-Descriptive writing is one of the genres of continuous writing tested in SPM Paper One.
-The aim of a descriptive writing is to give a very clear picture of any situation, scene, picture or scenario that needs to be related.
-This can be achieved through the ample use of adjectives (for nouns) and adverbs (for verbs).
E.g: a) I went to the canteen. I ate some food.
b) I walked solemnly to the big, crowded and rather dramatically painted
canteen which is sheltered by some shady trees. I ate some scrumptious yet spicy nasi lemak which enveloped the tiny plastic plate to a total eclipse.
Compare how sentence (a) and (b) is different. It is both talking about a student going to the canteen but the details in sentence (b) makes you more able to understand and imagine the scene.
Adjectives: big, crowded, sheltered by trees (to describe canteen)
Scrumptious, spicy (to describe nasi lemak)
Adverbs: solemnly (to describe walking action)
Below is another example of a highly descriptive passage taken from the short story, Stealth written by Jit Murad.
“Razman was of the age where writing, actual handwriting, had an air of archaic ritual. It was done at school, sure, but Razman saw that as a tedious, dishonest exercise in finger dexterity. Normal writing for twelve year olds like Razman was done on a keyboard. These reports however, as secret as prayer, he did long hand, pausing in between thoughts to embellish a capital or a border with monastic industriousness.
The papers were filed into boxes. Family Mini Market delivered eggs and milk and juice fortnightly so Raz knew there'd always be boxes. Sometimes it took months to fill up a box. Then the box flaps were carefully interlocked and the box carried out to the shed.
Raz would stamp his feet a few times before entering the shed, sending lizards skittering. Once he saw a snake, a harmless ular lidi, trickling out of sight. The shed, built when the house had a full-time gardener, was missing planks now. Raz dropped each box in a corner. Each one hit the ground with a thud and quickened the motes dancing in shafts of ghost-light. He never entered the shed unless to deliver a box”
Can you imagine what Jit is telling us? Can you picture Razman’s actions? Can you almost draw the setting explained?
Okay, maybe this example is too ambitious but it is written by a Malaysian which goes to say that it is not impossible to write like this. Remember, your focus is to write in clear descriptions and emotions that we (the reader) can imagine ourselves being at the scene, inside your head, feeling your ideas and enjoying/despising the scene just as how you imagined it.
Play with words, enrich your adjectives and adverbs… Make all the characters and setting your toys, take charge of the situation by being in control of the reader’s imagination.
So here's a challenge for those who are interested. I have a few pictures that could be linked to a country in ancient time. Describe it for me :)
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