Color Thesaurus Entry: Pink

Real World Comparisons:

Light:

Cancer ribbon
Pigs
Cotton candy
Strawberry ice cream
Grapefruit flesh
Cooked shrimp
Pepto bismol
Cream Soda
Elvis' Cadillac
Bubble gum
School erasers
Blush
Water lily
Cherry Blossoms
Pink Panther
Rose quartz
Amazon River Dolphin
Hostess Snowball

Medium:

Flamingo
Pink lemonade
Stargazer lily
Guava flesh
Cat tongue
Rare meat
Gum line
Pink eye
Ham
Earth worms
zits
Boils

Dark:

Dragon fruit
Rhubarb
Watermelon flesh
Sunrise/sunset
Fuchsia
Radishes
Feather boas
Pink topaz
Scratches
Scars & stretch marks

Shades of Pink:

Rose, Carnation, coral, puce, blush, fuchsia, salmon, albino, hot pink, rose, china pink,

Make every detail count

Colors are powerful descriptors, not fillers. Make sure that if you use a comparison or contrast to highlight a color, you choose the right one. Look at the setting and atmosphere you are working to create, then draw from the viewpoint character or narrator's history, education and past experiences to find the right fit.

A poor example:

Betty probed the boil at the back of Harvey's neck with her nail file. "I dunno, Harv," she said between snaps of gum. "It's pretty nasty, all right. You should go see Doc Barrows. Looks like there's a damn kid's eraser growin' out of your skin."

What's wrong with this example?

I think the tone is right, but boils are round, not rectangular, and probably the color would be a bit more intense.

A strong example:

Betty probed the boil at the back of Harvey's neck with her nail file. "I dunno, Harv," she said between snaps of gum. "It's pretty nasty, all right. You should go see Doc Barrows. Looks like there's a damn radish growing back here."

Why is this example better?

This gives a clearer image of a swollen growth and is higher up on the EW factor.