how to describe insects in creative writing

Insect Adjectives: Examples of Describing Words

Insects are fascinating creatures that come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. From the tiny buzzing bees to the majestic butterflies, each insect has its own unique characteristics that make it special. But how do we describe these incredible creatures?

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How to Describe insects? – Different Scenarios

Describing insects can be fun and exciting. As a nature enthusiast, I often find myself searching for the perfect words to capture the unique characteristics of these fascinating creatures. Whether you’re a writer or simply interested in learning more about insects, here are some tips on how to describe them in different scenarios.

1. Size and Shape When describing insects, it’s important to consider their size and shape. Here are a few adjectives that can help you describe these aspects:

2. Color and Pattern The vibrant hues and intricate patterns found on insects are a sight to behold. Use these adjectives to describe their color and pattern:

Describing Words for insects in English

When it comes to describing insects, there’s a wide range of adjectives that you can use to bring these fascinating creatures to life. Whether you’re a nature enthusiast, a writer, or simply interested in learning more about insects, using descriptive words can help you paint a vivid picture of their appearance, behavior, and habitat. Let’s explore some common adjectives that can be used to describe insects in English.

Adjectives for insects

As a nature enthusiast, I’m always fascinated by the incredible variety of insects that exist in the world. In order to capture their unique qualities and characteristics, it’s important to have the right adjectives to describe them. Let’s take a look at some adjectives that can be used to paint a vivid picture of insects:

Positive Adjectives for Insects

Negative Adjectives for Insects

While insects can be fascinating, some may also evoke negative feelings or impressions. Here are a few adjectives to describe the less desirable aspects of insects, along with example sentences:

Synonyms and Antonyms with Example Sentences

Synonyms for Insects

Antonyms for Insects

If you want to describe something that is the opposite of an insect, here are some antonyms to consider:

By exploring various adjectives for insects, we have uncovered a plethora of descriptive words that can bring our writing to life. These synonyms, such as “bugs,” “creepy-crawlies,” “critters,” and “invertebrates,” allow us to add depth and variety to our descriptions. On the other hand, the antonyms, including “mammals,” “birds,” “reptiles,” “fish,” and “amphibians,” offer a contrasting perspective when needed.

Using these adjectives not only engages our readers but also helps us convey our intended meaning more effectively. Whether we are writing a scientific article, a children’s story, or a blog post about insects, having a wide range of descriptive words at our disposal allows us to paint a vivid picture and captivate our audience.

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32 Writing Prompts About Insects

Feeling stuck in a writing rut?

Look no further than your own backyard and the creepy crawly insects crawling across it.

They can be the key to unlocking awesome stories and characters.

Finding it hard to believe?

We’ve got some prompts below that will have you itching (pun intended) to grab your pen and dive into the fascinating world of insects.

So don’t bug out, get ready to unleash your creativity!

Writing Prompts About Insects

The Secret Society of the Fireflies: Imagine a world in your backyard, unseen by most humans, where fireflies operate an organized secret society. Each firefly carries its own unique flash pattern which acts as a language. As a budding scientist, you’ve just discovered how to interpret these signals. Write a story outlining your discoveries and the surprising messages you decode.

The Hive Mind’s Intelligence: The intelligence of a hive is collective, and many scientists believe it surpasses that of individual insects. Think about a hive of bees that is attempting to solve a complex problem threatening their survival. Construct a narrative demonstrating how collective intelligence helps the bees overcome this problem.

The Butterfly Migration: Every year, millions of monarch butterflies embark on a remarkable journey covering thousands of miles from Canada to Mexico. Imagine you are a scientist tracking this migration. One butterfly, in particular, has a unique marking, and you decide to follow its journey. Pen a story about the incredible adventures of this particular butterfly and what it reveals about migration.

Life Underneath: The Ant Hill An anthill is a bustling city, complete with workers, soldiers, and a queen. Each ant has a role to play. You’re a biologist who has developed a way to miniaturize yourself and experience life within the ant colony. Write about your experience living in this intricate society and the profound lessons it taught you.

The Cricket’s Song: Crickets are known for their distinctive chirping, a sound often associated with quiet summer nights. Each chirp is a message, and you’ve just invented a device that translates these songs. Write a story where the crickets’ chirping leads you to an unexpected discovery.

Metamorphosis of the Butterfly: The transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly is one of nature’s most magical processes. Suppose you’re a young scientist who can communicate with caterpillars. One of them is about to undergo metamorphosis and is anxious about what is to come. Write a heartwarming story about how you comfort and guide this caterpillar through its transition.

The Mantis Detective: Praying mantises are formidable predators in the insect world. You are an entomologist who has noticed a sudden decline in the local insect population and suspect a group of mantises might be the cause. Write a thrilling narrative about your investigation and how it unfolds.

The Dance of the Bees: Bees communicate through an intricate series of dances. As a scientist, you’ve uncovered a new pattern never seen before, and it seems urgent. Write about the process of decoding this new dance and the urgent message it holds for the future of the hive.

An Unusual Friendship: Spiders are often feared and flies are usually considered a nuisance. You’re a writer who witnesses an unusual interaction between a spider and a fly that defies common understanding. Write a story about this unusual bond, challenging the reader’s preconceived notions about these creatures.

Invasion of the Locusts: Locusts are infamous for their mass invasions that can devastate agriculture. Imagine you’re a farmer who discovers a non-lethal way to deter these insects. Describe your inventive method and its implications for farmers worldwide dealing with similar crises.

The Silent Symphony of the Stick Insects: Stick insects are renowned for their ability to blend in with their surroundings. Suppose you’re a scientist who discovers that these insects communicate through vibrations. Write a narrative about unlocking this silent symphony and the impact of your discovery on understanding insect communication.

The Beetle Architect: Beetles are nature’s tiny architects. Imagine you’re an engineer who gets inspiration from a particular beetle’s nest design to solve a significant architectural problem. Pen a story highlighting your journey from the inspiration to the application of your solution.

Caterpillar Kindergarten: A caterpillar’s life involves a lot of learning before it turns into a butterfly. Imagine you are a kindergarten teacher who uses the caterpillar’s journey to teach children about growth and change. Write an engaging narrative about how these lessons shape your students’ perspectives on their personal growth and development.

The Ladybug Healer: Ladybugs are often associated with good luck. One day, a ladybug lands on you and leaves behind an iridescent dust that heals a small wound on your hand. As a scientist, you investigate this phenomenon. Write a story about your discoveries and their potential medical implications.

The Silk Worm’s Gift: Silkworms are known for producing silk, a highly valued material. Suppose you’re a fashion designer who decides to create a sustainable silk farm, causing a significant shift in the fashion industry’s dynamics. Write about your journey, the challenges faced, and the transformation brought about in the industry.

The Dance of the Fire Ants: Fire ants are known for their aggressive nature and complex social structures. One day, you notice a peculiar dance that seems to be a celebration rather than a display of aggression. Write a story deciphering this unusual ritual and the deeper insights it provides into ant culture.

A Bee’s Vision: Bees see the world in a very different light compared to humans, perceiving a wider spectrum of colors. Imagine you’ve developed a pair of glasses that allows you to view the world like a bee. Write a narrative about the breathtaking sights you witness and how it changes your perception of nature.

Dragonfly Time Machine: Dragonflies are ancient insects that have existed for millions of years with little change. As a paleontologist, you discover fossil evidence that reveals an unknown fact about the dragonfly’s ancient history. Create a thrilling narrative about your discovery and how it changes our understanding of the dragonfly’s evolution.

The Symphony of Cicadas: Cicadas are well-known for their loud choruses that can fill a summer night. Suppose you are a musician who is inspired by these sounds to compose a unique piece of music. Write about the creation of your masterpiece and the public’s reaction to this unusual source of inspiration.

Wasp City Planning: Wasps are expert architects, designing complex nests with a variety of chambers. You are an urban planner who takes inspiration from the wasp’s efficient use of space and structure. Write a story about the design and successful implementation of a city plan inspired by a wasp nest.

Moth Mysteries: Moths are often overshadowed by their more colorful relatives, the butterflies. One night, you witness an extraordinary moth species exhibiting an unseen behavior. As an entomologist, you dive deep into this mystery. Write a captivating narrative about your investigation and the surprising secrets of moth behavior it unveils.

A Symbiotic Relationship: Ants and aphids share a fascinating mutualistic relationship, with ants “farming” aphids for honeydew. Imagine you are a biologist who discovers a new aspect of this interaction that could have a significant impact on ecological studies. Write about your observations, your theories, and the ultimate revelation.

The Grasshopper’s Tune: A grasshopper’s song is a classic sound of summer. Suppose you’re a linguist who stumbles upon a new pattern in this song, suggesting a complex language previously unappreciated. Write a story about your journey to decipher this “language” and the breakthroughs you achieve.

The Flight of the Bumblebee: Bumblebees are often subjects of amazement due to their seemingly impossible flight. As an aerospace engineer, you find inspiration in the bumblebee’s flight mechanics to design a new type of aircraft. Write a narrative about your journey from concept to creation and the impact it has on aviation technology.

The Insect Whisperer: As a child, you’ve always had an unusual ability to communicate with insects. Now as an adult working in environmental conservation, you use your talent to aid your mission. Write a heartwarming story about how your unique ability has made a significant difference in preserving biodiversity.

Ecosystem in a Beetle’s Burrow: A beetle’s burrow is more than just a home – it’s a miniature ecosystem hosting various species. As an ecologist, you’re exploring this little world. Write a narrative about your discoveries and their implications for understanding the interconnectedness of life forms.

A Flea’s Adventure: Fleas are known for their remarkable jumping abilities. Imagine you are a flea who has embarked on an epic adventure across various landscapes, meeting different creatures along the way. Craft a thrilling tale from the flea’s perspective detailing its exciting journey.

The Caterpillar’s Dream: A caterpillar is destined to become a butterfly, but what if one caterpillar has a different dream? Suppose you’re a children’s book writer crafting a story about a caterpillar with an unusual ambition. Write a heartwarming tale about this caterpillar’s journey to fulfill its unique dream.

The Language of Scents: Moths have a keen sense of smell that they use for communication and navigation. Suppose you’re a scientist who invents a device that can interpret these scent languages. Write a narrative about the intricate conversations you decipher and the newfound respect you gain for these creatures.

The Ladybug’s Spots: The number of a ladybug’s spots is a significant aspect of its identity. One day, you find a ladybug with an unusual number of spots, leading you to discover a new species. Write about your discovery process and the impact of your findings on the scientific community.

The Praying Mantis’s Prayer: Praying mantises are solitary creatures known for their prayer-like stance. Imagine you’re a photographer who captures a rare and intimate moment in the life of a praying mantis. Write a story about this unique experience and the stunning photographs that capture the heart of the audience.

Ants in Space: In an experiment to understand how living organisms adapt to zero gravity, a colony of ants is sent to the International Space Station. You’re an astronaut observing their behavior. Pen down a fascinating account of the ants’ space adventure and their remarkable adaptability.

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I'm a writer, words are my superpower, and storytelling is my kryptonite.

106 Ways To Describe Sounds – A Resource For Writers

Writers know that using the senses is a great way to make stories come alive. Use this comprehensive list of words that describe sounds when you write.

According to Oxford Dictionary, to hear is to ‘perceive with the ear the sound made by (someone or something)’.  Sounds  are ‘vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person’s ear’.

You have to use the five senses when you write. Readers want to experience what your characters see, smell, hear, taste, and touch. Using the senses is one of the best ways for writers to learn how to show and not tell.

Writers Write is a resource for writers and we have written about words that describe taste , smell , and  touch  in previous posts. (We even have one for words that describe colours .) In this post I have included words that describe sounds.

106 Ways To Describe Sounds

General words describing sounds.

• audible – a sound that is loud enough to hear
• broken – a sound that has spaces in it
• emit – to make a sound
• grinding – a sound of one hard thing moving against another
• hushed – a sound that is quiet
• inaudible – a sound that is difficult to hear
• monotonous – a sound that is always the same and never gets louder or quieter, or higher or lower
• muffled – a sound that is not easy to hear because it is blocked by something
• plaintive – a sound that has a sad quality
• rhythmic – a sound that has a clear, regular pattern
• staccato – a sound where each word or sound is clearly separate

Describing Pleasing Sounds

• dulcet – soft and pleasant
• lilting – a sound that has a rising and falling pattern
• listenable – easy to listen to
• mellow – a soft, smooth, pleasant sound
• melodic – beautiful sound
• musical – sounds like music
• pure – a clear, beautiful sound
• rich – a sound that is strong in a pleasant way
• soft – quiet and peaceful
• sonorous – a sound that is deep and strong in a pleasant way
• sweet – a pleasant sound

Describing Noisy Sounds

• at full blast – as loudly as possible
• almighty – used for emphasising how loud something is
• brassy – a sound that is loud and unpleasant
• deafening – a sound so loud you cannot hear anything else
• ear-splitting – extremely loud
• explosive – a sound that is loud and unexpected
• howling – a continuous, low, loud noise
• insistent – a continuous, loud, strong noise
• loud – a sound that is strong and very easy to hear
• noisy – a sound that is full of  noise
• percussive – a sound that is short, like someone hitting a drum
• piercing – a sound that is very  loud, high, and unpleasant
• pulsating – strong, regular pattern
• raucous – rude, violent, noisy
• resounding – a sound that is loud and that continues for a while
• riotous – lively and noisy
• roaring – a deep, loud noise
• rowdy – noisy and causing trouble
• sharp – a sound that is sudden and loud
• shrill – a sound that is loud, high, and unpleasant
• thundering – extremely loud
• thunderous – loud
• tumultuous –  a sound that includes noise, excitement, activity, or violence
• uproarious – extremely noisy

Words That Help You Show And Not Tell

Many of these words that help you show and not tell are examples of onomatopoeia . These words imitate natural sounds. ‘It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and interesting.’

