creative writing description of the countryside

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countryside - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

• being outdoorsy
• cross country running
• cross country running spikes
• factory farming
• wishing well
• woodland walk

The countryside is tree and birdsong together in one sensory palette.

The countryside peeks up from her green quilts into the springtime blue-white heavens.

The countryside glows green in the light of a bright sun.

The countryside coaxes my inner energy to flow in ways that weave my soul into the land.

The countryside expands her lungs, raising up land that is her glowing skin.

In this expanse of green there are more hues than anyone has ever named, yet here they are for any eye to see. The land rolls as it always has, as if it feels that time and space are one thing, that it rolls through the ages as much as to the horizon. Over it is laid a path, one that branches through the open landscape, and as I begin to walk there is a frisson of joy for all the choices to come, each one of them laden with discoveries.

The countryside beckoned. Today was a day of sunshine and rambling for Eddie, with way too many apples packing out his bag. The sunshine was brilliant but not yet with the heat of late spring. The fields were no longer swathes of rutted mud, each one was softly verdant, the new stems ruffled by the light breeze. The hills rolled like a casually laid eiderdown quilt, rising and falling in soft waves. Eddie walked up the muddy path, his senses soaking in the changes since he had last walked this way in winter. The air had more warmth and more fragrance. The music to meet his ears was an auditory painting from the winged artists as they called, sung and raised their new families in the treetops.

The countryside had been put to sleep under a blanket of white. The boughs glistened with frost; the air hung silent and cold. The only way in and out of the village was with a tow from the tractor; for five pounds Mr Green would attache a rope to your car and take you as far as the brow of scarface hill. The population of the village had doubled, the new half being made of snow and ice. It was odd to see the fields so quiet, the cows and pigs hiding in the warm barns and pens instead of roaming. Every Sunday afternoon of the big "snow in," right after church, every kid in the village got a ride to the top of Scarface in Mr Green's hay trailer so they could toboggan down, no cars allowed, just kids...

The countryside lay before him like a divine fingerprint, curving and changing, no two parts the same. In all the world this view was unique, such is the way of the organic world. The dip and sway of the land, the patterns and species of flora, the every changing sky and wind. Every day was a new snapshot in time, for even this one place, this view from one fine oak tree on a hill, could never be exactly the same two days in a row. Little by little the seasons would bring changes. River's mind wandered back to the far away city, his home, it had its rhythms too: the start and ending of school years, the vacations of summer and the winter festivals. Yet the countryside had a way of reminding him that he wasn't apart from nature, but a part of nature. Often on these travels he'd reach out to touch the bark of the trees as he passed or feel the softness of new leaves...

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Essays About the Countryside: Top 5 Examples And Prompts

Escaping to the great outdoors offers a breath of fresh air. If you are writing essays about the countryside, here are examples and prompts to inspire you.

The countryside is our most natural environment and offers tranquillity to millions. Many of us know the benefit of a trip to a quiet beach, a remote village, or a hike in the mountains. In our fast-paced world, visiting the countryside can provide peace and serenity.

Nature, rural life, and the countryside are sources of inspiration for writers and have helped some of the most prolific authors conceive and perfect their works. Our natural world has been the setting of beloved, timeless classics, such as A Year in Provence, Wuthering Heights, and The Darling Buds of May, to name a few.

If you are required to write a great essay about the countryside, have a look at some of the essay examples listed below.

1. Growing Up on the Farm by Loren Pool

2. a country childhood: growing up in rural suffolk by abbey ellis, 3. the blissful province life by carol padua montero, 4. through the eyes of a farm kid by molly schmitt, 5. the magic of growing up by the sea…and why you’ll never be quite as happy anywhere else by rebecca ley, 1. what is the countryside to you, 2. how can the countryside form you as a person, 3. why is the countryside so idealized in literature, 4. should you move to the countryside.

“As time passed on the farm, more neighbors built homes and moved in. They had children closer to my age, and we all became fast friends. The farms became our playgrounds. Those friendships have been a lifelong connection that we still have today. We played in the silo, the haystacks, and the cattle fields. I’ll bet that some went home with a little cow poop on them. More than once, we had “cow pie training.” It was a good time that I was able to share with a lot of friends.”

In this article, Pool reminisces on his rural countryside upbringing on the family farm. He remembers the activities he took part in, the lessons learned, and most importantly, the connections he made. He also laments the continuing disappearance of family farms across the country as the world becomes more advanced and feels sad for all the children who will not be able to have the same experiences as he did growing up on the farm. 

“If the photographs in this picture aren’t enough to convince you, the countryside really is a beautiful place to grow up. When you’re a child, you definitely don’t feel sufficiently grateful for the beauty all around you, but now, I appreciate it all the more. East Anglia is full of tiny, picturesque villages, and even the cities are lovely. Norwich will always be one of my favourite places for a day out. The lack of light pollution at night time is another wonderful aspect of countryside living. Being able to gaze up at the beautiful stars on a clear evening is a magical experience, something I definitely wouldn’t trade.”

Ellis explores aspects of rural living based on her own childhood in Suffolk, England. She remembers the inconveniences she experienced and, in contrast, recalls the peace and beauty she observed in the countryside and the lessons she learned there. She ultimately concludes that after having lived in both the country and the city, she would not trade the life of her childhood; however, she would also be comfortable in a small village with some semblance of urban living.

“Life brings simple pleasures. Simple pleasures are the most satisfying that life has to offer. The morning coffee, being outside under a warm blue sky, hanging out with loved ones after dinner, a beautiful view, having a good laugh, sleeping in on a rainy day. There are lots of things to be satisfied about. The province life is living a simple but carefree life.”

This reflection is author Carol Padua Montero’s retelling of the time that she and her partner Neil visited her childhood home in Aurora province in the Philippines. She recalls their activities, their food, and the simple joys of being with family and nature. She emphasizes the easygoing manner of provincial Filipinos: despite not having as much, they live a happy life. 

“On our 300-cow dairy, we are in full swing chopping and baling hay, which means long days full of fieldwork and scrambling to fit chores and milking in between sun-up and sun-down. One of the best parts? Watching my nieces and nephews soak in all the craziness in the most innocent of ways. Their disbelief at how tall the corn is, how massive the pile of silage gets, or how much a calf’s tongue tickles as it licks them reminds me just how amazing our job is.”

Molly Schmitt describes her life as a farmer and as a “farm kid” in the countryside, where she has spent her whole life. She details her daily routine with her family and her children, but the most dominant part of her essay is about her own childhood. She recalls ten childhood memories that she cherishes dearly, involving family, food, and, of course, the farm. 

“There is a beautiful sandy beach on your doorstep, replete with endless rockpools. And all you have to do is to fling open the front door and walk for five minutes, and you’re on top of a cliff, with 180-degree views of the sea, salt wind in your face.”

Ley’s reflection on country life is quite introspective, as she remembers her life by the sea as a child, particularly the house she was raised in. She remembers how she felt in the serene, idyllic setting, exploring both the highs and lows of living there. But she comes to feel conflicted over the house as her mother considers selling it. She ultimately resigns to the idea of having to let go of that house after so many years, teaching us all a lesson about moving on. 

4 Writing Prompts On Essays about the Countryside

Your personal experience may provide the best inspiration. Reflect on your experiences of the countryside, and think about how it makes you feel— happy, sad, scared, or lonely? Do not let others’ experiences influence you; focus on yourself. And if necessary, take a trip to the countryside and get some fresh perspective.

Many of the writers above mention in their essays or articles that the countryside taught them valuable life lessons. Consider the differences between everyday events in the country and the city. For example, growing up or going to school in either environment. How might these events compare and impact you?

As stated previously, the countryside is the setting of some of the most famous tales of all time. What draws authors to romanticize the countryside and make it the location of their story? You can also connect this to your own feelings toward the countryside. Do your feelings complement or contradict the author’s narrative?

This is a great argumentative essay topic to write about. List the advantages and disadvantages of country living and conclude whether it would be beneficial to live in the countryside or not. There is a wealth of research on the benefits of living in the countryside that you can draw on.

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

About Words – Cambridge Dictionary blog

Commenting on developments in the English language

Describing landscapes

by  Kate Woodford

Have you ever wanted to describe an area of the countryside but found you didn’t have the right words? If so, we’ll fix that this week with a look at words and phrases that we use to describe different landscapes .

To start with the most basic description, an area of land that is mainly covered with grass or trees is often described as green : There are so few green spaces in the city. An area that is especially green, in a way that is attractive, may also be described as lush : lush green valleys . A more literary word for this is verdant : All around her were verdant meadows.

Meanwhile, a landscape that has few or no plants because there is so little rain may be described as arid : Few animals can survive in this arid desert landscape. (A technical description for an area that has little rain but is not completely dry is semi-arid : a semi-arid zone. )

Land that is extremely dry because rain has not fallen for a long time is often said to be parched : parched earth/fields. Sun-baked , meanwhile, describes land that is hard and dry because it has received so little rain for so long: The sun-baked earth was full of cracks.

Other words describe the shape of the land. A hilly area has lots of hills: The countryside round here is very hilly. The phrase rolling hills is often used in descriptions of attractive landscapes with many gentle hills: Everywhere you look, there are rolling hills. The rather literary word undulating is also used to describe this type of landscape: This picturesque village is surrounded by undulating hills.

Meanwhile, a landscape with bigger hills – mountains – is mountainous : a mountainous region . If those mountains have snow on the top, they are often referred to as snow-capped : a snow-capped mountain range.

Still with the shape of the land, craggy describes an area with lots of rocks sticking out: a craggy coastline. Rugged is very similar, describing an area of land that is wild and not flat: These photographs really capture the rugged landscape of the region.

Of course, not all landscapes are green and hilly. An area may be flat . If there are no trees, hills or other interesting features, it may appear rather featureless : It was a grey, featureless landscape.

Two negative adjectives that are sometimes used to describe featureless landscapes are bleak and desolate . Both are used for areas of the countryside that seem empty and cold, with nothing pleasant to look at: The house stands on a bleak hilltop.

Another adjective sometimes used in this context is windswept . A windswept area of land has no trees or other high structures to protect it from the wind: The picture shows a desolate, windswept landscape.

When were you last out in the countryside? How would you describe the landscape?

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48 thoughts on “ Describing landscapes ”

I was born in the countryside so my village is surrounded by beautiful green landscapes. It’s situated near the delta of the river Volga which is the longest river in Europe. Though a little bit far from the river there are sun-baked steppes. Some people find them featureless but I think every place on the Earth has its own charm. You can even see barkhan dunes there. It’s an amazing view. Last month I spent my holidays in Phuket, Thailand. It has so wonderful hilly landscape. There are so many jaw-dropping views there. It’s worth to be seen. Thank you for your posts! They all are very helpful!

That’s a very nice descriptive piece, Ekaterina. Thank you for that!

If you make an interesting blog about soccer star and teams, I shall gladly read it. Including teams in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and the UEFA Champions League would be so nice.

I agree with you, Ekaterina there is no place on the earth without a special way of charming.

They are so stressing to me. I have so many books assigned and now I have to read this??!!!

Lush green vegetation from the Isle of Spice, is what I am looking at when I look out the window.

Lucky you! Sounds fabulous.

You got a point there

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My live in Cauquenes a little town in Chile , this place is surrounded by trees and lush green areas, rather verdant meadows, my country also has the most arid desert in the world “Atacama Desert” amazing place to visit; for the most part of the center of the country we can find a semi-arid zone, mind-blowing beaches, rivers and rolling hills all converging in the central zone (which I live) quite mountainous by the way.

Thank you for the help with my vocabulary. regards.

You’re very welcome, Felipe! Thank you for the lovely description.

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When I go to Tarhona, my countryside, the green spaces (the farms) in front of my eyes, the blue spaces (the sky) above my head and the golden spaces (the sand dune) behind my back is the poem that makes me dance with the pleasure of colours.

I live in a small town and like most of our inhabitants I also live in a block of flats. It doesn’t sound interesting at all but when I look out of the window I can see Black Sea coastline, I can sea its “mood” changing, its melting sunset and from the other window I can see mountains and today they are snow-capped they seem to exhale frosty air on our town. When I see these views I feel the eternity of life and nothing can trouble me.

I live in the main part of the city in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. I hardly find green spaces in the city. But God’s grace there is a park nearby where one can find some trees.

I used to live in a mountainous city, Amman – Jordan. Around 3 millions people is living on a 7 mountains. Transportation is not that easy in the city, in which lots of people still using long concrete stairs to move.

I am from Ipele in Nigeria, a beautiful small town surrounded by hills. Everywhere you turn your eyes, you see rolling hills so green and full of life. Should you move towards the eastern part of the town, you will encounter different species of trees hanging on the hills in a way that one will find it difficult to explain the friendship between nature and creation. Running slowing is a stream that runs from up one of the hills to form a pool at the lower valley. The pool is known as Ashiyan. At the other side and near the pool is another hill from under which a small spring do come out to form a small pool called Lala. The two pools are together but their water do not mix. Lala’s water is so crystal clear that people mostly take it for drinking while that of Ashiyan is brownish. It was rumored that if the two waters are put in the same glass bottle, the bottle will break. A remarkable observation is that the butterflies playing on the two pools are equally different as well. Colourful butterflies can be seen on Ashiyan while only white butterflies are seen on Lala. The breeze in the area is always lovingly cool no matter how hot the heat of the sunshine. Adding to the scene of the place are the melodious and beautiful sounds coming from the birds on the surrounding trees. The place possesses its own remarkable and special way of charming that is so striking.

lovely description

I live in Noida, India and it has very few green spaces left due to rapid urbanisation and industrialization. However, we can get to see lush in few parks but that is not sufficient for a healthy environment.

