Real World Comparisons:
Light:
Cabbage
Celery
Lime
Honeydew melon
Pear
Pistachio…
Medium:
Corn stalks
Aloe Vera
Jalapeno peppers
Green peppers
Grass
Grass stains…
Dark:
Wet leaves
Mold
Mint leaves
Shamrock
Zucchini
Algae…
Shades of Green: Chartreuse, neon, gray-green, yellow-green, forest, army…
Make every detail count
Colors are powerful descriptors, not fillers. Make sure that if you use a comparison or contrast to highlight a color, you choose the right one. Look at the setting and atmosphere you are working to create, then draw from the viewpoint character or narrator’s history, education and past experiences to find the right fit.
Colors not only paint a picture for readers; when used well, they can also create emotional and symbolic harmonies.
Looking to add vivid imagery to your character’s world? This thesaurus has been expanded and integrated into our online library at One Stop For Writers. There, entries have been enhanced to include symbolism opportunities, a wealth of real-world comparisons that can be woven into your writing, and examples of how to describe colors and patterns in ways that engage the reader’s imagination. This collection is also cross-referenced for easy searchability so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. Interested in seeing a sampling of the updated Color and Pattern Thesaurus and our other collections? Head on over and register for free at One Stop!
Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.
wow, this is absolutely fantastic! thanks a great deal for putting up this essential info
OHMIWORD! Thank you so much! This will be EXCEPTIONALLY helpful for Nano! ^^
This thesaurus is going to be great! I can’t wait to read more and I’ll definitely pimp the book idea on my blogs! They would be an enormous help to all writers.
Cool list — not a list person in the slightest, but that was actually fun to read.
Thanks everybody! I hope this helps!
Vicki, I’m not sure about the magic well, but Becca and I have struggled with creating vivid description in the past and thought these lists would help others struggling as well.
I’m so, so, so glad green is your first entry in the new thesaurus! My MC’s love interest has green eyes, and I was running out of new ways to describe them!
You ladies are awesome! Keep it up!
Reading this it really felt like Spring had come. Thank you.
Bow WOW! Never knew there were so many ways to describe green. Thanks.
Okay. Where the heck do you get all the ideas for subject matter that you come up with??
Sheesh! I think you have a magic well.
So, so awesome!
Love this!
Awesome, I’m always in need of color descriptors! Thanks 🙂
OH! This is going to be WONDERFUL! Thank you!