Here are some examples:

• The bees buzzed outside my window.
• The wind sighed .
• The leaves crackled and crunched under his feet.

Use this list to make your writing come alive.

• babble – a gentle, pleasant sound of water as it moves along in a river
• bang – to move, making loud noises
• beep – a short high sound or several short high sounds
• blare – to make a loud and unpleasant noise
• blast – to make a loud sound with a car horn
• bleep – a short high sound or several short high sounds
• boom – to make a deep loud sound that continues for some time
• caterwaul – an unpleasant loud high noise
• chime – a high ringing sound like a bell or set of bells
• chink – a high ringing sound when knocked together, or to make something do this
• clack -to make a short loud sound like one hard object hitting against another
• clang – a loud, metallic sound
• clank – a short, loud sound
• clash – a loud, metallic sound
• clatter – a series of short, sharp noises
• click – a short sound like the sound when you press a switch
• clink – to make the short high sound of glass or metal objects hitting each other, or to cause objects to make this sound
• cluck – to make a short, low sound with your tongue
• crash – a sudden loud noise, as if something is being hit
• creak – if something creaks, especially something wooden, it makes a high noise when it moves or when you put weight on it
• drone – to make a low continuous noise
• fizz – a soft sound that small gas bubbles make when they burst
• groan – a long, low, sound
• growl – a low, unpleasant noise
• grunt – to make a short low sound in your throat and nose at the same time
• gurgle – the low sound water makes when it is poured quickly from a bottle
• honk – to make a loud noise using a horn, especially the horn of a car
• hoot – to make a short loud sound as a warning
• mewl – crying with a soft, high sound
• moan – a long, low sound
• neigh – to make a high loud sound like a horse’s neigh
• peal – if a bell peals, or if someone peals it, it makes a loud sound
• peep – if a car’s horn peeps, it makes a sound
• ping – to make a short high sound like the sound of a small bell
• pipe – to make a very high sound, or to speak in a very high voice
• pop – a sudden noise like a small explosion
• putter – a short, quiet, low sound at a slow speed
• ring – to make a bell produce a sound
• roar – to make a continuous, very loud noise
• rumble – a continuous deep sound
• scream – to make a very loud high noise
• screech – to make a loud, high, and unpleasant noise
• scrunch – to make a loud noise like something being crushed
• sigh – a long, soft, low sound
• squeak – to make a short, high noise
• squeal – to make a long high sound
• squee – to make a loud high noise because you are excited or happy
• thrum- to make a low regular noise like one object gently hitting another many times
• thud – a dull sound when falling or hitting something
• thump – to hit against something with a low loud sound
• tinkle – to make a high, ringing sound
• wail – to make a long, high sound
• wheeze – a high sound, as though a lot of air is being pushed through it
• whine – a high, loud sound
• whirr – a fast, repeated, quiet sound
• whisper – to make a quiet, gentle sound
• whistle – to make a high sound by forcing air through your mouth in order to get someone’s attention
• yelp – a short, loud, high sound, usually caused by excitement, anger, or pain
• yowl – a long, loud, unhappy sound or complaint

Use these words to describe sounds and make your writing come alive.

Top Tip : Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop .

© Amanda Patterson

If you enjoyed this post, read:

• 75 Words That Describe Smells
• 20 Words Used To Describe Specific Tastes And Flavours
• 209 Words To Describe Touch
• Three Simple Ways To Show And Not Tell
• 12 Crucial Things To Remember About Setting
• Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language
• 20 Fun Ways To Find An Idea For A Plot

Sources: https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/miscellaneous-words-used-to-describe-sounds https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-sounds-that-are-unpleasant-to-listen-to https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-sounds-that-are-low-and-or-deep https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-sounds-that-are-quiet-and-or-soft https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-sounds-that-are-high-and-short https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/to-make-a-loud-sound https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/to-make-a-high-sound https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/to-make-a-quiet-or-low-sound

• Description , Show Don't Tell , Writing Resource , Writing Tips from Amanda Patterson

6 thoughts on “106 Ways To Describe Sounds – A Resource For Writers”

Nice one, Amanda. I’m finding your website extraordinarily useful. I’m very new to the novel-writing scene, and for all my working life, the stuff I wrote was mainly serious business items – frightfully formal. Minutes of meetings, reports, training manuals – these were my bread-and-butter. Creative writing is proving to be much more fun, and I’m enjoying spreading my verbal wings. Many thanks for your help and guidance.

Thank you so much, Anne. Creative writing is much more fun. We’re so glad you’re finding the site to be useful.

I found this really useful. Thank you. The first thing I’m going to do is show it to my daughter, too! We’ve been talking about her using her senses more in her writing and your list is so practical. I’m sure it will really help her writing. I’m looking forward to exploring your links to the other sensory words, as well.

BTW – is there a typo in the heading ‘show and note tell’?

Thank you, Rowena. We really appreciate the feedback. And we fixed the typo.

This list will be quite useful for my poetry and Gothic Horror novel. If you don’t have one already, I’d love to see a list of touch, taste, and smell words.

Thanks, Sarah. We have these for taste: https://writerswrite.co.za/20-words-used-to-describe-specific-tastes-and-flavours/ and these for touch: https://writerswrite.co.za/209-words-to-describe-touch/ and these for smell: https://writerswrite.co.za/75-words-that-describe-smells/

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© Writers Write 2022

Creative Biz

Describe Nature Creatively: A Guide to Captivating Descriptions

How to describe nature in creative writing – Welcome to the art of describing nature in creative writing! In this guide, we’ll dive into the techniques and strategies that will transform your nature descriptions from ordinary to extraordinary.

From capturing the sensory details to conveying the emotions evoked by nature, we’ll explore a range of approaches to help you create vivid and immersive nature scenes that will leave your readers spellbound.

Sensory Details

Nature’s beauty lies in its intricate tapestry of sensory experiences. To effectively describe nature in writing, it is essential to engage all five senses to create a vivid and immersive portrayal that transports the reader into the heart of the natural world.

Sensory details provide a tangible and visceral connection to the environment, allowing readers to experience nature through their imagination. By capturing the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of the natural world, writers can evoke a profound sense of place and connection.

Visual descriptions are the most prominent and often the first sensory detail that comes to mind. When describing nature, focus on the colors, shapes, sizes, and textures of the surroundings. Use specific and evocative language that paints a clear picture in the reader’s mind.

• Instead of writing “there were many trees,” describe the “towering oaks with their gnarled trunks and emerald canopies.”
• Instead of saying “the water was blue,” describe the “azure waters that shimmered like a thousand diamonds under the sunlight.”

Sounds add depth and atmosphere to a natural setting. Describe the cacophony of birdsong, the gentle rustling of leaves in the wind, or the thunderous roar of a waterfall. Use onomatopoeia and sensory verbs to create a vivid auditory experience.

• Instead of writing “the birds were singing,” describe the “melodic chorus of birdsong that filled the air, a symphony of chirps, trills, and whistles.”
• Instead of saying “the wind blew,” describe the “wind that whispered through the trees, carrying the sweet scent of wildflowers.”

Smells evoke powerful memories and emotions. Describe the fragrant scent of blooming flowers, the earthy aroma of damp soil, or the salty tang of the ocean breeze. Use evocative language that transports the reader to the heart of the natural world.

• Instead of writing “the flowers smelled nice,” describe the “heady perfume of jasmine that permeated the air, a sweet and intoxicating fragrance.”
• Instead of saying “the forest smelled musty,” describe the “earthy scent of the forest floor, mingled with the fresh aroma of pine needles and the sweet decay of fallen leaves.”

While taste is less commonly associated with nature descriptions, it can add a unique and immersive element to your writing. Describe the tart sweetness of wild berries, the salty tang of seawater, or the earthy flavor of fresh herbs.

• Instead of writing “the berries were sweet,” describe the “sweet and juicy berries that burst in my mouth, releasing a burst of tart and tangy flavor.”
• Instead of saying “the water was salty,” describe the “salty tang of the seawater as it kissed my lips, leaving a lingering taste of the ocean.”

Textures provide a tactile dimension to your writing. Describe the rough bark of a tree, the smooth surface of a lake, or the velvety softness of a flower petal. Use descriptive language that evokes a physical sensation in the reader.

• Instead of writing “the bark was rough,” describe the “rough and gnarled bark of the ancient oak, its deep fissures and ridges creating a tactile tapestry.”
• Instead of saying “the water was smooth,” describe the “smooth and glassy surface of the lake, reflecting the sky like a perfect mirror.”

– Sensory Imagery

Engage the reader’s senses with specific and evocative language that appeals to sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. Create a vivid sensory landscape that transports the reader into the heart of nature.

• The emerald leaves shimmered like a thousand tiny mirrors, reflecting the dappled sunlight.
• The wind whistled through the trees, a mournful symphony that stirred the soul.
• The soft moss beneath her feet yielded like a downy pillow.
• The pungent scent of wildflowers filled the air, a heady perfume that intoxicated the senses.
• The tangy sweetness of ripe berries burst between her teeth, a taste of summer’s bounty.

Personification: How To Describe Nature In Creative Writing

Personification is a literary device that gives human qualities to non-human things, such as animals, plants, or objects. It can make nature more relatable and create a deeper connection between the reader and the natural world.

Examples of Personification

Here are some examples of how personification can be used to create a deeper connection between the reader and the natural world:

• The wind whispered secrets to the trees.
• The sun smiled down on the earth.
• The river danced and sang its way to the sea.

These examples give nature human qualities, such as the ability to speak, smile, and dance. This makes nature more relatable and allows the reader to connect with it on a more personal level.

Table of Personification Types and Effects

Here is a table that summarizes the different types of personification and their effects on the reader:

Poem Using Personification

Here is a poem that uses personification to give a voice to a natural object, in this case, a tree:

I am a tree, and I have stood for centuries, My roots deep in the earth, my branches reaching for the skies. I have seen the seasons come and go, And I have witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations. I am a silent observer, But I have a story to tell.

This poem gives the tree a human voice and allows it to share its story with the reader. This creates a deeper connection between the reader and the natural world.

Emotional Impact

Nature writing has the power to evoke a wide range of emotions, from awe and wonder to peace and tranquility. Language plays a crucial role in conveying these emotions to the reader, creating a specific mood or atmosphere that enhances the overall impact of the writing.

Figurative Language

Figurative language, such as metaphors and similes, can create powerful emotional connections between the reader and the natural world. Metaphors compare two seemingly unrelated things, while similes use the words “like” or “as” to make a comparison. Both techniques can bring nature to life, giving it human qualities and making it more relatable and emotionally resonant.

For example, the poet William Wordsworth uses a metaphor to describe the daffodils in his famous poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”:

“A host, of golden daffodils;/ Beside the lake, beneath the trees,/ Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”

Here, Wordsworth compares the daffodils to a host of dancers, suggesting their joyful and carefree nature. The use of the word “fluttering” also evokes a sense of movement and energy, further enhancing the emotional impact of the poem.

Nature’s Perspective

Adopting the perspective of nature can infuse your writing with a profound sense of empathy and ecological consciousness. By giving nature a voice, you can convey its intrinsic value, resilience, and interconnectedness with humanity.

Imagine nature as a sentient being, possessing its own thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Describe the landscape through its eyes, capturing the intricate details that often go unnoticed by humans. Explore the interconnectedness of all living organisms, highlighting the delicate balance that sustains the natural world.

Voice and Viewpoint

Craft a distinct voice for nature, using language that reflects its vastness, wisdom, and timelessness. Employ sensory imagery and personification to evoke a vivid and intimate connection between the reader and the natural world. Consider the unique perspective of each element of nature, from the towering mountains to the murmuring streams.

Example: “The ancient oak tree stood as a silent guardian, its gnarled roots anchoring it firmly in the earth. Its branches stretched out like welcoming arms, offering shelter to weary travelers and a sanctuary for woodland creatures.”

Fresh Insights and Deeper Understanding

Writing from nature’s perspective offers fresh insights into the human experience and our place within the natural world. By embodying nature, you can challenge anthropocentric viewpoints and foster a greater appreciation for the interdependence of all living beings.

Example: “The river flowed relentlessly, carrying with it the memories and secrets of countless journeys. Its waters whispered tales of distant lands and the lives that had touched its banks.”

Nature’s Rhythm and Movement

Nature is a dynamic entity, constantly moving and changing. To effectively capture this dynamism in writing, pay attention to the rhythms, patterns, and cycles that govern the natural world. Describe the ebb and flow of tides, the waxing and waning of the moon, the seasonal changes, and the life cycles of plants and animals.

Use descriptive language to convey the movement and flow of nature. For instance, instead of simply stating that the wind is blowing, describe how it rustles through the leaves or whips up the waves. Instead of saying that the river is flowing, describe how it meanders through the landscape or cascades over rocks.

Capturing Rhythmic Patterns, How to describe nature in creative writing

• Identify the cycles and patterns that occur in nature, such as the changing of seasons, the movement of the stars, or the ebb and flow of tides.
• Use language that conveys rhythm and repetition, such as alliteration, assonance, or onomatopoeia.
• Pay attention to the tempo and cadence of your writing to create a sense of movement and flow.

Conveying Dynamic Movement

• Use active verbs and strong action words to describe the movement of natural elements.
• Employ sensory details to create a vivid picture of the movement, such as the sound of wind whistling through trees or the feeling of water rushing over your skin.
• Consider using personification or擬人化 to give natural elements human qualities, such as the wind dancing or the river whispering.

Nature’s Scale and Immensity

When describing nature’s scale and immensity, the goal is to convey a sense of awe and wonder at its vastness and grandeur. This can be achieved through the use of language that emphasizes size, distance, and power.