I live in hilly area, which could be described as countryside. The town is surrounded by trees and wood. There is many rolling hill and lush green landscapes.

please write about describing wind movement ( like windy day …) and also for rivers. Thankyou for this post . It is very helpful

Hi Meetu. Thanks for your nice comment. This blog might be of interest? https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/04/26/sweltering-torrential-and-gusty-interesting-words-for-talking-about-weather/

Thank you very much for your reply. It is very helpful for us.

It is a very profitable blog post for me. I’ve enjoyed reading this. It is very informative and useful post.

Region where i live is featureless. i would love to reside near hilly or mountainous areas.however,in my country there is a huge lack of green spaces.

Hey i want to learn how to describe a landscape(which ever it is) in the most catching way. Can you help me out?

Reblogged this on NaN .

I was trying to do Geography homework and this didnt help at all.

Thank you very much, that was interesting !

Could you make an article about words describing the beauty of landscapes, like bucolic (or pastoral), and with adjectives or adverbs who help to imagine this beauty, like “as far as the eye can see”, please ? Thank you ! 😉

My hometown is a small village located in southeast of China where hilly spaces are everywhere covered with lush green forest. Far away from bustling city, inhabitants are living a slow-paced life-style here. Geographically, there is no mountain, no particularly worth-mentioning landscape. It would be a generally a flat and featureless land if it were without green spaces. Characterizing by a multitude of elderly people as the young are seeking prosperous in big city, my hometown has became a place without vitality.

Very helpful.

Dear Kate, Thank you for sharing the knowledge which is of great help for me.

Pingback: Describing landscapes – About Words – Cambridge Dictionaries Online blog | Qaawyrd-english

Thanks for your good explaination of landscapes

You’re very welcome!

Thanks for the lesson how I can express my emotions when I see different landscapes.

One of the most charming and picturesque places I’ve ever visited is by far the legendary Peles Castle, located nearby Sinaia, a mountainous Romania’s region. Well-known for being the first castle in Europe on having electricity, central heating, an elevator and even a mobile glass ceiling, among other innovative things, it’s surrounded by glamorous and lush gardens full of fantastic statues and vantage points with breathtaking views. If you want to escape the daily pressures of life, enjoying fascinatingly verdant and unspoilt places, Peles Castle and its undulating hills is definitely the one I’d recommend visiting. Exceeds all visitor’s expectations.

Well, Mihaela, you’ve made me really want to visit it! It sounds fantastic. Best wishes from Cambridge.

This is the way to learn English writing! This article is gem! Are there more articles like this? Thank you Kate!

Hi! Thank you so much! We haven’t written any more specifically on this theme, but we publish one every week (on a Wednesday) so do keep checking in. Also, you can search for posts containing specific words using the search facility on the right. Best wishes from Cambridge!

What an informative article never knew there were so many different ways to say landscaping. thanks again

Thanks, Hector! I’m so glad you found it interesting.

I live in a extraordinary place and wow. The hills are hilly and greens are greeny.

Thank you! It’s very useful!

Thanks you so much

I live in an urban area, with countless block storeys and not mush spacing between them. The landscape is more or less a featureless and craggy. Looking across the horizon, there are many trees across and rolling hills at the far ends.

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akexodia Member

Describing British country.

Discussion in ' Setting Development ' started by akexodia , Nov 16, 2013 .

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); Apart from describing the weather and the the architecture, what can I use to describe a British countryside/ rural county so that the reader can feel what the characters are feeling ? My plot is majorly based in a fictional County which is not suburban in nature. Lately, I've felt that I'm tending to use the weather and architecture in the narrative a lot. Any suggestions ?  

Duchess-Yukine-Suoh Girl #21 Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); Describe the emerald green of the hills that stretched on and on forever, the beautiful blue sky, the rusty-red of the barn, etc. There's a lot to describe if you look around.  

Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); akexodia said: ↑ Apart from describing the weather and the the architecture, what can I use to describe a British countryside/ rural county so that the reader can feel what the characters are feeling ? My plot is majorly based in a fictional County which is not suburban in nature. Lately, I've felt that I'm tending to use the weather and architecture in the narrative a lot. Any suggestions ? Click to expand...

obsidian_cicatrix I ink, therefore I am. Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); Oops... apologies... near duplicate post.  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); Although I live in Northern Ireland, it's still considered part of Great Britain. The wonderful thing about the scenery here, is that it constantly changes. When looking out a car window, you might see bright green meadows, deep green forest, rolling hills, barren looking autumnal coloured scrub, and moorland tinged with the purple and pink hues of heather. And all in a matter of minute's drive. Give the seasons consideration, too. A field of sprouting veg looks very different from a freshly ploughed or harvested field, or a field of Rape. All in all, a great colour palette to work with. Edit: And while I remember, it's also not uncommon to find really old stone circles, dolmens, court tombs, fairy rings and other reminders of bygone days.  

chicagoliz Contributor Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); I'm assuming that you are personally familiar with the geographic locale where you have set your story. You don't have to go on for pages about the physical setting, except insofar as they affect your character. The locale and sense of place will ooze through while you are describing your character and what is going on. The place will affect what your character does -- the weather, and the places he visits, how he commutes, the people with whom he interacts. If you concentrate on what is going on with your character, the setting should creep in, because the setting is affecting what the character is doing and feeling.  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); obsidian_cicatrix said: ↑ Although I live in Northern Ireland, it's is still considered part of Great Britain. The wonderful thing about the scenery here, is that it constantly changes. When looking out a car window, you might see bright green meadows, deep green forest, rolling hills, barren looking autumnal coloured scrub, and moorland tinged with the purple and pink hues of heather. And all in a matter of minute's drive. Give the seasons consideration, too. Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); @ akexodia Ta. As much as this place has had a lot of bad press over the years, it has a lot going for it.  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); chicagoliz said: ↑ I'm assuming that you are personally familiar with the geographic locale where you have set your story. You don't have to go on for pages about the physical setting, except insofar as they affect your character. The locale and sense of place will ooze through while you are describing your character and what is going on. The place will affect what your character does -- the weather, and the places he visits, how he commutes, the people with whom he interacts. If you concentrate on what is going on with your character, the setting should creep in, because the setting is affecting what the character is doing and feeling. Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); obsidian_cicatrix said: ↑ @ akexodia Ta. As much as this place has had a lot of bad press over the years, it has a lot going for it. Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); akexodia said: ↑ I'm not familiar with British countrysides, as in, I've never been to one. I need to include it because it is where my second story starts (picking up where the first one ended.) However, I've done all the research I could on my part. I must say I've fallen in love with that place and so I want to make it as realistic as I can. The setting is reflecting in my writing, but I feel that in some part of the narrative it is becoming a tad repetitive. Click to expand...

erebh Banned Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); obsidian_cicatrix said: ↑ Although I live in Northern Ireland, . Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); erebh said: ↑ didn't they just make game of thrones in the north? Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); @ akexodia It's been said, I don't have a romantic bone in my body, so I'll take that as a compliment.  

jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

RobT Active Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); Go to Google maps and drop the little man on an area of countryside and you'll see first hand.  

Laze Active Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); Lemex said: ↑ Having lived in the English countryside for most of my life, my best advice is to talk about how utterly bland and featureless the British countryside actually is. Fields and fields of nothing but a few groupings of trees and random road junctions into tiny villages I assure you you will not be able to pronounce. Click to expand...

Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); I grew up in this part of the country, but never really appreciated it until I became involved with someone who had never visited the area before. I gained an appreciation by learning to see it through her eyes. Find the right eyes to describe your setting. An objective view is only a starting point.  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); obsidian_cicatrix said: ↑ I don't have a romantic bone in my body Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); Ha ha!!! How did I miss that... have you been indulging in naughty audio commentary for the visually impaired again?  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); @ jannert , you are completely right. jannert said: ↑ Lemex's description of the many fields and little villages and crossroads is also fairly common in some areas ...probably more in England than Scotland. There are flat bits, open bits, wooded bits, mountains lakes and lochs, seacoast, sea lochs, rivers, villages, towns, cities, urban sprawl ...quite a diverse landscape, actually. The border between Scotland and England is bleak and beautiful, with rolling hills and not much else. Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); Lemex said: ↑ @ jannert , you are completely right. Your post made me nostalgic for Scotland, though, it's where I feel at home. I miss the Highlands more than anything right now. Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); jannert said: ↑ And of course, passed the turnoff to Ft Augustus on the A-9, both ways back down to Glasgow. Do you still have family in the highlands? Do you ever get back up for a visit? I hope so. The Borders are fascinating as well. They feel significant in some way, and once you've crossed them in either direction you know you're in a different country. Hadrian's Wall? Don't get me started. Just LOVE it. The landscape around it in some places has hardly changed since it was built. Very atmospheric. Click to expand...

art Contributor Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); Hedgerows, a very common feature of the British rural landscape*, significantly shape the nature of your experience as you travel about the place. The sweeping hills are there but sit behind walls of green and are often only fleetingly glimpsed through decrepit gates. Frustration is a central feature of the traveller's experience. (That and a profound regret that he can't afford a Range Rover.) *Much less true of the moorlands and flatlands.  

Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_da9a9dffaf9b75587be61bbd8250febc'); }); What are some festivities that might be uniquely British? Say, bonfire night, pancake day, daily telegraph news stands reporting on the royal family. How about mentioning some chains? - I don't really know if any of these chains are "British", but say, Accessorize, Millie's Cookies, Greg's, Sainsbury's, Miss Selfridges, maybe throw in a few British pubs. Fox and Hound, Hungry Horse, Queen's Head - these are not names you usually find outside of England I think. People laughing about Stephen Fry or Jonathan Ross, Little Britain, the X Factor hype over the summer and then the Christmas number one. Right now the heated debate on immigration and the Roma community and budget cuts - if these things were in your character's conversation it'd probably give a pretty realistic sense of the UK right now. Ooh, and don't forget Doctor Who. Use British terminology - chips rather than fries, crisps rather than chips, biscuits rather than cookies (though we do also have cookies lol), scones are not biscuits, rubber rather than eraser, lorry, not truck, brolly - slang for umbrella, sweets rather than candy. I've heard darling is supposed to be quite "British" too. Of course then there's the American favourite of using "bloody" to indicate anything as English, but it could work lol in dialogue. What do your characters eat? Do they have cravings for fish and chips with vinegar and gravy? Chicken korma? Spotted dick? Walker's crisps? Toad in a hole? Yorkshire pudding? Cream tea? How do they take their tea? - put some milk in it Have a cuppa, as we say. Or when we don't like something, we might say, "It's not my cup of tea." In other words, don't just describe generic views. There's only so many times you can write "rolling hills" and "verdant fields" before it blends together and gets dull. Throw in some specifics - when your character's walking around town, what does he/she see? What strikes me whenever I go back is how polished everything seems, the massive sales signs plastered from wall to wall all along the street, the subways and McDonald's and Top Shop and then nestled in between are all the charity shops. Don't leave out the charity shops. Oxfam, British Heart Foundation, Sue Ryder, always in tiny buildings with flaking paint and probably a metal wire basket out front with discounted books and other bits, sweet old ladies manning the till and chattering away with the latest customer about a particularly pretty piece of jewellery or the fact that this little ornament came in just yesterday. Buses are never on time and when the sun's out, all hell breaks loose because in 2 hours' time it'll be gone, you can bet your life on it On the sunny days you'll find people mowing their lawns and doing bits of gardening, a national hobby. Walk into any pub and there's probably a 2 for £10 meal deal or lunch deal on, a student favourite would be Wetherspoons with its steak nights and curry nights. There're trees around the roundabouts and beside the motorways just before you leave the city. There're nearly always pigeons. Swans are the queen's property but nobody really cares.  

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Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.

How to Describe a Farm in a Story

By Isobel Coughlan

Are you writing a farm setting and need some help? Below you’ll learn how to describe a farm in a story through using 10 words as a basis.

Somewhere or something that smells unpleasant .

“As soon as she stepped onto the stinky farm, she felt nauseous and wanted to run away.”

“He hated the stinky farm, but he put up with it because of his love for the animals .

How it Adds Description

The word “stinky” provides extra insight into the farm setting smells, which can build up a vivid picture for your reader. Additionally, if a character calls a farm “stinky,” it shows they find the smell of the animals unpleasant and want to leave. “Stinky” could also point to a lack of hygiene or cleanliness on the farm.

Somewhere that’s typical of the countryside or more simple.

“Despite the changes in the modern world, the rustic farm always remained the same.”

“The rustic farm was behind the times, but it felt like home to her. She was always comfortable here.”

“Rustic” is an adjective commonly associated with farms and countryside dwellings. This word shows the setting is more rural or simple, giving more details on what the society is like there. If a character uses the word “rustic,” it could hint they enjoy the simplicity of the farm.

