We all know that a noun is the subject of a sentence and used to name a person, place or thing. And, in any line, the noun holds the main meaning. But nouns also have another function. They make the picture a writer desires to covey vivid.  Let’s look at a few examples where I’ve changed up the nouns.

1) The boat sailed through the port’s gate.

2) The ship sailed through the port’s gate.

3) The yacht sailed through the port’s gate.

The first sentence is bland. The reader could picture either a two-man dingy or a cruise liner. The primary noun is simply too vague.

The second sentence is a little better. We have a better idea of the vessel’s size.

The third sentence however, shows us even more.  Not only do we know we’re not dealing with a rowboat, we see a beautiful cruiser—a ship owned by someone of wealth. Change the noun yacht to tanker and what do you see? A totally different picture, right?

Here’s another example:

1) A fire blazed through the building.

2) A fire blazed through the high-rise.

3) A fire blazed through the Empire State building.

Again, I much better picture is given to the reader.

Picking the right noun can also show the reader something about your character.

1) Carla’s car sped down the street, without her.

2) Carla’s Porsche sped down the street, without her.

3) Carla’s bucket-of-bolts sped down the street, without her.

1) Jabe pulled his hat low on his head.

2) Jabe pulled his Stetson low on his head.

3) Jabe pulled his Boulder low on his head.

Or what your character might be doing:

Zinna  grabbed her work.

Zinna grabbed her computer.

Zinna grabbed her tennis racket.

These were very simple examples.  Let’s take a look at some of my favorite authors and how their nouns choices paint a vivid picture.

Brenda Novak:  Every Waking Moment.

The patrolman’s boots crunched on the gravel shoulder as he approached. In her rear view mirror, she could see the pant legs of his taupe uniform, his black utility belt and holstered gun, and his badge, which glinted in the bright light of early afternoon.

Brenda  could have simply  written, Emma saw the uniformed patrolman approach her driver’s door.  But the nouns she added brought so much more details to our mind’s eye.  Pant’s leg. Utility belt. Holstered gun. Badge. light. Afternoon.

Caridad Pineiro; Secret Agent Reunion

The thick lather felt heavy and luxurious on her fingers and his hair. She massaged his scalp and he sighed with pleasure.

Whew! Lol. Candrid didn’t just write, She shampooed his hair and he sigh. The line doesn’t have the same effect as Cardid’s, does it is it?I’m glad she changed up.

Joy Nash; A Little Light Magic

She pictured his bedroom closet: a long, boring parade of white and tan.

In this example, Joy is telling us about the hero’s wardrobe.  She doesn’t just say, All she ever saw him wear was white shirts and tan pants, instead  Joy gives us a visual we can sink our teeth into using the right nouns.

Autumn Jordon;Obsessed By Wildfire

Mini dust tornados swirled off the tires of Isobel Trinidad’s seen-better-days Chevy pickup.

What do you think? Did I change up the nouns?

Do you have some examples from either your favorite author’s work or your own work to share?