Tour of the Five Senses: Sound

© Dana Rothstein | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Today's the last stop on our Tour of the Senses: SOUND. I'm also guest-posting over at Fantasy Faction about trends for debuts and genre books. Check it out!

So...sounds. They can be beautiful and uplifting beyond words—a symphony, a baby’s laughter—and they can be creepy as heck—a creak on the stairs when you’re home alone, lonesome wind howling through a dark forest. Today, we’re tackling how to weave all these “did you hear that?!” details into our writing.

Sounds Don’t Happen in a Vacuum
When a tree falls in a woods, you bet it makes a noise…and the birds around it fly away, making noises of their own, while a startled squirrel begins chattering and the branches continue to settle against the forest floor. One sound can trigger another. It also can trigger action and influence feeling beyond the obvious ways. Think about the percussions during a loud concert or a fireworks show. The sensory experience goes beyond simple sounds to a feeling of thudding in your chest or a dulling of your hearing. When you add sounds to a story, don’t let them stand alone. Think about what comes before and after.

Drive Narrative Description through the Sound, its Volume or Both
Describing sounds is a great way to convey setting and mood. A honking horn tells us we’re near a busy city street. The whistle of an arrow not only says, “uh oh, run!,” it also tells us a little about the world around. We’re in a place where arrows are used instead of other weapons, and we’re apparently surrounded by people who know how to use them.

BUT, don’t forget that ordinary sounds also can speak volumes through their…well, volume. What if the honking horn comes out as nothing more than a squeak? Or, the whistle of the arrow grows louder and louder until it ends in a deafening explosion? That’d change things a bit, right? We’d know more about those individual worlds. A loud whisper can convey panic or carelessness. And in romance, sound sure ain’t the only sense working overtime whenever there are “soft explosions” going on! Have some fun with it. Surprise us!

Switch it Up: The Absence of Sound
Imagine your characters are deaf (permanently or temporarily). How does the scene change for them? What other details rise to the top? How do their other senses compensate? This is a way to slow down and focus the action, to build toward a moment of panic, or to kickstart some character growth by depriving them of one method for understanding their world. It can be terrifying and vulnerable, and also make for some very powerful writing!

Okay, time to add a little soundtrack to our examples:

Lovers at the Beach
I couldn’t see the stars, not directly, but I didn’t know how seeing them could possibly top their reflection in his eyes. His skin was slick, smooth and hard, though tender enough to give where my fingers caressed. His lips still held the salt of our swim. Its pucker on my tongue sent memories cascading through me like the waves and the heat that had driven us under again and again. He smelled of sunscreen, salt and sweat, but there, beneath all that deliciousness, a deeper more hurtful flavor took shape. The taste of goodbye.

To this day, whenever I hear the ocean, I think of his voice.


Were-Bats Attack!!
Something fluttered in the night. Wings. Not quite feathers. My throat tightened. I drew a soft, swift breath through my nose. The scent of decay and clove. “They’re here.” It came out shaky. By the time I finished, there was no longer a need to whisper. Dozens of leathery wings rustled all around us, punctuated by high-pitched keens no human or animal could ever make.

I saw them. Dozens of them. Winging at me with their little claws out—furred, like a bear’s, not feathered. And then all went black. Omigosh, had one of them landed on my FACE? I tasted iron. Blood, at the corner of my mouth. That would attract them. I spat before it could fill my mouth and curdle my already panicked stomach.

My hand grappled in the night, found something that felt like lace spun in a consistency of dead things. It sunk in when I pressed hard, and I stifled a cry of horror.



Looking for SIGHT, TOUCH, TASTE and SMELL? Find them here.

Tour of the Five Senses: Smell

Dreamstime

 
Traveling right along on our tour, we come to our second-to-last sense - SMELL.

Glade’s not wrong when it says its scents are “Inspired by the best feelings in the world.” Smell is a powerful trigger for memories and actions—one we can put to use in our writing.