Somewhere that’s quiet and calm.

“As the sun set above the serene farm, all the animals gathered around to watch the magnificent display.”

“He laid down amongst the hay and took in the beauty of the serene farm.”

“Serene” shows your farm is a calm place to be, which sets it up as a positive setting. You can use this peaceful atmosphere to show characters feel comfortable and safe at the farm, and thus it can contrast negative places in your novel. “Serene” also hints that the place is away from the chaos of big cities.

Somewhere that’s uncomplicated or basic.

“He was sick of the simple farm. He knew he was destined for the buzz of the city.”

“The simple farm wasn’t exciting, but it was safe, and that’s all that mattered.”

Farms can be “simple” if they lack the technology and comforts of modern life. If a character deems the farm “simple,” it may mean they think it’s old-fashioned or boring. However, “simple” can also be positive, especially if a character finds comfort in the setting’s simplicity.

Somewhere very busy .

“She looked over her fence at the lively farm. There was always something dramatic going on there.”

“The lively farm was home to one hundred chickens, fifty pigs, thirty-five cows, and two humans.”

Not all farms are still and peaceful! If you want to convey your farm as a busy and bustling place, the word “lively” is apt. This shows your farm is full of events, people, and animals. Describing your fictional farm as “lively” can also foreshadow exciting events in the future, as there’s a positive buzz about the setting.

6. Peculiar

Somewhere strange, unpleasant, or unusual .

“I don’t feel good at that peculiar farm. Something is going on behind those barn doors…”

“She glanced across the road to the peculiar farm. Something or somebody was lurking in the chicken coop.”

If you’re trying to set a strange or mysterious tone to the farm, the word “peculiar” can help. This adjective implies that something odd is happening at the farm, and the use of this word can show your characters are unsettled or scared. This can also build up suspense and foreshadow a scary or intense plot point.

7. Colossal

Something that’s extremely large.

“The new colossal farm was an eyesore on the landscape. You couldn’t ignore its gray walls and endless fields.”

“The village has barely enough space as it is! We don’t have room for a colossal farm here.”

“Colossal” is an adjective that emphasizes the large size of something. Therefore, using it to describe your fictional farm shows just how large the settlement is. When used by a character, “colossal” can show awe at the farm’s size. However, “colossal” can also be used to show a character’s dislike of the large farm when paired with negative language.

Somewhere that’s attractive and old-fashioned.

“It was a quaint farm with painted shutters, old white picket fences, and gingham curtains.”

“She dreamed of leaving the city and living on a quaint farm far away from her modern troubles.”

“Quaint” shows that your farm is old-fashioned but in a cute or attractive way. This adjective also shows affection for a place. When used by a character, it may imply they have an emotional connection to the farm or are growing fond of it.

A place with lots of dirt.

“Though it was a mucky farm, the children weren’t phased. They dived straight into the mud and greeted the animals.”

“A mucky farm was her idea of hell, but she got on with the job to please the gorgeous farmer.”

If you want to show your farm is lived-in and home to animals, “mucky” is a good word to use. “Mucky” shows a farm is dirty, but not in a horrible way. This word is associated with mud and farmyard animals, and it can emphasize the authenticity of your setting.

10. Deserted

Somewhere without inhabitants .

“They drove past a deserted farm, but they didn’t dare stop. It wasn’t safe to poke around the property at night.”

“She examined the deserted farm with great fear. It was pristine, yet its owners had left without notice.”

If you’re building up an eerie or scary atmosphere, “deserted” can help. This adjective shows no one lives on your farm, and it hints that something bad happened there. A “deserted” farm is likely to be scary for your characters, and you can use it to show their fear.

How to Describe a Landscape

They are many and varied, so I’ll just touch on each. These, as usual, come from writing I admire, so don’t copy them. Use them to inspire your own creativity:

Dusty, flat, featureless land–is that your setting?

• Great sandstone outcropping
• Easing over humps and trenches, potholes and stone rivers, bashing through the trees where a track is blocked, the bucking climbs up steep eroded banks
• This wasn’t a Sahara-like desert of sand dunes. There were sporadic tufts of trees, acacia and baobab, and on-again off-again grasses and shrubs as far as the eye could see atop the brown earthen crust, a surface that looked as hard as stone and somehow even less inviting.
• A large outcropping of bundled roots from the remains of a dead baobab had broken free from the hard pack alongside the road and needed to be negotiated, a dry wadi that crossed the highway required downshifting to safely cross,
• The miles, the motion, the flat wide-open land, the twisted Joshua trees and the hot orange sunsets.
• because of the time and the approaching rain, followed small antelope trails instead of the larger buffalo trails, and in this way kept to a more direct route
• dust was everywhere—on leaves, branches, even on my teeth and lips
• Narrow rocky defile
• Beneath the jutting stone ledge, she sat hunched into a ball, knees tight against her chest, her damp clothes about her.

Or is it the rugged, craggy mountains of Alaska?

• distant harsh mountains are composed of granite, covered with thorny shrubs and acacia trees (Africa)
• mountains, thrusting spires of naked rock into the heavens so high that you would believe the very sky was pierced
• bounded on three sides by basalt outcrops and partially screened by brush
• followed the ridge down toward a patch of grass
• Olduvai appeared like a dark rift
• The river was a vigorous and optimistic blue
• back to a rotting log that some long-forgotten flood had deposited crossways on the spit
• mouth of a thick sulfurous stream
• watch the river (like a snake) to see the coiling of its muscular currents, catch the shimmering of waves that caught the sunlight like scales
• dry creek bed

How about a thick verdant forest, dappled with sun?

• the gallery forests of river red gum, various grasses, that lined the channels. Maybe a low-lying area where runoff from high ground collected after rain. Sometimes dense stands of mulga (acacia) woodland would grow there, where water was easiest to find in a desert.
• swallowed up by the jungle
• thickly scented spruce branches clutched at his clothes, slapped against his chest and shredded his hand
• thick forest that carpeted the uplands
• Along its length, cottonwoods had sprung up; young trees little more than twice a man’s height. Thick grass had carpeted the narrow strip
• Cracks like hardweed through a broken sidewalk
• Gordian knot of one-way streets
• he saw Russia. He saw its fields, steppes, villages and towns, all bleached white by the moon and bright stars.
• Contour lines
• Man-made objects
• Hawkes Pond gleamed through a very thin fringe of trees. It was a long narrow pond and across it the land rose up in a wooded hill crowned with power lines.
•  Splashing through somewhat deeper water, meter-tall sedge beds, speed is very slow and awkward.
• Reeds and cattails, bunchgrasses, dense thicket, (present as small mounds 10-15 cm tall
• Grass covers mounds, depressions that you would tend to stumble in as you walk
• Croc-infested rivers during rainy season would inhibit large mammal movement
• Mts (rain shadow), rivers (flood), lakes (subterranean water)
• African habitats (mosaic pattern): forests (groundcover is ferns), woodlands (ground cover is grasses, no canopy)), bushlands (tree species grow as bushes with multiple stems, more fruit) with thickets, shrublands (scrub or dwarf woodlands), grasslands, wooded grasslands, deserts
• Plants: euphorbia, cacti,
• Grassland—-plateau, open country, velds, scrubland, deep washes, wadis, gully, arroyo, wash, cut, creek
• Grasses—poacea Hyparrhenia diplandra, forbs, coarse and grows in tufts, euphorbia
• Savanna vegetation—corms, bulbs, tap roots, rhizomes
• Found a very nice outcropping of rocks just over the crest, the kind of place snakes love.

Copyright ©2022 worddreams.wordpress.com – All rights reserved.

Jacqui Murray  is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga,  Man vs. Nature  which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the  Rowe-Delamagente thrillers  and  Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy .  Her non-fiction includes over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, reviews as an  Amazon Vine Voice ,  a columnist for  NEA Today , and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction,  Savage Land,  Winter 2024 .

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52 thoughts on “ How to Describe a Landscape ”

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Thank you for this!! I’m 14 and writing my own book, and this was very helpful 🙂 I’ll definitely be coming back

Like Liked by 1 person

Well aren’t you amazing! You have so much fun ahead of you, as a writer. There are about 70 of these description lists. Enjoy them!

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Really good site thanks

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Brilliant post, I feel that the ability to describe landscapes is an indispensable skill that every author and poet must possess to a reasonable degree. The words hills and valleys are particularly beautiful to my eyes, reminds me of those wonderful opening lines from Marlowe’s poem “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”:

“Come live with me and be my love, And we will all the pleasures prove, That Valleys, groves, hills, and fields, Woods, or steepy mountain yields.”

I have a lot of respect for the likes of Peter Matthiessen, who can so beautifully describe nature.

I am not well acquainted with Matthiessen’s works, although I am aware of his well deserved and venerable reputation in literary circles. From the excerpts of his writings I have read, I agree that his prose is indeed rich with beautiful detail, and I plan to buy a copy of his Snow Leopard in the future.

One he is so well known for. I like “The Tree Where Man Was Born.”

Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner .

Thanks for the reblog!

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The description of the naked rocks piercing seemingly piercing the skies is amazing!

What a visual picture, hunh? I wonder how some of these writers come up with this stuff.

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I am amazed by the fact that, this blog is equally attractive for both young and old readers. I am 60 years old, have read a lot of books, used to write when I was in my teen years.I have plenty of time now, after bringing up my family on my own, recently discovered that spark still there, and this blog is icing on the cake, well done!! Keep it up!!!!

Thanks, Tahira. I’m over 60, so we’re almost like sisters. I did the same as you–waited until the two children were launched to ignite my love of reading and writing. Now, I’m in full bloom.

Great collection, Jacqui. It gives us plenty to build on with our own imaginations. Thanks for sharing. — Suzanne Joshi

For me, landscape is as much about atavistic reactions as what I see. I love reading authors who can really describe what they see.

Excellent post, Jacqui. What a collection you’ve amassed. I think what really makes a description stand out is the ability of the writer to make the reader feel familiar with the place, as though they’ve been there before. And that happens when the writer really knows exactly what he’s looking at, how it feels and smells, all the details that express the uniqueness as well the intimacy to be universal. I wonder how your very young readers/followers are doing now? Hope they are still writing. Nice that you attract a range of readers, all of whom find you blog helpful.

That is so tricky, too. These caught my attention because they did put me right there, even places I’ve never before been.

Reblogged this on The Well-Rounded Writer .

Thanks for the reblog, Elizabeth!

Love this. Really useful and inspiring terms!

I love nature. Writers grab me with great outdoor descriptions.

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When I’m describing a landscape, I find I either repeat myself (definite no-no) or my words are bland and boring. I need some pop and pizzazz.

That’s what made me start these lists. Seeing how others describe landscapes and dogs and emotions helps me tap my well of words. Thanks for visiting

I’m 15 and lately I’ve been having difficulty describing some scenes in the stories I write. I absolutely love this blog! It’s so creative, and it’s great that it’s here to help give me some inspiration!

This collection of ‘descriptors’ is perfect for you, Victoria. These are all from books I’ve read–how great authors describe whatever the topic is. Use them for inspiration. Let me know if you’re looking for any particular collection. Maybe I have it.

Here’s the whole list: https://worddreams.wordpress.com/category/descriptors/

very creative..loved this post..thanks for sharing and I really like your writing style Jacqui

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I’m new to writing, only 14 and your blog really helps me ^.^ Thanks a lot and I wish you the best of luck

You’re the perfect age to start writing. I wish I’d started then.

Thanks, a lot. That’s very useful.

These are some of my favorite phrases. They create effective visual images in my brain. I’m glad you like them.

Don’t you love those dusty cowboys at the top of the post? I could write a whole book about that feeling.

i luv word-picture-paintings

Thanks, Faith. I have a massive list of wonderful descriptors I go to when I’m stuck. They never fail me.

Ooh, Jacqui! I want to think like that, write like that. Beautiful examples! I love that I can always come to your blog and find real handles on writing. Thank you!

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Descriptive Writing – A Visit to the Countryside

I glanced out of the window impatiently, fidgeting my fingers. The only sound in the vehicle was the jazz coming from the speakers. Dad said it helped him cool his nerves, but it simply made time slow down. The long and tedious journey from the city interior to the outskirts was a grueling 4-hour drive. Ronny, who always cherished the chance to nod off, had long since fallen asleep on my mother’s lap. His gentle snores occasionally broke the spell upon me.

My stomach growled, as I stole a glance towards my watch. It couldn’t be long now. As if on cue, the car took a steep left turn, and I recognized the sight almost immediately. It was my maternal grandfather’s farm: a majestic 200-acre ranch, that stretched across the beautiful countryside. My gloomy mood shifted in an instant. The first view of the farm was truly worth the wait.

The car slowed down, as my mother gently stirred Ronny awake. My maternal grandparents were outside to greet us, their faces beaming. We got out of the car, as my family reunited after a long period. Danny the sheep-dog barked excitedly upon seeing us, and raced across the ranch to greet us.

