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Using your senses
Different readers have different primary senses – for some, their major sense is visual, while for others it may be smell or sound. It’s primarily their primary sense that enables them to appreciate and absorb their life around them – it’s also the same when it comes to what they read. So if a reader is visual, yet the writer is tactile, it will be hard for the reader to absorb and feel part of the story. Therefore, they are less likely to finish reading your writing.For this reason, when you write, it’s important to use all your senses when describing. Not only will it increase your readership but it will also increase the depth of your story. If you’re unsure which is your primary sense why not try this exercise? Visit a train station, shopping centre, coffee shop, farm or somewhere else that is overflowing with sights, sounds, smells, textures and tastes. Then on a piece of paper make five columns and title each with a different sense. Under each of these titles list the relevant sensory information you are getting. For example under Sounds you may list, people chatting, a child screaming, the scrunch of paper wrappers, and so on. Without a doubt there will be one title with a long list underneath it and another with hardly anything. Chances are these will be your primary sense and the one you use least. Knowing this enables you to experiment with descriptions, to pinpoint your descriptive strengths and also to spend a little extra time focusing on descriptions using your weakest sense. This may be a little challenging at first, but like any new skill, it’s well worth the effort. To make this easier you might want to spend some time focusing on the things around you in daily life, and whenever you have a moment, simply stop and ask yourself, ‘What does that smell like?’ or ‘What does that feel like?’ Just remember when you use this information in your writing to blend it into your sentences, this will avoid constantly using clunky phrases like 'she smelt like ...' or 'I heard the sound of ...' Return to the LIST OF TOPICS |
UPCOMING
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May 18th, 19th, 20th
All Things Publishing Q&A session
May 27th
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May 29th to July 3rd
UPCOMING
ONLINE COURSES
Writing from the Heart
(true-life/personal essays)
1st June to 29th June
Intro to Short Story Writing
(fiction)
4th July to 8th August
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TODAY
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