Smell as a Worldbuilding Tool
Describing odors in a great way to anchor readers quickly within your world, whether it’s the damp, fresh-earth smell of a deep jungle, the stale air of an old prison cell, or the exhaust fumes of an industrial city. Take us there!

Smell as a Warning
Scents also mean many things beyond setting. Often, they signal a sign of danger or a coming twist—almost a foreshadowing, if you will. A smoky smell alerting characters to fire, sulfur warning of a demon the moment before it appears.

There’s a reason animals wiggle their noses so often to smell the air. Use it as a way to perk up your characters (and the readers) by saying “This is new. This is different. Pay attention.”

Smell as Comfort
The opposite of danger works just as well with smells. Warm foods roasting over a fire, the smell of home, even the specific perfume or scent of a loved one. Smells can set the mood.

Fun with Juxtaposition
Try surprising readers with your combinations. Maybe the scent of roses, normally an enjoyable aroma, means evil (We’re looking at you President Snow). If you’re writing a zombie romance, the smell of death might actually bring a smile to your characters’ faces (What’s left of them).

Let’s look at how the examples are shaping up:

 

Lovers on a Beach
I couldn’t see the stars, not directly, but I didn’t know how they could possibly top their reflection in his eyes. His skin was slick, smooth and hard, though tender enough to give where my fingers caressed it. His lips still held the salt of our swim. Its pucker on my tongue sent memories cascading through me like the waves and the heat that had driven us under again and again. He smelled of sunscreen, salt and sweat.

There, beneath all that deliciousness, a deeper more hurtful flavor took shape. The taste of goodbye.

Were-bats Attack!!
I drew a soft, swift breath through my nose. The scent of decay and clove. Then I saw them. Dozens of them. Winging at me with their little claws out—furred, like a bear’s, not feathered. And then all went black. Omigosh, had one of them landed on my FACE?! I tasted iron. Blood, at the corner of my mouth. That would attract them. I spat before it could fill my mouth and curdle my already panicked stomach.

My hand grappled in the night, found something that felt like lace spun in a consistency of dead things. It sunk in when I pressed hard, and I stifled a cry of horror.



Looking for SIGHT, TOUCH and TASTE? Find them here.

Tour of the Five Senses: Taste

© Anita Nowack | Dreamstime Stock Photos

We're chugging right along on our Tour of the Five Senses. Go back and catch SIGHT and TOUCH if you missed them. Today, we're tackling TASTE.

Taste can be exceptionally powerful in setting a scene and conveying reactions. Several summers ago, I volunteered with the children’s programming at our local zoo, and we did an exercise that introduced kids to different parts of their palates.

When we handed out the chocolate, they grew so excited thinking it was going to be for the “sweet” realm. Their faces were absolutely priceless as they discovered we’d given them bitter baking chocolate instead!

So let’s see how we can harness that chocolate lesson for writing:

Taste is Diverse
One of the fun ways to establish a world — fantastic or otherwise — is to describe the cuisine. It’s an opportunity to give your world, country or city a personality. Think about tastes around our own world. A southern barbeque will taste very different from an Italian meal, which will taste different still from Asian fare or Norwegian lutefisk, for example. Tastes can say a lot about a culture, as well as the land and geography around it. Mix it up, have some fun, and set your world apart.

Taste is Linked to Memory (and to Smell)
When I say “Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies,” what comes to mind? My guess is it’s more than just a taste of warm gooey goodness. It’s also the smell of baking cookies fresh from the oven, maybe the cozy safe feeling of Grandma’s house, or remembered voices as you shared that first bite.

On the less pleasant side…think about any food that’s ever come back up. Can you say ick? Taste has an incredible ability to transport us to a specific moment in time. We can use this for our characters – draw on their memories and personal experiences to make food more than just food.