By now, evening had set in. I was eager to take a round of the farm, and explore its many inhabitants, but Grandmother was insistent that we were exhausted, and that there would be plenty of time the next day. I took a breath of the fresh, countryside air. We went inside, and ate dinner: fresh vegetables from the farm. My mother remarked that such crops were the most nutritious products nature could offer us. I nodded my head in agreement. Me and Ronny were sleeping together in the upper room. I lay awake, my mind whirring with excitement, but Ronny was out cold. I was once more subject to his incessant snores. I do not know exactly when I dozed off at last, but I slept in, and was woken up by my brother.

The first thing we did after a quick breakfast was a tour of the farm. Having grown up visiting it, I expected to know every nook and cranny, but to my surprise, many things had changed. The hens had had chicks, the cows had given birth to adorable calves, and the horses to young foals.

I could have stayed out there forever, but was brought back to reality by Grandmother’s call to have lunch. While we ate, Grandfather told us about a beautiful lake nearby, one which he and my mother routinely visited in her childhood. Ronny and I wanted to see the lake for ourselves, and spent the afternoon on a boating trip. Grandfather had taken out his old row-boat, as me and Ronny had a ball of a time with the paddles.

Time flew, as we spent the rest of our days on the farm, visiting the lake, witnessing the creatures for hours at end, and even paying a visit to a scenic hill nearby. It felt good to get away from the hustle-and-bustle of the busy city, and instead enjoy the tranquil countryside.

On the last day of our visit to the countryside, we bid goodbye to our grandparents and promised to return in our next vacation. As the car pulled away from the farm, I spotted in the rear-view mirror, our grandparents waving goodbye. I smiled. The trip back home, unlike the first one, was spent with me fondly revisiting the memories we had made on this trip. It had most certainly been a brilliant one.

By Ayaan Chettiar

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Which language do you want to learn?

The English Countryside: Descriptive Language Practice

Imagine a place where rolling hills stretch as far as the eye can see, dotted with charming villages, ancient woodlands, and tranquil rivers. The English countryside offers a serene and picturesque landscape that has inspired poets, artists, and travelers for centuries. For language learners, describing such a setting provides an excellent opportunity to practice using descriptive language. In this article, we will explore the English countryside through vivid descriptions, helping you to enhance your vocabulary and improve your ability to paint pictures with words.

Rolling Hills and Expansive Fields

The English countryside is renowned for its rolling hills and expansive fields . These gentle slopes create a sense of movement and flow in the landscape, making it feel alive and dynamic. When describing these hills, you might use words like “undulating,” “gentle,” or “sweeping.” For example:

“The rolling hills of the Cotswolds are a sight to behold, their gentle slopes undulating like waves in a sea of green.”

Expansive fields, on the other hand, give a sense of vastness and freedom. Words like “endless,” “boundless,” and “sprawling” can help convey this feeling. For instance:

“The sprawling fields of East Anglia stretch out to the horizon, a patchwork of vibrant greens and golden yellows.”

Charming Villages

Nestled within the English countryside are countless charming villages , each with its own unique character and history. These villages often feature quaint cottages, cobblestone streets, and historic churches. When describing such villages, words like “picturesque,” “quaint,” and “idyllic” are useful. Consider the following example:

“The picturesque village of Bibury, with its quaint stone cottages and meandering river, looks like something out of a storybook.”

Additionally, you might want to describe specific features of these villages, such as the architecture or the atmosphere. Words like “rustic,” “timeless,” and “peaceful” can help you paint a vivid picture. For example:

“The rustic charm of Castle Combe is evident in its timeless architecture and peaceful atmosphere.”

Ancient Woodlands

The English countryside is also home to many ancient woodlands, which are rich in biodiversity and history. These woodlands often have a magical quality, with towering trees, dappled sunlight, and a carpet of leaves underfoot. When describing these woodlands, you might use words like “ancient,” “majestic,” and “enchanting.” For instance:

“The ancient woodlands of Sherwood Forest are truly enchanting, with their majestic oaks and dappled sunlight creating a magical atmosphere.”

You might also want to describe the flora and fauna found in these woodlands. Words like “verdant,” “lush,” and “teeming” can help you convey the richness of these ecosystems. For example:

“The verdant undergrowth of the New Forest is teeming with life, from delicate wildflowers to bustling insects.”

Tranquil Rivers and Streams

Another defining feature of the English countryside is its tranquil rivers and streams . These waterways add a sense of calm and serenity to the landscape, often meandering through fields and villages. When describing rivers and streams, words like “serene,” “meandering,” and “bubbling” can be effective. Consider the following example:

“The serene River Avon winds its way through the countryside, its gentle waters meandering past fields and villages.”

You might also want to describe the sounds and sights associated with these waterways. Words like “murmuring,” “glimmering,” and “crystal-clear” can help you create a vivid description. For instance:

“The crystal-clear stream babbles merrily over the pebbles, its waters glimmering in the sunlight.”

Seasonal Changes

The English countryside is known for its distinct seasonal changes , each of which brings its own unique beauty and character to the landscape. Describing these seasonal changes can help you practice using a variety of descriptive language.

In spring, the countryside comes alive with blossoming flowers, budding trees, and the sound of birdsong. Words like “blooming,” “vibrant,” and “awakening” are useful for describing this season. For example:

“In spring, the countryside is a vibrant tapestry of blooming flowers and awakening trees, with birdsong filling the air.”

Summer brings warm weather, lush greenery, and long days filled with sunshine. Words like “lush,” “sun-drenched,” and “bustling” can help you capture the essence of summer. Consider the following example:

“The summer countryside is lush and sun-drenched, with fields bustling with life and activity.”

Autumn is characterized by its rich colors, falling leaves, and a sense of harvest and abundance. Words like “crisp,” “golden,” and “harvest” are useful for describing this season. For instance:

“The autumn countryside is a riot of golden hues, with crisp air and the bountiful harvest creating a sense of abundance.”

Winter brings a stark beauty to the countryside, with frosty mornings, bare trees, and a sense of stillness. Words like “frosty,” “barren,” and “hushed” can help you describe this season. For example:

“The winter countryside is a frosty wonderland, with barren trees and a hushed stillness in the air.”

The English countryside is home to a diverse array of wildlife , from majestic deer to playful otters. Describing the wildlife you might encounter can help you practice using descriptive language related to animals and their behaviors.

Birds are a common sight in the English countryside, and their songs and behaviors add to the charm of the landscape. Words like “soaring,” “chirping,” and “nesting” can help you describe these avian residents. For example:

“Red kites can often be seen soaring high above the Chiltern Hills, their distinctive calls echoing through the valleys.”

Mammals such as deer, foxes, and badgers are also an integral part of the countryside. Words like “graceful,” “elusive,” and “nocturnal” can help you describe these animals. Consider the following example:

“The graceful deer of Richmond Park are a sight to behold, often seen grazing in the early morning mist.”

Insects, though small, play a crucial role in the countryside ecosystem. Words like “buzzing,” “flitting,” and “crawling” can help you describe these creatures. For instance:

“The meadow was alive with the buzzing of bees and the delicate flitting of butterflies from flower to flower.”

Human Activities

The English countryside is not just a natural paradise; it is also a place where people live, work, and play. Describing the human activities that take place in the countryside can help you practice using a variety of descriptive language.

Agriculture

Agriculture is a significant part of life in the countryside, with fields of crops and herds of livestock dotting the landscape. Words like “plowing,” “harvesting,” and “grazing” can help you describe these activities. For example:

“Farmers can be seen plowing their fields in preparation for planting, while sheep graze peacefully in the pastures.”

The countryside also offers numerous opportunities for recreation, from hiking and cycling to fishing and birdwatching. Words like “exploring,” “pedaling,” and “casting” can help you describe these activities. Consider the following example:

“Hikers enjoy exploring the scenic trails of the Lake District, while anglers cast their lines in the crystal-clear lakes.”

Festivals and Traditions

Many villages in the English countryside have their own unique festivals and traditions, which add to the cultural richness of the area. Words like “celebrating,” “dancing,” and “feasting” can help you describe these events. For instance:

“The village of Padstow comes alive during its annual May Day celebration, with locals dancing around the maypole and feasting on traditional Cornish fare.”

Historical Landmarks

The English countryside is steeped in history, with numerous historical landmarks that tell the story of the region’s past. Describing these landmarks can help you practice using descriptive language related to history and architecture.

Castles and Manor Houses

Castles and manor houses are some of the most iconic historical landmarks in the countryside. Words like “fortified,” “stately,” and “ancient” can help you describe these structures. For example:

“The fortified walls of Warwick Castle stand as a testament to centuries of history, while the stately manor houses of the Cotswolds exude an air of elegance and grandeur.”

Churches and Abbeys

Historic churches and abbeys are also a common sight in the countryside, often featuring stunning architecture and intricate details. Words like “majestic,” “ornate,” and “sacred” can help you describe these buildings. Consider the following example:

“The majestic ruins of Fountains Abbey rise from the landscape, their ornate stonework and soaring arches creating a sense of awe and reverence.”

Stone Circles and Ancient Monuments

The countryside is also home to ancient monuments such as stone circles and burial mounds, which offer a glimpse into the distant past. Words like “mysterious,” “ancient,” and “timeless” can help you describe these landmarks. For instance:

“The mysterious stone circles of Avebury stand as silent sentinels of a bygone era, their ancient stones weathered by time and the elements.”

Flora and Fauna

The English countryside is a haven for a diverse range of flora and fauna . Describing the plants and animals you might encounter can help you practice using descriptive language related to nature.

Wildflowers

Wildflowers add a splash of color to the countryside, with different species blooming at various times of the year. Words like “delicate,” “vibrant,” and “fragrant” can help you describe these flowers. For example:

“The meadows are awash with vibrant wildflowers, their delicate petals and fragrant blooms creating a feast for the senses.”

Trees are a prominent feature of the countryside, from ancient oaks to graceful willows. Words like “towering,” “gnarled,” and “weeping” can help you describe these trees. Consider the following example:

“The towering oaks of the New Forest stand as ancient guardians, their gnarled branches and dense foliage providing shelter for countless creatures.”

From hedgehogs to hares, the countryside is teeming with wildlife. Words like “scurrying,” “bounding,” and “foraging” can help you describe these animals. For instance:

“A hare bounded across the field, its long ears twitching as it foraged for food among the tall grass.”

Weather and Atmosphere

The weather and atmosphere of the English countryside can vary greatly, adding to its charm and character. Describing the weather can help you practice using descriptive language related to the elements.

Sunny days in the countryside are often filled with warmth and light. Words like “radiant,” “golden,” and “sunlit” can help you describe these days. For example:

“The golden fields of wheat glowed in the radiant sunshine, their sunlit stalks swaying gently in the breeze.”

Rain is a common occurrence in the countryside, often adding a sense of freshness and renewal to the landscape. Words like “drizzling,” “pattering,” and “soaking” can help you describe rainy days. Consider the following example:

“A gentle drizzle fell over the countryside, the soft pattering of raindrops creating a soothing soundtrack to the day.”

Mist and Fog

Mist and fog can lend a sense of mystery and enchantment to the countryside. Words like “ethereal,” “shrouded,” and “ghostly” can help you describe these conditions. For instance:

“The early morning mist shrouded the landscape in an ethereal veil, the ghostly outlines of trees and hills emerging from the fog.”

Wind can bring a sense of movement and change to the countryside. Words like “gusting,” “whistling,” and “blustery” can help you describe windy days. For example:

“The blustery wind whipped through the fields, the tall grass bending and swaying with each gust.”

The English countryside offers a wealth of opportunities for practicing descriptive language. By exploring the rolling hills, charming villages, ancient woodlands, and tranquil rivers, you can enhance your vocabulary and improve your ability to create vivid descriptions. Whether you’re describing the seasonal changes, the diverse wildlife, or the historical landmarks, the beauty and charm of the countryside provide endless inspiration for language learners. So next time you find yourself in the countryside, take a moment to observe your surroundings and practice painting pictures with words.

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Describing Words for Landscape: Examples & Adjectives

When it comes to describing the beauty of a landscape, words have the power to transport us to breathtaking vistas and evoke a sense of wonder. As a writer and avid traveler, I have always been fascinated by the variety and richness of landscapes around the world. In this article, I’ll be sharing with you some of the most captivating adjectives that can be used to describe landscapes, along with examples that will bring these words to life.

So, without further ado, let’s delve into the world of adjectives for landscapes and discover the perfect words to describe the awe-inspiring beauty that surrounds us. Get ready to be inspired and transported to the most breathtaking corners of the Earth through the power of words.

Table of Contents

How to Describe landscape? – Different Scenarios

When it comes to describing landscapes, there are endless possibilities. Each landscape has its own unique features and characteristics that can be captured using different adjectives. Here are a few scenarios where you can use specific adjectives to paint a vivid picture of the landscape:

1. Majestic Mountains

Mountains evoke a sense of grandeur and awe. To describe mountains, you can use adjectives that highlight their impressive size, ruggedness, and beauty. Some examples include:

2. Tranquil Lakes

Lakes are known for their calm and peaceful aura. To describe a lake, you can use adjectives that emphasize its tranquility, clarity, and reflective nature. Here are a few examples:

3. Lush Rainforests

Rainforests are teeming with life and greenery. To describe a rainforest, you can use adjectives that convey its lushness, biodiversity, and vibrant atmosphere. Consider these examples:

Describing Words for landscape in English

Lush Rainforests

By incorporating these describing words into your writing, you can bring your landscapes to life and captivate your readers. Remember, choosing the right adjectives is the key to transporting your audience to the beauty of nature.

