1

USE ALL YOUR SENSES

It’s true, most people are primarily visual and because of this like to know how things look.

But imagine being a visual person who is having a party described to them by a person who is primarily auditory. They’d be told about the music and the sound of the conversations, when all they’d really want to know was what the decorations and food looked like and who was wearing what. For this reason, where possible, always try to use a wide selection of sensory descriptions.

(To learn more about Using Your Senses watch my course Tips To Writing Memorable Descriptions - 2.)

2

IMPLY

Don’t tell the reader everything that's going on, instead imply some aspects of it through your descriptions. Thereby allowing your reader to make their own assumptions.

In other words, Show, don’t Tell. Just like the great cop shows that casually mention behavioural traits or comments made by characters, drop clues throughout the story as to who the baddie is, rather than just tell the reader straight out.

(To learn more about Show, don't Tell watch my course Tips To Writing Memorable Descriptions - 1.)

3

DON'T LUMP IT ALL TOGETHER

Avoid long paragraphs of description because chances are it will either leave your reader snoring or they'll simply skip it for more interesting paragraphs. Better to weave snatches of description in here and there, and blend it into your story.

4

5

STOP, BREATHE & CONTEMPLATE

Regularly stop throughout your day when you’re in different situations and ask yourself how you’d describe a person's facial expression, the smell of a meal, the sound of the neighbour, and so on. Play with the words that come to mind until you find the right description for that moment. 

6

WRITING EXERCISES

Don’t just mentally practice your descriptions during the day. Set yourself writing goals and projects that include setting them down on paper as well.

(For ideas, check out the Writing Skills prompts in TheWritingStore on Etsy)

7

KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

Write with words that your reader will associate with, and focus on describing aspects of the moment that appeal to you target reader.

For example, there’s no point going into great descriptions on the workings of a diesel engine when you know your reader is more interested in acrylic nails and the latest designer shoes (unless, of course, you know they’d be interested in diesel engines as well).

Focus on what your reader is interested in.

(To learn more about how to define and find your target audience watch my course Get More Readers.)

8

FIND THE EXACT WORD

Increase your vocabulary by learning a wider range of specific descriptive words, words that mean exactly what you want to say. Thereby negating the chance of you repeating yourself too often or resorting to words like ‘very’ or ‘really’ in front of words that are kind of, sort of, maybe, the right word.