Imagery and Detail The building blocks of all effective writing

“God is in the details”

Not everything that appears to be valuable is actually valuable All that glistens is not gold

It is best to consider consequences before proceeding Look before you leap

I will do everything in my power to overturn this unjust verdict. I will fall like an ocean on that court!

Generalization, Abstractions, and Judgments

Sense image Verbs represent actions that we can visualize Contain the same ideas, generalizations, and judgements Verbs represent actions that we can visualize Contain the same ideas, generalizations, and judgements

Abstraction Names of ideas or concepts which cannot in themselves be visualized, such as intelligence, criticism, love, anger

Generalization Can only be vaguely visualized because they contain too many of a given group: something, creatures, kitchen equipment

Judgments Tell us what to think about something instead of showing it: Beautiful, insidious, suspiciously Tell us what to think about something instead of showing it: Beautiful, insidious, suspiciously

Words denote or connote meaning  Denote  Literally refer to their meaning  Connote  Suggests or imply through layers of connection in our experience and culture  Denote  Literally refer to their meaning  Connote  Suggests or imply through layers of connection in our experience and culture

The cellar smells strongly of mouse droppings, a smell which wafts upward through the whole building, getting fainter as you go up, mingling with the smell of green Dustbane used to clean the floors, and with other smells, he floor polish and furniture wax and formaldehyde and snakes.

Conrete, Significant Details

Concrete Means that there is an image, something that can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touched.

Detail Means that there is a degree of focus and specificity.

Significant Means that the specific image also suggests an abstraction, generalization, or judgement

Compare The lawn is green

Compare  The lawn is green; there are four trees; there is a white picket fence about three feet high and a flagstone walk leading up to a white door.