Descriptions

"The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside that seemed to grow a little way into the house. A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosted wedding cake of the ceiling--and then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea" (The Great Gatsby).

Isn't this a beautifully descriptive passage? When writing it can be difficult to describe a house or the setting in a creative, original way, but this quote from the Great Gatsby does an excellent job. From "the frosted wedding cake of the ceiling" to grass... that seemed to grow a little way into the house" the room is vividly and imaginatively painted in a way that readers can connect with.

"the frosted wedding cake of the ceiling" Doesn't that perfectly describe the ornate white ceiling of a Victorian house? Wonderful.