Julie Lence's Blog - Posts Tagged "touch"
The Five Senses
See. Smell. Hear. Taste. Touch. We all know the five senses, experience them in our everyday lives. But do you have them layered throughout your story? If so, do you have too many? Not enough? And did you know that one sense can trigger another?
Imagine walking into the grocery store and the first thing that hits you is the aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. What happens next? Your mouth begins to water in anticipation of the sweet taste. Your hands can feel the texture of the cookie, the warm, gooey chocolate sticking to your fingers.
What about when you look at a painting? I have one of three American Indians riding their ponies through the snow-packed woods. When I look at them, I can hear the quiet plodding of their horses hooves, feel the dampness of a bleak day and taste the cold on my lips.
When writing, the five senses are all necessary to your story. You want your readers to relate to your charcters, see what they see, hear what they hear and feel what they feel. You want to draw out your readers' sympathy in an emotional scene, make them tense and fearful in a scary scene and stand up and cheer when something good happens. In other words, you want the reader to feel as though he/she is standing right alongside your characters.
Sight is perhaps the easiest to put into words; bright blue eyes, hair the color of straw, over-sized furniture crowded into a dark room. Smell is also easy; chicken roasting in the oven, digging holes in fresh dirt, riding through a cow pasture. Each of these allows your reader to see what your characters see and get a whiff of their surroundings. And when you add in sound, the shrill whistle of a train, the whiny of a horse, the murmur of voices inside a crowded saloon, the reader is even more implanted into the scene.
Taste and touch are even better ways for your readers to relate to your characters. I just finished a scene where my hero uncovers a plate of ham and grimaces. With those few words, it's clear he can't stomach the taste of ham. How about something he does like? The aroma of apple pie wafting through the restaurant made his mouth water. And what about things he touches? Soft hair, corse fibers of a rope, the prickly husk of a pineapple; the right adjective will conjure a reponse in the reader's mind, maybe even in his/her fingertips.
There is another aspect to touch, and that is how a person's feelings touch him inwardly, be it matters of the heart or a shock to his system. It's always best to show how the charcter feels than to say it. Sometimes, I'll put a word, or a group of words, in italics to emphasize their impact. Or, I'll use body parts to convey feeling; a widened gaze, a flutter in her heart, coldness slithering down her spine, knees wobbling. All of these invoke an emotional response from the reader and endear him/her that much more to your characters and the scene.
When writing, you'll find you can use one or two sentences to invoke a variety of senses. 'Jack walked into the crowded restaurant, inhaled the delicious aroma of pumpkin pie wafting from the kitchen and felt his heart nearly skid to a stop when his gaze settled on a familiar face seated at the back table.' Or, 'Beneath a hot sun, Jack crested the hill and reined in his mustang, dragged a gloved hand across his brow and stared long and hard at the neat farm house below. His pulse punded between his ears when a woman stepped out onto the porch.' Your reader is there alongside Jack and intruding on his innermost thoughts.
Be creative when layering the senses. Don't use the same descriptions over and over. And don't overkill with them. Sometimes, the less you say the more you convey. You don't want to spoon-feed every detail to your reader; they like to use their imaginations, too, but you do want them to have a feel for your characters and your characters' worlds.
As always, have fun with your writing and take your characters on a journey they wouldn't normally travel, and let your readers expereince the excitement and pain as your characters do.
Imagine walking into the grocery store and the first thing that hits you is the aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. What happens next? Your mouth begins to water in anticipation of the sweet taste. Your hands can feel the texture of the cookie, the warm, gooey chocolate sticking to your fingers.
What about when you look at a painting? I have one of three American Indians riding their ponies through the snow-packed woods. When I look at them, I can hear the quiet plodding of their horses hooves, feel the dampness of a bleak day and taste the cold on my lips.
When writing, the five senses are all necessary to your story. You want your readers to relate to your charcters, see what they see, hear what they hear and feel what they feel. You want to draw out your readers' sympathy in an emotional scene, make them tense and fearful in a scary scene and stand up and cheer when something good happens. In other words, you want the reader to feel as though he/she is standing right alongside your characters.
