Have you ever put down a book because the writing was so flat that you found yourself unable to engage with it? Chances are, it left sensory experience out of the equation. A common mistake made my amateur writers is to focus so intently on their story that everything else falls by the wayside. Don't let this happen to you! There are a number of ways you can breathe life into a story by engaging the reader with sensual descriptions.
It is very hard to design a set for a stage play if the script has not indicated where the action takes place. Always remember where you are. Is it a hammock on a beach or a basement? A sunny day or a dark and stormy night? Once you have a picture of this place, put yourself there by recalling a memory. Once I have this memory in my mind, I imagine closing my eyes and experiencing it.
I like to begin by describing a physical sensation. This sets the tone. If it is balmy and warm, is there sweat dripping down your body? Describe it. Anyone can write "it was hot, and sweat dripped down her body." Don't be afraid of metaphor. Sometimes the best way to describe something is to describe something else: "the heat was pregnant with moisture, and sweat trickled down her body as though her pores wept at the thought of any more movement."
Complement the sense of touch with smell. This sense is connected to memory in a very visceral way. Is the basement warm and filled with the scent of dryer sheets, or is it damp and musty? These are 2 very different basements. In many ways, the smells you associate with your scene will set the mood. Play around with this aspect of smell-you can take the reader by surprise by having something pleasant happen in a spite of leading into the scene with a foul odor, or vice versa.
Next, I like to listen to my scene. This describes what is going on around you so that you don't have to tell the reader directly. Is the wind howling outside the basement, or is a passing train making the windows tremble? What can be heard is sometimes outside the action. This can be used in many creative ways to tie themes into a broader context.
Taste is the most often ignored sense in writing, but it need not be. Even if your protagonist is not eating food, they can experience taste. Sometimes a fragrance is so overpowering that you can almost taste it. A smoky room may taste acrid, and someone who has just exerted themselves may imagine a coppery taste of blood rising up from the back of their throat. The idea is to put your reader into the story, so that they can imagine themselves there.
The most important thing to remember about the writing the sensory experience is to treat the scene like an artist treats a painting. Your objective as a writer should never be to tell the reader what is happening. Give your reader a little credit, and let their imagination fill in the blanks. Just as an artist works with composition, light, color and shape, paint your scene through touch, sound, smell, and taste. The better you get at this, the more vivid and engaging your writing will become. Good luck!