Adjectives for landscape

Positive adjectives for landscape.

Remember to use these adjectives judiciously, ensuring they accurately convey the specific aspects of the landscape you are describing. Happy writing!

Remember, we don’t need a conclusion paragraph for this ongoing article.

Synonyms and Antonyms with Example Sentences

Synonyms for landscape.

Antonyms for landscape

In addition to synonyms, antonyms can also be helpful in providing contrasting descriptions of landscapes. Here are some antonyms for landscape that you can use to add depth to your writing:

In this article, I have explored the power of words in describing landscapes and provided a comprehensive list of synonyms and antonyms that can be used to create vivid and engaging descriptions. By carefully choosing the right words, writers can accurately convey the unique characteristics of the landscapes they are describing.

Throughout the article, I have emphasized the importance of incorporating these synonyms and antonyms into writing to enrich descriptions and create a more captivating portrayal of landscapes. Words such as “scenic,” “breathtaking,” and “majestic” can help paint a picture of beauty and awe, while antonyms like “dreary,” “unremarkable,” and “polluted” can convey a sense of negativity or decay.

So, the next time you find yourself wanting to describe a landscape, remember the power of words and choose your adjectives wisely. Let your descriptions captivate and inspire, creating a lasting impression on your readers.

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The best countryside writers and authors

Who is the best countryside writer? Why are they so great? Who are their peers and who makes the shortlist of the greatest countryside authors? 

Exploring the tradition of countryside & nature writing

The ‘rural tradition’ of countryside, wildlife and outdoor living writing provides a rich heritage of literature, with natural history and rural lifestyle authors writing about why the countryside is so special.

With nature and natural history books experiencing resurgence in popularity – including traditional & classic countryside authors and contemporary modern-day naturalists, writers, bloggers and journalists – countryside author Fennel Hudson explores his favourite authors, writers and books. 

From one countryside enthusiast to another, this is the definitive list of our greatest countryside, wildlife and nature writers, authors, books and how they’ve inspired us to explore and study the great outdoors.

Your favourite countryside & nature author?

At the end of the blog, you’re invited to comment by suggesting your favourite countryside author – the results of which will form a mini-series of Contented Countryman podcasts about our favourite countryside writers and authors. 

How and why the best countryside authors and writers are so great

In creating and reading this list (which is suprisingly but unintentially male-dominated), we’re praising those who have captured the timeless essence of our natural world. (Specifically, those writing about the British countryside – thus John Muir and Henry Thoreau are exlcuded.) They’re not scientists seeking to unemotionally categorise species and natural resources, they’re poets crafting words that deliberately evoke emotion.

Note how many of these authors were soldiers, writing in-between and shortly after the World Wars, who were able to use the healing qualities of nature to recover from the battlefields. Also, look at how prolific some of these authors were in their lifetime, their passion for the countryside resulted in them producing more than a book a year. That’s their real skill: guiding us to places that we otherwise might never experience. Through their writing we see, hear, feel and connect. We’re more alive, and aware of the natural life around us, which enhances our appreciation of the natural world and our desire to live a more naturalistic life.

The best classic countryside authors and writers

Richard jefferies (1848-87).

Best countryside books

• The Scarlet Shawl (1874)
• Restless Human Hearts (1875)
• World's End (1877)
• The Gamekeeper at Home (1878)
• Wild Life in a Southern County (1879)
• The Amateur Poacher (1879)
• Greene Ferne Farm (1880)
• Hodge and His Masters (1880)
• Round About a Great Estate (1880)
• Wood Magic (1881)
• Bevis: the Story of a Boy (1882)
• Nature Near London (1883)
• The Story of My Heart: An Autobiography (1883)
• Red Deer (1884)
• The Life of the Fields (1884)
• The Dewy Morn (1884)
• After London; Or, Wild England (1885)
• The Open Air (1885)
• Amaryllis at the Fair (1887)
• Field and Hedgerow; Being the Last Essays of Richard Jefferies (1889)
• The Toilers in the Field (1892)
• Jefferies' Land: A History of Swindon and its Environs, ed. G. Toplis (1896)
• The Hills and the Vale, collected and introduced by E. Thomas (1909)
• The Farmer's World: Richard Jefferies' Agricultural Journalism in the late 1870s.

Favourite quotes

• “It is eternity now. I am in the midst of it. It is about me in the sunshine; I am in it as the butterfly in the light-laden air. Nothing has to come; it is now. Now is eternity; now is the immortal life.”  From  Story of My Heart .
• “Let us get of these indoor narrow modern days, whose twelve hours somehow have become shortened, into the sunlight and the pure wind. A something that the ancients thought divine can be found and felt there still.”  From  The Amateur Poacher .

BB (Denys Watkins-Pitchford) (1905-90)

• Wild Lone: The Story of a Pytchley Fox (1938) 
• Manka, the Sky Gypsy: The Story of a Wild Goose (1939) 
• The Countryman's Bedside Book (1941) 
• The Idle Countryman (1943) 
• Brendon Chase (1944) 
• The Wayfaring Tree (1945) 
• Letters from Compton Deverell (1950) 
• Tide's Ending (1950) 
• Dark Estuary (1953) 
• Alexander (1957) 
• Ben the Bullfinch (1957) 
• Autumn Road to the Isles (1959) 
• The White Road Westwards (1961) 
• September Road to Caithness (1962) 
• Lepus the Brown Hare (1962) 
• The Pegasus Book of the Countryside (1964) 
• Summer Road to Wales (1964) 
• A Summer on the Nene (1967) 
• A Child Alone (1978) 
• Ramblings of a Sportsman-Naturalist (1979) 
• The Naturalist's Bedside Book (1980) 
• The Quiet Fields (1981) 
• Indian Summer (1984)

Favourite quote

• “I would wish for at least two hundred years of youth and health to enjoy the things I do...I know that the things I prize most in the world, the woods and fields, rivers and streams, the procession of the season from minute to minute and month to month and year to year, with all the changes that they bring to the land I love so much, these things, I say, are among the best experiences in the world, if we couple them with a happy home life and children of one's body." From Letters from Compton Deverell .

W.H. Hudson (1844-1922)

• The Purple Land that England Lost: Travels and Adventures in the Banda Oriental, South America (1885)
• A Crystal Age (1887)
• Argentine Ornithology (1888)
• The Naturalist in la Plata (1892)
• Idle Days in Patagonia (1893)
• Birds in a Village (1893
• Lost British Birds (1894
• British Birds (1895)
• Osprey; or, Egrets and Aigrettes (1896)
• Birds in London (1898)
• Nature in Downland (1900)
• Birds and Man (1901)
• El Ombú (1902)
• Hampshire Days (1903)
• Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest (1904)
• A Little Boy Lost (1905)
• Land's End. A Naturalist's Impressions in West Cornwall (1908)
• Afoot in England (1909)
• A Shepherd's Life: Impressions of the South Wiltshire Downs (1910)
• Adventures Among Birds (1913
• Tales of the Pampas (1916)
• Far Away and Long Ago - A History of My Early Life (1918)
• The Book of a Naturalist (1919)
• Birds in Town and Village (1919)
• Birds of La Plata (1920)
• Dead Man's Plack and An Old Thorn (1920)
• A Traveller in Little Things (1921)
• Tired Traveller (1921)
• Seagulls In London. Why They Took To Coming To Town (1922)
• Hind in Richmond Park (1922)
• Rare Vanishing & Lost British Birds (1923)
• Men, Books and Birds (1925
• “The blue sky, the brown soil beneath, the grass, the trees, the animals, the wind, and rain, and stars are never strange to me; for I am in and of and am one with them; and my flesh and the soil are one, and the heat in my blood and in the sunshine are one, and the winds and the tempests and my passions are one. I feel the 'strangeness' only with regard to my fellow men, especially in towns, where they exist in conditions unnatural to me, but congenial to them...In such moments we sometimes feel a kinship with, and are strangely drawn to, the dead, who were not as these; the long, long dead, the men who knew not life in towns, and felt no strangeness in sun and wind and rain.” From  Hampshire Days .
• "The British boy suffers the greatest restraint during the period when the call of nature, the instincts of play and adventure, are most urgent. Naturally, he looks eagerly forward to the time of escape, which he fondly imagines will be when his boyhood is over and he is free of masters.” From  Far Away and Long Ago .

Francis Kilvert (1840-79)

Best countryside book

• Kilvert's Diary, 1870-79 (1944)
• "As I went across the fields and by the side of the winding Allington brook and looked back up at the dear old white house upon the hill, backed by the dark mass of the trees in the wilderness and over-towered by the cupola of the bright green ivied church, and saw the brown and grey farm buildings nestling warm and sheltered at the foot of the hill, my heart rose up and went out towards my old sweet house, and the tears came into my eyes as a thousand sweet and happy memories swept across my soul." From Kilvert's Diary .

C. Henry Warren (1895-66)

• A Cotswold Year (1936)
• A Boy In Kent (1937)
• West Country. Somerset, Devon and Cornwall (1938)
• The Happy Countryman (1939)
• Corn Country (1940)
• England Is a Village (1940)
• The Land Is Yours (1943)
• Miles From Anywhere (1944)
• The Good Life (1946)
• Adam Was a Ploughman (1947)
• English Cottages and Farm-Houses (1948)
• Essex: the County Book (1950)
• Content With What I Have (1967)
• Quoting a farm worker: “They say times are better now, with less work and more pay. They say we worked so hard and so long that we hadn’t any time left to enjoy ourselves. I dunno so much about that. Why, in them days, after ten or twelve hours’ scything in the harvest fields, you’d hear men go home at night singing; and it weren’t always for the beer inside ‘em either!.”

Gilbert White (1720-93)

• The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789)
• “Earthworms, though in appearance a small and despicable link in the chain of nature, yet, if lost, would make a lamentable chasm.”

Henry Williamson (1895-1977)

• The Beautiful Years (1921)
• The Lone Swallows (1922)
• Dandelion Days (1922)
• The Peregrine's Saga, and Other Stories of the Country Green (1923)
• The Old Stag (1926)
• Tarka the Otter (1927)
• The Pathway (1928)
• The Ackymals (1929)
• The Village Book (1930)
• The Labouring Life (1932)
• The Wild Red Deer of Exmoor (1931)
• On Foot in Devon (1933)
• Devon Holiday (1935)
• Salar the Salmon (1935)
• Goodbye West Country (1937)
• The Children of Shallowford (1939)
• The Story of a Norfolk Farm (1941)
• As the Sun Shines (1941)
• Life in A Devon Village (1945)
• Tales of a Devon Village (1945)
• The Sun in the Sands (1945)
• The Phasian Bird (1948)
• The Scribbling Lark (1949)
• The Dark Lantern (1951)
• Donkey Boy (1952)
• Tales of Moorland and Estuary (1953)
• How Dear Is Life (1954)
• A Fox Under My Cloak (1955)
• A Clearwater Stream (1958)
• Love and the Loveless (1958)
• In The Woods, a biographical fragment (1960)
• The Innocent Moon (1961)
• “When the bees’ feet shake the bells of the heather, and the ruddy strings of the sap-stealing dodder are twined about the green spikes of the furze, it is summertime on the commons. Exmoor is the high country of the winds, which are to the falcons and the hawks: clothed by whortleberry bushes and lichens and ferns and mossed trees in the goyals, which are to the foxes, the badgers, and the red deer: served by rain-clouds and drained by rock-littered streams, which are to the otters." - From Tarka the Otter .

John Stewart Collis (1900-84)

• Forward to Nature (1927)
• While Following the Plough (1946)
• Down to Earth (1947)
• The Triumph of the Tree (1950)
• The Moving Waters (1955)
• “And like any dog, like any savage, I lay there enjoying myself, harming no man, selling nothing, competing not at all, thinking no evil, smiled on by the sun, bent over by the trees, and softly folded in the arms of the earth.”

John Clare (1793-1864)

• Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery. (1820)
• The Village Minstrel, and Other Poems. (1821)
• The Shepherd's Calendar with Village Stories and Other Poems. (1827)
• The Rural Muse. (1835)
• Sonnet. (1841)
• “Crowded places, I shunned them as noises too rude; And fled to the silence of sweet solitude.” 

Other classic countryside authors and writers to explore

You might also wish to read work by the following authors who've written about nature, wildlife, the outdoors, landscape, countryside, and the rural tradition of country living:

• Jack Hargreaves ( Out of Town , 1987;  The Old Country , 1988; The New Forest , 1992)
• William Cobett ( Rural Rides , 1830)
• George Borrow ( Wild Wales , 1862)
• George Sturt (Bourne) ( The Wheelwright's Shop , 1923)
• Edward Thomas ( In Pursuit of Spring , 1914)
• H.J. Massingham ( The Golden Age: The Story of Human Nature , 1927)
• John Moore ( The Countryman's England , 1939)
• H.E. Bates ( Through the Woods: April to April , 1936)
• Sir William Beech Thomas ( The Way of a Countryman , 1944)
• J.W. Robertson Scott ( England's Green and Pleasant Land , 1925)
• Alfred Williams ( Songs in Wiltshire , 1909)
• A.G. Street ( Farmer's Glory , 1932)
• George Ewart Evans ( Ask the Fellows who Cut the Hay , 1956)
• Adrian Bell ( Corduroy , 1930)
• Ronald Blythe ( Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village , 1969)
• Edmund Blunden ( The Shepherd , 1922)

The best contemporary countryside authors and writers

The best modern-day countryside authors and writers continue the tradition of capturing the ever-dwindling natural world. Their writing, given its modern context, highlights how times have changed – especially how pressure on the environment and us (and because of us) has increased. At a time when we need Nature more than ever, their writing is a call to action – heard in the quiet places that should never have become so quiet.

