forum I can describe things well, adjectives, personification, metaphors I can do it all (well, most of it)

Started April 07, 2019 by @Tiani

tune

I can help you describe something from something as vague as personality to the small things like voices

I need help

I'm ready to help!

Ok give me a little while to try and figure out what I needed help for

Hey do you have any helpful tips
On how to just describe things better? I think I do an alright job but like…. I want to improve.
(please give me all if the tips you want to I could use all of them)

Hey do you have any helpful tips
On how to just describe things better? I think I do an alright job but like…. I want to improve.
(please give me all if the tips you want to I could use all of them)

Well I'll list em

1. Don't use adverbs unless the adverb you want to use isn't obvious already. Things like "running quickly" are ineffective and clumsy whereas "smiling sadly" is actually descriptive and informative. Also, if possible, try changing the verb to include the adverb, instead of "crying loudly" go for "sobbing" or "wailing". Instead of "running clumsily" go for "stumbling".
2. Don't sacrifice flow for adjectives. Read a description out loud, if it's hard to say, it doesn't flow, or sounds off, it needs editing. "The ground was peppered with perfectly white snow, juxtaposing the dirty, clumsily paved streets." Sounds better than "the ground was peppered with crisp, crystal white snowflakes, which juxtaposed the damp, dirty streets which were clumsily paved by evidently inexperienced workers". The second sentence is long and is very heavy with adjectives, they both give the same image but the first is more concise.
3. A thesaurus can be your best friend if you use it correctly. Say you want another word for something, and you've searched it up and you've found another word you like the sound of. The next step, before you use it, is to find the definition of it in the dictionary. This helps you know specifically what it means as thesaurus' aren't always super accurate. Colours are a great example as well, search up the colour once you find it as thesaurus' are only approximate really and truly.
4. Use metaphors and similes wisely. "Fat as a pig" is honestly something I wish I could erase from my memory. It's so unimaginative and, well, boring. "As cool as the other side of the pillow" is something I much prefer to "cool as a cucumber" as its more imaginative. A lot of the time I use similes as a comedic element rather than something serious to describe something, but if it's imaginative, I don't mind reading it and sometimes I really enjoy them. A great example is a book I read where a character took off her metaphorical mask like "a snake shedding its skin". It gives such a great image of the character being two-faced and how natural that is to them

Anyway that's all I have time for, for now. I hope you can find some use in my tips xx

Thank you so much!