Natural:
Rotting leaves
Oils
Fat
Snot
Snail slime
Slugs…
Man-made:
Dog chew toys
Grease
Jelly/jam
Congealed gravy
Rotten garbage
Paper mache…
Synonyms: Slippery, Slick, Oily, Viscous, Glutinous, Sludge, Gunk, Mucous…
Describing texture in a story creates intimacy between reader and character, and can even cause an emotional trigger for both. To anchor the reader in the scene, make sure comparisons and contrasts are clear and relatable, and within the scope of the narrator’s life knowledge and experience.
Textures are a powerful tool for pulling readers into the narrating character’s world, so don’t skimp.
Looking for ways to encourage that shared empathy bond between your readers and the hero? You’ll be happy to know that this thesaurus has been expanded by 60% (many new entries to explore!) and integrated into our online library at One Stop For Writers. With One Stop’s cross-referenced searchability, adding texture to your writing has never been easier, so if you’re interested in seeing a free sampling of the updated Texture Thesaurus and our other collections, head on over and register.
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.
Hi John,
Yes please do link, as long as it’s for content that is fine for all users. (We’re a family-friendly site :))
If you have any questions, you can find our contact info right in our profiles at the top right. Happy writing!
Angela
Hi there,
This is a inquiry for the webmaster/admin here at writershelpingwriters.net.
May I use part of the information from your blog post right above if I provide a link back to your website?
Thanks,
John
Love Slimy. Your mischievous side is showing through. 🙂
Slimy is good. And what a cool picture for the post!
Ewww — you’ve done it again, covering all bases here. You won’t catch me going anywhere near my compost heap in the next few weeks…
Wow — these are great — I was actually so hooked on reading this that I went back and started over again.
You ladies are good!