Editorial Notes

Regardless of what you are writing, but especially when writing fiction, your writing will be richer with a judicious use of sensual description. We use all our senses to navigate life, so adding words and phrases that relate sensory perceptions gives greater texture, depth and ultimately realism to your writing.

I really noticed this several years ago when a character I was reading slipped between “crisp, cool linens”. I caught myself stopping to enjoy that feeling. I also notice it when an author takes the time to make me aware not only of the objects in a setting, but how the characters sensually relate to the setting.

As your characters move through your work, be aware of the things they smell, touch, taste, hear and see.

The Whole Setting

Since sight is the most used sense for most of us, you may feel that you are, of course describing the surroundings. However, you might want to look at the settings in your mind’s eye and see if there are details that you could mention, for example the slightly wilting and lonely flower on the table in the diner, the elderly couple sitting in the corner, or the worn linoleum floor that has seen better decades.

Small details like those can help set the mood of the action or reflect the mindset of the character. In any case, they can make the setting more real for your readers. Take the time to take a hard look at the details of the scene in your mind. Share the parts of it that will bring your readers into the scene without overloading them.

The Sensual Description of Smell

Smell is the sense most tied to memory for most people. We can relate to it. It carries us to a similar time, place or feeling. It is easy to evoke emotional reactions in the readers by describing scents that they would relate to. I once knew a man who always wore Old Spice cologne because, he said, “every woman has at least one man she trusts who wears Old Spice”.

Some writers use a smell like a character in their work. Others use it to describe characters, almost as a character trait.

Tasty Descriptions

If there is a reason for your characters to eat food, there is an opportunity for a taste description.

Some cozy mystery writers are very good at sensual descriptions, especially when describing food. A ‘Romaine Salad’ becomes a ‘crisp, green Romaine salad dressed in a velvety anchovy-tinged Caesar with plump, crimson grape tomatoes that explode in the mouth’.

The Sensual Description of Sounds

Adding sounds gives another usually subtle realism to a sett description. In writing, we don’t have the advantage of a sound track (think the theme from Jaws) to indicate a tone, but sounds can help define a tone or mood while inviting the reader into a believable, experiential place or feeling.

The Wonderful World of Touch

In my opinion, sensual description is easiest with the sense of touch. Next to vision, touch is the sense of which most of us are consciously aware. Is the fabric soft, her hand cold, the coffee steaming? Is the room warm, is the floor hard, the ropes on his wrist rough? Even though we tend to be consciously aware of these things, they don’t always make it into our writing.

Moderation Using Sensual Description

As with all things, moderation is important. You don’t want to stop the story progress getting stuck in description, but judicious use of sensual description can bring realism to your settings, characters and actions and invite your readers into the world in your mind’s eye.

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Regardless the type of writing you are doing, short or long, fiction or non-fiction, it’s important to take time to know your audience. The purpose of writing anything is to communicate. You want your work to speak to them and to that you need to write in language they can understand or relate to.

What are the basic demographics of your Audience?

Your style of writing may very well be shaped by your audience. Things like their age, income level, education level, gender, ethnicity and race, marital status and number of children all affect the type of writing they are likely to be comfortable reading. If work is too scholarly for them, they may find it too dry or be unable to understand; if too easy, they may find it remedial and beneath them.

Every reader comes to your piece with their own set of realities and experience which affect how they react to and interact with your work.

What are their objections, biases, or ingrained beliefs?

While I love murder mysteries, I personally do not like them to be too graphic or violent. I just don’t want that darkness in my head. There are so many people like me who feel that way that there is entire market of Cozy Mysteries that just don’t stray too far into the darkness. An author setting out to write cozy mysteries needs to be aware of where the limits are of graphic storytelling are, so they don’t go beyond them.

This does not mean you cannot address the biases or beliefs of your audience. On the contrary. If you are aware of their beliefs and objections, you can sneak up behind the reader and present a different viewpoint.

If you are writing to sell or persuade, you can address the objections more directly, but you need to know what they are. You can sell until you are blue in the face, but if you have not addressed the objections of your buyer, your persuasion will be futile.

Are they the Saints or the Sinners?

Whether you are writing to persuade, sell, or just to entertain, you do not want to inadvertently offend your audience.

You know the old expression, “you’re preaching to the choir”? Well, whether your audience are saints or sinners, no one likes to be preached to. There are two points here.

Again, know your audience.

Does Your Audience have regional or technical preferences?

Speaking of language, regional idioms add great color to a work, but you want to be sure you don’t lose your audience. Do not overuse idioms and explain ones that might not make sense to the greater audience. In general it is a good idea to write the narrative in proper English, not a regional dialect. There are exceptions to the rule (Huckleberry Finn), but if most of the narrative is in proper English, be consistent.

Assume your audience understands fewer of your technical or industry specific terms than you think they do. It doesn’t hurt to explain your terms the first time you use them, just in case, LOL (laugh out loud). That way, your reader isn’t made to feel stupid for not knowing a term. Also, many terms and acronyms have multiple meanings or presentations. Explaining a term reduces the chance of a misunderstanding over its meaning.

In a scholarly paper there is less need to avoid technical terms, but it never hurts to make your work easier to read.

What does your audience hope to get from your writing?

Another point about knowing your audience is to know what they hope to get from your writing.

Are you giving them information about a product? Telling them what your services are? Or are they reading for entertainment and what does that mean to them? Regardless of the type of writing, the audience is looking for something. Knowing your audience is partly about giving them what they want to receive.

If they are looking for a romance novel, you can give them lots of things. But it better be wrapped around a romance novel. And it helps if you know where the line is for them between too little and too much romantic description.

Yes, its often true that you are really writing for yourself and your muse, but at the end of the day, someone will be reading your work. Keeping an idea in your mind of who your audience is, what they like and want, and how they want it presented will improve your writing and readability immensely.

Contact The Editor’s Mark for a free no-obligation consultation.
Call 847-577-0491 or use the contact form.