One effective technique is to use words that evoke a sense of scale, such as “colossal,” “towering,” or “expansive.” These words help to create a mental image of the sheer size of natural features, such as mountains, oceans, or forests.

• The towering peaks of the Himalayas stretched up into the sky, their snow-capped summits lost in the clouds.
• The vast expanse of the ocean stretched out before us, as far as the eye could see.
• The ancient forest was a labyrinth of towering trees, their branches reaching up to the heavens.

Nature’s Interconnectedness

Nature is a vast and intricate web of life, where every element plays a crucial role in maintaining the delicate balance of the ecosystem. Describing this interconnectedness requires capturing the relationships between different species, the interdependence of natural processes, and the impact of human activities on the environment.

Symbiotic Relationships

Highlight the mutually beneficial relationships between species, such as pollination, seed dispersal, and nutrient cycling. Explain how these interactions contribute to the survival and well-being of both species involved.

• Describe the intricate relationship between bees and flowers, where bees collect nectar and pollen for food while aiding in the plant’s reproduction.
• Discuss the interdependence of birds and trees, where birds rely on trees for nesting and shelter, while trees benefit from the birds’ seed dispersal and insect control.

Food Webs and Trophic Levels

Explain the concept of food webs and trophic levels, illustrating how energy and nutrients flow through an ecosystem. Emphasize the interconnectedness of all organisms, from producers to consumers to decomposers.

• Describe the role of phytoplankton as primary producers in marine ecosystems, providing the foundation for the entire food web.
• Explain how the decline of one species, such as a keystone predator, can have cascading effects throughout the ecosystem, affecting multiple trophic levels.

Biogeochemical Cycles

Discuss the interconnectedness of natural processes, such as the water cycle, carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle. Explain how these cycles regulate the Earth’s climate, provide essential nutrients, and support life.

• Describe the role of forests in the water cycle, capturing and releasing water vapor into the atmosphere.
• Explain how the carbon cycle links the atmosphere, oceans, and land, regulating the Earth’s temperature and providing the basis for fossil fuels.

Human Impact

Discuss the impact of human activities on the interconnectedness of nature. Explain how pollution, deforestation, and climate change can disrupt natural relationships and threaten the stability of ecosystems.

• Describe the effects of plastic pollution on marine life, entangling and harming animals.
• Explain how deforestation disrupts the water cycle and leads to soil erosion, affecting the entire ecosystem.

Sensory Overload and Immersion

Nature has the power to overwhelm our senses and immerse us in its vastness. To create a sense of sensory overload and immersion in nature using descriptive language, writers can employ the following techniques:

Sensory Overload

Sensory overload is a technique that involves using multiple sensory details to create an overwhelming and immersive experience. By engaging several senses simultaneously, writers can transport readers into the natural world and evoke a vivid and visceral response.For example, consider the following passage:

“The air was thick with the scent of pine needles, the sound of rushing water, and the feel of the wind on my skin. The sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting a dappled light on the forest floor. I could taste the crisp autumn air on my tongue, and the crunch of leaves beneath my feet filled my ears.”

This passage uses a combination of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch to create a sense of sensory overload, immersing the reader in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of the natural world.

Envelopment

Envelopment is a technique that describes the feeling of being fully surrounded by and enveloped in nature. By creating a sense of enclosure and immersion, writers can evoke a feeling of awe and wonder in readers.For example, consider the following passage:

“I felt like I was being swallowed up by the forest, the trees towering over me like ancient guardians. The canopy of leaves formed a dense roof above my head, blocking out the sunlight and creating a sense of intimacy and seclusion. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves, and the only sound was the gentle rustling of the wind in the trees.”

This passage uses imagery and sensory details to create a sense of envelopment, making the reader feel as if they are surrounded by the forest and enveloped in its sights, sounds, and smells.

Awe-Inspiring

Awe-inspiring is a technique that conveys the overwhelming and awe-inspiring aspects of nature. By using language that evokes a sense of wonder and insignificance, writers can create a powerful emotional response in readers.For example, consider the following passage:

“The sheer size and majesty of the mountains filled me with a sense of wonder and insignificance. I stood at the base of the towering peaks, my head tilted back as I gazed up at their snow-capped summits. The clouds drifted past, casting shadows on the mountain slopes, and the wind howled through the passes, carrying with it the sound of distant thunder.”

This passage uses vivid imagery and sensory details to convey the awe-inspiring aspects of nature, creating a sense of wonder and insignificance in the reader.

Nature’s Symbolism and Meaning

Nature has the ability to evoke powerful emotions and associations, making it a rich source of symbolism in creative writing. Authors can use nature to convey deeper themes and meanings, exploring the human condition and the relationship between humanity and the natural world.

For example, a stormy sea might represent inner turmoil or emotional upheaval, while a blooming flower could symbolize hope or renewal. Nature can also be used to represent human qualities, such as strength, resilience, or fragility.

Nature as a Reflection of Human Emotion

• A gentle breeze can convey a sense of peace and tranquility.
• A raging storm can symbolize anger, passion, or chaos.
• A wilting flower can represent sadness, loss, or vulnerability.

Nature’s Healing and Restorative Powers

Nature possesses an inherent ability to heal and restore our minds and bodies. Spending time in natural environments has been shown to reduce stress, improve mood, and boost cognitive function. In this section, we will explore how to effectively describe the restorative effects of nature on the human psyche, providing examples and insights to enhance your writing.

Natural Elements and Their Psychological Benefits

Various natural elements offer specific psychological benefits. Consider incorporating the following into your writing:

“Nature has a profound and healing effect on our well-being. It can reduce stress, improve mood, and boost cognitive function.” – Richard Louv, author of “Last Child in the Woods”

Nature’s Threats and Fragility

Nature, in its pristine beauty and intricate balance, faces myriad threats that jeopardize its well-being and the delicate equilibrium it sustains. Human activities, often driven by short-sightedness and unsustainable practices, pose significant risks to the natural world, leaving an imprint of destruction that threatens the very foundation of our planet’s ecosystems.

Industrialization, urbanization, and the proliferation of consumer goods have led to an alarming increase in pollution levels. Pollutants such as greenhouse gases, toxic chemicals, and plastic waste contaminate the air, water, and soil, disrupting ecosystems and endangering countless species. Air pollution, caused by vehicle emissions and industrial processes, contributes to respiratory illnesses and climate change.

Water pollution, resulting from industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, and sewage discharge, contaminates water bodies, harming aquatic life and affecting human health.

Deforestation

The relentless destruction of forests, driven by logging, agriculture, and urban expansion, is a major threat to biodiversity and the global ecosystem. Forests play a crucial role in regulating the climate, providing habitats for countless species, and supporting the livelihoods of millions of people.

Deforestation disrupts the water cycle, exacerbates soil erosion, and contributes to climate change by releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Climate Change

Climate change, driven by human activities that release greenhouse gases, is one of the most pressing threats to nature. Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events disrupt ecosystems, threaten species, and impact human societies. Coral reefs, essential for marine biodiversity, are particularly vulnerable to rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification.

Conservation and Protection

Recognizing the urgency of these threats, conservation efforts are vital to safeguard nature’s resilience and ensure its long-term survival. Protecting and restoring natural habitats, promoting sustainable practices, and reducing pollution are essential steps towards mitigating these threats. Individuals can contribute by adopting eco-friendly lifestyles, supporting conservation organizations, and advocating for policies that prioritize environmental protection.

Nature’s Resilience and Adaptability

Nature is not just beautiful; it’s also incredibly resilient and adaptable. It has the ability to withstand and overcome challenges, and even thrive in changing conditions.

Nature’s Adaptability

Nature has an amazing ability to adapt to its surroundings. For example, some plants have evolved to thrive in harsh conditions, such as deserts or mountains. Some animals have developed camouflage to help them hide from predators. And some organisms have even learned to live in extreme environments, such as the deep sea or the Arctic.

Nature’s Resilience

Nature is also incredibly resilient. It can withstand natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. It can also recover from human-caused damage, such as pollution and deforestation. Nature’s resilience is a testament to its strength and adaptability.

How to Describe Nature’s Resilience and Adaptability

When describing nature’s resilience and adaptability, use descriptive language and vivid imagery. Focus on the details that show how nature is able to withstand and overcome challenges. For example, you might describe the way a tree bends in the wind but does not break, or the way a flower blooms in the middle of a barren landscape.You can also use personification to give nature human qualities.

This can help to make nature seem more relatable and to emphasize its strength and resilience. For example, you might describe a river as “fighting” against its banks, or a mountain as “standing tall” in the face of adversity.Finally, don’t forget to evoke emotions in your writing.

Nature’s resilience and adaptability can inspire a sense of awe and wonder. By capturing these emotions in your writing, you can help your readers to appreciate the beauty and strength of the natural world.

Key Questions Answered

How do I choose the right sensory details to describe nature?

Focus on details that evoke a specific sense or emotion. Use vivid language and avoid generic or overused descriptions.

How can I use figurative language to enhance my nature descriptions?

Metaphors, similes, and personification can bring nature to life and create a lasting impression. Use them sparingly and effectively.

How do I convey the emotional impact of nature in my writing?

Use language that reflects the emotions you want to evoke. Consider the tone and mood you’re aiming for and use descriptive language that creates the desired atmosphere.

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19,899 quotes, descriptions and writing prompts, 4,964 themes

insects - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

• caterpillar
• spiders crawling

Upon the insect armour, in the growing light of dawn, was a perfect sphere of water that looked for all the world like our Earth.

You know what they say, all you need is beetles... and bees... and insects... yup...

The insect climbed the grass with serene ease; it was every happy summer memory of long ago lazy days on summer grass.

The insect was summer-berry red with legs as bright as hard-boiled candy.

The doctor peered gravely at Mr Insect; the toxins in his tiny body were causing significant harm.

To the applause of the fluttering foliage, the bees visited every bloom.

The insect walked lightly over the soil making neither footprint nor sound; yet simply heading home with the food she had found.

The insect visited the larder nature had so kindly provided, collecting aphids with diligent joy.

Three pairs of feet made their way over the leaf, the shiny exoskeleton reflecting the sunny rays.

A beetle made its way over Ned's shoe as if it had been to salsa classes and was still dreaming of the beat.

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Tim Kane Books

Strange is the new normal, how to write creepy scenes to make your readers squirm.

Most writers who delve into horror hit the prose with a bag of clichés and heavy handed stage props—swirling fog, glowing eyes, wicked laughs. Don’t get me wrong, camp can be great (if it’s intentional). However, a more subtle approach can work wonders.

Add Details One by One

Use disturbing details or reversals when describing your scenes. Each one, taken by itself, does little, but in combination, they imbue the reader with unease. Consider Cold Skin by Albert Sánchez Piñol. Here an unnamed narrator just inhabited a weather station on a deserted island.

Just then, I heard a pleasing sound far off. It was more or less like a heard of goats trotting in the distance. At first, I confused it with the pattering of rain; the sound of heavy and distinct drops. I got up and looked out of the closest window. It wasn’t raining. The full moon stained the ocean’s surface in a violet hue. The light bathed the driftwood lying on the beach. It was easy to imagine them as body parts, dismembered and immobile. The whole thing brought to mind a petrified forest. But it wasn’t raining.

Reversal : The narrator thinks it’s raining, but then there’s no rain. We wonder what’s creating that pattering sound, and the not knowing makes us uneasy.

Disturbing details : The water is stained violet, a bloodlike color. This idea is cemented in the reader’s skull with the driftwood, described as dismembered limbs.

Let the Character Freak Out

Nothing creeps out a reader faster than letting the protagonist freak out. Ever wonder why there are so many screams in horror movies? It’s the same thing. As an author, you must find the written equivalent to the scream.

In Bag of Bones by Stephen King, the protagonist, Mike Noonan, begins to believe that his house is haunted. He’s in the basement and hears the sound of someone striking the insulation, but no one else is home.

…every gut and muscle of my body seemed to come unwound. My hair stood up. My eyesockets seemed to be expanding and my eyeballs contracting, as if  my head were trying to turn into a skull. Every inch of my skin broke out in gooseflesh. Something was in here with me. Very likely something dead.

King lays it on thick here. Instead of one physical reaction, he dumps the whole bucket on us. He doesn’t dazzle us with a etherial decaying corpse. We won’t even see the ghost till the final chapters. No. He tells us how Noonan feels just in the presence of the thing and that’s what creeps us out.

Another example of the character freaking out can be seen in Shirley Jackson’s  The Haunting of Hill House .

Now we are going to have a new noise, Eleanor thought, listening to the inside of her head; it is changing.  The pounding had stopped, as though it had proved ineffectual, and there was now a swift movement up and down the hall, as of an animal pacing back and forth with unbelievable impatience, watching first one door and then another, alert for a movement inside, and there was again the little babbling murmur which Eleanor remembered; Am I doing it? she wondered quickly, is that me? And heard the tiny laughter beyond the door, mocking her.

Here the character doubts herself and what she sees. This is essential to any horror story. When weird things happen, the character mysteries react accordingly. The stranger the situation, the stronger the reaction. And most of us would doubt our sanity in creepy situations.

Let The Reader Do the Imagining

Why should you, the author, do all the heavy lifting. Your reader’s imagination will often fill in the blanks for you. Take this example from Stephen King’s The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon .

As she reached the driver’s door of the cab, which hung open with vines twisting in and out of its socket of a window, lightning flashed again, painting the whole world purple. In its glare Trisha saw something with slumped shoulders standing on the far side of the road, something with black eyes and great cocked ears like horns. Perhaps they were horns. It wasn’t human; nor did she think it was animal. It was a god. It was her god, the wasp-god, standing there in the rain.

Notice that the monster is only vaguely described. It’s called “something” twice. This lets the reader fill in the blanks. There is enough description that we at least know it’s a big hulking creature. This is the literary equivalent of when Ridley Scott only showed glimpses of the alien in Alien .

