Narrative Archives - KRTC@Jurong

The 7 Ds Of Narrative Writing In Primary Schools (iii) Describing People

On December 5, 2013 / Articles / 5 Comments

(How to) Describe People (Characters)?

The people in the story are the characters. There may be just one main character or a few. A good description of the person(s) brings the story to life, connects the reader to the plot and enables one to ‘feel’ for the characters. It is quite common for students to just gloss over the character(s) without sufficient details which can be improved upon with just a little more effort.

Here are some examples:
a man

– with a sallow and dull complexion framing a cold and expressionless face
– an unusually slim face with sunken cheeks covered with a sea of pockmarks
– beneath his T-shirt were broad muscular shoulders resting on a well built body

a boy

– in a stained T-shirt with clumps of damp hair in a tangle mess, partly hiding his face
– grinning ear to ear was a chubby and adorable school boy with an angelic face
– a bespectacled and shy boy looking smart in neatly pressed pants and shirt

a woman

– looking elegant and sophisticated with sparkling jewellery like a Christmas tree
– with visible strands of white hair and wiry wrinkles betraying years of toiling
– her snow white complexion and almond shaped eyes attracted many stares

Further Reading:
(i)Introduction
(ii) Describe the Scene
(iv)Describing Action(s)
(v)Dscribing Feelings (Emotions)
(vi)Using Dialogues
(vii)Be Different (Beginning & Ending)
(viii)Detecting Errors (Nothing Is Perfect)
(ix)Conclusion

Mr. James Chow (Nov 2013)
English Tutor
Kent Ridge Tutors @ Jurong

For more information, please contact us via

Jurong West Branch (KRTC@JW)
Email : jurongwest@krtc.com.sg
Hotline : (+65) 6397 0444

The 7 Ds Of Narrative Writing In Primary Schools (ii) Describe The Scene

On December 4, 2013 / Articles / 6 Comments

(How to) Describe The Scene?

Whatever composition topic is given, a story must happen somewhere; that is the scene. It could be a market, the canteen, a shopping mall or a park. It is important to bring the reader into this scene, even though everyone knows what a market or a park looks like. It requires the writer to be more creative and move away from a too simplistic description of the scene as this is the start of the story and everything develops from this starting point.

Some better alternatives are :
beach scene

the sky was an huge expanse of blue, dotted with clumps of white cotton clouds, drifting lazily from left to right, just like in a postcard

outdoors

I was gladly greeted by arrows of bright morning sunlight breaking through the thick leaves covering the forest and tiny creatures of every sizes stirred in the thick foliage.

encounters

The journey home felt cold, long and lonely. The street and pavement stood empty except for shiny pools of rainwater. Suddenly she heard noises close behind her. Sue realised that she was not alone in the dark and slippery alley. She knew it could not be stray cats. Many frightening images flashed through her mind.

Further Reading:
(i)Introduction
(iii) Describing People (Characters)
(iv)Describing Action(s)
(v)Dscribing Feelings (Emotions)
(vi)Using Dialogues
(vii)Be Different (Beginning & Ending)
(viii)Detecting Errors (Nothing Is Perfect)
(ix)Conclusion