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by Rayne Hall<\/span><\/div>\n
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Specific words make a story vivid because they paint a clear picture for the reader. <\/span><\/div>\n
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\u201c<\/span>A woman with a dog\u201d creates only a vague picture. By replacing \u201cwoman\u201d and \u201cdog\u201d with specific\u00a0 <\/span>words you can bring your story alive:\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span>A lady with a poodle\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span>A tart with a mongrel\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span>A gothgirl with a puppy\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span>A redhead with a Rottweiler\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>The man looked like a sports champion\u201d is bland.\u00a0 <\/span>Show us what kind of man and what kind of sports, and the sentence becomes interesting:<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span>The gentleman looked like a fencing champion.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span>The thug looked like a boxing champion.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span>The salesman looked like a sumo champion.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
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Instead of the dull description with generic words \u201cThis garden is full of flowers of all kinds\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>show the kind of flowers to paint a picture: <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span>This garden is full of roses, honeysuckles, and hollyhocks\u201d – The reader sees a cottage garden.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span>This garden is full of crocuses, daffodils and tulips.\u201d – The reader sees a garden in spring.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span>The garden is full of daisies, dandelions and thistles.\u201d – The reader sees a garden overgrown with weeds. <\/span><\/div>\n
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