Top Tips for English Language Exams Tomorrow

For all those people taking their fiction paper tomorrow, here are my top ten tips for good descriptive writing:

1. start in the middle of the action - in the middle of a conversation is good

2. make sure you plan a structure, panoramic, zoom-in or cyclic and a mood

3. include colours

4. include at least three different senses

5. use language features such as similes, metaphors and personification

6. qualify every noun with an adjective

7. choose verbs carefully so that they all contribute to the same mood

8. use synonyms to emphasise aspects of your description and show off your vocabulary

9. vary your sentence lengths

10. cover a short period of time - you're evoking an atmosphere, not developing a plot