Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Color Magic: 45 Ways to Write BLUE







Greetings, Wizard Writers!

Welcome to the Color Magic series! 

One of my favorite writing tricks, learned years ago in a descriptive writing class, is to use paint swatches to get ideas for writing colors. You can find paint swatches at your favorite paint store—Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ace—or through an online search. When writing a color, it often gets boring to use blue (or whatever color) time and again, so over the years, I've made lists of different ways to say “blue.” Here are some of my favorite finds, and I hope to share my other colors with you over the next weeks as well. 

Use these colors in the place of blue, especially when you’re writing longer works. You can even use these colors for inspiration to write poetry or for particular themes in novel writing.

Deep Blue Sea
Garden Pool
Cool Rain
Swimming Pool
Turquoise
Sea Swell
Pacific Pleasure
Ocean Sigh
Ocean
Water Fountain
Nautical
Navy
Beach Sparkles
Celestial
Skyward
Summer Splash
Misty
Shaded Lake
Icy Blue
River Mist
Crystalline
Cosmic
Cobalt
Teal
Denim
Rainstorm
Sky
Aquarium
Cloud Burst
Fresh Water
Powder
Bluebell
Sapphire
Blue Jewel
Smoky Blue
Dark Night
Midnight
Slate
Blueberry
Silvery Blue
Bird’s Egg
Periwinkle
Peacock
Blue China
Hawaiian



You could also Google other painting companies as well. 

Can you think of other ways to write blue? Do you have any tips on color description? Please share in the comments below!

Friday, January 27, 2017

Magical Kingdoms and Castles: The Importance of Setting


Greetings, Wizard Writers!

Can you imagine Harry Potter without Hogwarts? How about The Hunger Games without a fully-formed Panem? In writing, whether you are writing about your cozy hometown in Wisconsin or some faraway sparkling planet, setting is everything. This is where your reader exists while lost in the depths of your book, and you want them to love that place, connect with that place, and know that place. You want them to return to that place again and again because there is comfort and familiarity there. You want them to contact you with requests for more of that place (or better yet, write about wanting more on social media). So let us enter the magical kingdom where the Wizard of Writing lives, knock on the castle door, and further explore the matter of setting. 

There are quite a few fantasy lands that spring to mind when we think about unique settings in books: the aforementioned Hogwarts and Panem, Narnia, Oz, and Middle Earth. We might also think of real places like the American South in To Kill a Mockingbird or New York in The Great Gatsby. It does not really matter that The South and New York are real locations and Oz is not (unless you happen to have a witchy neighbor and live in a tornado-laden area), what matters is that the reader suspends his or her belief and settles into your land, wherever it may be.

So how is this accomplished? First, sit down, relax, and close your eyes. Immerse yourself in this land. If it exists in real life, look around in your mind’s eye. What are the landmarks here? Is there a special park or meeting place in town? What are the residents like? What is the best restaurant in the area? What do children do when it gets hot outside? How does it smell in the area? Is there one grammar school or five grammar schools? What does it look like at night? Are there a lot of trees? What kind of trees? These are just some questions to get you going as you look around your area.

If your land is fictional, let your imagination run wild. Sit down, relax, and close your eyes. You might also want to burn a candle, light some incense, drink some funky tea, or listen to some chill-out music. Are we on earth or someplace else? How is this land accessed? What does the sky look like? Are there birds? What language are people speaking? When you touch a rock, is it hot to the touch or ice cold? What do people wear there? Are there buildings or formations? Is there a moon? What color are the flowers? Who runs the land? Are the residents happy to be there? Let yourself go with these questions as you look around. When you’re done with this, jot down what you saw and how you felt while exploring. 

Setting is important as it forms the backdrop of your story. It’s where your reader will stay and where your reader will connect with your characters. Even if the story fluctuates in setting, it is still important to list as many details of the area as you can while remembering that the reader will fill in their own blanks as well. Always be descriptive, unique, and colorful. Be accurate and factual in describing your location if applicable. The reader cannot help but settle into your world this way, and hopefully, they’ll put their feet up and stay a while.

What is your experience with writing settings? Do you have any tips?

Monday, January 23, 2017

The Red Potion: Elements and Traits of the Color Red for Writing Inspiration





Greetings, Wizard Writers!


The color red has long been associated with dynamic, passionate love, the pounding of a human heart, anger, blood, violence, and even power. In writing energetic and courageous characters, it helps to envision the color red. This color denotes movement and action, and if you happen to be a romance writer, it also helps visualize the color when writing passionate scenes. Below are some elements and traits of the color red to give you ideas and inspiration. Choose a trait and develop a character. Boost up a character. Energize a character. Or use the list for plotting and themes, perhaps developing your own unique combination of “red” elements. The possibilities are fun and endless. So grab a pen, take a deep sip of your magical red potion, and let's jump right into the magnificence and energy of the color red.

Elements and Traits of the Color Red for Writing Inspiration
Danger
Activity 
Action 
Energy 
Vitality
Anger
Rage
Blood and Blood Circulation
Frustration
Courage
Endurance
Inner Earth 
Stimulation
Love 
Passion
Violence
War
Fire 
Heat and Warmth
Strong Will and Strong Mind
Hate
Inflammation
Temper 
Ego 
Jealousy 
Leadership
Confidence
Intensity and Loudness
Success
Explosions
Exercise
Stop! Sign
Cupid 
Devil

Careers associated with red: athletes, salesmen, managers, and presidents.

Red in Nature: cardinals, roses, autumn leaves, apples, strawberries, sky at sunset or sunrise, tomatoes, rock formations, gems and crystals, ladybugs, cherries, fish, cranberries. 

Planet: Mars
Astrological Sign: Aries

Songs: 
“Red” by Llewellyn (Album: Colour Healing, New Age)
“Red” by Taylor Swift (Album: Red, Country/Pop)



Let me know if you think of any other “Red” associations or inspirations!


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Pick a Color! A Spectral Breakdown of Character Traits