Describe Magical Worlds or Creatures

A fantasy world only comes alive on the page if the reader can experience it through their senses. The writer's job is to be a tour guide for a place that does not exist — and the only tools available are words. The more senses you engage, the more real your world becomes.

The Five Senses as Writing Tools

• Sight — color, light, shape, size, movement: shimmering silver leaves, a sky streaked with purple fire, creatures no bigger than a thumb.
• Sound — pitch, rhythm, volume, texture of sound: a distant chime like breaking glass, the hum of wings, a voice like flowing water.
• Smell — sweet, sharp, earthy, floral, smoky: the air smelled of warm honey and rain, a faint scent of pine and magic.
• Touch or feel — temperature, texture, weight, pressure: the ground was warm and soft as moss, scales as smooth as river stones.
• Taste — use sparingly and only when natural: the fruit tasted of sunlight and wild berries.

Building a Vivid Descriptor Sentence

• Start with what you are describing (subject).
• Add a specific adjective — not "big" but "enormous," not "pretty" but "glittering."
• Add a powerful verb — not "was" but "gleamed," "shimmered," "trembled," "coiled."
• Add a comparison using "like" or "as...as" to connect the magical to something the reader knows: "Its wings spread wide as a sailing ship."

Describing a Creature vs. a World

• For a creature: describe size, color, texture, movement, sound, and smell. Give it one unique, impossible quality — its fur changed color with the wind.
• For a world: describe what the character sees first when they arrive, what the air smells and feels like, what sounds reach their ears, and one impossible feature that sets this place apart from the real world.

Avoid the Telling Trap

• Weak: "The creature was amazing and beautiful." — This tells the reader what to think.
• Strong: "Its scales rippled from deep blue to violet as it breathed, and each breath released a faint cloud of silver smoke." — This shows the reader and lets them react.
• Replace every vague adjective with a specific sensory image.