Writing with Stardust: The Ultimate Descriptive Guide for students, parents, teachers and writers (7 page)

Over time, the metaphors can become more advanced and creative. Lips are
sugar sweet
, deserts are
Satan’s sauna
and
veins of lightning
pierce through
ribbons of mist
. There are no limits to how original a child can be with metaphors. The secret is to let them visualise how one object or idea can be associated with another. The end result shall be a passage of writing that is unique, vibrant and thrumming with the energy of metaphors.

                           WATERFALLS

                                     
COLOUR

LEVEL 1         LEVEL 2         LEVEL 3            LEVEL 4         LEVEL 5        OTHERS

1. The arctic-blue waterfall was
streaked
with silver.

2. The Atlantic-blue waterfall was
veined
with silver edge.

3. The Pacific-blue waterfall was
grooved
with
a silver lining.

4. The Neptune-blue cataract was
inlayed
with streaks of silver.

5. The lagoon-blue cascade was
striated
with glints of silver.

                               
THE
SOUND OF A GENTLE WATERFALL

1. The dripping of the waterfall made a
ringing
sound.

2. The gurgling of the water caused a tinny
ping
like a bell
.

3. The spraying of the water caused a magical
plinking
sound.

4. The baptismal
chinking
of showering water on rock was musical.

5. The chrismal
tinkle
of the sprinkling waterfall was wondrous to behold.

                               
THE SOUND OF A ROARING WATERFALL

1. The waterfall was rushing down in
anger
.

2. The waterfall was boiling over the rocks with
rage
.

3. The waterfall was smashing into the rocks in
frenzy
.

4. The clangourous waterfall was spitting with its
hissy fits
.

5. The cacophonous waterfall was buffeting the rocks in a
zealous rage
.

                                                        
ACTION

1. The waterfall flowed like a silver
ramp
.

2. The waterfall swooped down like a liquid
slide
.

3. The waterfall crashed down like a silky
chute
of silver.

4. The waterfall surged down like a velvety
weir
of silver.

5. The graceful waterfall cascaded down like nature’s
liquid loom
.

                                               
A DIVINITY-POOL

1. The infinity-pool was very
clear
.

2. The mystique-pool was
see-through
to the bottom.

3. The enchantment-pool was as
transparent
as glass.

4. The rapture-pool was as
limpid
and clear as a diamond.

5. The eternity-pool was as
pellucid
as a window on a summer’s day.

                                     
THE TEXTURE OF A WATERFALL

1. The silky waterfall was
dinging
with joy.

2. The suede soft waterfall was
pealing
with pleasure.

3. The velvet-silver waterfall was
jingling
off the rocks.

4. The waterfall flowed like honey,
chiming
gently off the rocks.

5. The waterfall poured as smoothly as mercury,
clinking
and lilting like little bells.

                                              
OTHER IMAGES

1. Grasses were swaying next to the
slick
waterfall.

2. Fish were darting under the
sleek
waterfall.

3. Stilt-legged herons were spearing fish next to the
slinky
waterfall.

4. A grove of sad willows brooded next to the
sensuous
waterfall.

5. The cascade was sissing as it flowed
sylph-like
over the gravelly bed.

                                          SENSATION

1. We stood under the waterfall and we began shivering.

2. Its icy tongue of water had us trembling beneath it.

3. It was tundra cold and our quaking bodies couldn’t take it anymore.

                                                         SMELL

1. The aroma of the flowers was treacle sweet.

2. The scent of the bluebells was syrup sweet.

3. The sweet fragrance of the daffodils was glucose sweet.

                                                         
TASTE

1. We had a riverside picnic. The homemade jam was heavenly.

2. The fresh fruit was angelic under the gas flame-blue sky

3. The grilled brook trout was ambrosial and titillated our taste buds.

                                   
LEVEL 1: BASIC SENTENCES

1. The waterfall was
aquarium-blue
.
COLOUR

2. It was
drizzling
onto the rocks.
SOFT
SOUNDS

3. The larger waterfall was
pounding
the rocks.
LOUD
SOUNDS

4. It
tumbled
down the mountain.
ACTION

5. The
bliss-pool
at the bottom was varnish clear.
A DIVINITY-POOL

6. It looked like a wall of blue
satin
threaded with silver.
TEXTURE

