By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
Psychology teaches our emotions are affected by color. Each person responds to color according to personality, experience, background, and culture. Writers who create extraordinary prose provide a kaleidoscope of emotions to enhance the reader’s experience.
When a kaleidoscope is rotated, colors and patterns blend to form a visual explosion. Our goal as writers is to take the reader into a world filled with sensory perception. Through our choice of words and imagery, we are able to leave a lasting impression and invite the reader to return again and again.
The following ways show how to craft techniques that impact the reader. Master the tips and add them to your personal kaleidoscope.
Inspire – Red is the color of passion and determination.
Add a spark of adventure to the writing. We want our readers to look for ways to make their own lives better through subtlety in fiction and definite steps in nonfiction.
Instruct – Green is the color of growth and harmony.
Teach when the manuscript’s goal is to show or explain a process. Communicate clearly with easily understood language.
Research – Blue is the color of wisdom, trust, and confidence.
Guide readers by offering precise information.
Discover – Purple is best known for its association with royalty. But it also conveys power, creativity, and mystery.
Explore new possibilities for the reader to recognize success in their professional and personal lives.
Encourage – White is the color of perfection, faith, and goodness.
Motivate your readers to reach goals and fulfill dreams. In fiction, this happens when a character struggles to solve a problem. In nonfiction, instill confidence into the reader according to the topic.
Entertain – Orange is a blend of red (passion) and yellow (joy).
Give attention to the rhythm of sentences. Regardless if the manuscript is fiction or nonfiction, be diligent about an enjoyable read. Use humor when appropriate.
How are you creating the ultimate experience for your readers?
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. Her 
titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Library Journal Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for Firewall.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Suspense Sister, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson. She teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.
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