Sight is perhaps the easiest to put into words; bright blue eyes, hair the color of straw, over-sized furniture crowded into a dark room. Smell is also easy; chicken roasting in the oven, digging holes in fresh dirt, riding through a cow pasture. Each of these allows your reader to see what your characters see and get a whiff of their surroundings. And when you add in sound, the shrill whistle of a train, the whiny of a horse, the murmur of voices inside a crowded saloon, the reader is even more implanted into the scene.
Taste and touch are even better ways for your readers to relate to your characters. I just finished a scene where my hero uncovers a plate of ham and grimaces. With those few words, it's clear he can't stomach the taste of ham. How about something he does like? The aroma of apple pie wafting through the restaurant made his mouth water. And what about things he touches? Soft hair, corse fibers of a rope, the prickly husk of a pineapple; the right adjective will conjure a reponse in the reader's mind, maybe even in his/her fingertips.
There is another aspect to touch, and that is how a person's feelings touch him inwardly, be it matters of the heart or a shock to his system. It's always best to show how the charcter feels than to say it. Sometimes, I'll put a word, or a group of words, in italics to emphasize their impact. Or, I'll use body parts to convey feeling; a widened gaze, a flutter in her heart, coldness slithering down her spine, knees wobbling. All of these invoke an emotional response from the reader and endear him/her that much more to your characters and the scene.
When writing, you'll find you can use one or two sentences to invoke a variety of senses. 'Jack walked into the crowded restaurant, inhaled the delicious aroma of pumpkin pie wafting from the kitchen and felt his heart nearly skid to a stop when his gaze settled on a familiar face seated at the back table.' Or, 'Beneath a hot sun, Jack crested the hill and reined in his mustang, dragged a gloved hand across his brow and stared long and hard at the neat farm house below. His pulse punded between his ears when a woman stepped out onto the porch.' Your reader is there alongside Jack and intruding on his innermost thoughts.
Be creative when layering the senses. Don't use the same descriptions over and over. And don't overkill with them. Sometimes, the less you say the more you convey. You don't want to spoon-feed every detail to your reader; they like to use their imaginations, too, but you do want them to have a feel for your characters and your characters' worlds.
As always, have fun with your writing and take your characters on a journey they wouldn't normally travel, and let your readers expereince the excitement and pain as your characters do.
Writing The Five Senses
See. Smell. Hear. Taste. Touch. We all know the five senses, experience them in our everyday lives. But do you have them layered throughout your story? If so, do you have too many? Not enough? And did you know that one sense can trigger another?
Imagine walking into the grocery store and the first thing you notice is the aroma of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. What happens next? Your mouth begins to water in anticipation of warm, gooey chocolate melting on your tongue. Your fingers can feel the texture of the cookie, the stickiness of the chocolate.
What about when you look at a painting? I have one depicting three Native Americans riding their ponies through the snow-packed woods. When I look at them, I can hear the quiet plodding of their horses hooves, feel the dampness of a bleak day and taste the cold on my lips.
When writing, the five senses are all necessary to the story. Readers want to relate to characters. Through description, they want to see what the characters see, hear what the characters hear. More importantly, they want to be smack-dab in the middle of the action. They want their hearts to melt at a tender moment and their stomach to clench when danger rears. Most importantly, they want the feel-good emotion of a happy ending to linger long after they’ve read the last words.
Sight is perhaps the easiest to put into words; bright blue eyes, hair the color of straw, over-sized furniture crowded into a dark room. Smell is also easy; chicken roasting in the oven, digging holes in fresh dirt, riding through a cow pasture. Each of these allows your reader to see what your character sees and get a whiff of his/her surroundings. And when you add sounds―the shrill whistle of a train, the whiny of a horse, the murmur of voices inside a dimly lit saloon―the reader is even more immersed in the scene.
Taste and touch are even better ways for a reader to relate to characters. I wrote a scene where the hero uncovers a plate of ham and grimaces. With those few words, it's clear he can't stomach the taste of ham. How about something he does like? His mouth watered at the aroma of apple pie wafting through the eatery. And what about things he touches? Soft hair, the coarse fibers of a rope, the prickly husk of a pineapple; the right adjective is sure to conjure a response in the reader's mind, maybe even in her fingertips.
