Eating Canned Leopard

Put down your pitchforks and stop dialing PETA. I am not about to advocate leopard patties as part of a wholesome diet.

Actually I prefer frozen foods over canned.

But I did get your attention, right?

Grabbing the reader's attention is important, but equally important is not grossing them out. There's got to be a balance. Delighting your reader with unique plays on words or surprising descriptions is a great way to have your characters and story linger in the mind of a reader long after they've closed the cover of your book.

Example from Lisa Mangum (one of my favorite authors):

"Jason's voice always reminded me of butterscotch: smooth, golden and sweet. Maybe it was because he was that same golden color all over, from his wheat-blond curls falling over his hazel-gold eyes to the light tan on his skin."


Jason's description has stuck with me because honestly, who compares people to butterscotch? Her depiction works so well because butterscotch is a surprising AND pleasant comparison. Keep in mind that this technique can easily become dangerous. Don't cross the line into freakish mind pictures such as canned leopard.


The goal of your writing is to make your reader go "Oh!" not "Eew!"