: Re: Describing something that doesn't exist I'm in the middle of my first draft for my novel, and I can't seem to properly convey to my audience the image I'm trying to describe. That's what

@Cody1607638

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No matter the descriptors you use, each reader is going to form a slightly different image in their minds, depending on their own imagination and experiences. Therefore, I think what's more important is to decide what you want to convey about this vehicle. What about it is striking to the narrator or character viewing it, necessary to its function, or important to the plot and world of the story?

Perhaps you want to communicate that it is futuristic, or otherworldly - from there I would describe its shape in comparison to what the narrator is used to: It's like a car that's been rounded off at the edges, polished over, so much that "pod" might be a more appropriate word now. I don't think this thing growls when it moves like a truck would - I bet it hums, and you don't even hear that until it's already a block away.

Maybe if this is the first time we the readers are seeing it, and there's a feature of it that will become important later on, it would be a good idea to note that feature in a non-obvious but memorable way. For example if its advanced autopilot feature will be critical to ferry your inexperienced-driver character out of a tight spot later on, that feature might be revealed as its owner turns it on on the sky-highway to relax and have a conversation.

A lot of writing, I think, gets bogged down in painting a perfect visual picture rather than a perfect overall picture. Don't worry about your readers all visualizing the same exact car - that's an impossible task. Instead point out some key details, specific is better, and try to distill it to what's important to its place in the story.

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