Use Strong Verbs

Finally, strong verbs will help any writer to shine, but they can also allow one character to shine over another. Take this excerpt from William Blatty’s The Exorcist .

Regan’s eyes gleamed fiercely, unblinking, as a yellowish saliva dribbled down from a corner of her mouth to her chin, to her lips stretch taut into a feral grin of bow-mouthed mockery.

“Well, well, well,” she gloated sardonically and hairs prickled up on the back of Karras’s neck at a voice that was deep and thick with menace and power. “So, it’s you … they sent  you !” she continued as if pleased. “Well, we’ve nothing to fear from you at all.”

“Yes, that’s right,” Karras answered; “I’m your friend and I’d like to help you.”

“You might loosen these straps, then,” Regan croaked. She had tugged up her wrists so that now Karras noticed they were bound with a double set of leather restraining straps.

“Are the straps uncomfortable for you?”

“Extremely. They’re a nuisance. An  infernal  nuisance.”

The eyes glinted slyly with secret amusement.

Karras saw the scratch marks on Regan’s face; the cuts on her lips where apparently she’d bitten them. “I’m afraid you might hurt yourself, Regan,” he told her.

“I’m not Regan,” she rumbled, still with that taut and hideous grin that Karras now guessed was her permanent expression. How incongruous the braces on her teeth looked, he thought. “Oh, I see,” he said, nodding. “Well, then, maybe we should introduce ourselves. I’m Damien Karras. Who are you?”

“I’m the devil!”

Notice the verbs that Blatty uses with Reagan — gleamed, dribbled, gloated, croaked, rumbled. In contrast, the more calm individual in the scene, Karras, responds with simple verbs like “answered” and “saw”. The contrast allows the reader to see Reagan as disturbing.

If you want to make your readers squirm, reading only in daylight hours, shy away from the obvious gore and claptrap. Rather, take the quieter road of tiny disturbing details built up over pages and chapters. Show how your character reacts to what’s happening, and the reader will feel it too.

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Creepy-crawly writing prompts for kids

by Kim Kautzer | Mar 9, 2016 | Writing & Journal Prompts

Whether your children love or hate buzzing, scurrying, or wiggling things, they’re bound to enjoy one of these writing prompts about bugs, insects, and other creatures that fly or crawl. 

1. On Location

If someone asked you to photograph spiders, insects, and bugs , where would you take your camera? Use your five senses to describe this location and the tiny creatures you see through your lens.

2. Small World

Imagine that your family has planned a picnic in the park. Describe this picnic from an insect’s point of view.

3. Crispy Critters

Some people claim that humans should eat more insects . After all, the little creatures are a good source of protein and vitamins. Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not?

4. Spin a Story

Write a short story about a creepy-crawly critter ! Choose the elements of your story from the lists below, picking one character, one character trait, one plot, and one setting.

• Character: ladybug , spider, centipede, ant, worm
• Character trait: talkative, cowardly, artistic, grumpy, bossy
• Plot: meets a lost______, gets caught in______, tries to find______, decides to______, becomes a______
• Setting: dusty attic, kitchen cupboard, garden, cardboard box, hollow log

Example: An artistic spider decides to weave blankets from her silk in a dusty attic.

Did your kids enjoy these writing prompts about bugs? If so, check back each week for more  Writing Prompt Wednesdays !

Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region , courtesy of Creative Commons 2.0

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Insects Planet

Exploring the Buzz: Insects in Art and Literature

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Table of Contents

Introduction to Insect Artwork and Literature

From the earliest cave paintings to modern digital art, insects have been a source of fascination and inspiration for artists and writers alike. This post will delve into the captivating world of insect artwork and literature, exploring their historical context, representation, and significance.

• Overview of Insect Representation in Art and Literature

Insects have been represented in various forms of art and literature, each with its unique interpretation and symbolism. In art, insects often symbolize the beauty of nature, the cycle of life, and transformation. They are depicted in intricate details in paintings, sculptures, and even jewelry. In literature, insects often play significant roles, from being central characters in children’s books to symbolizing deeper philosophical themes in adult literature. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, where the protagonist transforms into a giant insect, is a classic example.

• Historical Context of Insect-themed Art and Books

The fascination with insects in art and literature is not a recent phenomenon. It dates back to ancient times. In Ancient Egypt, the scarab beetle was revered and frequently represented in their art and jewelry. In the Middle Ages, insects were often used in religious paintings to symbolize the fleeting nature of life. In literature, Aesop’s Fables, written in the 6th century BC, featured insects as characters teaching moral lessons. The trend continued into the modern era with the rise of entomology, the scientific study of insects, in the 19th century. This led to a surge in insect-themed artwork and literature, reflecting the growing interest in these fascinating creatures.

In the following sections, we will delve deeper into the beauty of insect illustrations, the role of bugs in literature, contemporary bug art, entomology in art, and the genre of literature about insects. Join us as we explore the enduring allure of insects in art and literature.

The Beauty of Insect Illustrations

Insect illustrations have long been a source of fascination and inspiration for artists and nature enthusiasts alike. These intricate depictions not only showcase the beauty and diversity of insects but also provide valuable insights into their biology and behavior.

The Art of Entomology: Insect Inspired Art

Entomology, the study of insects, has had a significant influence on the world of art. Artists have been captivated by the intricate details and vibrant colors of insects, leading to the creation of some truly stunning pieces of artwork.

• Exploring the Aesthetics of Insect Artwork

Insect artwork is a unique blend of science and art. The aesthetic appeal of these illustrations lies in their intricate details, vibrant colors, and the fascinating variety of insect species. From the delicate wings of a butterfly to the armored exoskeleton of a beetle, each insect provides a unique canvas for artistic expression.

• Case Study: Famous Insect Illustrations in Art History

Throughout art history, there have been many famous insect illustrations. For instance, Maria Sibylla Merian, a 17th-century German artist and entomologist, is renowned for her detailed and accurate depictions of insects. Her work has greatly contributed to our understanding of insect metamorphosis. You can learn more about her and her work here .

Whether you’re an artist seeking inspiration or a nature enthusiast wanting to learn more about insects, exploring the world of insect illustrations is a journey filled with beauty and discovery. As we delve deeper into this fascinating realm, we gain a greater appreciation for the intricate details and vibrant colors that make each insect unique.

Bugs in Literature: A Closer Look

From ancient fables to modern novels, insects have always found a place in literature. They have been used as metaphors, symbols, and even main characters, offering a unique perspective on the world. Let’s delve deeper into the fascinating role of bugs in literature.

From Metaphor to Main Character: Insect Symbolism in Literature

Insects, with their diverse shapes, sizes, and behaviors, have been used as powerful symbols in literature. They often represent themes of transformation, resilience, and the complexities of the natural world. Let’s explore how authors have used insects in their works.

• Analysis of Insect-themed Books

One of the most famous insect-themed books is Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” where the protagonist wakes up one day to find himself transformed into a giant insect. This shocking transformation serves as a metaphor for alienation and the human condition.

Another notable example is E.O. Wilson’s “Anthill,” a novel that tells the story of a young boy’s fascination with ants. The detailed descriptions of the ant colonies reflect the intricacies of human societies.

Children’s literature also features insects prominently. Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” uses the life cycle of a butterfly to teach kids about growth and transformation.

• Key Takeaways: The Role of Insects in Storytelling

Insects in literature serve multiple roles. They can be symbols, representing various themes and ideas. They can also be main characters, offering a unique perspective on the world. Here are some key takeaways:

• Insects as Symbols: Insects often symbolize transformation, resilience, and the complexities of the natural world. They can also represent fear, decay, and the darker aspects of life.
• Insects as Characters: Insects as main characters allow authors to explore the world from a different viewpoint. They can highlight the beauty and intricacy of the natural world, or they can serve as a critique of human society.
• Insects and Education: In children’s literature, insects are often used to teach kids about nature, life cycles, and the importance of respecting all forms of life.

In conclusion, insects play a significant role in literature, offering a rich source of symbolism and a unique perspective on the world. They remind us of the beauty, complexity, and resilience of the natural world.

Contemporary Bug Art: A New Wave

Art is a powerful medium that allows us to express and interpret the world around us. In recent years, a new wave of contemporary art has emerged, focusing on an unlikely subject – insects. This new genre of art, known as bug art, has captured the imagination of artists and audiences alike.

Modern Interpretations of Insects in Art

Modern artists are finding inspiration in the intricate details, vibrant colors, and unique forms of insects. They are using a variety of mediums, from painting and sculpture to digital art, to create stunning interpretations of these tiny creatures.

• Exploring the Current Trends in Insect Artwork

One of the most popular trends in contemporary bug art is hyperrealism. Artists are creating incredibly detailed, lifelike representations of insects that highlight their beauty and complexity. Another trend is the use of insects in abstract art. Here, the insect is not represented realistically, but its form, color, or movement is used as inspiration for a more abstract piece. Finally, some artists are using insects as a symbol to explore themes such as environmental conservation and the fragility of life.

• Case Study: Influential Contemporary Insect Artists

There are many talented artists making a name for themselves in the world of bug art. For example, Cornelia Hesse-Honegger , a Swiss artist and scientific illustrator, is known for her detailed watercolor paintings of insects. Her work highlights the beauty and diversity of insects, and also raises awareness about the impact of nuclear radiation on these creatures.

Another influential artist is Christopher Marley , an American artist who uses real insects in his artwork. Marley’s pieces are a stunning combination of art and entomology, showcasing the incredible variety and beauty of insect species from around the world.

These artists, and many others, are helping to redefine the way we see insects. Through their artwork, they are showing us that these tiny creatures are not just pests, but a source of beauty and inspiration.

Entomology in Art: A Scientific Perspective

Art and science may seem like two different worlds, but they often intersect in fascinating ways. One such intersection is the use of art in the study of insects, or entomology. This section explores how art plays a crucial role in entomology and provides examples of scientifically accurate insect artwork.

The Intersection of Science and Art: Insect Illustrations in Entomology

Art has always been a powerful tool for scientific exploration, especially in the field of entomology. Detailed illustrations of insects not only capture their beauty but also provide valuable scientific information. Let’s delve deeper into the role of art in entomology studies and explore some examples of scientifically accurate insect artwork.

• The Role of Art in Entomology Studies

Art plays a significant role in entomology. Detailed illustrations are often used to document the physical characteristics of insects, their behaviors, and their habitats. These illustrations serve as a visual database for scientists and help them identify and classify different insect species. They also aid in the study of insect anatomy and physiology. In fact, many scientific discoveries in entomology have been made possible because of accurate insect illustrations.

• Examples of Scientifically Accurate Insect Artwork

There are countless examples of scientifically accurate insect artwork. One notable example is the work of Maria Sibylla Merian, a German naturalist and scientific illustrator of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Her detailed illustrations of insects, particularly butterflies, are renowned for their accuracy and beauty. You can view some of her work here .

Another example is the work of Robert Hooke, an English scientist and artist from the 17th century. His book, “Micrographia,” contains detailed drawings of various insects he observed under a microscope. His work is considered a significant contribution to both art and science. You can find more about his work here .

In conclusion, art plays a vital role in the field of entomology. It not only helps scientists document and study insects but also brings the beauty and complexity of these creatures to a wider audience. The intersection of science and art in entomology is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Literature about Insects: A Genre Overview

When it comes to literature, insects have always played a fascinating role. From being the main characters in children’s books to being symbols in adult literature, insects have a unique place in the world of books. Let’s delve into this niche and explore the popular themes and bestselling books about insects.

Exploring the Niche of Insect-themed Books

Insect-themed books are a unique genre that caters to a wide range of readers. These books can be educational, entertaining, or a combination of both. They offer a unique perspective on the world of insects, often highlighting their importance in our ecosystem.

• Popular Themes and Tropes in Insect Literature

Insect literature often revolves around themes of survival, transformation, and the intricate workings of nature. Insects are frequently portrayed as characters that overcome challenges, mirroring human struggles and triumphs. The life cycle of insects, particularly the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly, is a common trope symbolizing growth and change.

• Case Study: Bestselling Books about Insects

There are numerous bestselling books that feature insects. For instance, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle is a beloved children’s book that has sold millions of copies worldwide. It tells the story of a caterpillar’s journey to becoming a butterfly, teaching children about the life cycle of insects and the concept of transformation.

On the other hand, “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, a classic in adult literature, uses the trope of transformation in a more symbolic and profound way. The protagonist’s transformation into a giant insect serves as a metaphor for feelings of alienation and otherness.

These examples demonstrate the versatility of insects as a theme in literature, appealing to a wide range of readers across different age groups.

In conclusion, insect-themed literature is a fascinating genre that offers a unique perspective on the world of insects. Whether it’s a children’s book teaching about the life cycle of insects or a novel using insects as a metaphor, this genre continues to captivate readers with its blend of education and entertainment.

Conclusion: The Enduring Allure of Insects in Art and Literature

As we draw this exploration to a close, it’s clear that insects have held a significant place in both art and literature throughout history. Their intricate designs, fascinating behaviors, and symbolic meanings have inspired countless artists and writers, resulting in a rich tapestry of insect-themed creations that continue to captivate audiences.

• Reflection on the Impact of Insect Representation in Art and Literature

Insects have served as powerful symbols in art and literature, representing everything from transformation and rebirth to decay and mortality. Their unique forms and behaviors have provided endless inspiration, leading to a diverse range of artistic styles and literary genres. From the detailed illustrations of scientific entomology to the imaginative depictions in children’s books and modern art, insects have proven to be a versatile and enduring subject matter. Their impact is evident not only in the vast body of work they have inspired but also in the way they have shaped our understanding and appreciation of the natural world.

