Descriptive Writing Checklist
(For a Short Story)
• Central character (Protagonist) (2-3 minor characters – Antagonist)
• Descriptive, vivid setting
• Well-rounded plotline
• Direct and indirect dialogue
• Written in 1 st /3 rd person narrative
• Cultural and time era references
• Appropriate language (formal/informal
slang and colloquial, native)
Descriptive Writing
Sensory language
(5 senses) sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing
Onomatopoeia (sound)
.
.
Tick as used
Vivid and descriptive imagery
Colour (Crayola colours) Azure blue eyes etc.
Adjectives and adverbs (action words and descriptive words)
Explicit and implicit feelings - Emotions
Obvious cultural and time era references: use of allusion
e.g. pop music, fashion, trends, news events, sports celebs, politicians –
name drop etc.
Appropriate language (formal/informal slang and colloquial, native)
A variety of figurative language:
Dialogue - direct or indirect
He then froze, “yes”, he mumbled.
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Variation in Punctuation:
! … ( ) ; . - ,
Variable sentence length - long and short
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