::Everyday Writing:: 006 - "Alt Text" Challenge
At some point, all would-be writers hear this advice: "Show, don't tell." But even when you have visuals to work with, it can be painfully hard to describe a scene.
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Hi, I'm John-Paul, and this is Everyday Writing, an occasional newsletter for which you signed up - thank you. You can unsubscribe using the link below..
When I was writing a novel, set in the 1700s, I struggled to conjure its world, both indoors and out. But sometimes I found a period drawing or painting, and if I sat down to write a careful description of it, I tended to find my way.
You may have done something similar. If not, here's your chance.
Every day, for seven days, I'm going to send out a themed series of images. Here's an example:
("Max's House, Child's Hill.")
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Watercolour-like freehand sketch of large house, side on, facing wooden-fenced enclosed garden, with mature trees and shrub casting shadows on grass and compost bin; other houses outlined in background. - Description by Ian Reid
Impressionistic watercolour (?) sketch of two trees in a yard surrounded by houses and a fence, mostly green palette - John Allsopp
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These descriptions of my drawing of Max's House were written as "Alt Text" - approx 30 words to describe online images, so that somebody visually impaired understands not only what the image shows but also a sense of how it feels to look at it.
Alt Text is strictly descriptive. It's not the same as a caption. A caption might tell us about the world of the picture, and beyond. Such as (in this case): "North London is likely to see even more sunny mornings in the next few days." Or, "The house on the right is home to a boy called Max."
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After receiving those Alt descriptions from Ian and John, I used them to find images on Google.
Here's what came top, using Ian's exact words:
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And this came top when I used John's wording:
If somebody visually impaired wanted to buy an artwork online (as a present, perhaps), they could really benefit from the Alt Text being precise.
Series 1 starts soon.
I’ll send a new picture every day for seven days. Each one will be an urban landscape, somewhat like “Max’s House” above.
Your challenge is to reply with 30 words of Alt Text. Alternatively, just enjoy the pictures and move on with your day. (Landscapes are hard to describe!)
To avoid spamming anybody, I’ll only send the series if you reply to this email with approx 30 words of your own, describing my drawing of Max’s House.
Bye for now.
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