SENSORY DETAILS: HOW TO MAKE YOUR READER FEEL YOUR STORY
Let’s get one thing straight:
Every place has sensory details. Every. Single. Place.
From the inside of a bustling café to the middle of a lonely desert highway, from your grandma’s cluttered attic to the sterile waiting room of a dentist’s office, there are always details waiting to be noticed.
The question is, are you noticing them? And more importantly, are you weaving them into your writing in a way that lets your reader feel them too?
Because here’s the truth: if you aren’t using sensory details, you’re robbing your reader blind. You’re handing them a flat, one-dimensional story when you could be giving them a living, breathing world.
And trust me, nobody signs up to read a cardboard cutout of a novel.
Why Sensory Details Matter
Sight is just the beginning. Yes, you need to show your reader what a place looks like, but that’s only scratching the surface.
Think about it: if you’ve ever walked into a bakery, what’s the first thing that hits you? The smell. That sweet, yeasty perfume of fresh bread. Maybe the sound of a bell jingling as the door closes behind you. The warmth rolling out of the oven. The powdered sugar that coats the air so fine you can taste it before you even order.
If I just write: “I went into a bakery. There were loaves of bread on the counter.” Yawn. Flat. Forgettable.
But if I write:
The bell over the door jingled as I stepped inside. Heat rushed to meet me, carrying with it the smell of butter, cinnamon, and yeast. A fine dusting of flour lingered in the air like fairy dust, tickling the back of my throat. My stomach growled before I even saw the rows of golden loaves cooling on the counter.
Suddenly you’re there, right? You can smell it, taste it, practically feel that warm bread in your hands. That’s the difference.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Whenever you’re writing a scene, pause and ask:
• How does this place make me feel?
• Is it familiar and comfortable? Or unsettling?
• Is it heavy, dark, and oppressive. Or is it light and carefree?
• What’s the energy of this place? What vibe does it give off?
Then drill down:
• What’s the landscape saying?
• How does the light shift across it?
• What about the air? Is it smoky, dusty, humid, sharp, fresh, stale?
• What direction is the wind blowing, and what does it stir up? Wind chimes, leaves, dust devils, loose tarps, laundry on a line?
Writers who excel at sensory detail don’t just look. They notice everything. The sounds, the textures, the tastes, the smells, the moods.
The above is an excerpt from my book, Write Great Scenes. It is a wonderful resource for making your words come alive.
Thanks for reading!
Michelle Files
Michelle Files writes Mystery/Thrillers, Small Town Dramas, and Non-Fiction Books for Authors. She is also a professional copy editor and proofreader. Find her at MichelleFiles.com or TheAuthorFiles.com.
For a complete lists of Michelle's blogs, go to TheAuthorFiles.com.
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