7. The
flowers
next to it were nodding gently.
OTHER IMAGES

8. It was
freezing
and we were shaking with the cold.
SENSATION

9. The flowers growing nearby had a
honey sweet smell
.
SMELL

10. We ate an ice cream cone on the bank and it was
divine
.
TASTE

                                  LEVEL 2: A BASIC PARAGRAPH

The waterfall was
Atlantis-blue
. It was
gushing
over the rocks. At its widest point, it was
surging
and
plunging
down the mountain. It had a beautiful
serenity-pool
at the bottom. It was veneer clear. The waterfall flowed as smoothly as
syrup
. The
frogs
croaking
nearby added to the wonderful sounds. We threw ourselves under the waterfall.  It was so cold that we started
shuddering
. We collapsed on the bank and let the
nougat sweet smell
of flowers wash over us. Later we had some ham sandwiches and they were
Godly
.

                                
LEVEL 3: CREATIVE PARAGRAPHS

The waterfall was
Mediterranean-blue
and magical. It was
swishing
over the rocks joyfully. It was
thundering
down into the pool like a gigantic water spout. When it
toppled
into the
ecstasy-pool
, it foamed it at the bottom. The rest of the pool was as clear as cellophane, enabling us to see down into the rocky bottom. Fronds of forest-green plants waved gently in the depths. The waterfall looked like a sheet of blue
velour
as it swished down. Its edges were hemmed with whipped-white lines.

We could see a gaggle of
geese
grazing
by the bank and the scene was picture perfect. A group of Amazonian ferns, edged with saw’s teeth and statue still, added a tropical flavour. We stood under the waterfall to cool down, but it was catacomb cold. It gave us goose bumps immediately. We ended up
quivering
and shivering on the bank. The
nectar sweet smell
of the spring flowers perked up our spirits. We had a cup of chocolate and it was
Godlike
after our moment of madness.

                                  LEVEL 4: ADVANCED PARAGRAPHS

We gasped in astonishment at the clarity of the
Caribbean-blue
waterfall. It was
spurting
over the basalt rock, spilling eel-like over the ledges. Its
clamorous
passage at the foot of the mountain threw up bubbles of spray. They sparkled uneasily in the dying light and shimmered like the ghostly, blood drops of a phantom.

There was a whooshing vortex at the bottom. It was caused by the
plummeting
funnel of water that spiralled from on high. It looked like a drape of
blue aluminium
, such was its lushness. The cascade was sieved with silver at its fringes, lending a hallucinatory quality to it.

Wagtails were bobbing
and dipping on a rock, foraging for juicy flies. The tip of the rock pierced the
rhapsody-pool
like the upturned nose of a dwarf. Run off water tingled the rock as it seeped away, distilled as pure and clear as an angel’s tears. There appeared to be a cave under the arch of waterfall. Quickly shedding our jumpers and shoes, the bravest of us plunged into it. The watery slide we passed through was so cold that our bodies were
quaking
when entering the cave.

At first, our only impressions were of a curtain of doom-black confronting us. Then our senses became fully attuned. The air was musty and rank, like sticking your head into an old dustbin. The reason why became obvious as our night vision kicked in. It was littered with fish bones, hundreds of them. Whether otter, heron or bear had done this over millennia, we did not know. The sooty darkness at the back of the cave seemed gloomy and dank and we felt that only impure, wicked things would be found there. None of us had the courage to delve any further. The bones seemed to grin up at our hesitation as we turned to go out.

We burst through the wall of water and looked up to see a hopeful, polestar-blue sky. A cup of hot soup was waiting for us and we sipped in silence. The fragrance of the
marzipan sweet
flowers added to the peace. It tasted
unearthly
and Arcadian after the experience of the cave. It gave a new meaning to the term comfort food.

                       LEVEL 5: COMPLEX WRITING: ROCK AND AWE

I ambled along the mountain path. An unusual humming sound vibrated in the air. It sounded like a swarm of bees. Then the buzzing transferred to the rock beneath my feet. It travelled through my body and I felt a tingle that ran up to my fingertips. I rounded the corner and the source of the sound revealed itself.