Descriptive Essays

An essay of the descriptive genre is a form of writing that requires the author to describe some thing or other, which might be an event, place, person, object, experience and so on. If you study any well-written descriptive essay example, such as those offered by, you will see that this type of essay expects the student to demonstrate their ability to describe a specific thing. A descriptive essay gives the writer great scope to showcase their artistic flair because the aim is to paint a vivid picture that captures the imagination of the reader(s).

Descriptive Essay Topics

When writing on various descriptive essay topics, the writer might find it beneficial to keep this simple rule in mind: If the reader has not been able to form a clear impression of what it is you are trying to describe, then you have not quite succeeded.

The following are a few tips to get you started, or you can even think of this as a descriptive essay example:

  • Start with a brainstorming session. If you have been asked to describe a food you like, take time to write down a few ideas before you start. If you have chosen pizza, for example, you might first want to jot down such words as cheese, chicken, pepperoni, hot, spicy, crust, sauce and so on. When you have a few words to get you started, you can begin drafting descriptions for each item.
  • The language in descriptive essays should be clear and concise. You should choose words carefully, especially in terms of how relevant they are to your descriptions.
  • Make sure your language is vivid. For example, when describing a horse, why not use the words "mare" or "stallion" to create a more vivid picture of the animal? If you are describing someone who is violent, saying they are temperamental does not convey their true character as clearly. Hence, your choice of words is crucial to how strong a picture you paint in your readers' minds. Sometimes, nuances can serve a writer's purpose very well too. In addition, if you can locate any good descriptive essay examples, it does no harm to use these to get ideas and additional tips.
  • Use and appeal to the senses. Do not forget that you need to appeal to your readers' senses in order to paint a clearer picture of the thing you are writing about. If, for instance, you are writing a descriptive essay about a place, describe how that place looks, feels, sounds, smells or even tastes!
  • What thoughts are in your head? You will connect better with your readers if you describe your feelings and/or emotions in relation to the topic. Remember that many of them will have felt joy, sadness, grief and other emotions in their lives so you should tap into this.
  • Leave a strong impression on the reader. One of the writer's aims will be to instill in their readers a feeling of appreciation and/or familiarity. If your readers finish your essay longing to visit the place you have described, it would appear as if you have written a successful essay!
  • Organization is important. If you refer to various examples of descriptive essays, very likely you will see how easy it is to fall into the trap of emotional rambling. Hence, you need to focus on ensuring your descriptions are well organized and logical throughout if your reader(s) are to leave with a clear picture of what you have just described to them.