Taste Doesn’t Have to be Literal
Set aside all our delicious food examples for a moment. Taste can describe an emotion too. Dread. Fear. Panic. Even bitterness. Think about how those emotions would stay on your characters’ tongues, roll about and slip down into their gullets. When people use the phrase, “It left a bad taste in my mouth,” this is what they mean. Get creative and really make it work for you!

When You Taste Something, it’s Not Just Your Tongue that Responds
Yes, your tongue does most of the heavy lifting, but think about the last time you loved or hated a certain taste. If you loved it, chances are your eyes lit up, you smiled or licked your lips and maybe even made yummy noises (You’re drooling over those cookies again, aren’t you?).

If you hope to never taste that particular essence again, you probably scrunched up your nose, backed away shaking your head or…you know…had other, more violent, reactions. The point is, you DID something more than just taste. Those actions can drive a story forward.

Let’s check in with our favorite examples:

Lovers on a Beach
I couldn’t see the stars, not directly, but I didn’t know how they could possibly top their reflection in his eyes. His skin was slick, smooth and hard, though tender enough to give where my fingers caressed it. His lips still held the salt of our swim. Its pucker on my tongue sent memories cascading through me like the waves and the heat that had driven us under again and again.

There, beneath all that deliciousness, a deeper more hurtful flavor took shape. The taste of goodbye.

Were-bats Attack!!
I saw them. Dozens of them. Winging at me with their little claws out—furred, like a bear’s, not feathered. And then all went black. Omigosh, had one of them landed on my FACE?! I tasted iron. Blood, at the corner of my mouth. That would attract them. I spat before it could fill my mouth and curdle my already panicked stomach.

My hand grappled in the night, found something that felt like lace spun in a consistency of dead things. It sunk in when I pressed hard, and I stifled a cry of horror.

Tour of the Five Senses: Touch

Dreamstime

 
Welcome back to our "Tour of the Senses!" Everyone got their SIGHT passport stamp from our first leg? Good! (And, if you missed it, you can check out the post here).

Today, we're moving on to the second of the five senses - TOUCH.

Touch can convey incredible amounts of information and emotion. It’s something we already use in our writing…because, how could we not?! It’s all around us. Still, sometimes we get so caught up in the action we can overlook even this important sense.

Characters Doing the Touching
This is the most obvious form of description with touch. Your MC touches the bark of a nearby tree—it’s leathery, with spikes, not at all like the trees he’s used to back home. We’ve learned something about both the character and the world. Remember, characters can touch objects, other characters, creatures and, if you’re writing fantasy, they might be able to “touch” things mentally or emotionally too.

Texture and temperature are two important aspects to consider when describing touch. And, though hands and fingers are the most common way characters interact with their sense of touch, they're not the ONLY way. Feet, knees, elbows, they can all bump into something or scrap up against it. Think about walking in a cold, pebble-bottom river in bare feet.

Things Touching the Characters
If they’re smart, your characters aren’t going to be too eager to touch a basilisk to feel whether its skin is scaly or leathery…but that basilisk sure could slither right up next to them anyway! Especially in battle or action, there are a lot of interactions that happen TO characters.

Using touch is a way to describe how those interactions affect them. Like the renegade who suddenly feels the lady’s long silken nightsleeve brush his skin. What emotions does that wanted or unwanted touch bring? Show us.

The Effect of a Touch
This builds on what we just mentioned. The actual touch is the first step—then comes the reaction, the emotion, the RESPONSE. A touch can mean love or hate and everything in between. If you feel a gloved hand close around your face, you’re sure as heck going to scream and run-away. Even without knowing anything else about the situation. Keep your readers in that moment long enough to show us how your characters react to the touch you’ve described.

Examples

Let’s add a little touch to what we started last week.

Lovers on a Beach
I couldn’t see the stars, not directly, but I didn’t know how they could possibly top their reflection in his eyes. His skin was slick, smooth and hard, though tender enough to give where my fingers caressed it.

