect with, and develop it
with sensory details. If you do this,
you’ll achieve what Stephen King does
in his writing and “make the reader a
sensory participant.” When you do
that, your readers will want to keep
reading until the end.
Let’s consider
each prompt
separately
below.
# Describe the strangest person you ever met
Strange people are easy to remember, and if you remember a
different, odd, or unique person, you’ll have a lot of information you
can write on. Before you choose this topic, brainstorm a few ideas
about this person.
Questions to develop this essay topic: What seemed strange
about this person? What characteristics did he/she possess? How
did you feel about this person?

# Describe a person you envied.

Envy or jealousy is a powerful emotion. When you focus on a person
you were jealous of, there are reasons and characteristics for why you
felt that way.
Questions to develop this essay topic: What traits or
Descriptive
characteristics did this person have? How did that person look? How Writing
did this person act? What made you envy him/her? Topics
About a
# Describe an inspiring friend or family member.
We remember people who inspire us. And people love to read about
Person
inspiring individuals. If you describe an inspiring person, think about
the impact that a person made on you.
Questions to develop this essay topic: What did this person do
that was inspiring? How did that person act toward others?
# Describe a spooky or haunted place.
If you describe a scary place, include a lot of sensory details. Spooky
and haunted places are memorable.
Questions to develop this essay topic: What did this place look
like? Where was it located? What did you see, hear, smell, or feel at
this place? Did you find someone or something that scared you?
Why is this place, spooky?

# Describe a place you loved as a child.

People love to know things about another person’s childhood. A great
way to show who you are is to describe a place that was important to
you. If you select this writing topic, make sure you remember this
place well.
Questions to develop this essay topic: How did this place look? Descriptive
What did you do at this place? Was anyone else at this there? How
Writing
did you feel about the area?
Topics
# Describe a beautiful location in nature. About a
You could describe a mountain, body of water, campground, desert, Place
etc. Or any other place that is outdoors and part of nature.
Questions to develop this essay topic: What did this place look
like? How did you feel when you were there? Did you hear, smell,
taste, or touch anything at the location? Was there anyone else with
you? What did you do at this place?
# 7 Describe a lucky object.
It can be any lucky object, a good luck charm, an heirloom object, etc.
Select something you believe brings you good luck.
Questions to develop this essay topic: What are the
characteristics of this object? How is it used? What makes this a
lucky object?

# 8 Describe a piece of art.

It can be a photograph, painting, sculpture, etc. There are a lot of
sensory details you can include in an essay about a piece of art.
Questions to develop this essay topic: What does this work of art
look? Can you touch it? If so, how does it feel? What are the
emotions you have when you see this sculpture, painting, photograph,
etc.? Descriptive
Writing
# 9 Describe an object used in your favorite sport or hobby.
If you have a favorite sport or hobby, describe an object that is Topics
relevant to that sport. For example, if you play tennis, describe a About an
tennis racket. Or, if you collect coins, describe a unique coin from Object
your collection.
Questions to develop this essay topic: What are the
characteristics or features of this object? How is it used? What is
significant about this object? What are some sensory details you can
add?