Creative Writing

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Describing a Situation and Writing Comic Strips

Module 004 Describing a Situation and Writing

Comic Strips

At the end of this module you are expected to:

1. recognize the steps in describing a situation and place;
2. identify the transitional devices common in a descriptive essay; and
3. enumerate the steps in creating comic strips.

Writing to Describe a Situation

Narrative paragraph describes a sequence of events or tell a story; in other words,

they describe an experience. The logical arrangement of ideas and sentences in a narrative
paragraph is chronological - according to time order. If the writer will be asked to describe
how something looks – a place, a thing, or a person, the time order would not be logical. When
the writer is describing the way something looks, its physical appearance, it is not time but
space that is important. Therefore, the writer should arrange the sentences and details
according to where the objects being described is located. This type of organization is called
spatial organization. In a descriptive paragraph, the writer must make the location of the
objects being described very clear.

Description of a Place

In describing a room, what should you describe first? The walls? The floor? The
doors? The ceilings? The window? Unlike the chronologically developed paragraph,
there is no set pattern for arranging sentences in a descriptive paragraph. It is not
necessary to begin with one area and then proceed to another area. Nevertheless, the
sentences should not be randomly arranged. The description must be organized so
that the reader can vividly imagine the scene being described. Imagine that the writer
is describing a scene for an artist to paint. Would the artist paint the ceiling yellow and
the bed blue and then go back and put posters on the walls before painting the walls?

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No. Those directions might irritate the artist. The same applies to describing for the
reader, for the writer to be the describer of words and the reader is the painter who
mentally recreates what the writer is describing in the paragraph.

The arrangement of the details in a descriptive paragraph depends on the

subject. The selection and description of details depend on the describer’s purpose.
Suppose that one of the writer’s relative is very interested in what he is thinking about
the life in United States. The description might go something like this:

The dormitory room is on the second floor of Bienville Hall. It is a small

rectangular room with a white ceiling and green walls. As you enter the room, straight
ahead you will see two large windows with gold curtains. My bed, which is covered
with a red and gold bedspread, is under the windows. On your left, against the wall,
there is a large bookcase filled with books. Close to the door, a desk and chair sit next
to the bookcase, with a small woven wastepaper basket underneath the desk. There
are several posters on this wall. The one that that is over the desk is my favorite singer.
To your right, built into the wall opposite the bookcase and desk, is a closet with sliding
doors. Behind you on your right and somewhat behind the door, is a dresser with a
mirror over it.

Examine this description. Is the location of the objects in the room clear? Are
the details arranged logically? The answer to both of these questions is yes. The objects
are clearly arranged and the description is easy to follow. The paragraph is both
unified and coherent. Is the controlling idea about the room clear?

What impression is conveyed about the room? Would the writer’s relative
know if you liked the room or not? Probably not. To make the paragraph more
interesting, you can add a controlling idea that states an attitude or impression about
the place being described. After all, the relative does want to know how the writer feels
about the room. This paragraph could be revised to include a strong controlling idea.
The paragraph below is the revised version and a topic sentence has a strong
controlling idea.

The dormitory room, on the second floor of Bienville Hall, is small and crowded.
The dark green walls and dirty white ceiling make the room seem dark, and thus even
smaller than it is. As you walk into the room, you are stopped short by my bed, which
fills half of the room. The two large window s over the bed are hidden by heavy dark
gold drapes. Against the wall on your left, pushed into a corner behind a headboard, is
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a large bookcase that is crammed with papers, books, and knickknacks. Wedged in
between a bookcase and the wall opposite the bed is a small gray metal desk. It has a
brown wooden chair that seems to fill the left end of the room. Stuffed under the desk
is a woven wastepaper basket overflowing with paper and debris. The wall above the
bookcase and desk is completely taken up with two small posters. On the right-hand
side of the room is a narrow closet with clothes, shoes, hats, tennis racquets, and boxes
bulging out of its sliding doors. Every time I walk out of the door, I think, “Now I know
what it is like to live in a closet.”

