• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • About WHW
    • Press Kit
    • Resident Writing Coaches
    • Contact Us
    • Podcasts & Interviews
    • Master Storytelling Newsletter
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
    • Charities & Support
  • Bookstore
    • Bookstore
    • Foreign Editions
    • Book Reviews
    • Free Thesaurus Sampler
  • Blog
  • Software
  • Workshops
  • Resources
    • List of Resources
    • Recommended Writing Books
    • WHW Descriptive Thesaurus Collection
    • Free Tools & Worksheets
    • Grab A Free Show-Dont-Tell Pro Pack
  • WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Color Thesaurus Entry: Spotted

January 7, 2010 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

Real World Comparisons:

Nature:

Ladybugs
Butterfly wings
Leopard
Spotted owl
Deer faun
Spotted Salamander
Angelfish…

Man Made:

Polka dots on fabric
Chocolate chip cookies
poppy seed cake
Blueberry muffins
Rust blooms
Water spots on tables…

Synonyms of Spotted: polka dot, rash, pimply, dots, dotted, freckled…

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!

ANGELA ACKERMAN
ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. PJ Hoover says

    January 8, 2010 at 5:36 pm

    diaper rash! LOL!

    And I love dice.
    Great post as always!

  2. LJCohen says

    January 8, 2010 at 12:59 pm

    Just found your blog, searching for expressing character emotions in writing. This place is just what I was looking for! Thanks!

  3. ralfast says

    January 8, 2010 at 12:20 pm

    Weak comparisons, the bane of many a writer (myself included). Thanks for the list.

  4. Angela says

    January 8, 2010 at 12:46 am

    Mary we think alike because we wear the same tin foil hats!

    Thanks Ann!

    Bish I remember her! She was on the knowledge network sometimes (I grew up with three TV channels and that was one of them).

    Shannon, that is so beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing it!

    ElanaJ–I do that too. A word will hit me and i get shivers because it’s exactly right!

    Conda and Niki, thanks so much for stopping in and commenting!

    Thanks Karen! I hope it helps!

  5. Karen Lange says

    January 7, 2010 at 8:16 pm

    I like this one. “Spotted” just sounds so interesting, with so much potential.
    🙂 Thanks!

  6. Niki says

    January 7, 2010 at 7:42 pm

    This is a great blog. I look forward to your posts. Thanks! :o)

  7. Conda V. Douglas says

    January 7, 2010 at 5:24 pm

    I love these different thesauruses! Good work.

  8. ElanaJ says

    January 7, 2010 at 2:40 pm

    I used the word “freckled” the other day in my WiP. I was like, “oooh, good word!!”

  9. Shannon O'Donnell says

    January 7, 2010 at 2:36 pm

    I don’t know why, but this post makes me think of Gerard Manley Hopkins’s poem, “Pied Beauty”.

    Glory be to God for dappled things–
    For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
    For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
    Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
    Landscape plotted and pieced–fold, fallow, and plough;
    And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

    All things counter, original, spare, strange;
    Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
    With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
    He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
    Praise Him.

  10. Bish Denham says

    January 7, 2010 at 2:31 pm

    How many remember the comicbook character Little Dot? She was all about dots.

  11. Ann Finkelstein says

    January 7, 2010 at 1:42 pm

    This one is especially fun.

  12. Mary Witzl says

    January 7, 2010 at 11:29 am

    Ladybugs were the very first thing I thought of here; clearly great minds think alike!

Trackbacks

  1. Color, Texture and Shape Thesaurus Collection | Writers Helping Writers says:
    October 11, 2013 at 1:12 pm

    […] Spotted […]

Primary Sidebar


Welcome!

Writing is hard. Angela & Becca make it easier. Get ready to level up your fiction with game-changing tools, resources, and advice.

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe to the Blog

Check your inbox to confirm! If gremlins tried to eat it, you might have to check your spam folder.

Read by Category

Grab Our Button

Writers Helping Writers

Software that Will Change the Writing Game

One Stop for Writers

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS® · Copyright © 2023 · WEBSITE DESIGN BY LAUGH EAT LEARN

Cookies are delicious and ours help make your experience here better. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with our cookie use. Cookie settingsGOT IT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. More on our Privacy Policy here.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT