Imagery

What makes writing interesting to the reader? What captures a reader’s attention?

Images painted with words make the reader feel as if they are there in the story. The best way to do this is to engage the senses by describing taste, texture, smell, color, and sound.  There are several different ways to create imagery in writing. One can use metonymy, synecdoche, personification, metaphor, or simile. Hyperbole, oxymorons, and puns are also good at catching a reader’s attention.

But you have to be cautious about using clichés, because all though they technically fall under some of the aforementioned categories, their common use in day-to-day language may actually cause the reader to lose some interest in what you’re writing.

FYI
- metonymy is when something is represented by another thing associated with it (ie, crown standing for King)

-synecdoche is where a part stands for the whole (ie, "all hands on deck" hands refers to men)

- personification is when human characteristics are given to non human things

- metaphor is a comparison using is (the woman is a rose)

- simile is a comparison using like or as (the woman is like a rose)

- hyperbole is an exaggeration used for effect

- oxymoron links two contradictory words

- puns are plays on words also used for effect

Happy Imagining