Sense-ability: Immersing Readers Via the Five Senses

The Writing Forge

Sensory details are crucial to immersing readers in a story. In both fiction and narrative nonfiction, different senses establish the setting, evoke emotions, and deepen characterizations. In today’s episode, author Ritu Anand joins Bonnie and Miranda to explore how to balance the senses in your writing and how to choose which senses are emphasized in a given scene. And once again our hosts return to the concept of “double duty writing,” where sensory descriptions not only paint vivid pictures of the environment but also reveal insights into characters' emotions and perspectives. Listen now for tips and tricks for infusing more senses into your writing.

What book have you read recently that did a good job of using all 5 senses? Let us know on our socials!

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Links:

Ritu's book Kara's Dreams

Eldred Bird’s article “How to Show Emotion in Characters Who Hide Their Feelings”

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Sound engineering by Luke Fischer

Cover art by Maggie Walker