colors

Taylor Manning’s Colors for Writing

A writer who fails to use color to advantage is missing one of the most valuable assets in the writer’s toolbox.

Everybody thinks they know what colors are, but ask someone to name more than a dozen and they’re in trouble. Most people think in blue, red, yellow, orange, green, and purple—the primary and secondary colors. As a writer you can open up whole new words to your readers

Colors literally add color to your writing. Any thesaurus will give you lists of colors, but there isn’t much originality to such colors. Hopefully these colors will add some uniqueness to your writing.

Color Enhancers

Variegated Color Enhancers

Blues

Purples

Yellows

Reds

Pinks

Oranges

Greens

Whites & Beiges

Clears and Flimsies

Grays & Silvers

Blacks

Browns & Tans

Metallics

Color Enhancers

Color enhancers are descriptions which contribute to the meaning of a color. These are for times when you will want to make a color stand out to the reader. To make a color memorable. Enhancers evoke an image, in addition to the color.

Enhancers can come before or after the color word. For example using the color enhancer “twilight,” adds not only the color but also creates a clearer and more evocative mental picture for the reader. Twilight gray or twilight pink; yellow twilight or blue twilight.

Manning's

Library of Lists

for Writers

adulterated

aged

almost

ancient

antique

artsy

ash

beach

blah

bland

blazing

bleached

blowsy

blushed

breathtaking

breezy

bright

brilliant

brush-stroke

buff

burnished

burnt

butterfly

calm.

candied

cheerful

chiffon

chrome

classic

clown

common

cool

cozy

creamcrisp

crushed

crystalline

dark

daubed with

dazzling

deep

delicious

discolored

drab

dramatic

dusk

dusky

dusty

dyed

electric

evening

faded

faint

flawless

foam

fresh

frost

frozen

garden

glazed

glistening

glittering

glossy

glowing

heather

heavenly

holiday

hot

iced

illusion

illusionary

imperial

intense

iridescent

juicy

laser

light

liquid

lively

livid

luminous

lurid

lustrous

lusty

majestic

matte

metallic

mild

mist

mottled

muffled

musty

muted

mystic

neon

noisy

old

outrageous

pale

parfait

pastel

pearl

polished

powder

provincial

pure

quiet

radiant

radical

really

regal

rich

satin

shadowsheer

shimmering

shocking

silk

silky

sizzling

smoky

smoldering

soft

sour

sparkling

spiced

sprightly

stained

stone washed

stormy

sunset

tarnished

tawny

teasing

tender

tinted

toast

traditional

tranquil

translucent

tropical

true

twilight

ultra

vapor

velvet

very

vibrant

vintage

violent

vivid

warm

washed

water-colored

weathered

wild

wildflower

wondrous

worn

-ed, e.g., foamed, strawberried

-er, e.g., glossier, greener

-est, e.g., lightest, bluest

-ing, e.g., souring, ocean spraying

-ish, e.g., hottish, copperish

-ly, e.g., vibrantly, midnightly

-ness, e.g., paleness, fudgeness

semi-, e.g., semi-hot, semi-black

Back to list

adulterated

agate

amalgamation

aura

bird of paradise

blotchy

bouquet

brindled

calico

dappled

gradient

harlequin

Jacob’s coat

kaleidoscope

medley

mélange

mosaic

motley

multicolored

nosegay

painted

palette

parti-colored

piebald

pied

plaid

prismatic

quilt

rainbow

regatta

Variegated Color Enhancers

Adriatic

Aegean

aqua

aquamarine

aster

azure

baby

baby blanket blue

bayou waters

Bermuda

beryl

blae

bluebell

blueberry

bluebird

bluette

blue jay

boundary waters

bounding main

briny deep

Bristol

budgerigar

cadet blue.

Canterbury

Caribbean

celestial

cerulean

chambray

Chesapeake

coastal water

cobalt

Copenhagen

cornflower

cyan

Danube

delft

denim

Diamond Head

Dresden

dusk

Dutch

evening

farmer’s jacket

federal

first place ribbon

flag

grotto

gunmetal

harbor

Hawaii

heavenly

heron

hyacinth

hydrangea

ice

indigo

Jamestown

jardinière

lake

lagoon

lapis

lapis lazuli

larkspur

loch

luna moth

lupine

marine

maritime

mattress ticking

midnight

midnight waves

morning glory

Blues

morning surf

Napoleonic

navy

night

nightglow

nightfall

Newport

Nordic

ocean

Pacific

parakeet

periwinkle

Petty

pond

pool

powder

peacock

Prussian

raindrop

river rapids

robin’s egg

royal

sapphire

sea

sea breeze

seersucker

sky

slate

smoke ring

steel

stone washed

stormy

surf

Tahoe

teal

Tuscan

Tyrolean

turquoise

twilight

ultramarine

velvet

waterfall

Wedgwood

window

woad

work shirt

Wyoming sky

Purples

amethyst

aster

aubergine

boysenberry

Bordeaux

Concord

crocus

daybreak

deep twilight

eggplant

emperor

foxglove

fuchsia

grape

grape jelly

heather blossom

harbor dusk

heliotrope

hold-your-breath purple

hyacinth

iris

johnny-jump-up

lady slipper

larkspur

lavender

lilac

mauve

murex

nightshade

orchid

pansy

passionflower

petunia

pimpernel

plum

pokeweed

puce

raspberry

ripe grape

Yellows