I’ve recently finished reading another Ilona Andrews novel. The husband and wife writing duo has one of the most enjoyable writing styles I’ve ever come across. They’re particularly talented with their ability to describe a scene perfectly. Metaphors and vivid imagery help the reader envision the unique worlds the characters live in.
I have a more dialogue heavy style which doesn’t rely on too much description unless it’s part of the dialogue. However, I believe that everyone can benefit from practicing and improving their descriptive skills. Imagine your readers being able to become gracefully enveloped into your story and forget their reality for a short while. That’s what we all want, right?
So here’s a fun way to broaden your descriptive skills and step outside of the sensory box.
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Are you familiar with the concept of Synesthesia?
It’s actually a condition where the senses mix up.
According to Synesthete.org “Synesthesia is a perceptual condition of mixed sensations: a stimulus in one sensory modality (e.g., hearing) involuntarily elicits a sensation/experience in another modality (e.g. vision). Likewise, perception of a form (e.g., a letter) may induce an unusual perception in the same modality (e.g. a color).”
For example, a person may hear a color or taste a sound. Interesting, right?
So here’s the fun exercise:
Write down the colors of the rainbow on a piece of paper. ROYGBIV, right?
Then next to each color write down what the color would taste like? What would it smell like? How would it sound? Have fun with this exercise, let your imagination go with this.
Once you’ve covered the basic colors consider broadening your horizons. Get out one of those 64 boxes of crayons. Pull a crayon out of the box and imagine what the color would sound, feel, smell and taste like.