Use photographs of various people to inspire written descriptions. Choose photographs that feature people of various cultures, professions, and states of being. Then compare the writings to highlight the different aspects of description that each photograph inspires. Photographs are especially interesting to use in group activities. They allow you to compare the ways in which each writer translates the image into descriptive writing. In addition to visual descriptions, use your imagination to come up with more intimate character traits based on the appearance of the person in the picture.
Choose prominent historical figures on which to base descriptive writing. Use multimedia references such as video interviews, audio speeches, and work written by a historical figure. From these references, write a description of what you imagine the historical figure was like in real life. For practicing a journalistic method of description, write a short biography based on the character traits you gleaned from the references. For practicing more creative description, write a fictional situation in which you imagine how the historical figure would feel and act given the circumstances.
Use an excerpt of dialogue from an interview or a piece of fiction to create a description of the people who are speaking. Choose a piece of writing that is mostly dialogue, with minimum descriptive details. Based on the styles of speech presented in the dialogue, write a character profile for each speaker. This is a useful activity for developing both descriptive techniques and character analysis skills. Additionally, use an excerpt of dialogue to write a fictional story based on one of the speakers. In your story, base descriptions of the character's thoughts and actions on inferences you draw from the style and content of the original dialogue.
Writing character profiles of peers is a useful activity to help writers incorporate empirical elements into their descriptions. First, come up with a list of interview questions to ask your partner. Then, you and your partner will answer each other's questions and write a descriptive profile based on the answers. In addition to teaching descriptive writing skills, this activity is a great way for students and creative writers to learn more about each other.