Using All the Senses in Your Writing - Including a Crazy Exercise!

Welcome to the Write for a Reason podcast. My name is Janet Wilson; I'm a publisher of Christian fiction for young people with Dernier Publishing. If you are a Christian, and new to writing stories for kids and teens, stay tuned for encouragement, creative writing tips and actionable strategies you can implement immediately to become a better writer – and in this episode we’re looking at using all the senses on your novel.

To fully engage readers in your story, you need to help them not just to 'see' your world, but to be so wrapped up in it that all their other senses are involved too. So, for example, if your characters are playing hide-and-seek in a wood, you could mention the earthy smell of the path, the rough feel of the bark on a stick, the drone of an aeroplane passing over, the crunch of leaves underfoot, the taste of freshly picked blackberries . . . well, that might be overdoing it! Still, think about how you could include at least one or two of these sensory perceptions (without sacrificing pace) in every scene, all the way through your novel.

Here's an exercise for you this week - wherever you find yourself, whether it's in the park walking your dog, in the playground waiting for your child to finish school, in your office, at an airport, café or hospital waiting room, stop for a minute, close your eyes and put your senses to work. Does the air have a certain scent? Touch something near you and consider what it feels like, then listen - what can you hear? Take a minute or two to go through all your non-sight senses one by one, then when you get home, get writing!

When it comes to your manuscript, consider where you can add textures, odours, sounds and tastes, to help take your readers deeper into your world. :-)

By the way, kids love food, so do add it and describe the tastes and textures!

So… What is your biggest takeaway from this episode? What are you going to implement immediately? Let me know!

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