describe a person describe a process
Exercise 2.
DESCRIPTION OF A PLACE
Where you live has a lot to do with who you are and how you see the world. Think of all the aspects of your life that have been influenced by where you grew up or where you live now. How have you carried that sense of place with you? How have you made your home a home? What characteristics do you share with other people who live(d) there?
You can describe your room, your childhood residence, your neighborhood, your town. It may be difficult trying to describe a place larger than a small town. You can describe a place that is outdoors but be careful to avoid overused descriptive expressions. Decide how you will organize the description. Remember that the description will be a combination of describing the place itself in physical terms and describing the impressions you have or feelings evoked by the place.
Avoid technical or clinical descriptions and statistics; instead, give us impressions, evoke feelings or moods about the place. Let readers imagine what it is like to be there.
To begin, think of the images that come to mind and the feelings you have of the place. Try to avoid framing the description in first-person ("It makes me feel happy..."). Illustrate feelings; show, don't tell. Use vivid or evocative adjectives, adverbs, and verbs but don't overuse them.
This exercise can be useful for writing your Community paper.
The challenge of this exercise is:
1) organizing the details (inside-out or top to bottom, etc.),
2) compiling the details (what is important to include?),
3) evoking a mood or atmosphere about the place (what feeling does the place have?),
4) creating images and feelings within the reader (how will the reader feel about this place?).
Give your description a meaningful title.