{"id":8426,"date":"2024-11-06T15:15:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T20:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/degfhkjgfjhf.inkitt.com\/?p=8426"},"modified":"2024-11-19T11:35:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T16:35:22","slug":"using-all-five-senses-to-tell-your-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersblog-backend.inkitt.com\/using-all-five-senses-to-tell-your-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Using All Five Senses to Tell Your Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
You might know about White Room Syndrome\u2014when a writer forgets to describe the setting. But have you heard of Blank Face Syndrome?\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
It\u2019s when the writer skips using the character\u2019s five senses to bring the reader into their experience. I\u2019ll share tips on using senses to make your book come alive, so readers feel every gasp, shiver, and scream right alongside your character.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Why 5 Senses Writing Matters<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Using all five senses in writing helps readers feel like they\u2019re truly in the story. When you describe what characters see, hear, smell, taste, and feel, it makes the scenes come to life. It lets readers experience the world through the characters\u2019 eyes and emotions, creating a stronger connection and making the story more immersive and real.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
This way, readers aren\u2019t just watching the story unfold\u2014they\u2019re right there with the characters, feeling everything they feel.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
How to Describe Sight in Your Story<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThis isn\u2019t just the 360-degree report of what is in their immediate surroundings. Sense of sight might be limited by injury<\/strong> (such as being blind in one eye), mood<\/strong> (have they been crying recently?), or location<\/strong> (is their vision obscured by the tall skyscrapers on either side of them?).\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTake all this into account when you talk about what they see. And in the less-literal vein, you can always consider more psychological elements<\/strong> like their dreams, fears, and aspirations<\/em>. Anxiety can powerfully affect vision as well; that feeling of the walls closing in isn\u2019t made up. Evaluate your character\u2019s headspace to figure out how to best describe what they\u2019re seeing in the moment.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHow to Describe Hearing\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFor this one, don\u2019t get stuck just thinking about content; remember to address tone, pitch, frequency, and volume as well. For example, you could mention the staccato bursts of the fire truck speeding down the street, or the awkward, whispered pleasantries of funeral-goers. The options are endless \u2013 so don\u2019t sell yourself short.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bring the reader into the body of your characters by feeling the sound all through their bones. Maybe it\u2019s the bass-beat rumbling the floor at their feet in the rock concert arena, steadily rising to their knees. Be creative!\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
How to Write About Smell<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDon\u2019t hesitate to use similes when describing smells\u2014connecting scents to familiar experiences<\/strong> helps readers picture them more easily.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSo go ahead \u2013 compare the character\u2019s nemesis\u2019 breath to that moldy cheese sandwich they found under their bureau. Or maybe their little brother developed an obsession with gummy candy and forever walks around smelling like the Haribo <\/em>bear factory. Tell it like it is!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHow to Write About Taste<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSimilar to the sense of smell, you definitely have to rely on similes to drive home your point<\/strong>. But the sense of taste does work in a bit of the touch sense as well. You can always say the biscuits Grandma made were soft and delicious \u2013 with the texture and sweetness of a peach fresh from the tree.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nLips and tongue sensation matters a lot for this one<\/strong>. How many times do you recall not liking a particular food as a kid because the texture was weird? Heck, I\u2019m still that way about room-temperature yogurt.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nI love it frozen (which is basically just slightly-healthier ice cream). But I refuse to eat it plain all gloppy and mushy. You taste that?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
How to Describe Touch<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThis one can be really fun \u2013 particularly in romance novels (or even just fiction with a romantic side-plot).\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