• Future Trends: The Evolution of Insect Artwork and Literature

As we look towards the future, it’s exciting to consider how the representation of insects in art and literature will continue to evolve. With the advent of new technologies and mediums, artists and writers now have even more tools at their disposal to capture the beauty and complexity of these tiny creatures. Furthermore, as our awareness of environmental issues grows, insects are likely to play an increasingly important role in narratives about biodiversity, conservation, and climate change. In this way, insect-themed art and literature not only reflect our fascination with these creatures but also serve as a powerful tool for education and advocacy.

In conclusion, the enduring allure of insects in art and literature is a testament to their intrinsic beauty and symbolic power. As we continue to explore and appreciate these remarkable creatures, we can look forward to a future filled with even more captivating and insightful insect-inspired creations.

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Master List of Ways to Describe Fear

People have been asking me for this list for such a long time! If you write horror, suspense, mystery, or any kind of fiction with a scary scenes, you need to know how to describe fear.

This list can get you started. It’s a lot of phrases describing fear, including physical reactions, physical sensations, facial expressions, and other words you can use in your novel or in other creative writing.

I’ve included some that can work for uneasiness or anxiety, but most of these are for real terror. You can alter them to fit your sentence or your story, and they’ll likely inspire you to come up with your own descriptions.

Bookmark or pin this page for your reference—it might save you a lot of time in the future. I’ll probably add to it now and again!

fear paralyzed him

his terror mounted with every step

she fought a rising panic

fear tormented her

her heart was uneasy

her heart leaped into her throat

his heart hammered in his chest

his heart pounded

terror stabbed his heart

his heart jumped

her heart lurched

a fear that almost unmanned him

his body shook with fear

she trembled inside

he suppressed a shiver

panic surged through him

her fear spiked

he was in a complete state of panic

she could feel nothing but blind terror

his legs were wobbly with fear

she sweated with fear

his hands were cold and clammy

she was weighed down by dread

dread twisted in her gut

his stomach clenched

fear fluttered in her stomach

her belly cramped

he felt like he might throw up

she was sick with fear

she was frightened down to the soles of her shoes

he was icy with panic

her body went cold with dread

raw panic was in her voice

her voice was thick with fear

his voice was edged with fear

terror thundered down on him

fear caught her in its jaws

fear clawed up her throat

terror sealed her throat

fear gripped her throat

his throat tightened

then she knew real terror was

he was frantic with fear

she was half mad with terror

the color drained from her face

his face was ashen

she blanched

dread gnawed at his insides

dread had been growing in him all day

fresh terror reared up within her

fear choked him

terror stole her words

he was mute with horror

her voice was numb with shock

his voice was shrill with terror

her defiant words masked her fear

her body felt numb

his blood froze in his veins

terror coursed through her veins

fear throbbed inside her

his panic fueled him

adrenaline pumped through his body

adrenaline crashed through her

fear pulsed through him

her scalp prickled

the hairs on the back of her neck stood up

his mouth went dry

his bones turned to jelly

her bones turned to water

she froze with horror

he didn’t dare to move

terror struck her

he was too frightened to lift her head

she was too frightened to scream

his mouth was open in a silent scream

he cringed with fear

she cowered

he shrank back in fear

she flinched

a bolt of panic hit her

terror streaked through him

her terror swelled

his panic increased

anxiety eclipsed his thoughts

panic flared in her eyes

his eyes were wild with terror

her eyes darted from left to right

she feared to close her eyes

he lay awake in a haze of fear

she walked on in a fog of fear

his eyes widened with alarm

she tried to hide her fear

he struggled to conceal his shock

fear crept up her spine

fear trickled down her spine

panic seized his brain

she felt a flash of terror

fear took hold of him

fear flooded through her being

she ordered a drink to drown the panic

he arranged and re-arranged the items on his desk

a nameless dread engulfed him

I bet you came up with other ideas as you were reading!

For more writing lists, check out my book Master Lists for Writers , if you don’t have it yet! A lot of writers use it to make writing go faster, especially when it comes to descriptions.

And if you’re not following the blog already, sign up below—I share lots of writing resources. Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing!

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30 thoughts on “ master list of ways to describe fear ”.

Thank you, Bryn. I can certainly use this list as I go through and clean up my novel. There are some places that need a stronger element of fear.

Hi Bonnie! So glad this was coming at the right time! 🙂

Love the book and the above list! Thank you for taking the time to compile all of it. So appreciated!

Oh thank you! I’m so glad you like it!

I just love your lists. I often refer to them when I’m stuck. That book is right next to the dictionary and thesaurus when I write.

I’m so glad you like them, Erin! I’m honored. 🙂

I was searching for the perfect list to describe fear. I stumbled across your blog and I am glad that I did, you literally saved my butt out there!!? I got an A* because of you ! Thankyou!!❤❤

Aww, I’m so glad to hear this! 🙂

Thanks for compiling this list. Much needed.

Aw thanks, Ezekiel! So glad you like it!

What a terrifying, fantastical list. Thank you, Bryn

Haha, thanks, Bryan! When I read back over it, I did feel a little creeped out. 🙂

I have a scene coming up that this will be perfect for. Thank you for sharing. Bookmarking now!

Hi Sarah! So glad it’ll be useful! Sounds like you have an exciting scene coming up 🙂

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This is a great list! Thank you, Bryn.

Wow! When I read it, I was SO / COMPLETELY creeped out!???

Ha! You know what, when I make these lists, I always start feeling the emotions, too!

I’m thankful for your help. It is great to see these lists. Many blessings ❤️

I have been a bibliophile since long, but never before did I read so many blogs in a sequence. I am really amazed to have found them.Thanks a ton . Superb work .

You saved my life ! Thank you a lot ???

So glad to hear that! Happy writing 🙂

Thanks… It’s good to know tath someone is making life easier for those interested in writing.

ohhh ,how grateful i am for this list it will come in handy so thankyou

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Thank you so much for this list! It is exactly what I was looking for. I ordered the book 🙂

Thanks for ordering the book, Laila. I hope you like it! And glad this list worked for you!

This is an amazing list. I saw in your other comment that you have a book…?

I wanted to tell you that I often return to this page when I am stumped coming up with a way to write some specific reaction. Sometimes I just use one of the ideas you offer directly, and other times something here gives me an idea I riff off of to create something new. Thank you so much for compiling this list!

I riffed this time (last line): “Still feeling the sadness of Manzoa’s fate and wondering what this place was and why he was here, Goff cautiously walked over to the desk. A quill still wet with thick black ink rested next to a sheet of parchment filled with writing in a language he couldn’t read. Crude drawings made with heavy strokes were set within the words. Some of them were disturbing — a bleeding hand cut open with a knife and a person floating lifeless below a ghoul with black eyes poised to attack. He stared at the words, hoping that just like when he traveled back in time to Monstraxen, he would be able to understand them. As he stared, the ink on the page disappeared like water soaking into a sponge. A spider of panic crawled up his spine.”

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Describing Words

This tool helps you find adjectives for things that you're trying to describe. Also check out ReverseDictionary.org and RelatedWords.org . Here are some adjectives for insects : . You can get the definitions of these insects adjectives by clicking on them. You might also like some words related to insects (and find more here ).

Sort By Usage Frequency

Click words for definitions.

Loading you some adjectives... Won't be much longer! :)

Words to Describe insects

Below is a list of describing words for insects . You can sort the descriptive words by uniqueness or commonness using the button above. Sorry if there's a few unusual suggestions! The algorithm isn't perfect, but it does a pretty good job for most common nouns. Here's the list of words that can be used to describe insects :

• dead, half-melted
• unimaginable predatory
• angry stinging
• monstrous, poisonous
• blind metallic
• dangerous oversized
• alien parasitic
• common luminous
• irritating nighttime
• homicidal stinging
• loathsome, gigantic
• loathsome, destructive
• myriad venomous
• terrifying metal
• smug, tragic
• curious and very active
• destructive and useful
• loud and troublesome
• noxious and useful
• injurious and beneficial
• vile noxious
• annoying and meaningless
• blind, vulnerable
• -particularly clean
• coloured, perfect
• smaller busy
• slick and impossible
• occasionally huge
• gently repetitive
• aggressive venomous
• --cochineal
• bothersome human
• gigantic autumnal
• notoriously clever
• enterprising and annoying
• small wide-winged
• political parasitic
• beneficial and injurious
• strange and entirely new
• wilted and dead
• rare, loathsome
• away annoying
• gigantic brown-black
• countless poisonous
• strange, venomous
• hesitant, busy
• indigenous stinging
• interior smashing
• large and intractable
• mature full-grown
• equally rare and beautiful
• nasty, armored
• small and quite unimportant
• gigantic tawny
• great, vindictive
• lower poisonous
• ruddy, malignant
• fully alive and bright
• aggressive, oversize
• disgusting clammy
• despicable but irritating
• repulsive or stinging
• similar, perfect
• rare and very handsome
• troublesome poisonous
• troublesome or common
• principal beneficial
• vicious, blood-thirsty
• innumerable pestilent
• unpleasant and poisonous
• black, elliptical
• destructive and rapacious
• hitherto unregistered
• airy spectral
• specialized, aesthetic
• unpleasant small
• away stinging
• many squashed
• weird and colorful
• stupid drunken
• harmless, spectral
• frail, colorless
• idiot, joyful
• strange busy
• tiny lumbering
• bulky grotesque
• black, striped
• immense jeweled
• glossy black-and-yellow
• grateful, sodden
• vulpine robotic
• black and fabulous
• stupid, shortsighted
• enormous and misshapen
• objectionable stinging
• grey-metal alien
• numerous carnivorous
• enormous diseased
• large and noxious

Popular Searches

As you've probably noticed, adjectives for " insects " are listed above. Hopefully the above generated list of words to describe insects suits your needs.

If you're getting strange results, it may be that your query isn't quite in the right format. The search box should be a simple word or phrase, like "tiger" or "blue eyes". A search for words to describe "people who have blue eyes" will likely return zero results. So if you're not getting ideal results, check that your search term, " insects " isn't confusing the engine in this manner.

Note also that if there aren't many insects adjectives, or if there are none at all, it could be that your search term has an abiguous part-of-speech. For example, the word "blue" can be an noun and an adjective. This confuses the engine and so you might not get many adjectives describing it. I may look into fixing this in the future. You might also be wondering: What type of word is insects ?

The idea for the Describing Words engine came when I was building the engine for Related Words (it's like a thesaurus, but gives you a much broader set of related words, rather than just synonyms). While playing around with word vectors and the " HasProperty " API of conceptnet, I had a bit of fun trying to get the adjectives which commonly describe a word. Eventually I realised that there's a much better way of doing this: parse books!

Project Gutenberg was the initial corpus, but the parser got greedier and greedier and I ended up feeding it somewhere around 100 gigabytes of text files - mostly fiction, including many contemporary works. The parser simply looks through each book and pulls out the various descriptions of nouns.

Hopefully it's more than just a novelty and some people will actually find it useful for their writing and brainstorming, but one neat little thing to try is to compare two nouns which are similar, but different in some significant way - for example, gender is interesting: " woman " versus " man " and " boy " versus " girl ". On an inital quick analysis it seems that authors of fiction are at least 4x more likely to describe women (as opposed to men) with beauty-related terms (regarding their weight, features and general attractiveness). In fact, "beautiful" is possibly the most widely used adjective for women in all of the world's literature, which is quite in line with the general unidimensional representation of women in many other media forms . If anyone wants to do further research into this, let me know and I can give you a lot more data (for example, there are about 25000 different entries for "woman" - too many to show here).

The blueness of the results represents their relative frequency. You can hover over an item for a second and the frequency score should pop up. The "uniqueness" sorting is default, and thanks to my Complicated Algorithm™, it orders them by the adjectives' uniqueness to that particular noun relative to other nouns (it's actually pretty simple). As you'd expect, you can click the "Sort By Usage Frequency" button to adjectives by their usage frequency for that noun.

Special thanks to the contributors of the open-source mongodb which was used in this project.

Please note that Describing Words uses third party scripts (such as Google Analytics and advertisements) which use cookies. To learn more, see the privacy policy .

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Use Creepy Crawlies To Turn Fear Into Fascination And Inspire Writing

• Main Subject: CPD
• Subject: English
• Date Posted: 01 December 2016

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Turn fear into fascination by exploring the language of all things that creep, crawl, scuttle or skulk

Fear can be a powerful stimulus for a story. By exploring something that scares you through creative writing, that feeling of dread can be diminished, vanquished or even transformed into fascination.

I’m in the middle of writing a trilogy called The Battle of the Beetles, and the first book, Beetle Boy, was published in March. You can probably guess from the titles what the central subject matter of the books is.

When people read the book, or even just see the title, they make assumptions about me; that I was the kind of child who was fascinated by bugs, that I’m a scientist, or at least someone with an entomological pastime, that I live in the countryside, that I’m outdoorsy. None of this is accurate. I’m a city girl with a fear of insects, who screams and runs out of the house at the shocking sight of a large spider, who does the heebie-jeebie dance of panic if a moth comes within a metre of her head, who leaps out of her seat and squeals if anything buzzes close to her ear. Or at least I was, up until I started writing Beetle Boy.

So, how did someone with a fear of insects come to write a book about beetles? Well, I was accessorising a bit of prose with some creepy-crawlies, trying to create a dark and evil atmosphere, and I wanted to describe them well, so I looked up all the disgusting minibeasts I could think of on Wikipedia.

The page on beetles shocked me. It told me that they are classified in the order of Coleoptera, meaning ‘sheathed wing’. This is because most beetles have two sets; a hard outer wing, the elytra, and a softer pair underneath.

I didn’t know that beetles flew! I imagined them scurrying about under rotting wood. And there was much more. Like, did you know there are more types of beetle on the planet than any other creature? Over 350,000 different species have been recorded, making up one in every four of all known lifeforms.

