Writing Well: Picture This: Description

Picture This: Description

• This Is My Letter
• This is my letter to the world
  That never wrote to me—
  The simple news that Nature told
  With tender majesty.
  
• Her message is committed
  To hands I cannot see;
  For love or her, sweet countrymen,
  Judge tenderly of me.
  
• —Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

Only seven of the more than 1,700 poems Emily Dickinson wrote were published during her lifetime. We write for many reasons: to define something, explain a process, inform others, pass on news, solve problems, tell a story, make money, persuade others—and to express our feelings. In this section, we'll explore writing that describes and reveals our deepest thoughts and feelings.

The section starts with a look at writing journals and ways they can help your writing—and your life. Next, you'll learn all about descriptive writing, essays that use vivid images to paint a word picture of a person, place, scene, object, or emotion.

Then I'll show you how to express yourself in poetry. You'll learn why writing a poem is among the most satisfying kinds of writing you can do, for poetry lets you express your ideas and emotions as your language soars. After I define poetry, we'll survey the different types of poems, poetic elements, and figures of speech. The section concludes with some concrete guidelines to help you start writing poetry now.