Descriptive Writing

Using Sensory Details

“We live on the leash of our senses.” Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses

Sense #1: SIGHT

Sight is the most commonly used sense in fiction, and includes any description of what something looks like, where an object is placed, anything the character sees, any action the character observes.

Sense #2: SOUND

As writers, we need to close our eyes and listen for the sounds in each scene:

The birds sang sweetly. The tinkling of broken glass.

She shrieked with joy.

Sense #2: SOUND

And don’t forget onomatopoeia, in which the word is pronounced like the sound:

buzzclick

boom!whoosh….

Sense #3: SMELLWhat would the world be like without the smell of flowers, new-mown grass, wood fires, or baking bread? A few, well-placed smell descriptions can make a scene real.

Sense #3: SMELL

As stinky as a dirty diaper. It smelled like rotten eggs.

It smelled clean and fresh, like Grandma’s laundry.

The scent of peppermint and tobacco reminded her of Grandfather.

The street smelled of gas fumes and hot tar.

Sense #4: TASTE Well-chosen descriptions of taste can make your reader feel as if he or she is living in your story.

The sour taste of vomit. As salty as a potato chip.

The metallic taste of blood. Thick, not-too-sweet chocolate, with a

hint of orange. The street smelled of gas fumes and

hot tar, leaving an oily taste on her tongue.

The bitter taste of getting her mouth washed out with soap.

Sense #5: TOUCH

Texture is another sensory description that gets forgotten. When something is important to the story, make a point of including the sense of touch.

Sense #5: TOUCHShe caressed the cool, smooth

cover of the laptop. The lotion gave her baby-soft

skin. He was tied tightly, and the rough

bark gouged his back. It was as soft as rabbit’s fur.

The biscuit was as hard as a rock.

Imagine you had to give up one of your senses. Which would you

sacrifice?

Sight?Hearing?Smell?Taste?Touch?

Hopefully, thinking about losing a

sense makes you appreciate it more while you have it!

What sensory details does the author include in his description of a winter

morning in Delhi?

What sensory details does the author include in his description of a winter

morning in Delhi?

A mountain of bodies rose above them, the corpses stiff and grimacing. Their clothes were soaked with blood, and the churned ground was stained with it. Slaughtered men lay over the women they had tried to protect, mothers still clasped their children, and lovers who had tried to shield each other rested in death’s cold embrace. Black arrows stuck out of them all. Neither young nor old had been spared. But worst of all was the barbed spear that rose out of the peak of the pile, impaling the white body of a baby.

As a child I secretly welcomed the first warm day of spring by yanking off my shoes and standing waist deep in the cordgrass to feel the cool mud squish up between my toes. I chose the spot with care, for cordgrass alone is rough enough to rip the skin, and ours often concealed a bit of curling tin or shards of glass or crockery or jagged shells not yet worn smooth by the tides. In my nostrils, the faint hay smell of the grass mingled with that of the brackish water by the Bay, while the spring wind chilled the tips of my ears and raised goosebumps along my arms.

TRY IT!

Describe a setting (e.g. mountain stream, ocean storm, abandoned castle, etc.) so that the readers can experience it for themselves,

through the use of vivid language and sensory details.

Remember to include: SIGHTS, SOUNDS, SMELLS, FEELINGS, and TASTES.

Example:

Gray-green waves topped with foam sparkle on the ocean. Over my head, seagulls cry and shriek. Wet, grainy sand squishes up between my toes.

The cherry Popsicle I bought from the ice cream wagon melts on my tongue.

Possible settings . . .

A kitchen A traffic jamA crowded market A libraryA parking lot A movie theaterA swimming pool An airplaneAn elevator A classroomA bank A flower shopA gym The beachInside a computer Inside a beehiveA hospital

Great online sensory word banks:

here and here