They are vital to our ecosystem; they break down waste, pollinate flowers and are an important part of the food chain. Looking at pictures, I also discovered that beetles come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Some are so beautiful they’re actually called jewel beetles. Heck, I didn’t even know the ladybird was a beetle!

I was ashamed by my extraordinary level of ignorance about such an important and interesting creature, and I could only put it down to my fear. I had never really stopped to look at, think about or study an insect. I was too busy running away from them.

I couldn’t go back to my prose and use the beetle as a villainous accessory, it made me feel uncomfortable to cast such an important creature as a baddie. I didn’t want to be responsible for perpetuating the image of insects as horrible. In fact, my ignorance troubled me enough to look for children’s stories where beetles were positively portrayed, and I struggled to find many. That was when I knew I’d have to write one.

The challenge of studying hundreds of types of beetles in detail and writing about them positively, with friendly adjectives, pleasing metaphors and charming similes has been interesting. For one, I am no longer frightened of insects, I am fascinated by them. I’ve also learned that fear is a useful tool when describing something.

When frightened, we fixate on the subject, we notice everything about the way it looks and moves. If you ask someone why she’s frightened of snakes, she will usually erupt, spewing descriptive words to try to make you empathise with her fear. This is a rich harvest of imagery to work with. If you ask her to write it all down, and then transpose each negative sentence into an appealing positive description, challenging her to make a reader feel warmly toward the creature, she will have to use her imagination to consider the snake positively and think about the reader’s response to her words. I use this exercise as the basis of one of my creative writing workshops, and it always produces interesting results. Children have a lot to say about the things that frighten them.

MG Leonard’s debut children’s book Beetle Boy is published by Chicken House and is out now in paperback. Join in the People’s Trust for Endangered Species’ Great Stag Hunt at ptes.org/greatstaghunt

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Creative Writing Task: An Insect’s View

Level: High intermediate – advanced

Writing Skills Focus: Describing a place.

Task: To write a spatial description from an insect’s point of view.

Step 1:   Discuss the questions: If you had to live one day as an insect, what insect would you be? In what kind of place would it be most interesting? Safest?

Step 2: Read the model text.

The Ant and the Sandwich

I am a lucky ant. I climbed this big table, and on it I found a delicious sandwich. I must eat fast before the man returns for his lunch. I began at the bottom with a piece of white bread. It was soft and tasty, but the smell from above made me climb higher. On top of the bread was a piece of chicken. The meat was cold but wonderful. The taste was salty and smoky. The chicken was under a fresh tomato. It was good to eat something juicy after the chicken. I thought I was done, but then I found a slice of cheese and another slice of bread. Between the cheese and the bread was some mayonnaise.   Yum! Right now I’m standing on top of the sandwich. The soft bread is a nice place to rest. I think I might have the time to eat my way down through the sandwich. But maybe I should just crawl down the side and get away before the man comes back.

Step 3:   Pass out copies of the model text. Ask students to identify spatial markers: At the bottom, On top of, Between,… List additional ones on the board.

Step 4: Help students generate ideas for their own compositions. Magazine photos are great sources of inspiration. You can prepare a selection of scenes ahead of time: an office desk, a kitchen table, a bedroom closet, a train car, etc.

Step 5: Ask students to choose the objects they will describe and list them in a particular order (right to left, clockwise, from top to bottom, etc.) This will help them organize their thoughts and choose accurate vocabulary.

Step 6: Students will compose their texts using spatial markers. Supervise and assist as needed. Remind them to title their compositions accordingly.

Step 7: After an appropriate amount of revision, have students share their reports. You can post their descriptions with the accompanying photos on the board.

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Hello, Just dropping by to say “hello”. I like your blog because I learned from you.

CHONA PHILIPPINES

View my blog. http://chona-grammarlessons.blogspot.com

Nice work! You provide a good resource for young English language learners. I’ll certainly take note of the address. Thank you.

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HI I was just wondering who wrote this description? and in what year was it written in?

Hello Lilly, I started doing this kind of activity as a classroom teacher in the early 2000s. I don’t recall the exact date I came up with this model. It led to some good writing, though. Students chose office desks, public transportation, and other settings for their insects to explore. The idea isn’t wholly original, since the perspective of an insect is used in other types of classes, such as animation and photography. I found this clip, for example, on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCNuA7V–iM (Very interesting animation exercise.) In creative writing classes, it can be fun to try writing from the perspective of a pet, an alien, an insect, and more. I don’t think I’m the first to suggest this. 🙂

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All About Insects - Vocabulary and Writing Activity

Updated:  31 May 2023

Inspire young entomologists to read and write about insects with bug-themed writing prompts and word wall cards.

Editable:  Google Slides

Non-Editable:  PDF

Pages:  1 Page

• Curriculum Curriculum:  CCSS, TEKS

Grades:  K - 2

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🪲Go Buggy for Insect Vocabulary and Writing Prompts for Kids

Get ready to buzz into the classroom and turn even your most reluctant writers into busy writing bees with an engaging Insect writing station. We’ve combined the perfect blend of reading, writing , and minibeasts to inspire your young writers to grow! 

This resource download contains two primary components. First, we’ve assembled an awesome illustrated insect vocabulary word wall display. There are 24 vocabulary cards with bright images to help inspire your students to use academic vocabulary. The writing prompts in this resource are a blend of narrative and informational writing prompts for kids. Prompts included are

• Write a story about a day you were magically turned into one of the bugs below. Draw a picture when you finish.
• Image-Inspired Prompts – Choose one insect below to describe in your writing. Draw a picture when you finish.
• Choose one of the insects below. Write about where they live and where you can find them. Draw a picture when you finish.

🐞Plan for Insect Activities Ahead of Time

In addition to independent student work time, use this Insect Writing Center as a resource for

• Guided writing groups
• Lesson Introduction
• Fast finishers  
• ESL Writing Group Activities

🐛Easily Download & Print

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to download this resource’s PDF or Google Slides version. 

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and a Teach Starter collaborator.

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities to shorten your lesson planning time:  

[resource:2656686]   [resource:2658894]   [resource:143051]

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Tricks for Describing a Character’s Appearance (With Examples)

Introducing a new character to your story can be difficult. There’s a lot that goes into it, and to make matters worse, you only have one chance to give readers a good (and memorable) first impression of that character. One of the ways you can do this is by giving them a distinct appearance, but many writers tend to fall short of describing appearance well. 

We’ve all heard the same cookie-cutter descriptions for characters a million times before. Golden hair, a heart-shaped face, a chiseled body, piercing eyes, yadda yadda… The problem with these descriptions is that they’re bland, they’re cliché, and they don’t really help your characters stand out. 

However, if you break from clichés, you can create uniquely vivid descriptions that will give your characters life. There are endless ways you can describe characters, and I’m not going to walk you through how I would describe every single possible human feature (or humanoid, animal, alien, etc). For one thing, that would take too long, but for another thing, descriptions are based on more than just the character’s physical appearance—their personality plays a part too. 

Tips for Describing a Character’s Appearance in a Story

There are a number of things to keep in mind when describing a character’s appearance. Here are just a few general tips before we dive into some more specific techniques for describing different parts of a character’s appearance. 

Don’t Make Everyone a Supermodel

This is probably one of the most (if not the most) important things to remember when describing a character. You should never objectively describe your characters as flawless. Humans aren’t perfect, so if you describe your characters like perfect little supermodels, they just won’t feel authentic. Worse still, they won’t stand out from the protagonists of every single young adult novel out there. You need to make them distinct, and to do that, you need to give your characters flaws . And I mean real flaws, not fake flaws that are actually just endearing traits packaged like flaws. 

Don’t Dump Everything Out at Once

Describing your characters is important, but you need to be able to keep it concise. No one wants to read a 7-page summary of every detail of a character’s appearance. You can go in-depth, sure, but don’t put your readers through a word-avalanche just for them to figure out what the character looks like. 

Remember, you can reveal more about the characters over time. When you introduce a character for the first time, you should focus on the things a person would naturally notice first, such as their face, hair, clothing, voice, and general energy. You can further elaborate on their appearance later when it is relevant, and describe their gait, posture, temperament, and more. 

There is one exception here I want to highlight. If you are telling a story from the first-person perspective, and you want to illustrate a character’s obsession with another person, hyper-fixating on the details can be a good way to show this. It can make the character seem creepy , and it can foreshadow the protagonist doing something bad to the person they are obsessing over. 

Don’t Sell Them Short

Opposite to the point above, you shouldn’t make your introductions too short. To some extent, it can be good to leave some parts of the character’s appearance up to the reader’s imagination. However, you should give them something to help them visualize the characters in the beginning. Otherwise, if you later reveal that the character has dark hair, all the readers that imagined them with light hair might have a difficult time accepting that. 

Descriptions are important, and they help to include a reader in the narrative. Like a well-described setting, vivid characters can help immerse readers into the world and make them part of the story. 

Use Their Personality

A character’s personality can have a large impact on how they are perceived, and therefore should alter the words you use to describe them. Two characters might have similar features, but based on their personality, you would describe them differently. 

For example, two characters might both be tall, but one would be described as “awkward and long” while the other is “towering.” In this case, the characters’ levels of confidence impact how they are perceived. For another example, think about two characters who both have light skin. You could describe one as looking like “porcelain” and describe the other one as “pasty,” depending on their other traits. Those two descriptions create very different perceptions from each other.   

Use the Point of View

If the character in question is being described from the first-person perspective of another character, then the protagonist’s opinions should sneak into the description. Your protagonist probably isn’t going to objectively evaluate the other person—they’re likely to rely on stereotypes, biases, and things they have heard from others about the character they’re looking at. Rely on that to make the description fit into the story more organically. 

Here are some examples: 

• She had no right to have such a disarming smile.
• His expression was empty—just like his head.
• His dark, tangled hair reminded me of a swamp.
• She didn’t even wear any makeup! But even more frustratingly, she didn’t really need it.
• They looked divine… like I wasn’t even worthy to look upon them. 
• He looked like the type of person to stare at his own reflection before getting in the shower. 
• They were short and stocky, but they could still probably beat me in a fight. 

Remember, your protagonist can make speculative judgments about the character they’re looking at. You’re telling the story as they experience it, so their judgments are part of the narrative!

“…he was greeted by the barista—a young teen who had not yet matured enough to be handsome. Once his soft cheeks hollowed and his jaw squared, and the childish optimism fled his eyes, then he would have the chance to smolder. That crooked smile would win over many hearts in the blink of an eye, but not just yet.”  – excerpt from a draft

Keep the Description Balanced

A good rule of thumb when describing characters (or anything else really) is to create a balance of concrete details and flowery imagery. You should alternate between those two, as well as general and more specific details, to make the description flow more naturally, and to make it more interesting to read. 

Imagine reading a description like: 

“His hair was red and curly. His eyes were large and green. He had freckles, but they weren’t that noticeable. He was tall but very thin.” 

That’s so dry, and it’s not fun to read. Compare that to a description that varies how the information is provided:

“His hair was like a massive red bush surrounding two wide, green eyes. Freckles faintly dotted his cheeks, but they were only really visible in the sunshine. His long, lanky body and large hair made him look a bit like a big red lollipop—which was only heightened by his tendency to blush often.”

Wasn’t that a lot more fun to read? Not only does it make the character description more interesting, but it also influences a reader’s perception of what the character is like. Certain words help readers to gauge what kind of person this character is. The first example gives no indication of personality, but the second one uses words like “sunshine” and “lollipop” to associate the character with lively, happy things. Additionally, using words like “lanky” and “blush” suggests that the character is awkward or shy, saving you the time of having to spell that out for readers. 

Give them Something Special

One helpful thing that I’ve learned over the years is that you should give your main character some distinctive feature that sets them apart from the other characters around them. Diverse descriptions are great, but it never hurts to make your main character a little more unique. This could be something like a distinctive scar, a tattoo, a weird eye color, a patch of silver or white hair, a missing or extra finger, a birthmark, or something else along those lines. That can make them stand out more, and it can be a really clear indicator that they are special. 

Although your story won’t suffer if you don’t give your main character a distinct feature like this, it is usually a good bet—especially if you think your story could ever conceivably be adapted into a visual medium, like a comic, animation, or film. That character could become iconic. People may just see your character somewhere and that alone could motivate them to read or watch the whole story. As another plus, it could give you a cool opportunity for your story’s cover. 

How to Describe a Character’s Face

When describing a character’s face, the easiest way to do that is to first break the face down into its essential parts: the eyes, the mouth, the nose, and the facial structure.

So let’s start with the eyes since they are the focal point of the face. Stay away from the descriptions you’ve heard a million times, like “piercing” or “doe-eyed.” The eyes are the window to the soul, and they can tell a reader a lot about a character. Instead of “piercing,” try “icy” or “sharp,” and instead of “doe-eyed,” try “wide,” “innocent,” or “full of wonder/awe.” The goal is to describe the character in a unique way to make it more interesting to read, while still creating a vivid image of that character. 

You can describe the shape, color, and depth of a character’s eyes, but you should be careful not to rely on insensitive generalizations. For example, instead of “Asian” eyes, use “almond-shaped” or “mono-lid.” Not all Asian people have mono-lids, so simply using the word “Asian” to describe the character’s eyes doesn’t actually narrow down what they look like. 

That goes for all the other features of the face, too. Though it is true that some features are more prominent in certain races, nothing is inherent. You shouldn’t rely on the character’s race or ethnic background alone to be the basis of your description. Saying that a character is Japanese or Jamaican without giving other details doesn’t do any more for the character’s description than saying they are European or white. Doing this only encourages your readers to stereotype your characters, even if that wasn’t your intention. 

With that said, don’t get too caught up in describing every detail of a character’s face. Give the most important information, such as the eyes, face shape, scars, and other notable details or imperfections, then move on. If a character has an exaggerated feature, such as a large nose or bushy eyebrows, then that’s important to mention too.

