Writing with Your Five Senses

Writing lessons can be found in surprising places. Like a Kindergarten classroom. Or more specifically, the bulletin board touting the five senses.

Sight. Hearing. Touch. Smell. Taste.

For years I’ve been told to use all five senses in my writing so the reader can feel more fully immersed in the reality of the world I’ve created. But, to be truthful, I’ve been leaning toward sight with the others occasionally making it into the rotation. But after writing an essay for a journal with the theme Noise, I’m rediscovering all the senses. So let’s talk adding senses to your writing.

Sight

Most of us will agree that this is the easiest one. Describe what you’re seeing in your mind’s eye when you imagine the scene. Because it’s so easy to write, I often use sight to give readers subtle clues. The brief glance between characters, a seemingly random object on the bookshelf that becomes important later, a gesture or habit that gives us a hint about a character’s personality. These more subtle uses of sight don’t often appear in the first draft. They have to be planned and added in subsequent drafts.

Hearing

Sound is something I often ignore as I bustle about my day. So, if I want to go beyond the vague crash, bang, slam in my writing, I really have to slow down and think about noises. Does my dishwasher hum or whirr or thump? What are the noises a house makes at night? Can I add modifiers to give a sound more meaning? Was the train whistle haunting or spirited? Can a recurring sound forewarn my reader that something important is about to happen?

Touch

Too often I think of touch as my fingers examining something. But our whole body is touching things constantly. Clothes, furniture, the ground, the wind, the sun, other people. It isn’t just what character’s feel but how they react to it. Does the borrowed flannel shirt feel awkward and stiff or cozy and warm? Does the gun feel like a familiar friend in their hand or do they recoil from the cold metal? Even a casual touch between characters can reveal something. It’s a great way to hint at emotions they are trying to hide. The tensed muscles of fear? The tight grip of anger?

Smell

Like hearing, smell is something I don’t often take time to label in my daily life. So when I want to add it to my writing it takes time and thought. What does the air before a thunderstorm smell like? Or a wet dog? (I’m thinking a weird mix of Fritos and rotten potatoes.) Also, I try to avoid the easy choices “flowery perfume” or “acrid smell of the burnt out house” that often make their way into first drafts. I try to choose original or unexpected smells to make a scene or character memorable.

Taste

If you have a food scene, hurray for you. Two characters sharing sweet watermelon suggests romance much more than bitter coffee dregs from the bottom of the pot. Of course, I guess it depends on your characters. Taste isn’t just about food. Characters can taste something in the wind or a kiss. For me, taste is the toughest sense to add to a scene. In fact, if anyone has suggestions I welcome them.

Do you have a favorite sense to use in your writing? Or would you like to share a sentence or two using rich descriptive language including several senses? Try using the photo above as a prompt.

Jodi M. Webb writes from her home in the Pennsylvania mountains about everything from DIY projects to tea to butterflies.  She's also a blog tour manager for WOW-Women on Writing and a writing tutor at her local university. Get to know her @jodiwebbwrites,  Facebook and blogging at Words by Webb. 

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