Creative Writing

Skills Course
2023

Descriptive Writing Handout

KARACHI | HYDERABAD | LAHORE | FAISALABAD | ISLAMABAD | PESHAWAR

Creative Writing
Skills Course
2023

Handout for Teachers

 Oxford University Press: Course for Teachers 2023
Creative Writing Skills

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means.
 Oxford University Press: Course for Teachers 2023 1
Creative Writing Skills

Creative Writing Skills

Module 1: Descriptive writing

Writing is a conscious effort to bring together many different techniques that help words
flow, paragraphs to be organized and the writer’s ideas ‘come alive’. Students take interest
in writing when teachers find ways to make it easier for them.
The process of writing begins with pre-writing activities such as elicitation. A vocabulary
bank can be created by generating words linked to the topic being discussed. Visuals are
then used to help students come up with unique ideas.
Remind students that descriptive writing is about ‘showing’, not telling. Images can be
created through words, as if the writer is aiming to draw a picture in the reader’s mind.
Creative writing is the result of student engagement and involvement. When students enjoy
writing, great results follow!
Try some of these techniques discussed during the Creative Writing course sessions:
Visuals: generate ideas and elicit vocabulary
Triple adjectives: improve sentences with strong adjectives
Adverbs: use a variety of adverbs
Emotive language: practice expressing emotion through figurative language
Five senses: these are the essential ingredients of descriptive writing
Transitions between paragraphs: try new transition words to start a paragraph linking
with the previous one
Edit and proofread: students can be taught to correct their own errors before finalizing
the writing
Here are some activities to try in class:
Story chain: students build a story together – each one adds a sentence or two
Writing frames: provide a structure as a prompt
Visuals: try a verbal activity to predict what will happen in a story
Something bizarre: ask students to think of something out of the ordinary and
unbelievable such as ‘I ate an elephant yesterday’. This activity is meant to stretch the
boundaries of imagination.

RAFT: Framework for descriptive writing

Role: what is your role as a writer? Are you writing as a bird in a tree, an old person, a
flashy new car that has just been sold? Can you imagine yourself in different situations and
establish the imagery?
Audience: an awareness of the readers – what are they looking for?

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2 Oxford University Press: Course for Teachers 2023
Creative Writing Skills

Format: is it a letter, diary, advertisement, or poem?

Topic: does your writing focus on the topic? How many ways can you interpret it?

Other ideas for classroom teaching

Jigsaw reading: have students read out relevant texts for ideas and inspiration, in pairs
and small groups.
Use real-life objects: Ask students to pick up something around them and focus on the 5
senses to describe it. This is a verbal activity to be done individually to practice using the 5
senses.
Peer review: ask the students to read each other’s work and evaluate the content,
structure, vocabulary and grammar. This is a reflective process meant to draw attention to
the mechanics of writing.

Recap
Remind students to evaluate themselves and their peers using the following:
• Strong adjectives and adverbs – avoid general words such as good, nice, bad
• Avoid clichés – have you begun with an unusual or unexpected introduction?
• Use sensory details – have you brought in all five senses?
• Emotive language – how well have you used feelings to engage the reader?
• Figurative language – have you used similes, metaphors, personification etc?
• Rhetorical questions and hyperbole – what impact/effect do these achieve?
• Conclusion – did you leave the reader with a thought-provoking comment?

References:
Santa, C., Havens, L., & Valdes, B. (2004). Project CRISS: Creating Independence through Student-
owned Strategies. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.
Dean, Deborah. (2006). Strategic Writing: The Writing Process and Beyond in the Secondary English
Classroom. Urbana, IL: NCTE

Websites:
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/types-of-narrative-writing#4-types-of-narrative-writing
www.mywritinglab.com

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means.
 Oxford University Press: Course for Teachers 2023 3
Creative Writing Skills

NOTES

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