There is another aspect to touch―what a character feels inwardly. Whether relating to ‘matters of the heart’ or a shock to the system, it’s always best to show what the character feels rather than to tell it. Putting a word or a group of words in italics emphasizes emotion and internal thought, to include disbelief, sarcasm, surprise and fear. Using body language allows the reader to experience firsthand what the character is experiencing―a flutter in her heart, coldness pricking her spine, knees wobbling―and allows for a better connection to the character and the story.
As you hone your skills, you'll find you can use one or two sentences to invoke a variety of senses. Ex: Jack walked into the crowded restaurant. His stomach grumbled at the delicious aroma of pumpkin pie wafting from the kitchen… and his heart skidded to a stop when his gaze settled on a familiar face seated at the back table. Or, beneath a hot sun, Jack crested the hill and reined in his mustang, dragged a gloved hand across his brow and stared long and hard at the neat farm house below. A woman stepped onto the porch and his pulse began to pound. Tall, with long, ebony hair curling around her waist, the last time their paths had crossed, she’d run him off her land from behind the barrel of a shotgun.
Be creative when layering the senses, but don't use the same descriptions throughout the story. And don't over-burden the reader with description. Good narrative and a few well-placed words and she’ll feel as though she’s right in the middle of the action.
Imagine walking into the grocery store and the first thing you notice is the aroma of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. What happens next? Your mouth begins to water in anticipation of warm, gooey chocolate melting on your tongue. Your fingers can feel the texture of the cookie, the stickiness of the chocolate.
What about when you look at a painting? I have one depicting three Native Americans riding their ponies through the snow-packed woods. When I look at them, I can hear the quiet plodding of their horses hooves, feel the dampness of a bleak day and taste the cold on my lips.
When writing, the five senses are all necessary to the story. Readers want to relate to characters. Through description, they want to see what the characters see, hear what the characters hear. More importantly, they want to be smack-dab in the middle of the action. They want their hearts to melt at a tender moment and their stomach to clench when danger rears. Most importantly, they want the feel-good emotion of a happy ending to linger long after they’ve read the last words.
Sight is perhaps the easiest to put into words; bright blue eyes, hair the color of straw, over-sized furniture crowded into a dark room. Smell is also easy; chicken roasting in the oven, digging holes in fresh dirt, riding through a cow pasture. Each of these allows your reader to see what your character sees and get a whiff of his/her surroundings. And when you add sounds―the shrill whistle of a train, the whiny of a horse, the murmur of voices inside a dimly lit saloon―the reader is even more immersed in the scene.
Taste and touch are even better ways for a reader to relate to characters. I wrote a scene where the hero uncovers a plate of ham and grimaces. With those few words, it's clear he can't stomach the taste of ham. How about something he does like? His mouth watered at the aroma of apple pie wafting through the eatery. And what about things he touches? Soft hair, the coarse fibers of a rope, the prickly husk of a pineapple; the right adjective is sure to conjure a response in the reader's mind, maybe even in her fingertips.
There is another aspect to touch―what a character feels inwardly. Whether relating to ‘matters of the heart’ or a shock to the system, it’s always best to show what the character feels rather than to tell it. Putting a word or a group of words in italics emphasizes emotion and internal thought, to include disbelief, sarcasm, surprise and fear. Using body language allows the reader to experience firsthand what the character is experiencing―a flutter in her heart, coldness pricking her spine, knees wobbling―and allows for a better connection to the character and the story.
As you hone your skills, you'll find you can use one or two sentences to invoke a variety of senses. Ex: Jack walked into the crowded restaurant. His stomach grumbled at the delicious aroma of pumpkin pie wafting from the kitchen… and his heart skidded to a stop when his gaze settled on a familiar face seated at the back table. Or, beneath a hot sun, Jack crested the hill and reined in his mustang, dragged a gloved hand across his brow and stared long and hard at the neat farm house below. A woman stepped onto the porch and his pulse began to pound. Tall, with long, ebony hair curling around her waist, the last time their paths had crossed, she’d run him off her land from behind the barrel of a shotgun.
Be creative when layering the senses, but don't use the same descriptions throughout the story. And don't over-burden the reader with description. Good narrative and a few well-placed words and she’ll feel as though she’s right in the middle of the action.