The revised version is quite different from the original one, even though both
versions describe the same room. The addition of topic sentence with a strong
controlling idea has dictated not only what is included, but also how the objects in the
room are described. A strong controlling idea gives the paragraph focus. The changes
reinforce the controlling idea and give a clear idea of what the writer thinks about his
room.

The arrangement of the details in the description depends on the subject and
purpose. When painting a picture with words, the writer can begin from left to right,
from right to left, from top to bottom, or from bottom to top. Note how the writer does
this in the following description of his family kitchen.

The Kitchen by Alfred Kazin (An Excerpt from Walker in the City)

The kitchen held our lives together. My mother worked in it all day long and we
ate in it almost all meals. I did my homework and first writing at the kitchen table, and
in cold weather I often had a bed made up for me on three kitchen chairs near the
stove. On the wall just over the table hung a long horizontal mirror that sloped to a
ship’s prow at each end and was lines in cherry wood. It took the whole wall and drew
every object in the kitchen to itself. The walls were a fiercely stippled whitewash, so
often whitened by my father in slack seasons that the paint looked as if it had been
squeezed and cracked into the walls. A large electric bulb hung down the center of the
kitchen at the end of a chain that had been hooked into the ceiling; the old gas ring and

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key still jutted out of the wall like antlers. In the corner next to the toilet was the sink
at which we washed, and the square tub in which my mother did our clothes. Above it,
tacked to the shelf on which were pleasantly ranged square, blue-bordered white
sugar and spice jars, hung calendars from the Philippine National Bank; receipts for
the payment of insurance premiums, and household bills on a spindle…”

Sometimes, though, the description can focus on some object that dominates
the scene or on something that is unusual in the scene. In this case, it may be desirable
to focus on that object and describe it first, since it is the first thing noticed. In the
paragraph describing a room, for example, the first thing the writer describes is the
first thing the viewer sees; the walls, the ceiling, and the bed straight ahead.

The following description of a backyard takes into consideration the

organization of the details.

Our backyard is dominated by a huge old live narra tree. The base of the trunk
measures approximately ten feet around. The thick muscular trunk rises solidly for
about 8 feet and the separates into four main branches. From these, the lower
branches spread out horizontally over the ground, reaching into the neighbors’ yards.
The main branches continue to rise up and up, where they compete with each other
for air and sunlight. From these heights, the neighborhood cardinals and blue jays sing
to each other, keeping a sharp eye for cats. As the birds sway in the wind, they look as
if they are riding a ship across a gently swelling ocean. From these heights, too, it is
easy to see the variety of shrubs and sweet-smelling flowers lining the two long sides
of our rectangular yard, the small walkway along the back of the house, and the back
fence that runs along the alley.

Here the author describes not only what he or she sees but also the sounds and
smells in the backyard. Describing what can be perceived with the senses – sights,
sounds, smells, tastes – makes the scene even more vivid and interesting.

Adverbs of Place

Details in descriptive paragraphs are organized spatially to give the reader a

clear picture of the scene being described. Clarifying the spatial relationship helps to
achieve coherence. These spatial expressions are called adverbs of place; most of them
are prepositional phrases (preposition + noun phrase).

Some of the expressions used to clarify space relationships include:

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Describing a Situation and Writing Comic Strips

on the second floor

straight ahead

under the windows

house on your left

over the table

on the right hand

against the wall

next to the toilet

in the corner

along the back of the

underneath the desk

opposite the bed

from these heights

above the bookcase

Here are some of the expressions that clarify space relationships:

Behind the chair is a guitar.

On top of the refrigerator is a plant.

The desk is adjacent to bookcase.

Observe the paragraph below.

