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  • Writing Magazine

    Seeing sense

    Oct 07, 2021 6 minutes

    We rely on our senses – sight, sound, smell, taste and touch – to tell us about the world we live in. This should carry over into our writing, using the senses to establish the world our characters inhabit.

    It’s not as simple as describing what a character sees, hears, smells, touches or tastes. These experiences need to affect the character in some way – pinpointing the setting in space and time, creating an atmosphere around them, foreshadowing events or reflecting the character’s emotions. The senses show readers something about our characters and their world and give them something they can connect with.

    When you’re working on a piece of writing, be it fiction or non fiction, it’s worth sitting back and checking that you’ve covered at least three different senses. Sight and sound are easy, but try using taste, touch or smell to fully bring a story to life and connect with readers.

    Sight

    Sight is probably the easiest sense to use and therefore a default for most writers.

    We see colours and shades of light and

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