How to Describe a Character’s Hair

There are lots of different types of hair colors, textures, thicknesses, and shines, so try not to make all your characters have the same kind of hair—unless they’re related or part of a small, isolated community, of course. Hair can be curly and blond, sleek and black, coily and auburn, and even dyed wild colors. Making your characters’ hair more distinct will make them easier for readers to visualize, especially if you introduce many characters at one time. 

Beyond the basics, you can use words to describe a character’s hair that reflects who they are as a person. For example, describing a character’s hair as springy or bouncy could indicate the character is upbeat and moves excitedly. Slick, greasy, or wispy hair could suggest an untrustworthy or sneaky character. The words you use to describe the character’s hair will be subliminally applied to the character themself. 

How to Describe a Character’s Clothes

Clothing is an important element of self-expression, and what your character decides to wear can reflect a lot about them. However, unlike with the character’s face, you should not spend a lot of time describing their outfit. For one thing, they’re probably going to change their outfit at some point in the story—likely more than once. Secondly, readers just won’t care unless you give them a good reason to. 

If you want to describe what your character is wearing, make sure to keep it short. If it’s just a simple way of helping the reader visualize the character’s style, present the information objectively and in only a paragraph or two, such as: 

“She wore short-shorts and a denim jacket, and pink thigh-high socks that she had to keep pulling up because they always slipped down to her knees. Her tennis-shoes were white and bulky, as was the belt bag she wore off to one side. This free, laidback style was completed by the two messy buns her faded purple hair was pulled up into.”

However, there are a few times in which you can use clothing to explore more complex ideas in the story. For example:

• An article of clothing might have special significance to a character. It could have been handed down from a relative, it could be a favorite shirt, or it could be meaningful in other ways. That would merit drawing more attention to it. 
• An article of clothing might have special significance to the story. This could be a type of ceremonial outfit, a piece of magical armor, or something along those lines. That would require a more thorough in-depth description of the item. 
• An article of clothing may be unfamiliar to most of your readers, such as a specific cultural outfit or an unusual costume, in which case a descriptive explanation could help illustrate what it looks like. 
• A particular outfit could draw attention to a character, such as an attractive or surprising outfit, that could merit taking more time to describe it (and explain why it garners the character extra attention). 

How to Describe a Character’s Body

Describing a character’s body is fairly straightforward. Like with many other aspects of a character’s appearance, there are a few methods you can use to approach describing their body. You could take the objective approach, which would do just fine in most cases, or you could toy with your readers’ perceptions. 

I’ll start out with a word of caution. Too many times, I’ve seen unrealistic descriptions of characters’ bodies. Whether it’s a waist that’s impossibly thin or muscles like a bodybuilder on a teenager, people tend to push the boundaries of what the human body is even capable of. You need to keep your characters within the limits of what’s actually possible, unless you have a good reason for doing otherwise (genetically modified supersoldier, not actually human at all, etc). 

Now, as with some other aspects of the character’s appearance, you can get away with a simple, objective description, like “tall and muscular” or “short and curvy.” Honestly, that’s usually all you’ll need to do. However, bodies are commonly associated with physical attractiveness, and if attraction is the point of your description, you need to take a different approach. 

Writing about attraction is tough (which is why I go more in-depth about how to write about attraction in my other article, Romance 101: How to Write Characters Falling in Love ). You’ll want to highlight the positives of the character’s body—the elements of them that have caught your protagonist’s attention. Whether it’s biceps, legs, or a large chest, you’ll want to describe it in detail, as well as highlight what it is about them that has the protagonist so interested. Here’s an example:

“He was tall and sturdy, and even in this relaxed environment, his pose held power. The way his shirt stretched taut around his shoulders when he shifted snagged and held my attention—I couldn’t help but stare. Did he pick that shirt on purpose? He had to know the thin fabric clung close to his body, showing off every rippling muscle underneath…” 

How to Describe a Character’s Posture and Body Language

Body language is an often overlooked element of describing a character, but you should give it some thought even if you don’t intend to draw a lot of attention to it in the story. How does your character stand? How do they emote? Do they gesture when they speak? Do they fidget? Try to envision what they look like when they are waiting, actively engaged in a passionate conversation, and when they are uncomfortable. 

People move in different ways, even if they aren’t thinking about it. Come up with a list of movements and behaviors that are typical for the character, and utilize those movements to make dull scenes and conversations more interesting. Instead of just dialogue, you can give readers more to imagine as your character shifts their weight, runs their hand through their hair, or twists the hem of their shirt. This can also help to establish the tone of the conversation.  

A person’s body, personality, and mood will all influence how they move. If you establish a baseline for how the character stands and behaves when they are in a neutral mindset, this will help you keep them consistent over time by casually mentioning their body language throughout the story. As a bonus, it can also help you tip readers off if you want them to notice that something is bothering the character. If you have established that a character is pretty relaxed in most situations, readers will instantly notice if they exhibit anxious body language even if you don’t draw a lot of attention to it. 

For more tips and tricks on writing about body language, be sure to check out Writing Body Language: Bringing Your Characters to Life next!

How to Describe an Attractive Character

Describing an attractive character isn’t all that different from describing any other character. You still shouldn’t make them flawless, but you can put off mentioning their more negative qualities until later—especially if another character is looking at them through rose-colored glasses . 

One recommendation that I have for describing a character who is supposed to be extremely attractive is to keep their description vague. Beauty is subjective, so each reader is going to have a different idea of what “attractive” means. By all means, describe the basics of their appearance, such as hair color, eye color, skin tone, and whatnot, but don’t dive deep into the shape of their features. This will leave a little bit up to the reader’s imagination, and they will fill in the gaps in the character’s description with the traits that they find most attractive. 

Another helpful tip is to utilize the reactions of background characters to establish that the character is, in fact, attractive. Other people staring at the character or nudging and whispering to each other about them would help your reader understand that the character is good-looking, and alter their mental image of them accordingly. 

The Importance of Creating Vivid Visual Descriptions for your Characters

Creating vivid visual descriptions for your characters is incredibly important for a number of reasons. For one thing, being able to imagine the characters will help draw your readers into the story and immerse them in the world. Additionally, by giving your characters more distinct appearances, they will stand out more from each other, and from characters in other stories. The more complex and interesting the character, the more likely they are to stick in a reader’s mind for years after they finish reading the story. 

Good luck with writing your descriptions! I know you’ll write something great.

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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Setting Thesaurus: Jungle/Rainforest

January 10, 2009 by BECCA PUGLISI

Vines, ferns, lush foliage, tall trees (traveller’s fan, Heliconia, trumpet trees, cahoon), dense undergrowth, fronds, lagoons, cliffs, rocky outcropping, downed trees, canopy blocking the sun, mosses, creepers, water vines, brown dead fall, mud, lizards, snakes…

bird calls, wings fluttering, monkey hoots/shrieks, animal movements (growls, grunts, snorts, paws hitting the ground, slithering, hissing, animal cries), running water (rushing creaks, waterfalls, rivers, streams or rain clattering off the leaves), one’s own heavy…

stuffy & warm air, rotting vegetation, body odor, natural plant smells (sweet to attract insects/pollinators, bitter to ward them off), animal musk, flowers (few in the jungle–more in the rainforest)

Water, air thick on the tongue, edible leaves and root or fruits, prey caught and cooked over a fire (gamy, stringy, chewy, rubbery), stale breath, fresh rain

Slippery leaves, rough vines, crumbly wet ground underfoot in places, branches crackling, holding branches back, squeezing through a stand of bamboo & feeling the smooth wood against the chest and back, sweat running down the neck and face, slurping dew off a leaf…

Helpful hints:

–The words you choose can convey atmosphere and mood.

Example 1: Dusk stained the glistening foliage with shadow and murk. As nightfall descended, the sounds of the jungle began to ebb. Uncertainty hung in the warm, wet air as the creatures began to prepare for the long stretch of darkness. Soon new sounds emerged: footfalls and the rumbling growls of predators walking their hunting ground.

–Similes and metaphors create strong imagery when used sparingly.

Example 1: (Simile)  Vines slithered down the cliff face like snakes, seeking the pool of tepid water below.

Think beyond what a character sees, and provide a sensory feast for readers

Setting is much more than just a backdrop, which is why choosing the right one and describing it well is so important. To help with this, we have expanded and integrated this thesaurus into our online library at One Stop For Writers . Each entry has been enhanced to include possible sources of conflict , people commonly found in these locales , and setting-specific notes and tips , and the collection itself has been augmented to include a whopping 230 entries—all of which have been cross-referenced with our other thesauruses for easy searchability. So if you’re interested in seeing a free sample of this powerful Setting Thesaurus, head on over and register at One Stop.

On the other hand, if you prefer your references in book form, we’ve got you covered, too, because both books are now available for purchase in digital and print copies . In addition to the entries, each book contains instructional front matter to help you maximize your settings. With advice on topics like making your setting do double duty and using figurative language to bring them to life, these books offer ample information to help you maximize your settings and write them effectively.

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers —a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

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Reader Interactions

April 13, 2021 at 6:01 pm

Amazing, really helped me, especially the hints! Thank you

January 12, 2009 at 1:26 pm

Love these posts.. 🙂

January 11, 2009 at 2:30 pm

Glad we can help. Lady G!

Thanks PJ. I posted it a bit later than usual–maybe that messed you up, lol.

CR, I agree. I love tropical locals.

Thanks Bish. I’ve never tried it, but I’d love to.

April 14, 2020 at 10:14 am

Excellent piece of writing, I especially liked how descriptive you had made the little bits and phrases for other aspiring writers to use. I’m much more of a fantasy writer but I needed this in order to do something, so it came in really helpful! I can hardly wait to get on with my assignment!

With endless ‘Thank You’s’, TheRandomizer

January 11, 2009 at 7:46 am

Great stuff! (As an aside…I saw breadfruit listed. I absolutely LOVE breadfruit. I wish I could get it here where I live.)

January 10, 2009 at 10:03 pm

hmmmm . . . makes me want to go on a rain forest adventure!

January 10, 2009 at 9:39 pm

Nice! I was about to say “wait, don’t these come on Saturdays” but then I realized it was Saturday 🙂

January 10, 2009 at 9:09 pm

YES! This is exactly what I need right now for my Amazon jungle scenes. 🙂 Thanks!

KathySteinemann.com: Free Resources for Writers

Word lists, cheat sheets, and sometimes irreverent reviews of writing rules. kathy steinemann is the author of the writer's lexicon series..

200+ Ways to Say “Surprised”: A Word List for Writers

I was recently surprised to learn that surprised is a nemesis for many writers. It appears with a surprising frequency in surprisingly many WIPs.

No worries: The Surprise EMTs are en route.

Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations

Rather than say characters are surprised, you could show their emotional state with beats like the following.

• breathless voice
• clutching one’s chest with one or both hands
• covering one’s ears with hands
• feeble voice
• hiding one’s face with hands or hair
• legs that tremble
• pressing a hand against one’s chest, with fingers splayed wide
• pressing fingers against one’s gaping mouth
• quick flash of a frown on one’s face
• quickly elevating one’s eyebrows and accompanying them with protuberant “flashbulb” eyes
• raised and curved brows
• raising one’s chin
• raising one’s eyebrows
• shaky voice
• sudden audible inhalation through one’s mouth
• touching one’s face or lips with fingers
• widening one’s eyes so much that the whites show
• wrinkles across the forehead

To find more examples, search Google Images for body language surprised , or consult a body language dictionary .

(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Can you see the surprise in the paragraphs below?

“I swear, Marvin’s jaw dropped two feet when he heard Lucy was coming back to town.”

“When I came around the corner and spotted the cougar, I thought I was hallucinating. A cougar in LA?”

“Who could have known that a brand new tire would blow up the first time I took the car out? Wow! That’s all I can say. Wow.”

“You gotta be kidding. How do you expect me to cram all these suitcases into the trunk?”

“Ow! That’s hot.”

“Why are you calling me at 2 a.m.?”

“Mother! Is that your luggage? I thought you were overseas.”

When people are surprised, they tend to use shortcuts in texts — avoiding numbers, symbols, and punctuation. Here are a few that might suit your WIP.

AYS (are you serious?)

FAB (fabulous)

FCOL (for crying out loud)

HFAC (holy flipping animal crackers)

IDBI (I don’t believe it)

LTNS (long time no see)

OB (oh brother)

OMG (omigosh)

OMGYGTBK (omigosh you got to be kidding)

SMHID (scratching my head in disbelief)

SU (shut up [an expression of incredulity])

TGTBT (too good to be true)

TMTH (too much to handle)

UGTBK (you’ve got to be kidding)

WWNC (will wonders never cease)

YGTBKM (you’ve got to be kidding me)

YWHOL (yelling woo hoo out loud)

Social Media

The internet is swarming with an ever-changing glut of social media outlets, all with their own lingo and abbreviations. Learn the vernacular if you introduce one of these sites to your narrative — or invent a new social network.

Who knows, your creativity could catch the notice of a tech guru and result in the launch of yet another way for people to spend their time. Good? Bad? Depends on your point of view.

Adjectives and Adjectival Phrases

Consider intensity of emotion when replacing surprised . An awestruck character feels more intensely than one who is startled.

