We first saw this clever idea of a color imagery thesaurus on GalleyCat and had to share. An idea that makes writing more visual (and fun) is always a useful tool. And with fall in the air, a chance to flex some creative muscles before the holiday sales crush begins…
Ingrid Sundberg, a writer and illustrator whose young adult novel All We Left Behind will be released this fall, has created a “color thesaurus.”
How many ways can you say b&w?
Sundberg posted the twelve images on her blog (shown tiny below – but visit her site for the cool full-sized versions!). She feels that employing this tool allows her to add specificity to her writing. Said Ingrid in her post revealing the images, “Making word lists can help to find the voice of my story, dig into the emotion of a scene, or create variety. Having a variety of color names at my fingertips helps me to create specificity in my writing. So for fun, I created this color thesaurus for your reference. Of course, there are plenty more color names in the world, so, this is just to get you started.”
What other imagery guides might prove useful to your writing? Shapes (pointy, cragged, lopsided) or smells (a visit to a botanical shop might yield fun results you can match with photos)… Weigh in, tribe, and meanwhile, enjoy the view!
What a clever idea! Thanks for sharing this.
Cool! The original is even more dramatic! She obviously likes color, even in her hair.
I’ve used the charts for embroidery thread and paint to get specific color names into my writing.
Google “shades of [color]” and you’ll also get a lot of options!