COLOR!Enhancing poetry, fiction, and memoir

for writers of all ages:adults, teens, children

byJanice Hoffman

How to Write with

21

1

Hello! I’m Janice Hoffman.

I hold degrees from Indiana University, teach writing at the post-secondary level, and am published in the US and Canada. My work appears in various literary journals and state poetry society anthologies, and I edit A Common Wealth of Poetry for the Poetry Society of Virginia. In 2020, the Indiana Arts Commission selected three of my poems to include in its inaugural poetry archive.

My collection Soul Cookies was released by High Tide Publications (2019), trailed by my children’s books Four Fairy Friends (2019) and Cuatro Amigas Hadas (2020), the Spanish version of the four friends. These books will be followed this winter by a coloring book

and Four Fairy Friends Celebrate Christmas. Future publications include Azaleas in October (a chapbook chronicling my journey of healing from the loss of my son), Four Fairy Friends Share the Four Seasons, and another collection of poetry that is currently untitled.

Soul Cookies is a compilation of poetry that I’ve written throughout the years. Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Virginia Poet Laureate Emerita, describes it this way:

The melodious and emotionally riveting poems in Janice Hoffman’s Soul Cookies recount familial victories and challenges while also revealing the poet’s reverence for literary and historical figures, as well as her astute comprehension of art. Her meticulous imagery and attention to detail vivify an array of characters in poems that personalize the author’s view of humanity . . ..

Bill Glose, fellow Virginia writer and author of numerous books of poetry, offers these words:

Peering through history’s fog-edged windows, Janice Hoffman plumbs her fertile imagination to reimagine characters from paintings, the Bible, and ancestors from her own family tree. [Her] poems . . . sweep the emotional arc from playful romps through gardens and visions of fairies to somber reflections of loved ones now gone. Throughout, scent and color serve as touchstones of memory . . .. Soul Cookies is earnest and accessible, its pages brimming with . . . wisdom and heart.

2

Not only do I love to write, but I also love to help others enhance their writing. As a college writing instructor for over twenty-fi ve years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with students of all ages from three states—Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia—and we’ve learned from each other. In this little booklet, I want to share some of those things, specifi cally, about enhancing your poetry, fi ction, and/or memoir through the use of color.

Let’s begin!

3

WHY USE COLOR?

4

Marge Piercy’s combing her mother’s “springy black hair, ringlets . . . metallic, glittering” in her poem “My Mother’s Body”;

William Carlos Williams’ well-known “red wheelbarrow/glazed with rain water” in “The Red Wheelbarrow”; and ofcourse,

Colors enhance everything: the world, scenes, writing, inspiration. They evoke feelings and emotions. Colors make everything alive!

The more specifi c writers are, the more memorable their work.

I’ll explain by referring to some of my favorite American poets who use color to their advantage in their works:

Mary Oliver celebrating “the silver moon” and “the golden sun” in one of her famous nature poems, “The Lily”;

Langston Hughes’ “rotten meat” in “A Dream Deferred.”

5

Each of these poets uses color to empower the images, so readers will return again and again to revisit these vivid scenes. These memorable moments stay with readers for years and years.

As we turn to specifi c colors, let’s think about all the variations in a rainbow, the different shades and hues.

Be creative and original, just like Mexican-American author Gary Soto does as he describes a long yearned for leather jacket, except he discovers the lining is the color of “day-old guacamole.”

Think of fruit, vegetables, gemstones, crayons, nail polish, fl owers, and lipstick!

The next pages contain lists of colors created by my students over the years . . . and by me, too. Have fun!

6

PRIMARY COLORS

RedRedFire engine

Blood

Cherry

Strawberry

Wild grape leaf

Crimson

Garnet

Ruby

Rose

Strawberry

Apple

Rhubarb

Scarlet

Cardinal

Vermilion

Candy apple

Brick

Rust

Sanguine

Flame

7

Canary

Banana

Lemon

Mustard

Baby duckling

Sunrise

Buttercup

Daisey

Dandelion

Butter

Margarine

Gold

Daffodil

Sunrise

Butterscotch

Pineapple

Baby diaper

Straw

Brass

Amethyst

Macaroni and cheese

Summer squash

Bumblebee

Honey

Amber

Corn

Yel lowYellow

8

BlueBlueSky

Navy

North Carolina

Williamsburg

Sapphire

Cadet

Cornflower

Bachelor button

Robin’s egg

Blue bell

Denim

Ice

Blizzard

Royal

Steel

Air Force

Slate

Cobalt

Cerulean

Berry

Mayan

Azure

Powder

9

BLENDED COLORS

10

Tangerine

Sunset

Dreamsicle

Peach

Apricot

Sherbet

Burnt

Ginger

Marmalade

Carrot

Squash

Pumpkin

Cantaloupe

Marigold

Cider

Sweet potato

Sunset

Daffodil

RedRed + YellowYellow = OrangeOrange

11

RedRed + WhiteWhite = PinkPink

Tea rose

Rose

Cotton candy

Early dawn

Blush

Water melon

Coral

Salmon

Bubble gum

Hot pink

Fuchsia

Flamingo

12

Blue Blue + Yellow Yellow = GreenGreen

Aqua

Aquamarine

Teal

Peacock

Granny Smith apple

Turquoise

Seafoam

Forest

Khaki

Hunter

Olive

Chartreuse

Mint

Lime

Shamrock

Sage

Jade

Emerald

Kermit the Frog

Grass

Kelly

Cucumber

Avocado

Guacamole

13

Red Red + BlueBlue = PurplePurple

Magenta

Burgundy

Lavender

Lilac

Maroon

Fuchsia

Indigo

Turquoise

Periwinkle

Iris

Eggplant

Mauve

Orchard

Plum

Violet

Cabbage

Grape

Wine

14

OTHEROTHER COLORS

Black and White

15

BlackInk

Ebony

Midnight

Onyx

Sable

Raven

Charcoal

Graphite

Gray

Jet black

Fog

16

Brown (Think trees!)

Redwood

Mahogany

Maple

Pine

Teak

Chocolate

Fudge

Spice

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

All spice

Ginger

Coffee

Mocha

Pecan

Caramel

Penny

Copper

Hickory

Gingerbread

Tan

Russet

Sepia

Almond

Cedar

17

Cream

Ivory

Pearl Eggshell

Bone

Rice

Smoke

Antique

Oyster

W h i t eW h i t e

Vanilla

Snow

Cotton

Cloud

Alabaster

Porcelain

Diamond

Smoke

18

OTHER TYPES OF

DESCRIPTIONS

Metallic

Neon

Light

Bright

Dark

Muted

Dappled

1919

22

THANK YOU!Thank you for taking the time to look over this myriad

assortment of vivid colors. Think beyond the basic colors you love to use, so you can create fresh, original

images for your work.

It’s been a joy to help you expand your horizons when it comes to all the many, wonderful shades, hues, tints,

types, and categories of COLOR!

Now, the next time you sit down to work on writing or even just to jot a note or text to a friend, be inspired and resourceful. Create vivid word pictures that will cause your readers to experience emotions, remember your

writing, and return to your work again and again.

Be a rainbow of energy affecting your part of the world!For more information, contact Janice Hoffman at janhoffpoetry@gmail.com, on Facebook at Janice

Hoffman Poetry, and my website at www.Jan-Hoffman.com.

21

23

24

25

Copyright Information