“Don’t
tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” -
Anton Chekhov
As a child, one of my favorite things to do
was to get swept away in a new book. It was like holding an entirely new world
right in my hands, traveling to places I could only dream of going, witnessing
moments that had long passed away. Eventually, I wasn’t content with just experiencing
these things. I wanted to create them. But, how?
That is the question I ask myself over and
over. How do I make this real? How do I make this world, this character, this
plot a living, breathing thing so lush and transporting that it makes the real
world fade away? The answer is in the details.
We experience the world through our senses.
What we see, feel, taste, smell, and hear as well as our interpretation of it
form our perception, therefore, our reality. The same goes for fiction. So how
do we make our writing come alive?
We shape reality through specific sensory
detail. Again, how? In my fourteen years of writing, I’ve discovered a few
fail-safe methods that help me render the world in my imagination onto the
page. Here they are. My four secrets of sensory detail.
1. Start with research.
We can’t make your setting real unless it’s real to us. Real also means authentic. I would add to that mix the word “accurate”. The best way to find sensory detail is to learn more about what already exists in the world we’re creating.
2. Find your perspective.
Now that we have the facts, we must interpret them though the senses of our characters. This determines not only how we describe the details we’ve gathered, but which of those details to include. Remember, every character will have their own unique way of perceiving the world. This includes their emotional state.
3. Let it flow.
If we aren’t careful, descriptive passages can weigh down the narrative. Superfluous, expounding adjectives are not what we are looking for here. Sensory detail is targeted. It clarifies action and setting.
4. Be creative!
Give yourself a measure of freedom. Sensory details are the paint. Your canvas is the manuscript. The brush is your imagination. Have fun with it. Experiment.
We can’t make your setting real unless it’s real to us. Real also means authentic. I would add to that mix the word “accurate”. The best way to find sensory detail is to learn more about what already exists in the world we’re creating.
2. Find your perspective.
Now that we have the facts, we must interpret them though the senses of our characters. This determines not only how we describe the details we’ve gathered, but which of those details to include. Remember, every character will have their own unique way of perceiving the world. This includes their emotional state.
3. Let it flow.
If we aren’t careful, descriptive passages can weigh down the narrative. Superfluous, expounding adjectives are not what we are looking for here. Sensory detail is targeted. It clarifies action and setting.
4. Be creative!
Give yourself a measure of freedom. Sensory details are the paint. Your canvas is the manuscript. The brush is your imagination. Have fun with it. Experiment.
I hope these secrets spurred your
imagination. Use these tips. Add to them. Keep questioning “how” and find the
answers that work best for you. To see how I use sensory detail in my own work,
check out any of my books—especially my most recent ones where I’ve tried to
make it more of a focus.
Happy writing!
Do you have a particular process for adding in those sensory details that make the story come alive for the reader?
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