The Magic of Sensory Details in Storytelling
Bring Your Story to Life!
Every writer has felt their story was well-written, but it didn't quite capture their readers' attention as much as they thought it would. In those cases, you may have been missing a key ingredient: sensory details.In storytelling, there are small fragments of text that can ignite the magic that turns a scene into an unforgettable experience. Let's discover together how to use them to make your stories irresistible to your readers! 🚀📖
1. What are sensory details? 🤔
Sensory
details are descriptions in the text that activate or evoke the
reader's five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. To evoke
them, don't try to say "it was a dark and stormy night," for example,
but rather make the reader feel the dampness in the air, hear the rain
drumming against the roof, smell the wet earth, and see the lightning
lighting up the sky.
A common and boring narrative example:
> He entered the room and sat on the bed. He was sad.
The same example with sensory details:
> She
pushed the door open with a creak that filled the room. The air felt
thick with dust and made her nose itch. On the bed, she could see some
rumpled sheets, which gave off a faint scent of lavender and loneliness.
Slowly, she sank onto the mattress, sinking into her own silence.
Can you see the difference? 😍
Notice how the phrase " He was sad " is replaced by " sinking into his own silence ."
2. Modern reading: fast, sensorial, and immersive 📚✨
Today, readers look for stories that draw them in quickly. Your
readers' reading is fast, to the point, and must be highly effective. No
one has half a day free to read quietly at home anymore. Everyone has
multiple things to do and only has a few minutes of relaxation between
the day's many activities.
Many
of your readers will read you on their phones, uncomfortable, and
perhaps on public transport, in the middle of a setting with so many
stimuli that they can quickly lose their attention from your writing.
No
one wants to read mile-long descriptions that contribute nothing to the
plot. Sensory details help you show the settings and emotions, not
describe them descriptively like an instruction manual.
🎯 Golden rule:
Use subtle but effective details. Don't overload with multi-detailed
descriptions, but don't leave your scene as dry as a desert either.
3. Activating the senses in your narrative 🧐
👀 Sight:
Obviously, this is the most used sense, but you'll have to be careful
with clichés. We all describe what a character sees, but you should try
to do it with originality.
❌ Not so good: "The forest was dark and gloomy."
✅ Better: "The upright trees clung to the night, leaving only a few slits of moonlight between their branches."
👂 Hearing:
Sounds can immerse the reader in certain scenarios that awaken their
emotions. Sound also brings realism and rhythm to a scene.
❌ A flat and emotionless result: "It was very noisy in the cafeteria."
✅ An immersive form: "The clinking of spoons against cups, distant laughter, and the murmur of an old jazz song floated in the air."
👃 Smell: The most evocative sense. Smells trigger instant memories and emotions.
❌ Generic form : "It smelled like food."
✅ Deep form:
"The aroma of freshly baked bread, with a hint of yeast and butter,
reminded me of afternoons spent at home with my grandmother."
👅 Taste: Not just for food scenes, taste can be used in many situations, from a kiss to the taste of fear.
❌ Simple form: "The coffee tasted strong on the palate."
✅ Sensory form:"The bitter taste of coffee flooded deep in my throat, like a small punishment for waking up late."
🖐 Touch: Touch can add texture to emotions. In your writing, touch isn't just what you touch, but how it feels.
❌ Flat outcome : "The floor was cold."
✅ Rich text outcome: "As he walked barefoot, the hallway floor sent a shiver down his spine."
4. Practical exercise: Activate your senses! 🏋️♂️
Take a simple scene, for example: " A woman waits at a train station ." Now, add sensory details.
- View: What's the season like? Is there fog or flickering lights?
- Hearing: Do the announcements sound distorted? Can you hear crowd murmurs?
- Smell: Does it smell like metal and electricity? Freshly brewed coffee?
- Taste: Is the woman chewing menthol gum? Is she drinking something?
- Feel: Is your coat thick? Is the waiting bench uncomfortably hard?
5. Final Tips: Rewriting your scenes is like experimenting with your ideas laboratory ✍️🔥
- Don't overdo it: Remember that you don't need to describe EVERYTHING, just what really adds something to the scenes.
- Use original comparisons: "The air smelled like rain" is correct, but "The air smelled like a storm, like ozone" is more descriptive and evocative.
- Reread aloud: This is the best initial test to see if your description is forced and you need to readjust the text.
Do you have questions? Do you want to expand on these topics?
If you are interested in expanding on these topics, I recommend that you read my articles for writers. There you will find many interesting topics that will help you become a 21st century writer. Here are my notes for writers (use the google translate button - for no-spanish writers-) 🌌✍️
Do you have any questions? You can ask me -in english too- through a google form. Use the "Tu Consulta" button, please:
Good writing! 🚀✍️
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