So this was to be our home for the summer. My husband and I had rented a
cabin on a ranch in Colorado and here we were. As we opened the front door of Spruce
Tree Lodge, my first impression was of a dim, cool place inviting us to relax. With some
lights on, I was relieved to notice on the wall in front of me the traditional white
cabinets, small electric stove, and humming refrigerator that marked a functional

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kitchen. At least we weren’t going to be doing all our cooking over the camp fire! I
noticed against the paneled wall to my left a small sofa made of tan naugahyde. Even
though it was not chic, it spoke of years of comfort and service. Beside it, on a table in
the corner, perched a funky old lamp made from a piece of unfinished pine. Both table
and lamp were straight out of Salvation Army, but the mood they created was just right
for long afternoons of reading novels. On the wall to my right were two big windows
with a view of the trees and mountains outside. How glorious! We could sit on the sofa
and drink in the timelessness of the mountains while the fir and spruce trees moved
in the gentle lull of the wind.

In the middle of the room, straight ahead. Stood a study oak table with heavy,
massive legs and smooth worn top. It would serve as desk, table, and catchcall. My
husband was already trying out the padded chairs, made of dark brown naughahyde,
that were pulled up around the table ready for use. W smiled. Yes, the cabin would do
very nicely.

Modifications: Specific Details

The details inn a descriptive paragraph should not only be logically arranged
but also vivid. As a painter with words, you want to give the reader as precise a picture
as possible; otherwise, the reader will have only a vague sense of what you are
describing. To make the details more vivid, you need to modify them. Modify means to
restrict or narrow down the meaning.

Nouns can be modified in three ways: by adding adjectives, by adding adjective

and prepositional phrases, and by adding clauses. Each time a modifier is added to a
noun, the class to which it belongs is restricted. For example, consider the word book.
The word book describes a rather large class. A book can be large, small, green, old, or
new; it can be a textbook or a novel. The word book therefore, does not conjure up a
precise image on the reader’s mind. If the adjective red is added, then the class of books
is restricted to those that are red paperback books. The class can be restricted even
more by adding an adjective clause and prepositional phrase: a red paperback book
that has a torn page in the middle. Now the reader has a clear image of the book.
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Always strive to make details specific. Vague descriptions do not allow the
reader to really see the object. Specific details make the writing clearer and more
interesting.

Words Used to Describe Situations and Circumstances

against a backcloth of something – in a particular situation

all’s well that ends well – used for saying that a situation that did not start in a good
way has ended in a way that is satisfactory or pleasing

as it is – used for saying what the situation really is when something different
might have happened

be well – to be in a situation that is better or worse for you than another one

through force of circumstances – because of the situation that you are in, which forces
you to do a particular thing

circumstantial – relating to a particular circumstance

contextual – connected with a particular context

effective – used for saying what the situation really is, although its appearance or
official description might be different

even if – used for emphasizing that although something may happen or may be true,
another situation remains the same

face to face – in a situation where you are forced to deal directly with a problem

far from – used for saying that the real situation is the opposite of what you
mention

fateful – a fateful action, event or time which is one that has an important and usually
bad effect on what happens in the future

for all practical purposes – used for describing the actual effect of a situation

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 forget it – used for telling someone that the situation is completely different
from what they think

if it were not for – used for saying what prevents the situation from being
different

if the worst comes to worst – used for saying what you will do if the worst thing that
could happen does happen

in any case – whatever the situation is or will be

in a perfect world – used for saying what would happen if the situation was exactly the
way you wanted it to be

in either event – if either of two things happens or is true

in reality – used for saying that the true situation is different from what has
been said or thought

in someone’s place – used for talking about what you would do if you were in the same
situation as someone else

in someone’s shoes – in the situation that someone else is in

it’s getting to the stage/point where – used for saying that a situation has
reached a very bad stage

like/hate/love it when – used for saying that you like, hate, love a particular type of
situation or experience

month by month – used for emphasizing the progress that a situation is making

on the boil – if a situation or feeling is on the boil, it is very strong or a lot of people are
talking about it

on the other side of the fence – in a completely different situation or position from the
one you are used to