Roger Deakin (1943-2006)

• Waterlog: A Swimmer's Journey Through Britain. (1999)
• Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees. (2007)
• Notes From Walnut Tree Farm. (2008)
• “Most of us live in a world where more and more places and things are signposted, labelled, and officially 'interpreted'. There is something about all this that is turning the reality of things into virtual reality.” – From Waterlog .

Robert Macfarlane (1976-)

• Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination (2003)
• The Wild Places (2007)
• The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot (2012)
• Holloway (2013)
• Landmarks (2015)
• Underland: A Deep-Time Journey (2019)
• “There is no mystery in this association of woods and otherworlds, for as anyone who has walked the woods knows, they are places of correspondence, of call and answer. Visual affinities of colour, relief and texture abound. A fallen branch echoes the deltoid form of a streambed into which it has come to rest. Chrome yellow autumn elm leaves find their colour rhyme in the eye-ring of the blackbird. Different aspects of the forest link unexpectedly with each other, and so it is that within the stories, different times and worlds can be joined.” - From The Wild Places .

John Lewis-Stempel (1958-)

• The Wild Life: A Year of Living on Wild Food (2010)
• Foraging, The essential guide to wild food (2012)
• Meadowland: The Private Life of an English Field (2014)
• The Running Hare: The Secret Life of Farmland (2016)
• The Secret Life of the Owl (2017)
• The Wood: The Life and Times of Cockshutt Wood (2018)
• The Glorious Life of the Oak (2018)
• Still Water: The Deep Life of the Pond (2019)
• "High summer and one can hear the universe; so overwhelming is the accumulated sound of growing in the meadow and in hedges, of pollen being released, of particles moving in the heat, that all the minute motions together create a continuous him: the sound of summer."  – From Meadowland.

Richard Mabey (1941-)

• Food for Free (1972)
• The Unofficial Countryside (1973)
• Plants with a Purpose (1977)
• The Roadside Wildlife Book (1978)
• The Common Ground: A Place for Nature in Britain's Future? (1980)
• Back to the Roots (1983)
• In a Green Shade (1983)
• The Frampton Flora (1985)
• The New Age Herbalist (1988)
• The Flowers of May (1990)
• Home Country (1990)
• A Nature Journal (1991)
• The Wildwood, The: In Search of Britain's Ancient Forests (1993)
• Whistling in the Dark: In Pursuit of the Nightingale (1993)
• Landlocked: In Pursuit of the Wild (1994)
• Flora Britannica (1996)
• The Flora of Hampshire (1996)
• Country Matters: Selected Writings (1999)
• Nature Cure (2005)
• Fencing Paradise: The Uses And Abuses Of Plants (2006)
• Beechcombings: The Narratives of Trees (2007)
• A Brush with Nature (2010)
• Weeds: The Story of Outlaw Plants (2010)
• The Barley Bird: Notes on the Suffolk Nightingale (2010)
• The Perfumier and the Stinkhorn (2011)
• Turned Out Nice Again: On Living With the Weather (2013)
• The Ash and the Beech: The Drama of Woodland Change (2013)
• The Cabaret of Plants: Forty Thousand Years of Plant Life and the Human Imagination (2016)
• “To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.” – From Beechcombings .

• Field Notes from The Edge (2015)
• How to See Nature (2018)
• “I take the path from the main road at the top of the dingle which begins in a tangle of nettle and bramble at a broken stile. As with ancient processional ways through the land walked by ancestors practising religious rites, the path is a preparation for a different way of thinking about and experiencing the world.” – From Field Notes from the Edge .

The best female countryside writers and authors

The lists above are fairly established views of the nature writers that have amassed the most respected bodies of work. But they're all men. How can this be?

I'm all for diversity and fairplay, so have identified my favourite female nature writers too. Some are well known, others are less so; but they all capture the wonderment of the outdoors with sensitivity that – it could be argued – is uniquely feminine.

The best female countryside and nature writers

• Nan Shepherd ( The Living Mountain , 1977)
• Rachel Carson ( Silent Spring , 1961)
• Edith Holden ( The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady , 1977)
• Robin Wall Kimmerer ( Gathering Moss , 2003)
• Helen MacDonald ( H is for Hawk , 2014)
• Andrea Wulff ( The Invention of Nature , 2015)
• Melissa Harrison ( Rain: Four Walks in English Weather , 2016)
• Amy Liptrot ( Outrun , 2015)
• Mary Russell-Mitford ( Our Village , 1824)
• Flora Thompson ( Lark Rise to Candleford , 1945)
• Kathleen Jamie ( Findings , 2005)
• Susan Hill ( The Magic Apple Tree: A Country Year , 1982)
• Alice Oswald ( Woods etc. , 2005)
• Olivia Laing ( To the River , 2011)

Vote for the greatest!

Who, in your opinion, is the best countryside writer of all time? Use the form below to comment. The results of which will shape a mini-series of The Contented Countryman podcasts where we’ll reveal our Top 10 Countryside Authors.

Have we missed anyone? Let us know in the comments box below if there's a significant countryside and nature author who should feature on the list.

Please also subscribe to Fennel on Friday , where you'll receive via email a blog, video or podcast from Fennel in time for the weekend.

The Priory, what's in a name?

The Priory is a philosophy and a belief system that says it is possible to balance the ever-growing complexities and pace of modern life. It is also a celebration of wildlife and country living, those things that serve as an antidote to the concrete claustrophobia of towns and cities.

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A to Z Collection of Describing Words

Top 30 Adjectives for Countryside (Negative & Positive Words)

The countryside is often described with adjectives that evoke peace, nature, and rustic charm. These descriptive words can capture the essence of rural areas and paint vivid images in the reader’s mind.

Table of Contents

Description of Countryside

The countryside refers to areas outside of towns and cities, often characterized by open landscapes, farms, and nature.

Words to Describe Countryside

Here are the 30 most common words to describe Countryside:

Picturesque

• Agricultural

Positive Words to Describe Countryside

Negative words to describe countryside, adjectives for countryside (meanings and example sentences).

• Meaning: Simple and rural.
• Sentence: The rustic cabin had a unique charm.
• Meaning: Beautiful to look at.
• Sentence: The scenic vistas were breathtakingly beautiful.
• Meaning: Peaceful and quiet.
• Sentence: The tranquil meadow calmed my nerves.
• Meaning: Green and fertile.
• Sentence: We walked through lush fields of grain.
• Meaning: Green with vegetation.
• Sentence: The hills were verdant and full of life.
• Meaning: Rolling or wavy.
• Sentence: Undulating landscapes stretched before us.
• Meaning: Pretty and charming.
• Sentence: It’s a picturesque little village.
• Meaning: Scattered or few.
• Sentence: Trees were sparse in the arid region.
• Meaning: Far away.
• Sentence: The remote farmhouse was hard to reach.
• Meaning: Relating to the countryside.
• Sentence: The poem depicted a bucolic life.

Other Words to Describe Countryside

Words to describe countryside air.

• Revitalizing

Words to Describe Countryside Landscape

Words to describe countryside design.

• Traditional
• Farmhouse-style
• Rustic-chic

Words to Describe Countryside Art

• Earth-toned
• Nature-inspired
• Hand-painted
• Pastel-shaded

Words to Describe Countryside Photography

• Golden-hour
• Soft-focused
• Wide-angled
• Dusk-tinted

Words to Describe Beauty of Countryside

• Captivating
• Mesmerizing
• Breathtaking

How to Describe Countryside in Writing?

The countryside, with its vast landscapes and inherent beauty, has always captivated writers. When describing it, one should begin with the physical attributes. The undulating fields, the sound of a distant brook, the colors of the setting sun over a meadow – these sensory descriptions help create a vivid picture.

But it’s more than just physical attributes. The countryside often has an emotional and cultural tone. Describing the sounds of chirping birds, the scent of freshly cut hay, or the sight of farmers toiling in the fields adds depth. It’s also about capturing the pace of life, where days may seem longer, and nights are tranquil.

Incorporating interactions, such as children playing by the stream or villagers gathering at a local fair, can add a social dimension. This provides readers with a sense of the community, traditions, and lifestyle that’s unique to the countryside.

Explore Related Words:

Adjectives for Country

Adjectives for Scenery

Adjectives for Old

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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Setting Description Entry: Forest

August 23, 2008 by BECCA PUGLISI

green, brown, dead fall, fallen trees, logs, branches, twigs, fallen leaves, ferns, underbrush, moss, brambles, thickets, ivy, berry bushes, pine needles, pine cones, acorns, insects, rabbits, birds, squirrels, lizards, mice, foxes, spider webs, deer, sun-dappled, shady, shafts…

Sounds branches creaking, feet shuffling through detritus, squirrels chattering, leaves rustling, wind whistling around trunks/disturbing the leaves, birds singing, insects humming/ churring, rustle of animals rooting in underbrush, scrabbling of lizards on tree bark, limbs..

Smells tree smells (pine, etc), wildflowers, earthy smell, animal scents, rotting wood, fresh, stale, dry, damp, wet, scents on the wind from nearby places (water, wood smoke, ocean), wild mint/herbs, decay (bogs, stagnant pools of water, dead animals), skunks, skunk weed…

Tastes earthy air, sweet/sour berries, nuts, mushrooms, wild onions, seeds, bitter, mint, gritty, mealy, meaty, relish, savor, sample, salty, acidic, sweet, flavorful, sour, tart, flavorless, swallow, mild, nutty, relish…

Touch rough tree bark, kiss of falling leaves, branches slapping, uneven ground, knobby roots underfoot, sticky sap, underbrush that tangles/grabs, prickle of briars, slick leaves, twigs snagging at hair/scratching face, tickle of hanging moss, spider web strands on skin, soft…

Helpful hints:

–The words you choose can convey atmosphere and mood.

Example 1: I lifted my face, letting the light and shadow dance across my skin. Bees hummed in and out of the pennyroyal. I inhaled its minty smell and continued on, delighting in the sound of my feet sliding through the leaves.

–Similes and metaphors create strong imagery when used sparingly.

Example 1: (Simile) The trees lashed and crashed against each other like drum sticks in the hands of a giant…

Does your setting take place at night? Check out this similar Entry: WOODS AT NIGHT

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

October 11, 2021 at 6:06 am

That helped me a lot!

October 7, 2021 at 2:08 pm

I love descriptive writing but can you help me to write a forest setting description?

February 26, 2021 at 10:01 am

Thank you for this great help…☺️☺️

February 23, 2021 at 4:37 am

Thanks this helped a lot!

January 19, 2021 at 1:39 am

Lovely book, It helped me a lot thanks

August 19, 2020 at 10:54 pm

Are you lovely ladies planning to put these descriptions into an ebook? I’m enjoying all seven of your thesaurus books.

August 20, 2020 at 8:13 am

Hi, Michelle! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our books. Are you asking when the setting thesaurus is going to be turned into a book? If so, you’ll be happy to know that those books are published and available. You can find ebook information on our Bookstore page. https://writershelpingwriters.net/bookstore/

If you have other questions or need to clarify anything, just let us know!

July 13, 2020 at 8:35 pm

OMG! This is powerful. God bless you richly. Please ma, can you help me to proofread my short fiction. I’m begging in the name of God. I have written a short fiction, but no one to help me to proofread it. [email protected] . Thanks in anticipation.

July 14, 2020 at 10:44 am

Sorry, we are unable to do that, but if you join a writing group or have a good critique partner, they should be able to help you. Good luck and all the best. 🙂

May 21, 2020 at 4:59 pm

amazing thankyou so much 🙂

March 11, 2020 at 3:19 pm

thanks! these will help a lot with the forested settings in my book series: the elemental masters.

June 26, 2020 at 5:42 am

Oh wow, your books are absolutely amazing. I’ve read all of them

March 9, 2020 at 1:50 am

Thank you for this, however, could you also do the same setting description based on the setting of a beach? That would be extremely helpful for me. THank yoU!

March 7, 2020 at 10:28 pm

Hi, this is extremely helpful, but could you make another setting description, the same as this one, except about a beach scene? That would be super helpful for me. Thanks!

March 8, 2020 at 1:56 pm

Hi, Stacey! We actually do have a Beach entry. You can find it here: https://writershelpingwriters.net/2008/09/setting-thesaurus-entry-beach/ . And our TOC also contains a list of the entries you can find here: https://writershelpingwriters.net/occupation-thesaurus/

But if you’re looking for settings that we don’t have, you might consider checking out our website, One Stop for Writers. All of our thesaurus collection are there, and most of them have been expanded to include additional entries. For instance, here is the complete list of setting entries you can find at One Stop: https://onestopforwriters.com/scene_settings

Best of luck to you!

