From Bland to Beautiful: 3 Tips for Coloring Your Writing

Writing a story takes intentional thought. I’ve said it a thousand times, but I’m never quite sure new writers understand what I mean by it. There are so many things to consider and keep track of in every aspect of storytelling that inevitably some things are overlooked. It’s very common to see new writers sacrifice clear and evocative writing on the altar of a decent plot. But such things do not have to be sacrificed, and in fact shouldn’t be. Good writers should craft strong verbs and images the same way they craft strong characters and worlds. This type of word-level attention to detail is what I call coloring your writing, and there are a number of aspects involved in achieving it.

Synonyms

There are two main reasons to use synonyms. The first is to eliminate unintentional repetition. If characters in a story only ever walk from place to place rather than stroll, amble, or stride, and if they only ever look and never glance, gaze, or goggle, then the writing can come off bland or even juvenile. In addition, too many instances of the same word in close proximity with each other sounds awkward and unprofessional.

Synonyms also have different connotations. No two words imply exactly the same thing, meaning each can be employed in a situation to create a specific image. If I say I strode down the sidewalk, that implies that there’s at least some confidence or purpose to what I’m doing; not so if I say I moseyed down the sidewalk. And in both cases, the synonyms are much stronger than saying I walked confidently or I walked aimlessly. Writers don’t need to eliminate all adverbs, but eliminating them in favor of a strong verb is always a good idea.

Metaphors and Imagery

Writing, and especially storytelling, is an art. Yet I’ve seen authors who let pages and pages slip by with little recognition of the colorful medium they’ve dipped their fingers into. Language is versatile for a reason. Metaphors draw readers into the feelings, thoughts, and ideas of a story. Imagery can make them feel as though they’re actually there. If you’ve become too swept up in writing to include imagery, go back and include it. It will help your readers get swept up as well.

One of my favorite examples of imagery is from Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game. When the main character falls into the tropical water at the beginning, the water is described as blood-warm. That metaphor-turned-adjective is so vivid, the reader not only gets a sense of the temperature, but of the disgust the main character feels, as well as a clever peek into the horrifying situation that awaits him. Imagery need not be elaborate; it need only be powerful.

Characteristic Language

A couple paragraphs ago, I used the word moseyed as a synonym for walked. I come from a very open, very goofy family, and we use mosey all the time. It’s a very characteristic word for me. If I was writing as my character Nimbus, a grumpy, aggressive guy who takes himself way too seriously, I would never use such a word.

Your characters will use different words and phrases than you typically do, and they should. Not only does their dialogue need to sound like them, but the surrounding text too, even if it’s third person limited perspective. Let them use the synonyms they would use, speak in the metaphors or figurative language they would speak in. If they’re silly, or serious, or creative, or pragmatic, the words you choose should reflect that. My friend has a character that describes her own thought patterns as being like “an insane hamster driving a bus,” and the character in question is so zany that I didn’t bat an eye at the metaphor.

Note: The concept of letting character color your writing is often referred to as voice. I think that’s too easy to confuse with the term writer’s voice, ergo I titled this section characteristic language.

Bottom line, there are a lot of tools and techniques involved in writing, and I know you just want to plow through until the story’s finally out of your head and on the page, but please whether you do it while writing your story or afterward take a moment. Color your work with your synonyms, your imagery, and your characters. After all, you’re creating art, here. Give your creation the breath of life it needs to thrive on its own.

Erin Nightingale is an editor and writer, who helps fantasy and sci-fi writers with their short stories, novels, and series. Besides being a thorough and dedicated editor, a blind accessibility reviewer, and a sensitivity reader, she assists authors in reshaping their darlings to make them accessible and inclusive to all readers.