on the whole – used for talking about the general situation

or less – used for stating the second of two possibilities

paradise – a perfect place or situation

the plot thickens – used for saying that the situation is becoming more
complicated or mysterious
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something is up – used for saying that something is wrong or something bad is

happening

the tail wagging the dog – used for saying that a situation is stupid because something
important is being decided or controlled by something less important

that’s the way the cookie crumbles – used for saying that you must accept a situation
that you do not like because you cannot change it

there’s nothing for it but – used when you are saying that a situation is so difficult that
there is only one thing that you can do

unique – only existing or happening in one place or situation

unsettled – something such as a problem or argument that is unsettled has not been
dealt with successfully

unsteady – not regular, calm, or normal

watch this space – used for telling someone that the situation is still developing and
that you will provide more information soon

Tips in Describing a Situation

1. Tells story in the order that it happened.

2. Tell story suspensefully – least important events leading to more important

ones and finally coming to climax.

3. Explain meaning after climax or let events how the meaning.

This type of descriptive essay requires the writer to describe the situation as
accurately as possible. The writer describes the situation in such a way that the reader
can see and feel the situation, almost as if the reader is interacting with the object or
thing as they read. All of the human senses are given importance while writing this
type of essay. The reader is able to understand the situation clearly because of
illustrative language and the writer should be able to convey the same using crisp and
clear language.
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 Revision Checklist for the Descriptive Composition

The writer should use the identified question which will help in revising the
essay.

1. Descriptive writing uses sensory details to paint a picture of a place, a person, or an

object. Does your paragraph use sufficient vivid detail?

2. The controlling idea of a descriptive paragraph is often an attitude or an impression

about the subject. Does the paragraph have a clear, focused controlling idea?

3. Is the controlling idea in your paragraph contained in a clear topic sentence? An

implied topic sentence?

4. The details and support of the controlling idea in a descriptive paragraph often
follow spatial organization or some other logical format. Are the topic sentence and
details logically arranged in your paragraph?

5. Is your paragraph unified? Do all the sentences support the controlling idea?

6. Is your paragraph coherent? Do the sentences flow smoothly?

Tips and Tricks for Creating Comic Strips

A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to

display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and
captions.

1. Work out the story first.

What do I want to say?

Is there a point I want to make?

What is require to achieve my goal?

What is going to happen in each frame?

2. Visualize the characters and practice drawing them.

Is your character a know it all, a bully, an innocent little girl?

Do these characters have unique characteristics?

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Is your character happy or sad?

What is your character wearing?

3. Visualize your setting and practice drawing it.

Does the story take place in a park, on school grounds, or in a classroom?

Is there an important object in your story like a broken-down car or a trash pile?

4. Decide what colors to use beforehand.

How can my characters benefit from my color choices?

Should I color the environment as it’s normally seen or do I want to use unexpected
colors to help create a mood?

5. Draw a rough sketch of your comic strip and share it with others to see if it conveys
the message you want

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals
1. Blanchard, J. (2017). The writer’s confidence boost: Create the inner-strength and
resilience you need to live your dream writing life (kindle edition). New York: Amazon
Digital Services LLC.
2. Hutchinson, B. (2016). Inspired writer: How to create magic with your words (kindle
edition). New York: Amazon Digital Services LLC. Janzer, A. (2016). The writer’s
process. New York: Cuesta Park Consulting.
3. Painter, S. (2017). Stop worrying; start writing: How to overcome fear, self-doubt and
procrastination. New York: Siskin Press.

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

1. Automatically Identifying, Counting, and Describing.
www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/06/04/1719367115. June 5, 2018.
2. The Art of Describing a Product in One Sentence. https://www.inc.com/dave-
bailey/the-art-of-describing-a-product-in-one-sentence.html. March 28, 20117.

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 Online Instructional Videos
1. Making Comic Strips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbRsabywO4Q .
September 15, 2017.
2. How to Write Descriptively. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSoRzTtwgP4.
November 16, 2015.

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