The Five Senses

The Five Senses bring your writing to life. Making it more believable and addictive to the reader. Before we go into how to use them, what are they?

Sight - What can your character see?

Sound - What can they hear?

Smell - What do they smell?

Taste - What does it taste like?

Touch - How would it feel?

By using a mix of the five senses, you create a well rounded view of your world and character, making your work 3D and interactive, rather than bland. You should mix and match the senses depending on what is appropriate in your scene, but also shock the reader with the details.

To practise writing with the difference senses, try to write a scene from a characters point of view whilst going through each sense one at a time.

Here's my example;

Sight - Pink Cherry Blossom cascaded to the ground, creating a carpet of petals beneath her feet.

Sound - The wind rustled through the trees as the excited crowd chattered.

Smell - Her stomach growled as the scent of red bean and ramen wafted on the air.

Taste - Giving in to temptation, she crossed the path to the noodle stand. The salty broth cascaded down her throat, warming her belly.

Touch - With her stomach full, she strode back into the festival. The crowds bustled around her and she sought refuge amongst the trees. She leaned against a trees trunk, it's rough bark a stark contrast to her silk kimono.

This is not the best writing, but you get the idea. Try to write your own!

Whilst writing your own novel, it can help to make a list of the various senses your character could feel in a scene. That way you can pick and choose the best for your work.

For example;

If I want to break down a battle scene, I could list the following:

Sight - Bodies, fighters throwing themselves at each other, the ground turned red and the glint of armour.

Sound - Clash of swords, Screamed commands.

Smell - Metal, Blood, Dirt, Sweat.

Taste - Iron, Salt, Blood, Earth, Sweat.

Touch - Slippery mud, cold steal, water, sweat dripping down their back.

You don't need to use every sense in every descriptive sentence, but it is good to get an over view of what the possibilities are before you start writing.

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