A to G agape, aghast, agog, amazed, astonished, astounded, awed, awestruck, blown away, boggled, bowled over, bug-eyed, confounded, dazed, dumbfounded, filled with awe, filled with wonder, flabbergasted, floored, gobsmacked

H to W horror-struck, incredulous, jolted, openmouthed, overcome, overwhelmed , shaken, shell-shocked, shocked, speechless, staggered, startled, stunned, stupefied, taken aback, thunderstruck, unnerved, wide-eyed, wonderstruck, wordless

Similes and Metaphors

A character’s state of surprise could be compared to, contrasted with, or portrayed as:

• [amazing, rare, uncommon] as an honest politician
• dazed as a frog about to be swallowed by a snake
• like a bat blinded by the sun
• like a deer mesmerized by headlights
• like a kid who receives a computer instead of a baseball mitt as a birthday present
• like a shark chomping on a leg and discovering it’s covered by chainmail
• like an infant’s first glimpse of the world outside its mother’s body
• like the taste of coffee when one expects tea
• unexpected as a rare steak when a character orders it well-done
• unexpected as snow in [a summer month]
• unusual as [booze at an AA meeting, rain in the Sahara Desert]

The Versatility of Verbs and Phrasal Verbs

In your determination to decrease overuse of surprised , you might decide to rely on one of the following, many of which are cliché or idiomatic. Although trite phrases function well in certain types of dialogue, avoid them in serious narrative.

• appear [all of a sudden, out of left field, out of nowhere]
• blindside someone
• blow someone away
• blow someone’s mind
• bowl someone over
• burst in on someone
• bushwhack someone
• catch someone [in the act, napping, off balance, off guard, red-handed, unawares]
• cause someone to [be speechless, do a double-take, jump out of their skin, root to the spot]
• drop a bombshell on someone
• fill someone with [awe, wonder]
• knock someone [for six, down/over with a feather]
• knock someone’s socks off
• knock the stuffing out of someone
• leave someone [aghast, open-mouthed]
• make someone’s jaw drop
• raise someone’s eyebrows
• render someone speechless
• set someone back on their heels
• shake someone up
• stop someone (dead) in their tracks
• strike someone [dumb, with amazement, with awe, with wonder]
• take someone [aback, unawares]
• take someone’s breath away
• throw someone [a curveball, for a loop]

More Verbs and Phrasal Verbs

Instead of surprise as a verb, try one of the following.

A to W alarm, amaze, astonish, astound, awe, bedazzle, benumb, bewilder, cause [amazement, astonishment, incredulity, shock], confound, daze, dazzle, disturb, dumbfound, electrify, flabbergast, floor, gobsmack, jar, jolt, nonplus, rock, scandalize, shake (up), shell-shock, shock, stagger, startle, stun, stupefy, wow

Instead of relying on the noun surprise to refer to a character’s emotional state, you could substitute one of the following words or phrases. Pay attention to connotation and degree of emotion. For example, a hiccup implies different circumstances than a kick in the face.

A to M amazement, astonishment, awe, bewilderment, body blow, bolt from/out of the blue, bombshell, conversation stopper, curveball, doozy, epiphany, eureka moment, eye-opener, a first, glitch, hiccup, incomprehension, incredulity, jaw dropper, jolt, kick [in the face, up the backside], kicker, manna from heaven, marvel, miracle

O to Z one for the books, puzzlement, revelation, rude awakening, setback, shock, shocker, source of amazement, spectacle, stunner, stupefaction, thunderbolt, twist, unexpected revelation, unforeseen event, whammy, wonder, wonderment, wrinkle, zinger

Well-chosen props augment a story by sparking new twists or subplots. Would one of the following suit your narrative?

• DNA results that show a character is related to _____
• an empty box of chocolates
• a failing grade on an essay or exam
• firecrackers
• a flat tire
• flowers from an anonymous admirer
• a free upgrade to first-class on an overseas flight
• a “gunshot” that turns out to be [an exploding baked potato, lightning, a vehicle collision]
• a horse that shies at _____
• a “male” dog that has a litter of puppies
• a nest of fire ants
• a one-star review on a book
• a parking ticket
• a pearl in an oyster someone is eating
• a phone call from an ex who hasn’t called the character in years
• a porch pirate who turns out to be [the character’s ex, a homeless person, a raccoon, a raven, a relative]
• a robbery where only [something cheap and/or insignificant] is stolen
• a slip and fall on the ice
• a speeding ticket
• a two-headed chicken
• the turndown of a marriage proposal

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2 thoughts on “ 200+ Ways to Say “Surprised”: A Word List for Writers ”

Thanks for another helpful list.

Thanks, Lenny, and thanks for your vote at The Write Life. They now have several pages of comments, and I noticed yours on one of the pages.

You stay safe too! Unbelievable year. 🙁

ELA  /  2nd Grade  /  Alternate Unit 2: Awesome Insects

Awesome Insects

Students learn about insects and their impact on the natural world by asking and answering questions about informational texts in order to become inquisitive, active readers.

Alternate Unit 2

• Text and Materials

Unit Summary

In this unit, students learn about insects and the impact insects have on the natural world. Students will learn the unique characteristics of insects, how insects can be both beneficial and destructive, and the stages of an insect’s life cycle. By the end of the unit, students will have a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the beauty of the insect world.

This unit consists of predominantly shared reading experiences to help students practice different reading strategies and skills. Students will continue to be inquisitive, active consumers of texts by asking and answering questions, and they will continue to deepen their understanding of the role text features and illustrations play in helping a reader better understand the content of a text. Students will also begin to explore the connections between scientific ideas and concepts using cause-and-effect language and will continue to strengthen their habits of discussion as they debate and analyze key ideas of the unit. 

When discussing the texts, students continue to focus on following agreed-upon rules for discussions and sharing their ideas with partners, small groups, and the whole class. Previously, students focused on clarifying and sharing their thoughts during a discussion, and in this unit, students work on engaging with the thinking of others by building on others’ talk. Students practice linking their comments to the remarks of others and asking and answering questions to clarify understanding or gather more information.

Students continue to build writing fluency by writing daily in response to the Target Task question. Students learn how to use frequently occurring conjunctions as a way of including stronger, more nuanced answers to questions. Additionally, students build their informational writing skills by participating in two shared research projects. Students learn how to conduct research, how to brainstorm and outline paragraphs, and how to include facts, definitions, and text features to support a point.

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Texts and Materials

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Core Materials

Book:  Insect Bodies by Bobbie Kalman and Molly Aloian (Crabtree Pub Co. 2005)   —  IG570L

Book:  Insect Life Cycles by Bobbie Kalman and Molly Aloian (Crabtree Publishing Company, 2005)   —  NC760L

Book:  Insectlopedia by Douglas Florian (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2002)

Book:  Helpful and Harmful Insects by Bobbie Kalman and Molly Aloian (Crabtree Pub Co. 2005)   —  NC790L

Book:  Ants by Melissa Stewart (National Geographic Kids, 2010)   —  470L

Book:  Bees by Laura Marsh (National Geographic Kids, 2016)   —  530L

Book:  Ladybug (Grow With Me) by Kate Briggs (Creative Paperbacks)

Assessment Text:  “The Life Cycle of an Ant” by Hadley Dyer; Bobbie Kalman (Crabtree Pub Co)   —  NC870LL

Supporting Materials

• Images of insects and non-insects
• Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

These assessments accompany this unit and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.

Download Content Assessment

Download Content Assessment Answer Key

Download Cold Read Assessment

Download Cold Read Assessment Answer Key

Intellectual Prep

Suggestions for how to prepare to teach this unit

Before you teach this unit, unpack the texts, themes, and core standards through our guided intellectual preparation process. Each Unit Launch includes a series of short videos, targeted readings, and opportunities for action planning to ensure you're prepared to support every student.

Essential Questions

The central thematic questions addressed in the unit or across units

• What impact do insects have on the natural world?

Reading Focus Areas

To understand details in an informational text, readers think about how details are connected.

Text features help the reader clarify their understanding about a particular idea or topic.

Writing Focus Areas

Informational writing.

Participate in shared research and writing projects.

Introduce the topic.

Use facts, definitions, and text features to support a point.

Speaking and Listening Focus Areas

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions.

Build on others' talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.

Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.

Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text

abdomen adult antennae aphid arthropod characteristics cocoon compound eyes colony egg emerge exoskeleton fertile hatch hive host honeycomb larva metamorphosis mouthparts molt nectar nymph parasite pest pollination pollinate pollen pupa scavenger solitary social thorax venom wing bud

To see all the vocabulary for Unit 2, view our 2nd Grade Vocabulary Glossary .

Supporting All Students

In order to ensure that all students are able to access the texts and tasks in this unit, it is incredibly important to intellectually prepare to teach the unit prior to launching the unit. Use the intellectual preparation protocol and the Unit Launch to determine which support students will need. To learn more, visit the Supporting all Students teacher tool.

Content Knowledge and Connections

Fishtank ELA units related to the content in this unit.

• Pollination
• Produce products like honey, beeswax, and silk
• Eat harmful insects, dead or dying animals, or animal droppings
• Destroy crops, trees, wooden buildings, and clothes
• Carry diseases, bite, or sting.
• Exoskeleton
• Three body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen
• Compound eyes
• Two antennae
• Mouthparts on their head
• Wings are not an insect characteristic; only some insects have wings.
• Complete (Four steps: egg, larva, pupa, adult)
• Incomplete (Three steps: egg, nymph, adult)

Previous Fishtank ELA Connections

• Kindergarten ELA - Exploring Life Cycles
• 2nd Grade ELA - Exploring Habitats

Future Fishtank ELA Connections

• 3rd Grade ELA - Understanding the Animal Kingdom

Identify key information about insect bodies by reading with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

RI.2.1 RI.2.4 RI.2.5

Identify and explain characteristics of an insect by identifying and explaining key details in a text Read Aloud.

Discussion & Writing

• Insect Bodies

Explain which of the following images are insects by using organizing categories to defend claims or opinions about a content-related topic.

L.2.1.f RI.2.4 RI.2.7 SL.2.1 SL.2.2 W.2.1 W.2.5

Identify key information about insect life cycles by reading with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

RF.2.3 RF.2.4 RI.2.1 RI.2.3 RI.2.5

Describe the key phases in a complete insect life cycle by using text features and details to describe the connection between scientific ideas.

RI.2.2 RI.2.5

Describe the differences between a complete and incomplete metamorphosis using text features and details to describe the connection between scientific ideas.

RI.2.3 RI.2.5 RI.2.7

Explain what happens at each stage of the life cycle by using picture clues and details to sequence events.

L.2.1.f RI.2.3 SL.2.1 SL.2.2 SL.2.6 W.2.2

Identify key information about ants by reading with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

RF.2.3 RF.2.4 RI.2.1 RI.2.2 RI.2.5 RI.2.7

Argue why an ant would or would not survive in a rainforest habitat by using organizing categories to defend claims or opinions about a content-related topic.

L.2.1.f SL.2.1 SL.2.2 W.2.1

Describe the impact bees have on the natural world using key details from the text.

RF.2.3 RF.2.4 RI.2.1 RI.2.2

Describe a bee’s world by noticing key details in the text and using relevant vocabulary.

RF.2.3 RF.2.4 RI.2.2 RI.2.4 RI.2.5

Determine the main purpose of a text by reading with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

RF.2.3 RF.2.4 RI.2.5 RI.2.6

Argue why a bee would or would not survive in a rainforest habitat by using organizing categories to defend claims or opinions about a content-related topic.

L.2.1.f SL.2.1 SL.2.2 SL.2.6 W.2.1

Informative Writing  – 3 days

• Ladybug (Grow With Me)
• Variety of nonfiction insect books

Describe an insect’s life cycle by writing an informational text that uses researched facts, images, and definitions to explain what you learned.

L.2.1.f L.2.4 RI.2.3 RI.2.4 RI.2.5 W.2.2 W.2.5 W.2.7

Explain how the author uses poetry to describe an insect.

RL.2.4 SL.2.5

Identify the different ways insects can be both helpful and harmful and explain one reason why by using text features and details to describe the connection between scientific concepts.

RI.2.3 RI.2.6 RI.2.8

Identify the different ways insects can be both helpful and harmful, and explain one reason why by using text features and details to describe the connection between scientific concepts.

RI.2.2 RI.2.3 RI.2.8

Argue why it would be a good or bad thing if all the insects in our world suddenly disappeared by using organizing categories to defend claims or opinions about a content–related topic.

Informative Writing  – 5 days

Describe an insect by writing an informational text that uses researched facts, images, and definitions to explain what they learned.

L.2.1.f L.2.2.e L.2.4.e W.2.2 W.2.5 W.2.7

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Design a make-believe insect.

• Identify and label your insect with the key characteristics of an insect. Explain how your insect uses each key characteristic.
• Create a life cycle for your insect. Use key vocabulary to describe what happens at each stage of the life cycle.
• Explain why your insect is helpful or harmful.
• Share your insect with the class.

SL.2.1 SL.2.5 SL.2.6 W.2.2 W.2.5

Common Core Standards

Core standards.

The content standards covered in this unit

Language Standards

L.2.1 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

L.2.1.a — Use collective nouns (e.g., group).

L.2.1.f — Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action movie was watched by the little boy).

L.2.2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

L.2.2.e — Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

L.2.4 — Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.

L.2.4.e — Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases.

L.2.6 — Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy).

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills

RF.2.3 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

RF.2.4 — Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Reading Standards for Informational Text

RI.2.1 — Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

RI.2.2 — Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.

RI.2.3 — Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.

RI.2.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.

RI.2.5 — Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.

RI.2.6 — Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

RI.2.7 — Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.

RI.2.8 — Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.

RI.2.10 — By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2—3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Reading Standards for Literature

RL.2.4 — Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

Speaking and Listening Standards

SL.2.1 — Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

SL.2.2 — Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

SL.2.5 — Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

SL.2.6 — Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

Writing Standards

W.2.1 — Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

W.2.2 — Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

W.2.5 — With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.

W.2.7 — Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).

Supporting Standards

Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit

L.2.3.a — Compare formal and informal uses of English.

L.2.4.a — Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

L.2.4.c — Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).

L.2.5.a — Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy).

W.2.6 — With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

Cinderella Around the World

Belonging and Friendship: Pinky and Rex

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