Here’s a powerful technique for immersing readers into your story: use the sense of smell. Of all the senses, smell has the strongest psychological effect. The mere mention of a smell evokes memories and triggers associations in the reader’s subconscious. Mention a smell, and the scene comes to life. Mention two or three, and the reader is pulled into the scene as if it were real. Show A single sentence about smells can reveal more about a place than several paragraphs of visual descriptions. For example, the hero enters a home for old people. “The place smelled of boiled cabbage, urine and disinfectant.” These nine words are enough to convey what kind of old people’s home this is, and it creates a strong image in the reader’s mind. Or try these: “The room smelled of pizza, beer and unwashed socks.” “The room smelled of beeswax, joss sticks and patchouli.” “The corridor smelled of mould and leaking sewage.” “The kitchen smelled of coffee, cinnamon and freshly baked bread.” “The kitchen smelled of burnt milk, overripe pears and bleach.” “The garden smelled of lilacs and freshly mown grass.” “The cell smelled of blood, urine and rotting straw.” Where and How to Use this TechniqueThe best place to insert a sentence about smells is immediately after the point-of-view character has arrived at a new location. That’s when humans are most aware of smells, so it feels right if you mention them. Smells trigger emotions. If you want your reader to feel positive about the place, use pleasant scents. To make the reader recoil, mention nasty odours. Also consider the genre. Thriller and horror readers appreciate being taken to places where odours are as foul as the villain’s deeds, but romance readers want a pleasant experience, so treat them to lovely scents. VariationsIf you like, you can use this technique in almost every scene. To keep it fresh, vary the sentence structure and the wording. Here are some suggestions:
Professional ExamplesThese examples show how authors have used this technique in their fiction.
Your TurnHave a go. Whatever story you’re working on right now, whatever scene you’re writing, think of two or more smells that characterise the place. Write a sentence about them. If you like, post your sentence in the comments section. I’d love to see what you come up with. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Rayne Hall has published more than forty books under different pen names with different publishers in different genres,mostly fantasy, horror and non-fiction. Recent books include Storm Dancer (darkepic fantasy novel), 13 British Horror Stories, Six Scary Tales Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5(creepy horror stories), Thirty Scary Tales, Six Historical Tales Vol. 1 and 2, Six Quirky Tales, The Colour of Dishonour: Stories from the Storm Dancer World, Writing Fight Scenes, The World-Loss Diet, Writing About Villains, Writing About Magic and Writing Scary Scenes. She holds a college degree in publishing management and a masters degree in creative writing. Currently, she edits the Ten Tales series of multi-author short story anthologies. Rayne has lived in Germany, China, Mongolia and Nepal and has now settled in a small dilapidated town of former Victorian grandeur on the south coast of England. How do you describe a smell?Use adjectives.
Adjectives can describe the general, overall quality of the smell. Wispy, rancid, airy, musty, stale, fresh, putrid, faint, light, floral, and acrid are all adjectives that could pertain to smell. Smell origins may take the form of a noun (the smell of leather) or an adjective (a leathery smell).
How do you describe intense smell?Describing a Scent by Intensity
Words to describe intense smells: Stench. Rich. Pungent.
How do you describe a bad smell in creative writing?Words That Describe Unpleasant Smells
malodorous – scented, aromatic, redolent, fragrant, stinking.
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