I read yesterday... I think it was yesterday...the days are just flying by so fast I really don't know. But, let's just say it was yesterday. (And I'm sorry I don't actually remember where I read it.)
I read yesterday that it is nice when the author uses each one of the five senses in any given scene in there story. So we're talking about
sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.
Wow. Each scene we should use all of those at least once? I'm guessing this is more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule, but I get the writer's point. Readers want to be immersed in the world they are reading about and the way that we immerse ourselves is through our five senses.
So this got me to thinking...am I doing this in my WIPs? After an awesome critique from Theresa, one of my critique partners, I'm going back through my manuscript looking for things she pointed out, as well as how I use the five senses to describe my scenes. I most definitely am not following the suggested guideline.
I think it's hard to use
taste in every scene. We don't want our characters to come out fifty pounds heavier than they went in. :) But are there other things they could taste other than food? Sure. Blood, Sweat...I'm sure there are others but I can't think of them right now. Maybe you know of some?
For me at least, the next sense I use the least is
touch. I think I used it about 50% of the time. Not using this one is an issue because we get a lot of emotion from touch. A baby's soft skin, a person's embrace, a moist tear (haha. I have to laugh at the word moist. I just sounds so funny.). This is one that I have to go back and add more of.
Smell is another I could use more. I don't know about you, but I think smell is my favorite. I love the smell of nature after a rain or during the fall season. The smell of my parent's house or cookies baking in the oven. How alert we become when we smell fire, or the way we cringe when we drive past a dead skunk. I think my strongest emotions are connected to smell so I'd like to use these often in my WIP.
Sight and Sound are the ones I use in abundance and when I read they are included the most to describe the scene. I understand because in the real world these two senses are the ones used most often. I was thinking about why that is so and I came up with a theory (now I'm starting to sound like Peggy :) Which is perfectly okay with me.).
Sight and Sound are what we can use from a distance. When we're immersed in an interaction we are able to use Taste, Touch and Smell. Even though it's more difficult, we should use the latter three as much as we can because they generate the most emotion in our reader.
Do you agree with my theory? What is your favorite sense? (Mine again is smell). When you're reading or writing which sense do you wish were included more?
Haha! You're killing me! I think your theory is spot-on. And I totally agree that smell is the best one to spend more words on. They say that smell can bring back an old memory better than any other sense. I think people rely on their sense of smell WAY more than they realize, and books should reflect that.
ReplyDeleteI also think that people use the sense of taste the least, so it should be in books the least. Not only would the MC come out 50 pounds heavier, :) but I think it would weird out the reader to have the MC constantly tasting things.
See, I have the opposite problem when it comes to writing with senses. Then again, I'm a food writer... who wants to read an article about food that doesn't include the sense of taste? ;)
ReplyDeleteI go with sound... smell doesn't work for me, in reading or writing. I must have a defect.
ReplyDeletePeggy - Glad I can make you laugh :)
ReplyDeleteJules - You're right in your profression you probably use taste the most!We'll have to read your stuff to learn how to incorporate it in ours :)
Jeff - I'm sure it's not a defect :) We've all got preferences that's why writers should make sure they vary the senses they utlize in there writing.
Thanks for your comments folks!
Hi, Kelley, It's interesting that you raised the point of whether using all five would be too much in a scene. I just finished reading The Novelist's Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes, by Raymond Obstfeld. Basically he said the same thing, and recommends using only three in a scene. Like you, he suggested that touch and smell and taste are under-used, yet carry the most immediacy for people. I think I don't use them enough. I became aware of that first after reading Chocolat and seeing how effectively Harris used them. I can still taste the chocolate ad smell the ozone in the air by the river so clearly!
ReplyDelete"We don't want our characters to come out fifty pounds heavier than they went in." I almost spit tea at my computer. That is great!
ReplyDeleteHaha, Thanks Theresa! And thanks for my wonderful critique too!
ReplyDeleteI agree that touch and smell should get more spotlight. My theory is that most people spend more time watching TV than reading (even if they're an avid reader and they don't have cable, like me. Go Netflix!), and in TV there is no touch/taste/smell. There can be bright, yellow pinapple, but it's the rare TV character that will talk about how the acid pricks their nose or bites their tongue.
ReplyDelete