I tried this exercise during my first Pages of My Book workshop at the Watchung bookstore. We sat around and brainstormed about the words we used to describe people. Let's take the girl who is your protagonist. Now try to describe her body. How do you describe her? Is she slim, slender, trim or thin? Or is she skinny, scarwny, svelte, anorexic-looking, bony, lanky, emaciated? All these words describe various stages someone who is thin but each word conjures up a different image in your mind.
It's all about the words - the synonyms we use. Why? Because all of these words create a different picture in your head. Even the words that aren't extremes like is she's slender or she's thin. If she's slender that word makes you think she's attractive. Saying she's thin however, makes you think that maybe she could use a few pounds. Scrawny is smaller than thin, maybe too thin. Maybe now she looks way too thin. Think about the words you use. Bony, lanky, anorexic-looking or the worst emaciated.
English might be boring but it's all these things that help to bring your characters to life. (Synonym.com might help.)
It's all about the words - the synonyms we use. Why? Because all of these words create a different picture in your head. Even the words that aren't extremes like is she's slender or she's thin. If she's slender that word makes you think she's attractive. Saying she's thin however, makes you think that maybe she could use a few pounds. Scrawny is smaller than thin, maybe too thin. Maybe now she looks way too thin. Think about the words you use. Bony, lanky, anorexic-looking or the worst emaciated.
English might be boring but it's all these things that help to bring your characters to life. (Synonym.com might help.)
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