After all, touch isn\u2019t just describing the physical texture of something<\/strong>. It\u2019s also how it makes your character feel emotionally. Maybe there\u2019s heat with a subtle caress, or a quick brush that\u2019s begging for more.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFirst kisses? They\u2019re magical<\/em>. Or maybe your character\u2019s a bit like me \u2013 someone whose palms are almost perpetually clammy. And maybe they\u2019re a little insecure<\/em> about that. Maybe it\u2019s temperature-based, like the cold, wet feeling of a steel surface on a chilly night despite the last rainfall being more than a week ago.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIn Short<\/h4>\r\n
The best writers use relevant details that add to the story, not just for the sake of description. Introduce sensory details when they matter to the plot, like describing a place if it\u2019s important to the character, to keep readers engaged without overwhelming them.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You might know about White Room Syndrome\u2014when a writer forgets to describe the setting. But have you heard of Blank Face Syndrome?\u00a0 It\u2019s when the writer skips using the character\u2019s five senses to bring the reader into their experience. I\u2019ll share tips on using senses to make your book come alive, so readers feel every<\/p>\n
Take all this into account when you talk about what they see. And in the less-literal vein, you can always consider more psychological elements<\/strong> like their dreams, fears, and aspirations<\/em>. Anxiety can powerfully affect vision as well; that feeling of the walls closing in isn\u2019t made up. Evaluate your character\u2019s headspace to figure out how to best describe what they\u2019re seeing in the moment.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n For this one, don\u2019t get stuck just thinking about content; remember to address tone, pitch, frequency, and volume as well. For example, you could mention the staccato bursts of the fire truck speeding down the street, or the awkward, whispered pleasantries of funeral-goers. The options are endless \u2013 so don\u2019t sell yourself short.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Bring the reader into the body of your characters by feeling the sound all through their bones. Maybe it\u2019s the bass-beat rumbling the floor at their feet in the rock concert arena, steadily rising to their knees. Be creative!\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Don\u2019t hesitate to use similes when describing smells\u2014connecting scents to familiar experiences<\/strong> helps readers picture them more easily.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So go ahead \u2013 compare the character\u2019s nemesis\u2019 breath to that moldy cheese sandwich they found under their bureau. Or maybe their little brother developed an obsession with gummy candy and forever walks around smelling like the Haribo <\/em>bear factory. Tell it like it is!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Similar to the sense of smell, you definitely have to rely on similes to drive home your point<\/strong>. But the sense of taste does work in a bit of the touch sense as well. You can always say the biscuits Grandma made were soft and delicious \u2013 with the texture and sweetness of a peach fresh from the tree.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Lips and tongue sensation matters a lot for this one<\/strong>. How many times do you recall not liking a particular food as a kid because the texture was weird? Heck, I\u2019m still that way about room-temperature yogurt.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I love it frozen (which is basically just slightly-healthier ice cream). But I refuse to eat it plain all gloppy and mushy. You taste that?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This one can be really fun \u2013 particularly in romance novels (or even just fiction with a romantic side-plot).\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n After all, touch isn\u2019t just describing the physical texture of something<\/strong>. It\u2019s also how it makes your character feel emotionally. Maybe there\u2019s heat with a subtle caress, or a quick brush that\u2019s begging for more.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n First kisses? They\u2019re magical<\/em>. Or maybe your character\u2019s a bit like me \u2013 someone whose palms are almost perpetually clammy. And maybe they\u2019re a little insecure<\/em> about that. Maybe it\u2019s temperature-based, like the cold, wet feeling of a steel surface on a chilly night despite the last rainfall being more than a week ago.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The best writers use relevant details that add to the story, not just for the sake of description. Introduce sensory details when they matter to the plot, like describing a place if it\u2019s important to the character, to keep readers engaged without overwhelming them.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You might know about White Room Syndrome\u2014when a writer forgets to describe the setting. But have you heard of Blank Face Syndrome?\u00a0 It\u2019s when the writer skips using the character\u2019s five senses to bring the reader into their experience. I\u2019ll share tips on using senses to make your book come alive, so readers feel every<\/p>\nHow to Describe Hearing\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
How to Write About Smell<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
How to Write About Taste<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
How to Describe Touch<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
In Short<\/h4>\r\n