How to Write a Descriptive Essay?

How to Write a Descriptive Essay? A Student’s Guide

Writing descriptive essays is a crucial part of school and college learning. And it should. It is the most basic form of essay writing that teaches learners how to describe a person, scenario, event, object (or any other).

Quality descriptive writing can manifest into newspaper articles, recollections of a particular event, book reports, travelogues, someone’s memoirs, or even research papers on a specific subject. 

The Purpose of Descriptive Writing

The chief purpose of descriptive writing is to give readers a transparent understanding of the topic coverage by presenting solid and compelling findings and evidence and using figurative language. 

By going through a well-described essay, readers get enriched with precise know-how on the subject matter – a piece of art, a historical event, or a geographic location. 

Writing descriptive essays can also be fun. It gives the writer scope to write their heart out on the topic or something they fancy, like desired exotic cuisine, favorite movie, childhood experiences, etc. Thus the writing tone must be less academic and more creative.

If you want to perfect how to write a descriptive essay – don’t worry. 

Below, we share some tips and suggestions on writing quality descriptive essays.

How to Write a Descriptive Essay?

• Pick a Suitable Essay Topic 

You must choose a suitable topic for your descriptive essay. The topic can be one specific event, person, or location. So, pick some that you are familiar with and passionate about. Ensure the subject is expansive, meaningful, and engaging. 

Also, the topic should hold a deeper meaning to you and allow you to describe it comprehensively and concisely. 

• Accumulate Information for Your Descriptive Essay 

Excellent descriptive essays always comprise elaborate depictions of names, individuals, physical traits, background details, and dates. It also comprises sensory information to leave a positive impression on your reader’s mind. 

Thus, accumulate sufficient information to make your essay a good read. Use note cards to segregate them into specific categories of information you intend to include in the essay. 

Also, be open to including more relevant topic information as you write. The aim is to paint a clear, captivating, and thought-provoking picture of the topic in the reader’s mind. 

• Create the Essay Outline 

Typically, a descriptive essay follows the standard 5 stanza outline and incorporates an Introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

• The introduction will comprise one stanza (and will incorporate the thesis statement) 
• The body will incorporate 3 stanzas (each section must elaborate on vivid facets of the topic and should not be more than 4-5 lines).

(Special Note –)  You can add more stanzas in the body depending on the extent of the topic coverage. However, clarify with your professor beforehand. 

• The conclusion will comprise one paragraph (with a recap of the thesis statement, all main points in the essay, and a call to action).
• Craft the Thesis Statement 

The thesis statement entails the crucial theme or idea of your essay. It establishes the essay’s purpose. 

Typically the thesis statement must be a single sentence that surmises the main message of the essay. 

It must feature in the final line of the introduction and must be reiterated in the conclusion section. 

• Begin with a Strong Introduction 

A strong introduction creates a hook among readers and engages them to read the entire thing. It serves as their road map to your essay. 

So, start strong with an excellent introduction. You can incorporate a bold statement or a rhetorical question to engage readers. After establishing the hook, provide contextual details and determine questions to include in the essay. The final introduction line is where the thesis statement must feature. 

• Write the Body Section 

The body is the focal point of your descriptive essay. So, make it as detailed as possible. To describe your topic, you can use apt metaphors, similes, vivid adjectives, and other creative elements.

Academic experts also recommend writers describe the emotions felt (sadness, happiness, spite, disgust, anger) when discussing the topic. It creates more impact on the reader’s mind.

Besides this, the body section must comprise 3-4 stanzas, each explaining fresh details on the topic coverage. And each paragraph must begin with a topic-relevant sentence to tell the readers what to expect from those stanzas. 

Filter out unnecessary facts and only include meaningful ones. While you describe various facets of the subject/topic coverage, include transition words to shift from one stanza to another. 

Also, include precise examples to make the descriptions more impressive to read. 

• End with a Compelling Conclusion 

The conclusion must surmise and connect everything vital covered in the essay. It must recap the thesis statement and finish with a strong ending statement. 

Of course, refrain from including any new data in an additional stanza. Just evaluate what you’ve shared and cap things off with a compelling CTA or thought-provoking sentence to leave an imprint on your readers. 

Post-Writing Suggestions

• Revise the paper properly and make corrections instantly. You can edit and proofread manually and use a grammar-checking tool.
• Scan the work for plagiarism using quality anti-plagiarism software. 
• Ask a friend to review the work and provide honest feedback. Rectify your work per the feedback.
• Check the writing guidelines and see if you have followed them.
• Examine the in-text citations and referencing index. 

A List of Descriptive Essay Topics

1. What do I fancy doing in my spare time
2. My first-ever high-school dance 
3. My first date with my neighborhood crush
4. My favorite restaurant
5. My Mom is the most genuine person 
6. My Sister is my best friend
7. My first solo trip with my friends to Bangkok
8. My childhood memories 
9. The teacher I have the most respect for
10. My favorite spot in my locality
11. The museum I visited the most with my father 
12. My memories with my grandpa
13. My favorite sports
14. My perfect life partner
15. The weird stranger then caught my attention
16. My first visit to Australia
17. My first horse-riding experience 
18. The worse friend in my life
19. My first visit to the dentist
20. My 1st year in college
21. My favorite memory with my grandmother 
22. The first time I kissed the girl I liked
23. My first breakup
24. The wildest party I have ever attended 
25. My funniest memory at school.

If you need an expert’s help writing a descriptive essay from scratch, fret not. Our online essay writing tutors will gladly assist you in your writing endeavors.