March 9, 2020 at 5:47 am

Thank you so much Becca, i just really appreciate it, i love the websites you gave me and it is simply WONDERFUL!!!

March 6, 2020 at 3:12 am

This is wonderful, thank you! Very helpful!

October 24, 2019 at 6:10 am

IT FANTASTIC

January 1, 2019 at 7:15 pm

this really helped me. thank you lol 🙂

July 12, 2017 at 1:21 pm

I am helping a friend open a bar in a small town…the lifestyle here is of the following: Fishing, boating on our two rivers….Wabash and Tippecanoe and hunting deer. Cannot come up with a name to incorporate both of the passions our customers would enjoy. I have gone to your description setting entry for ideas…but just can not gel together this duo!!! Help?

July 12, 2017 at 8:00 pm

Hi, Patti. I’m sorry, but I’m not clear on what you’re after. Are you looking for help coming up with a name for a fictional town?

October 5, 2014 at 2:41 am

THANKS VERY MUCH FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL WORK. MY DAUGHTER WILL HAVE A GOOD RESOURCE OF DESCRIBING WORDS.

February 29, 2012 at 1:40 pm

Thank you so much for this! I have been struggling with my forest scenes for the longest time, stuck on the same small handful of descriptors–this is brilliant. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

May 1, 2011 at 4:48 pm

Thank you very much for these amazing words! keep the work up!

March 7, 2011 at 7:54 am

Thank you so much. These beautiful words makes picturing a scene extremely easy.

February 1, 2011 at 2:13 pm

I absaloutly loved thease words i really needed them to help me get my English paper to life

January 25, 2011 at 6:47 am

It’s a great Help for me. I was looking for such post that could give some interesting wording to describe a greenery and forest scene.

Thank you very much 🙂

April 7, 2010 at 6:13 am

I showed my teacher and she said you rocked. Thank you 🙂

March 26, 2010 at 2:52 pm

Great help for my book! Thank you!

December 13, 2009 at 12:30 pm

Thanks. Great Guide for a descriptive piece of writing A*

December 11, 2009 at 12:26 am

Creatively helpful , specially to beginning writers like me. Thanks for this web.

October 2, 2009 at 10:38 am

very helpful thanxx cood u include more sentance exxampils thanx that wood be helpful! miss m

September 23, 2009 at 11:35 am

April 21, 2009 at 8:29 pm

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!! Just what I am writing about!!! THANKS!!!!!!!

August 24, 2008 at 1:17 pm

Thanks for the kind words. When Angela and I started this blog, one of our main goals was to keep it relevant to writers. Glad to know we’re doing alright on that front :).

August 24, 2008 at 12:07 pm

This is fabulous!! I love it!

August 23, 2008 at 8:02 pm

Angela and Becca, you one-hit wonders, you’ve done it again! You’re very good at relating to the reader (and making it easy on the writer).

August 23, 2008 at 5:51 pm

Great job. And I really like the drumsticks simile.

August 23, 2008 at 10:45 am

So perfect! Thanks! I love the simile and metaphor section!

[…] Forest […]

[…] is a forest entry already, but I think that at night the woods can be an entirely different setting, full of mystery […]

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..

1000+ Ways to Describe Snow Part 1: A Word List for Writers

Snow: Supernatural?

“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?” ~ J. B. Priestly

Where is enchantment to be found? In stories, and some of those stories may become even more enchanting with the inclusion of snow.

Today’s post is the first of two that offer ways to incorporate snow in creative writing.

See also 1000+ Ways to Describe Snow Part 2 .

Adjectives to Describe Snow

Adjectives are often the first resource exploited by writers. As you experiment with words in this section, heed opinion adjectives and stacked modifiers .

A abominable, abundant, accumulated, advancing, ageless, airborne, alpine, ankle-deep, appalling, approaching, arctic, artificial, autumnal

B bad, barren, beautiful , belated, belly-deep, billowed, billowing, biting, blasted, bleak, blinding, bloodstained, bonnie, bottomless, bright, brittle, bumpy, bygone

C changeless, chaotic, cheerless, chest-deep, chilling, choppy, clammy, clean, cloud-soft, cohesive, cold, compacted, compressed, concealing, congealed, constant, continuous, cottony, crisp, cruel, crumbly, crunchy, crusted, crusty, crystalline, cushiony

D and E damp, dazzling, deathly, deep, dense, desolate, dingy, dirty, distant, domed, downy, dreaded, dreary, drifting, dry, dusty, dwindling, early, elusive, encircling, encrusted, endless, enveloping, ephemeral, eternal, evanescent, everlasting, evil, extraordinary

F fake, fallen, falling, faux, feathery, featureless, fierce, filmy, filthy, fine, firm, flaky, fleecy, flinty, flocculent, floury, fluffy, flying, foamy, foggy, forbidding, forecasted, formidable, frequent, fresh, friable, frigid, frothy, fun, furious, furrowed

G gentle, ghostly, glacial, glaring, glassy, glazed, gleaming, glinting, glistening, glistering, glittering, gorgeous, gory, grainy, granular, granulated, gravely, grimy, gritty, groomed, grubby, gummy, gusting

H and I half-melted, hard, hardened, hated, heavy, high, hip-high, honeycombed, icy, immaculate, immeasurable, impassable, impending, implacable, incessant, indefatigable, inevitable, infernal, inhospitable, interminable, intermittent, inviting, iridescent

J to L jewel studded, knee -deep, lacy, lasting, late, layered, leaden, leftover, light, limitless, liquefied, looming, loose, lovely, low-lying, luminous, lumpy, lustrous

M to O magnificent, majestic, matted, mealy, measurable, melted, melting, merciless, miserable, moderate, moist, moonlit, muddied, muddy, mushy, nasty, nearby, neck-deep, never-ending, new, numbing, occasional, old, omnipresent, oncoming, orographic, overlying, overnight

P to R packed, patchy, pathless, pelting, penetrating, perennial, permanent, perpetual, persistent, phosphorescent, pillow-soft, pillowy, pitiless, plastic, plentiful, plowed, polluted, porous, powdered, powdery, pretty, pristine, prolonged, puffy, punctual, pure, raging, rain-saturated, receding, reflecting, refreshing, relentless, reliable, remaining, ridged, rimed, rippled, ruthless, rutted

Sa to Sm salty, sandy, savage, scant, scattered, sculpted, seamless, seasonal, seeping, semipermanent, serene, shadowy, shallow, sheeted, shifting, shiny, silent, silken, simulated, skiable, sleety, slick, slimy, slippery, sloshy, sludgy, smooth, smothering

So to Su soaked, sodden, soft, softening, soggy, soiled, solidified, soppy, sparkling, sparkly, sparse, spectral, spongy, spotless, spotty, spring, squeaky, star-studded, starlit, sticky, stifling, stinging, streaming, strong, sudden, sugary, summer, sun-kissed, sunless, sunlit, superincumbent, surrounding

T tempestuous, terrible, terrific, textured , thawing, thick, thin, threatening, toxic, track-filled, trackless, trampled, treacherous, twilit

U ubiquitous, unblemished, unbroken, uncleared, undisturbed, unending, uneven, unexpected, ungroomed, uninterrupted, uninviting, unmarked, unmarred, unpacked, unplowed, unpolluted, unpredictable, unpredicted, unrelenting, unseasonal, unspoiled, unstable, unstained, unsullied, unswept, untimely, untouched, untracked, unwelcome, unyielding

V to Y velvety, vengeful, violent, virgin, waterlogged, watery, waxy, well-trampled, wet, whispering, wild, windblown, wind-driven, windswept, winter, wispy, wondrous, wooly, year-round, yielding

Snow Similes and Metaphors

Sometimes a figure of speech adds the perfect touch. Be careful not to overdo, though. Provide enough imagery to stimulate the imagination, but not so much that you slow action or bore readers.

Watch everything and everyone around you. Pay attention to visual media, and note phrasing in books. Your scrutiny will inspire new ideas.

Here are a few phrases to stimulate your creativity.

• a blanket of melancholy
• a carpet of cotton batting
• a colorless shroud
• a crispy meringue tipped with brown
• a fluffy featherbed
• a garden of ice
• a lacy tablecloth with flowers and grass peeping through
• a landscape frosted with sweet whiteness
• a serial killer, silent, stalking, waiting to thrust its cold knife into the countryside
• a wooly white duvet
• an avalanche of icy death
• an onslaught of white, blinding and freezing
• as cold as someone’s icy heart
• as inevitable as polar nights
• as quiet and soft as an angel’s wings
• as rare as ice cubes in Hell
• as sparse as the hair on someone’s balding skull
• as welcome as rain at a summer barbeque
• as white as someone’s lies
• cookie-sized confetti
• dirty lather soaping the city
• disappearing as quickly as dew in the desert
• feathers of white creating a downy nest in every hollow
• fluttering white moths kissing noses and chins
• muddy and slushy snow-gravy
• powdered gems sparkling in the sun
• soft as a lover’s kiss
• sparkling gems floating onto flower and face
• stardust sprinkling over a Milky Way of upturned faces
• white concrete
• white waves rippling over the fields

The Colors of Snow

Snow is often multicolored. Shadows, foreign substances, variable lighting, and other conditions change its tint. It might be shadow-dappled, blue-spattered, mud-stained, or smoke-streaked, for example.

Consider the following ten phrases as a foundation for creating multicolored descriptions of snow.

• [insert color or colorful object]-dappled
• [insert color or colorful object]-dotted
• [insert color or colorful object]-flecked
• [insert color or colorful object]-pocked
• [insert color or colorful object]-spattered
• [insert color or colorful object]-splattered
• [insert color or colorful object]-spotted
• [insert color or colorful object]-stained
• [insert color or colorful object]-stippled
• [insert color or colorful object]-streaked

If you need a single color, try one of the following.

A to M ashen, black, bloody, blue green, bluish, brown, brownish, candy-colored [due to algae growth], cement grey, crimson, down grey, empurpled, filthy grey, glare white, golden, green, grey, greyish, gritty grey, hoary (greyish white), mauve

O to Y off color, orange, pallid, pearlescent, pearly, pink, purple, red [from iron oxide], red with blood, roseate, rosy, ruddy, sidewalk grey, silver, silvery, sooty, watermelon pink [due to algae growth], white, yellow, yellowish

See also 1000+ Ways to Describe Colors .

Snow Scents

Although snow is frozen water and shouldn’t have an inherent smell, most people and animals can detect a snowstorm before it hits. Their noses respond to a number of factors, including the increase in humidity.

Characters will experience different olfactory stimuli depending on location and time period. A visitor to Disneyland could smell cinnamon from churros (What? Snow in Disneyland? Story fodder.) But a resident of the 1800s might smell coal fires.

If someone claims that snow smells like apple pie, they’re likely standing next to a bakery or Grandma’s cooling shelf.

The colder the temperature, the more subdued the scent of air. But snow still absorbs scents from the environment, especially when partially melted.

I have seen adjectives like the following used by writers when describing the scent of snow: fresh, fragrant, humid, odorous, perfumed, and stagnant.

However, English provides a myriad of words to choose from. Snow might smell like, reek of, or be redolent with the scent of:

A to D algae, almonds (cyanide), apple pie, bacon, a bakery, a barbeque, a barn, blood, booze, burning [leaves, plastic, rubber], brushfires, a busy highway, campfires, Christmas, cinnamon, clean laundry, coal fires, coffee, compost, decaying [fill in the blank], diesel, dirt, dog poop

E to M exhaust fumes, fire, fir trees, a forest, fresh laundry, gasoline, ghetto, gingerbread, Grandma’s kitchen, gunpowder, horse manure, incense, iron, jasmine, kitty litter, landfill, the mountains, mud, musk ox, musty leaves

O to W an oil refinery, an outhouse, ozone, peppermint, pig manure, pine trees, a polecat, pollution, a pulp mill, roasting [chicken, pork, turkey], rotten cabbage, sewer, skunk, smog, spruce trees, sulfur, Thanksgiving, vomit, warming cars, wastewater treatment plant, wet grass, woodsmoke, wolf, wolverine

Snow: So Much More Than Freezing Water

“We love the sight of the brown and ruddy earth; it is the color of life, while a snow-covered plain is the face of death. Yet snow is but the mask of the life-giving rain; it, too, is the friend of man, the tender, sculpturesque, immaculate, warming, fertilizing snow.” ~ John Burroughs

Does Your WIP Include Snow?

If your story unfolds in a desert, you could generate intrigue with the addition of wintry precipitation. What would cause snowflakes in the middle of the Sahara? Why would an SUV have ice encrusted on its undercarriage?

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10 thoughts on “ 1000+ Ways to Describe Snow Part 1: A Word List for Writers ”

I am writing a book based on a cold forest and I was really in search of some good metaphors and vocab which could elevate that particular part of the book and I think this page has really helped me a lot. Thank you so much, the selection of words and phrases is quiet unique here.

I’m so glad this post was helpful for you, Biren, and good luck with your book!

This is wonderful. Thanks so much.

Thanks for stopping by, Lori. Good luck with your writing!

