Getting writers to notice the vivid details of great photographs make for a great technique in descriptive writing about topic. In a classroom activity, teachers can put any type of photograph on a large display screen and allow students to use descriptive language about the details, especially if it relates to the major topic. They can write about color, setting and the action in the photograph. Encourage students to write imaginatively about, for instance, a pink sunset. They might write "the dusty rose colored skyline" or "bubble gum sky." Using photographs is easy namely because it is inexpensive and students can stay in the classroom.
Taking students outside the classroom to experience a field trip can greatly improve their creative writing by encouraging descriptive writing about a given topic. Field trips can include simple activities, such as a visit to a local park, library or nearby grocery store, or the field trips could include places such as an amusement park, farmers' market or shopping mall. Students can write about colors they see, landscapes and most importantly observe human behavior. Instead of writing "a tall woman laughing hysterically," they can write "a tall woman with a short, cherry colored dress cackling to a female friend." Students can write a story out of this or just phrases to get them in the habit of thinking and writing descriptively about a topic.
When taking a writing course, students should carry a notebook with them at all times and consider writing about anything they see and observe. Since many of the best writing opportunities often come without warning, notebooks serve as a constant place to keep any and all notes. Keeping a notebook also allows students to use their creative writing abilities in places they would never get to during the school day. Teachers can also assign students places to practice their descriptive writing talents relevant to their topic.
Thinking back to a big family event can allow students to use their mind to write a descriptive story to get students in the practice of writing about a topic. Recalling funny or serious moments about a wedding, birth or even a funeral allows students to recall interesting and creative things about family members, including the way they dress, act and even smell. Using this prompt to describe a meal that a grandparent made or even their gaudy and unstylish furniture can be a good exercise in descriptive writing.
When writing a paper about a controversial current-events topic, such as abortion, off-shore drilling for oil and capital punishment, presenting both sides of the argument helps readers understand an issue. Writers should begin by researching the lobbying organizations that often fight for a cause, reading newspaper editorials and talking to experts in a given field in order to gather information. In putting together an assignment, writers should give equal weight to each side, analyze the strengths and weaknesses in each argument and use solid facts, research and statistics in order to make the paper or essay balanced and fair. Throughout the process, writers should be aware of their own opinions and not allow those opinions to influence where they find information.