Hawaii is a place of natural wonders; with vibrant plumeria trees on every corner, beaches with black sands and brilliant blue waters, and volcanic scenery that looks like another world. But these descriptions are nothing new. They can be seen on any Internet photo search. How to truly describe the island one has to depict the culture and flavors experienced: the taste and smells, the encounters with residents, and even the most unusual events.

I got married on the island of Maui at sunrise and it was NOT the picture perfect wedding. It rained so heavily the day before, tons of red dirt from the hills rolled onto the main roads and the ground was too saturated at the location we originally picked to get married. While looking at our video of the ceremony, we noticed a tourist boogie boarding on the beach, with the waves wiping him out several times. During the photographer session, the hotel sprinklers turned on by the ledge we were using. Everything didn’t go as planned in this paradise, but it made the moments memorable.

When you want to describe a place you visit, leave out the obvious. Tap into the senses and go beyond the scenery. If you are walking through a market, what are the aromas of food, perfumes, or even the fabrics hanging on a rack? If you are on the beach, depict the textures of unusual items you find in the sand. If the cruise schedule didn’t go as planned because of bad weather, relay how you occupied the time and what you observed of others on the ship. It is the unusual details that will capture an audience.

Excerpt from Omeros by Derek Walcott

Author Derek Walcott uses literary magic to describe the island of St. Lucia in his epic, Omeros. In the excerpt (pictured right), he portrays Christmas time by the smells that travel with the wind: the scent of the asphalt after being drizzled with rain, the sizzle of a morning fish fry, inhaling the aroma of spiced ham, but also the hint of a foreboding death. Walcott uses this method throughout the book and his specific descriptions feed the reader with the rich culture of the island, making it easier to enjoy the lengthy poem.

In the chapter “Writing About Place: The Travel Article,” William Zinsser says:

Find details that are significant. They may be important to your narrative; they may be unusual, or colorful, or comic, or entertaining. But make sure they do useful work.

-Zissner, On Writing Well

Zissner explains further to stay away from cliché descriptions. Even though a popular vacation spot may have been written about over and over again, he challenges the reader to make it his/her own by seeing it from a different perspective and using one’s own unique experiences.

 

Sources:

Walcott, Derek. Omeros. New York: Noonday Press, 1995. 223. Print

Zinsser, William. On Writing Well. New York: Collins, 2006. 116-131. Print

Written by: Donna J. Sanders

Donna is a freelance writer and blogger in West Palm Beach, FL. She is the author of Ataraxia – a poetry collection about the struggles we face, the state of the world and how to see beauty in the simplest things, and Cardboard Signs – poems to bring awareness about homelessness, mental illness, self-esteem and the injustices many face.

Find out more about her here:

https://theraven6825.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/DonnaJSanders6825

http://www.ctupublishinggroup.com/donna-j.-sanders.html

#‎WritingTip

http://www.facebook.com/Creativetalentsunleashed

Sign up for our emails on writing tips at:

https://rajasinsight.com

Photo Credit: © Donna J. Sanders