What‘s in the Word?! Is a Lemon a Lemon?

Most of us have heard the old adage…“A picture is worth a thousand words!”…Words may be worth a thousand pictures if used in the right manner.
Case in point…
If I say to you, “Think of a lemon for a moment.” You get a picture of a small yellow fruit, right?…Now, “Think of the lemon for a moment“… (Stop reading for a moment and think of the lemon.)
Okay, please continue reading…
…Did you get any other pictures as you thought of the lemon? Did you begin to see that beautiful yellow color of the lemon as you picked it up and began to raise it to your nose? Could you smell that lemony fresh aroma begin to fill your senses as we cut it into two pieces…especially your sense of smell.
Did the word lemon begin to make your mouth salivate and your face begin to pucker up from the sourness of the lemon, a lemon that you don’t even hold in your hand or touch with your tongue?
Nothing tangible. A lemon only realized because I made the simple suggestion for you to…Think of a lemon for a moment.
Did you see yourself placing the lemon on your tongue? (Most of us can’t resist checking the sourness). We usually get a good laugh at ourselves or others when we see and feel what happens if we taste the lemon. Or should I say?…
…We usually have a great laugh at ourselves and our friends as we place that fresh-cut lemon half to our tongues. It is so sour that my mouth waters and my lips pucker whenever I think of it. You should see us! We laugh till we cry!!!…
When you write an article, post to a blog, or just write a friendly note to someone (doesn’t necessarily have to be a friendly note) you should apply some of this “suggestive” imagery with your words.
For example, the question I asked you above, “Did you begin to see that beautiful yellow color…?” input a picture of a yellow lemon into most people’s minds as they read it.
Most of us would probably not see ourselves picking the lemon up, had I not suggested, “…and began to raise it to your nose?”
Another small trick I have learned over the years is to “decorate your statements” with words that place the reader in a good mood and paint a picture that the reader will “accept” as pleasant. Take the two bold statements above…
…We usually get a good laugh at ourselves or others when we see and feel what happens if we taste the lemon. (There’s nothing wrong with this statement, but now compare it to the following one…)
…We usually have a great laugh at ourselves and our friends as we place that fresh-cut lemon half to our tongues. It’s so sour that my mouth waters and my lips pucker whenever I think of it. You should see us! We laugh till we cry!!!…
Both statements have basically the same meaning, however…
The first gives us only a “good” laugh while the second gives us a “great” laugh.
The first places us with “others” while the second places us with “our friends.”
The first only gives us a “taste” while the second allows us to “place that fresh-cut lemon half to our tongues” and have our taste buds flooded with sour.
The first ends with only one statement but the second continues to paint a really fun time with our friends, it brings more decoration to the lemon and begins to call the reader to action…”You should see us! We laugh till we cry!!!…
I would suggest that, regardless of your niche, you begin a process of painting “suggestive” pictures with your articles. Make them friendly and set them in a pleasant atmosphere. Give your readers a desire to have what you have. Make it irresistibly tantalizing and solve their problems for them.
They will love you for it.