In class we did some creative writing exercises based around turning a tell sentence into a more show piece of writing. Some of the examples we used were as follows:

Example 1:
1) The cat sat on the chair.
2) The chair was covered in a shabby chintz pattern, stained in parts from years of tea drinking. The seat sagged, no longer springy, but flattened from years of bums sitting deep in it’s depth. A contented fluff ball had positioned itself in the seat. Her whiskers stuck out at odd angles. Above her eyes were two grey patches of fur, that gave her the appearance of being very wise. Her fur was very long, and striped. Brown, grey, black and blue hairs striped her body. Her paws were pure white. And she had a small bib too. Like all happy cats, her tongue poked out of her mouth as she slept. The fire crackled, and in the glowing heat, the small feline chose to stretch out further. She extended her front paws northward, and her back paws south, rolling on to her back and exposing her chubby belly. She began to purr.

Example 2:
1) The castle was a ruin.
2) The stones were a pile now, the bare impression of walls was all that remained. The building had once dominated the edge of the cliff, majestically guarding the coast. Now a thin strip of keep wall jutted into the air, precariously peering over the steep edge. Around this tall totem, gulls wheeled in the cruel wind. They cried out as the gusts tried to smash them into the derelict landmark.

Example 3:
1) The girl was sad.
2) She had taken herself off to a corner off the playground, out of the line of sight of the staffroom. She crumpled to the floor, making a dirty nest in the sodden leaves. Bits of moss and branches clung to her tights and dug into her skin. She didn’t care. She pulled her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her skinny arms around them. She tucked her head into the space that was left. It was then, and only then that she let herself go. Since walking out of the classroom, her throat had been burning. A fiery, nipping sensation of tears pushing to be let out. They had danced on the edge of her eyes. And now here they were in one great big flood. And snot too. She couldn’t control it any more.

Turn these sentences into descriptive pieces. (15 sentences each)
1) The dog barked at the door.
2) The apple was in the tree.
3) The mum did the food shop.
4) The boat was on the sea.
5) she made a cup of coffee.