Hello. I am writing a murder mystery that takes place in the Rocky Mountains. I live in ice and snow during the winter, and so appreciate this list of snow metaphors and descriptors!

My pleasure, Donna. Good luck with your murder mystery. Now is the perfect time of year to see, feel, hear, taste, and smell snow and ice — especially in the Rocky Mountains.

Kathy—This is just wonderful! You’ve demonstrated—with examples—the richness of associations a gifted writer can bring to her work.

Your post brings to mind Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Danish author, Peter Høeg. Have you read it? The flinty, intelligent heroine is from Greenland and part Eskimo. She is a deeply knowledgable about the properties of snow and uses that knowledge to solve a murder and ultimately expose a conspiracy to steal Greenland’s vast mineral riches. One of the first Scandi noir novels, it was also made into quite a good movie starring Julia Ormond and Gabriel Byrne.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385315147/

Thanks, Ruth. I hadn’t heard about the book until now. Sounds intriguing. The link you gave went to a page that shows it as unavailable for purchase, so I tracked it down and took the liberty of modifying the URL. Smilla’s Sense of Snow is now on my Amazon wish list.

I appreciate the heads-up!

Kathy – I always look forward to these wonderful descriptions for just about everything! When I get the emails that say “100 Ways to Describe…”, I always leap on top of it and open the web page up and save it to my bookmarks!!! I’m currently writing a book and your works help me in so many ways and you, as an Author, have inspired me to keep writing! Thank you for all that you do! You are AMAZING!

Thank you, and Have a wonderful Holiday! Rebecca Kroll

PS: I have both of your Lexicon books! I wish there were more!

Thanks, Rebecca. What a wonderful way to start my day — even better than coffee. Good luck with your writing, and you have a wonderful holiday too!

P.S. I’m working on The Writer’s Body Lexicon . It’ll be out early next year.

Descriptives and Narratives(IGCSE English)

• Everything would be different (Narrative)
• Village after heavy rainstorm (Descriptive)
• City morning (Descriptive)
• Busted (Narrative)
• Firework display (Descriptive)
• Underwater (Descriptive)

Countryside (Descriptive)

• Change in weather (Descriptive)
• Sunset with her (Descriptive)
• Going Home (Descriptive)
• One last picnic (Descriptive)
• Major challenge (Descriptive)
• Meteorite strikes!
• Conscience Transfer

YOU ARE READING

This book is a compilation of narratives and mainly descriptives that I wrote as practice work for my IGCSE First Language English course. They are mostly unreviewed and I do not claim that they will achieve top band marks. However, it will be helpf...

# adventure # awe # beach # country # descriptive # emotions # english # firework # igcse # landscape # moments # mountains # narrative # rain # scenery # sea # storm # sunset # underwater # wattys2017

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Original question: Describe the country side.

Whilst trotting down the snaky rutted path, I paused brief moment to admire the marvellous landscape. The reason why I decided to take a walk along the scenic countryside was to kick stress out of my head and the evergreen pastures I was marvelling at was sending the stress flying.

It was dead-quiet except the interminable chirping of birds that created artistic musical notes echoing in the mountain range. It soothed my anxious mind and incinerated any thoughts about my upcoming exams. White cows with blots of black chewed the knife-edged grass leaves lazily, as though they had all the time in the world. Time! The sky was taking on an apricot tint as the mango-yellow sun started to hide behind the formidable mountains. The mountains were ginormous! From this distance they looked like perfect conical structures with an iridescent turquoise hue that elevated it's magnificence. It was topped with a vanilla frost of ice that made my taste buds excited as I remembered the ice-cream I savoured in the afternoon. The copses of birch wood trees pinned the vast expanse of the farmland onto the rocky terrain. Their barks made me cringe as it reminded me of the sponge-dry scab I got on my face after sliding across the field in school.

The sky took on a grey shade almost like an artist's painting with clouds dabbed on it and stars that glittered like jewels. A farmer was harshly whipping his cows back into their barn as they 'moo-ed' and raced past the overgrazed land. Houses lit up like candle flames on the farmland and the nocturnal bats were out to conquer the night yet again. I dreaded their sight as it reminded me of all the 'blood-sucking' vampire movies I watched as a kid. The sky got coal dark now — with only shimmers from stars like diamonds hidden within igneous rocks. I had to head home. I swayed my body away from the landscape and ambled back along the rutted tracks. The only difference being that this time my head was filled with dreadful thoughts about my incomplete homework and a sleepless night. 

How to Write a Good Descriptive Paragraph

• Writing Essays
• Writing Research Papers
• English Grammar
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

A good descriptive paragraph is like a window into another world. Through the use of careful examples or details, an author can conjure a scene that vividly describes a person, place, or thing. Whether it's found in fiction or nonfiction, the best descriptive writing appeals to multiple senses at once—smell, sight, taste, touch, and hearing.

See below for examples of strong descriptive paragraphs, and then get some tips to start writing your own.

5 Examples of Strong Descriptive Paragraphs

In their unique ways, each of the following writers (three of them students, two of them professional authors) have selected a belonging or place that holds special meaning to them. After identifying that subject in a clear topic sentence, they proceed to describe it in detail while explaining its introspective significance.

"A Friendly Clown"

"On one corner of my dresser sits a smiling toy clown on a tiny unicycle―a gift I received last Christmas from a close friend. The clown's short yellow hair, made of yarn, covers its ears but is parted above the eyes. The blue eyes are outlined in black with thin, dark lashes flowing from the brows. It has cherry-red cheeks, nose, and lips, and its broad grin disappears into the wide, white ruffle around its neck. The clown wears a fluffy, two-tone nylon costume. The left side of the outfit is light blue, and the right side is red. The two colors merge in a dark line that runs down the center of the small outfit. Surrounding its ankles and disguising its long black shoes are big pink bows. The white spokes on the wheels of the unicycle gather in the center and expand to the black tire so that the wheel somewhat resembles the inner half of a grapefruit. The clown and unicycle together stand about a foot high. As a cherished gift from my good friend Tran, this colorful figure greets me with a smile every time I enter my room."

Observe how the writer moves clearly from a description of the head of the clown to the body to the unicycle underneath. More than sensory details for the eyes, she provides touch, in the description that the hair is made of yarn and the suit of nylon. Certain colors are specific, as in cherry-red cheeks and light blue, and descriptions help the reader visualize the object: the parted hair, the color line on the suit, and the grapefruit analogy. Dimensions overall help to provide the reader with the item's scale, and the descriptions of the size of the ruffle and bows on the shoes in comparison to what's nearby provide telling detail. The concluding sentence helps to tie the paragraph together by emphasizing the personal value of this gift.

"The Blond Guitar"

by Jeremy Burden

"My most valuable possession is an old, slightly warped blond guitar―the first instrument I taught myself how to play. It's nothing fancy, just a Madeira folk guitar, all scuffed and scratched and fingerprinted. At the top is a bramble of copper-wound strings, each one hooked through the eye of a silver tuning key. The strings are stretched down a long, slim neck, its frets tarnished, the wood worn by years of fingers pressing chords and picking notes. The body of the Madeira is shaped like an enormous yellow pear, one that was slightly damaged in shipping. The blond wood has been chipped and gouged to gray, particularly where the pick guard fell off years ago. No, it's not a beautiful instrument, but it still lets me make music, and for that I will always treasure it."

Here, the writer uses a topic sentence to open his paragraph and then uses the following sentences to add specific details . The author creates an image for the mind's eye to travel across by describing the parts of the guitar logically, from the strings on the head to the worn wood on the body.

He emphasizes its condition by the number of different descriptions of the wear on the guitar, such as noting its slight warp; distinguishing between scuffs and scratches; describing the effect that fingers have had on the instrument by wearing down its neck, tarnishing frets, and leaving prints on the body; listing both its chips and gouges and even noting their effects on the color of the instrument. The author even describes the remnants of missing pieces. After all that, he plainly states his affection for it.

"Gregory"

by Barbara Carter

"Gregory is my beautiful gray Persian cat. He walks with pride and grace, performing a dance of disdain as he slowly lifts and lowers each paw with the delicacy of a ballet dancer. His pride, however, does not extend to his appearance, for he spends most of his time indoors watching television and growing fat. He enjoys TV commercials, especially those for Meow Mix and 9 Lives. His familiarity with cat food commercials has led him to reject generic brands of cat food in favor of only the most expensive brands. Gregory is as finicky about visitors as he is about what he eats, befriending some and repelling others. He may snuggle up against your ankle, begging to be petted, or he may imitate a skunk and stain your favorite trousers. Gregory does not do this to establish his territory, as many cat experts think, but to humiliate me because he is jealous of my friends. After my guests have fled, I look at the old fleabag snoozing and smiling to himself in front of the television set, and I have to forgive him for his obnoxious, but endearing, habits."

The writer here focuses less on the physical appearance of her pet than on the cat's habits and actions. Notice how many different descriptors go into just the sentence about how the cat walks: emotions of pride and disdain and the extended metaphor of the dancer, including the phrases "dance of disdain," "grace," and "ballet dancer." When you want to portray something through the use of a metaphor, make sure you are consistent, and that all the descriptors make sense with that one metaphor. Don't use two different metaphors to describe the same thing, because that makes the image you're trying to portray awkward and convoluted. The consistency adds emphasis and depth to the description.

Personification is an effective literary device for giving lifelike detail to an inanimate object or an animal, and Carter uses it to great effect. Look at how much time she spends on the discussions of what the cat takes pride in (or doesn't) and how it comes across in his attitude, with being finicky and jealous, acting to humiliate by spraying, and just overall behaving obnoxiously. Still, she conveys her clear affection for the cat, something to which many readers can relate.

"The Magic Metal Tube"

by Maxine Hong Kingston

"Once in a long while, four times so far for me, my mother brings out the metal tube that holds her medical diploma. On the tube are gold circles crossed with seven red lines each―"joy" ideographs in abstract. There are also little flowers that look like gears for a gold machine. According to the scraps of labels with Chinese and American addresses, stamps, and postmarks, the family airmailed the can from Hong Kong in 1950. It got crushed in the middle, and whoever tried to peel the labels off stopped because the red and gold paint came off too, leaving silver scratches that rust. Somebody tried to pry the end off before discovering that the tube falls apart. When I open it, the smell of China flies out, a thousand-year-old bat flying heavy-headed out of the Chinese caverns where bats are as white as dust, a smell that comes from long ago, far back in the brain."

This paragraph opens the third chapter of Maxine Hong Kingston's "The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts," a lyrical account of a Chinese-American girl growing up in California. Notice how Kingston integrates informative and descriptive details in this account of "the metal tube" that holds her mother's diploma from medical school. She uses color, shape, texture (rust, missing paint, pry marks, and scratches), and smell, where she has a particularly strong metaphor that surprises the reader with its distinctness. The last sentence in the paragraph (not reproduced here) is more about the smell; closing the paragraph with this aspect adds emphasis to it. The order of the description is also logical, as the first response to the closed object is how it looks rather than how it smells when opened.

"Inside District School #7, Niagara County, New York"

by Joyce Carol Oates

"Inside, the school smelled smartly of varnish and wood smoke from the potbellied stove. On gloomy days, not unknown in upstate New York in this region south of Lake Ontario and east of Lake Erie, the windows emitted a vague, gauzy light, not much reinforced by ceiling lights. We squinted at the blackboard, that seemed far away since it was on a small platform, where Mrs. Dietz's desk was also positioned, at the front, left of the room. We sat in rows of seats, smallest at the front, largest at the rear, attached at their bases by metal runners, like a toboggan; the wood of these desks seemed beautiful to me, smooth and of the red-burnished hue of horse chestnuts. The floor was bare wooden planks. An American flag hung limply at the far left of the blackboard and above the blackboard, running across the front of the room, designed to draw our eyes to it avidly, worshipfully, were paper squares showing that beautifully shaped script known as Parker Penmanship."

In this paragraph (originally published in "Washington Post Book World" and reprinted in ​"Faith of a Writer: Life, Craft, Art"), Joyce Carol Oates affectionately describes the one-room schoolhouse she attended from first through fifth grades. Notice how she appeals to our sense of smell before moving on to describe the layout and contents of the room. When you walk into a place, its overall smell hits you immediately, if it's pungent, even before you've taken in the whole area with your eyes. Thus this choice of chronology for this descriptive paragraph is also a logical order of narration, even though it differs from the Hong Kingston paragraph. It allows the reader to imagine the room just as if he were walking into it.

The positioning of items relative to other items is on full display in this paragraph, to give people a clear vision of the layout of the place as a whole. For the objects inside, she uses many descriptors of what materials they are made from. Note the imagery portrayed by the use of the phrases "gauzy light," "toboggan," and "horse chestnuts." You can imagine the emphasis placed on penmanship study by the description of their quantity, the deliberate location of the paper squares, and the desired effect upon the students brought about by this location.

Writing Your Own Descriptive Paragraph

Writing your own descriptive paragraph ? Always start by observing your subject closely, using all five senses. Think about and write down as many details as you can; then, try to associate different metaphors or expressions to convey those details. Don't forget to identify what your topic sentence should be. And of course, be open to whatever your imagination explores. Need ideas for a topic? Check out this list of 40 descriptive paragraph topic suggestions .

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