Writerly Wednesday

Writerly -\ˈrī-tər-lē\ adjective:of, relating to, or typical of a writer

Writerly Wednesday: writing prompts, ideas, book reviews, tools, resources...whatever!

Check out this source for new words: A Word a Day

From Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style by Arthur Plotnik:

...for both writer and reader, color is memory, color is mood, color is meaning. With color, we can strike the mind's eye dead center. The trouble is, most color imagery consists of worn metaphors: as blue as the sky; as red as a ruby.

Plotnik explains how to "expand your pallette":

Fresh visual metaphors: Landscapes must be scoured for offbeat but recognizable objects to denote particular colors. (Lung-colored socks, like the pink tongue of a thirsty dog, fried-tortilla color)

Inventive abstract metaphors: a coat of grime...the color of misery, of irreparable decadence, of desperate, incessant use.

Adjectives with personality: Colors can be anthropomorphized - animated with adjectives usually applied to people. (coy yellows, prosaic blues, belligerent reds)

Technical names: cerulean blue, Naples yellow, alizarin red

Thesaurus and word-menu lists: Though most color terms provided by such resources are worn or arcane, some will serve nicely for workaday assignments. (tawny, saffron, ochre, and jaundiced yellows; reds that are clarets, rose madder, and garnet)

Designer nomenclature: Writers can take a few cues from the companies and designers who create names for product colors -Winestone Pearl, Dusty Olive, Putty, Peacock.

More examples:

"...a face pink like St. Nicholas."

"T-shirts of ...narcolepsy gray..."

"...one bird or two - and they were the yellow of all yellows, the kind of yellow that every other yellow secretly wishes to be."

Writerly challenge for this week: More than a physical element, color is memory, mood, and meaning; take advantage of it. Avoid cliches (ruby red, etc.) Focus on five things in the room and describe them by using fresh hues: "as green as a fresh picked toad" (J.K. Rowling); "upholstery the color of Thousand Island Dressing" (Rupert Thomson).

Have fun! Let me know if you took the "writerly" challenge!