Were-bats Attack!!
I saw them. Dozens of them. Winging at me with their little claws out—furred, like a bear’s, not feathered. And then all went black. Omigosh, had one of them landed on my FACE?!

My hand grappled in the night, found something that felt like lace spun in a consistency of dead things. It sunk in when I pressed hard, and I stifled a cry of horror.


What are some of YOUR favorites aspects of describing touch?

Tour of the Five Senses: Sight

© Geoffrey Kuchera | Dreamstime Stock Photos

We know it’s important to incorporate the senses into our scenes, but remembering to actually do it (and do it with skill) takes practice! So, I’m offering a “tour of the senses,” complete with tips and examples for how to apply ‘em to our writing.

In the end, it’s not about describing the senses themselves. It’s about describing emotion and action—the senses are the tools to help us do it well. You don’t build a house because you think it’s really cool to use a hammer. You build a house because of what it will become when it’s finished, and that hammer helps you get there.

First up – Sight.

Sight is one of the most powerful senses, because we see everything around us even if we’re not trying to engage the rest of our senses. It’s probably one of the most natural senses to slip into our writing. We do it all the time. It also can be the most fun sense to remove when it’s time to give your characters a challenge.

What the Eye Catches
Cop shows sometimes make reference to the fact that our eyes catch far more detail than our minds can interpret. For writers, that’s both good and bad. It means our characters SEE an awful lot, but we can focus in on the details we need to tell a certain scene.

Don’t ignore those other details fully, though. They’re what help in worldbuilding. Even if they never make it onto the page directly, YOU know they exist, and your world will feel more fully formed as a result. It’s the difference between taking two pages to describe exactly what a hairy backed greersnork looks like…and knowing what it looks like while allowing your actual on-page descriptions to serve the scene in the best way possible.

Near and Far
With sight, remember to take scope into account. This will help you decide which visual details to leave in a scene and which can be ixnayed. When fighting a battle, for example, can your character see the tall pines growing on the hills beyond the battlefield? Sure. Would he or she notice them in the midst of battle? Heck no! Unless they’re part of the immediate (or upcoming) action.

Instead, your MC’s focus would be on seeing things close up. Like that enemy sword swinging for his or her head! Think of it like a camera lens. You can’t show us everything at once, so choose wisely when you’re deciding where your characters’ visual focus should be in any given scene.

Perspective
This is one way to play with sight. Characters can “see” the same scene or action very differently, depending on their prior knowledge and experience. This is how misunderstandings occur. It’s a great tool for setting up conflict, betrayals and suspicion, and, as with so many of the other senses, it’s not about the sense itself as much as it is about the character’s interpretation of it.

Taking it Away
HaHA, now the fun stuff! Nothing incites panic and creativity in characters (not to mention kick-ass plotting) more than taking away their advantages, and sight is one HUGE advantage. Whether it’s permanent or temporary (even just a dark room where they can’t see), try removing the sense of sight from a certain scene. It ups the stakes and tension pretty quick. And it opens new doors for different, creative ways to handle the action—both in terms of what your characters DO and how you DESCRIBE it. Try it as a writing exercise for a scene you think needs more tension.

Examples

Let’s have some fun with a pair of examples. We'll start out with the basics and build on them throughout the series. Sight only, for now.

Lovers on a Beach
I couldn’t see the stars, not directly, but I didn’t know how they could possibly top their reflection in his eyes. 

[The reflection for our MC here is more important than the real thing. Sight is an important sense even when describing what she CAN'T see.]

Were-bats Attack!!
I saw them. Dozens of them. Winging at me with their little claws out—furred like a bear’s, not feathered. And then all went black. Omigosh, had one of them landed on my FACE?!

[Think about everything sight captures in this one: number, flight, claws, texture of fur vs. feathers, absence of light. It's also tied to the MC's emotion to those realizations.]


Back next week with TOUCH!