I was flicking through some photos taken on our holiday last year and I realised some of the most appealing were those that were alive with colour. The colours were so reminiscent of the trip that just looking at the photos transported me back to the places these photos were taken.In turn this tuned into other senses. The smell of the spices in the markets or the floral scents from the flowers. The voices of the street sellers and the cool, slightly uneven, surface of the tiles. It started me thinking about how I write colour into my stories.
Do you use colours as simple adjectives or do you seek creative ways to describe colours in new ways? How important is it to you to paint these images for your readers?
“Soon it got dusk, a grapy dusk, a purple dusk over tangerine groves and long melon fields; the sun the color of pressed grapes, slashed with burgandy red, the fields the color of love and Spanish mysteries.”
"The world is a carousel of color.”
“Colors. Would it be green or blue today? Maybe white—my favorite. A dark voice in the back of my mind offered no color at all as an alternative. I smothered that voice. The days of no color were simply too hard to bear. I needed color today.”
I like to stimulate the senses when I write so I do pay attention to the way I describe touch and smell, think I'm going to add colour to that list as well now. I am going to start a colour notebook (we love our notebooks don't we!) so that I can jot down imaginative ideas for future use.
Recently Deanie Humphrys-Dunne at Thoughts and Ideas nominated me for the colourful 'Sunshine Award.' Thank you Deanie for thinking about me! I was given a similar award a short while ago so I am posting a link to that post HERE.
Very nice photos!
ReplyDeleteI'm simple and usually just go for basic color descriptions. Most men don't understand those really funky colors anyway.
Congratulations on the award.
Thanks Alex. I never thought about gender specifics!
DeleteI try to make use of different hues and shades, particularly when doing landscapes (and sea-scapes - there's only so many times you can say "the blue sea"). It's introduced me to a wider range of colour-based vocabulary - cerulean, vermillion, carmine, to name but three.
ReplyDeleteI also try to use all the senses in every piece of description I write - I find that smell is often woefully under-used in prose and try to rectify that.
I think that's the key, finding a different way to convey your images. This gives your writing your own unique voice. Love the word, cerulean will add that to my notebook!
DeleteI love pictures, images, colors-- all the senses in writing. The pictures are lovely and each one conveys a story. I liked the quotes too. And Alex, Jack Karouac was a man. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think a couple could easily be used as story prompts. Thanks, Julie.
DeleteI never thought on describing colors that poetically. Red is simply red to me, hahaha. I'll try a different way. It's always nice to try new things. Congratulations on your award!
ReplyDeleteNew things are good, Al even if we revert back to what works for us as individuals. There is an element of experimentation in writing isn't there?
DeleteThe pictures are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI use colour and senses a lot in my writing. It was something that was drilled into me by my English degree tutor.
Thanks, Donna. I think stimulating a reader's senses is a good thing and helps with their connectivity with a story.
DeleteYeah just go with simple for colors at my sea, too much confuses little old me lol
ReplyDeleteYour place is always a colourful visit, Pat :)
DeleteAh such resplendent colours that bloom from thine photos. I've been know to use some rather um colourful writing techniques.
ReplyDeleteWell done on receiving the Sunshine Award, again. A peaceful day to you, Suzanne.
Gary
Good morning, Gary, colourful writing techniques - never! I love your style.
DeleteLovely photos!
ReplyDeleteThat dark gateway hidden under all the pink flowers makes me want to write a story to go with it...
I know, Helen, a couple of them would make excellent writing prompts - feel free!
DeleteGorgeous photos!
ReplyDeleteI'm not much into physical descriptions of any kind when I write lol, and I know that's bad, but I struggle with it. I HOPE I make up for it with descriptions of feelings though lol.
Hi, Kyra, feelings are just as important for connecting with characters, the senses are more the environment/setting I guess.
DeleteI love the vibrant colours you've captured in your photos. The notebook is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked them :)
DeleteHi Suzanne - I love descriptions .. also others' ideas remind me of vocabulary levels, that I may have forgotten about .. or relate a colour to theme within an article ... then that aspect gets looked at it another way ... I love description, but all senses are so important when writing ... sometimes less is better, in another context or book .. more is lovely ..
ReplyDeleteCheers from crystal clear day in Eastbourne! Hilary
Very mixed day here, Hilary, I'm afraid! I just love reading a passage that makes me sit up and think - Wow I can really 'see' that.
DeleteColor certainly does enhance both photos and writing!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree!
DeleteWhen I write I try to give enough of a scene for the frame work to exist, and then I let the reader fill in the rest. But then again, I'm sort of a minimalist. I get impatient when books I'm reading take too long to get to the point.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree that sometimes description can be too lengthy. It can be a distraction to the story.
DeleteYes, I do use colour, but I'm a minimalist writer, so I'm completely the opposite of the Kerouac example.
ReplyDeleteSometimes less is more :)
DeleteColor is amazing, isn't it? I think that is part of the reason that winter is so depressing to me... NO COLOR! I love it when the world comes to life and is full of color and beauty! We need it in our writing too. It really does make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you there, Leigh give me colour anyday!
DeleteCongrats on the award! I love those...
ReplyDeleteI do like to be really descriptive with colors. Some scenes are more successful than others. I do try to incorporate all the senses. My MC in my WIP has an extraordinary sense of smell which figures heavily into the plot...
Tina @ Life is Good
I often write about scents and smells, Tina. They can be very evocative.
DeleteLove that On the Road quote. Pure beauty.
ReplyDeleteIt is lovely isn't it?
DeleteOh beautiful! Those flowers go beyond describing them as simply purple. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteBeyond purple - love that quote Jaybird :)
DeleteOooo! A color notebook. What a creative idea! Thanks for the suggestion!
ReplyDeleteHope you find it useful.
DeleteI can always 'see' the colours of my characters' clothes, cars, homes etc. I think knowing which colours someone likes or dislikes can say a lot about their personality. But you've made me realise that I don't always remember to mention these colours in my writing. Something else to put on my checklist!
ReplyDeleteI know, sometimes there is so much to think about!
DeleteActually, I'm not that sort of a professional when it comes to writing but I loved the way you explained it and the examples you gave. Adding colour to the text does make it come more alive to me. It seems to paint more of a picture of what the author is saying.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on also being nominated for the Sunshine award.
I think writing is about painting a picture for your reader. If you can stimulate their senses too this can only enhance their reading experiences.
DeleteI think it's important to incorporate all the senses when they're relevant to the scene. Color in particular definitely enhances writing!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the blitz today. What a great surprise!
Hi Dana and welcome, glad you enjoyed your Blitz Day today!
DeleteGreat post, Suzanne. I think this will make me more mindful of the picture I paint with my words. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Celeste, glad you found it a helpful post.
Deletevery interesting thoughts about colors--they do have a lot of control over us :)
ReplyDeleteThe world is full of colour so it makes sense to me to include it in our writing.
DeleteI love colour, especially in my garden. I probably don't use it in my stories as much as I could though.
ReplyDeleteJust been strolling round my garden admiring a few new plants that have burst into life this week.
DeleteI LOVE colors, and they will be playing a big part in my new book. I really came to love the play and contrast of vibrant colors while traveling abroad.
ReplyDeleteThe colours of nature are amazing aren't they?
DeleteLovely photographs. My love for color comes from my father who is an artist. I learned the importance of color but also shadow, light and dark. These elements I try to add into my writing because it's a good way to desribe a setting, set the mood, or to use as a foreshadowing technique, though that's not always easy. (:
ReplyDelete