Bringing Your Worlds to Life: The Power of Sensory Details

12–17 minutes

I often tell people that I love to read. However, if we didn’t have the word “reading,” we would have to say, “I stare at ink on paper and have vivid hallucinations for hours on end about made-up places and people.” As silly as that idea sounds, it is our ability to imagine other realities that powers immersion. When a work of fiction fails to transport an audience into another world, they tend to walk away. The ability to hook others on a journey often relies on sensory details and the use of evocative language.

Why Sensory Details Matter in Storytelling

Sensory details are integral to any written work. Your story may be the vehicle, but sensory language is the odometer, headlights, leather seats, and everything else you can see, touch, and hear.

Locality:

Vivid storytelling creates a believable world that an audience can easily imagine. Fantasy worlds can be entirely foreign without a real-world counterpart. Items, erosion, colors, materials, organization systems, or security measures can help a reader envision the location and its intended purpose.

For example: A Healing Center.
- A hospital is clean and sterile with the smell of sanitizer. The hallways are large, and the floors are made from cool tile. There are always beeps and the sounds of wheels rolling in the background.
- In Avatar: The Last Airbender, healing centers have patients surrounded by water. Water promotes healing.
- In the TV show Scavengers Reign, Sam becomes sick. A woman heals him. Her holistic home practice is made up of many organic life forms. The table is covered in living tissues. The healer uses materials and organic reactions to save Sam.

Personality:

The owners or common guests of a space should affect their overall appearance.

An agoraphobe, for example, might choose to live in a small space, while a claustrophobe might seek high ceilings and plain walls. Alternatively, two characters could share similar spaces, like dorms, but decorate and maintain them differently.

Distance:

It is necessary to consider the distances between different locations.

In the real world, we know how far things are from each other. We know what’s on the other side of a wall. Our work, home, grocery store, movie theater, and everything else exist in relation to each other. People are more familiar with the towns around them or areas they frequent rather than far-off places they’ve never heard of. A 6-hour drive may be feasible for one person but out of reach for another. A map should not be used as a replacement.

Neurological Impact:

Beyond the obvious local descriptions, sensory details can engage the same areas of the brain as actual experiences.

Mirror Neurons:

An audience is likely to undergo an empathetic response when presented with connotative language and vivid description.

Reading about the smell of hot garbage left by the roadside may activate the odor-processing region of the brain. Humans interpret our world through physical sensations; writers must use that to their benefit.

Memory:

An engaged audience is likely to remember what they have read.

Impactful details related to smells, textures, sounds, and sights are graspable to the human mind. They minimize ambiguity and help remove abstract thinking or concepts.

Immersion:

Sensory language allows readers to experience the story rather than simply reading about it.

Don’t say, “The robber held up a loaded gun and pointed it at John before saying, ‘Don’t move.’” This creates narrative distance and can disconnect the reader from the story. Try, “ The robber swung his arm. Before John could run, he stared down the barrel of a revolver. Nestled in the dark channel was a shining bullet. ‘Don’t move,’ the attacker ordered.”

Emotional resonance:

Sensory details are a tool for evoking emotions.

A character may fear the dark. By describing the night creatures that may be hiding within it, the goosebumps crawling up his arms, and the growling coming from beneath the bed, you can instill a fear of the dark in your audience. Alternatively, the warmth of the sun against a cheek can amplify joy. The scent of a culturally significant food may create nostalgia and relaxation. Additionally, sights, sounds, smells, textures, and tastes can transport a character to an emotionally impactful moment in their life.

Identifying the Senses

There are dozens of human senses; however, the most well-known are the five basic senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch).

Sight: The crimson sun stained the black ocean as it crashed onto the white bone beaches.
Sound: The winds blew against the house, hissing through the night.
Smell: He reached the cabin and stepped out of his car. He held up his nose and inhaled the sweet scent of pine trees.
Taste: She took one sip of her pressed coffee before dumping it onto the sidewalk. The burnt, astringent tannins bittered her tongue.
Touch: She smiled at her husband as she passed her fingers across his palms. They were calloused and scratched against her supple skin. As they fell asleep, she pressed her cheek against his prickly, bearded chin.
- The use of sensory details is also tied to your narrative style. Many authors, such as Cormac McCarthy, are recognized for their minimalist style of description. Additionally, Ernest Hemingway was well known for his “Iceberg Theory” and tended to understate experiences. H.P. Lovecraft employed abstract cosmic horror in his writing, often depending on the “indescribable.” He allowed the audience to envision the terrors by relying on the unknown.

Stimulus and Reaction: A loud, unexpected bang should stop a conversation or startle those around. Meanwhile, the chirping of a cricket would likely do nothing, unless you were near Death Angels. Instead of just saying “a loud noise,” include the effect. “Something crashed in the forest like the clap of a thousand hands. Birds fled from their nest and flocked in circles, squawking at the echoes of the boom.” Sometimes a small reaction is appropriate. “ A train whistled as the railcars came into view. She held onto a railing and touched her chest as the vibrations shook her soft tissue.”

Description as Character

Word count and engagement are a pair of devious mistresses. It can be easy to describe every single sight and sound within a new world. However, an audience may find the information useless to the narrative. To make descriptions effective, they should serve multiple purposes beyond just sensory utility.

Visual Details:

Effective visual descriptions communicate a character’s emotions clearly.

A character may look at a dragon and focus on its scales of steel, studying each fleck for a single weak point. The scene illustrates that the dragon significantly overpowers your character. In a different story, your character may stand against an enemy who is thin and thirsty. They struggle to hold up a spear, and the character questions whether they should even kill their weak opponent. The moment would allow for characterization and internal narration.

Color Psychology:

Colors evoke emotions, and due to societal norms and constructs, they alter circumstances and experiences.

During a funeral, people are expected to wear black and white and dress formally. It would be a very stark contrast if the widowed wife appeared in a red, tight-fitting, low-riding dress with a blowout and heels. Her grief and mourning could appear forced. One could surmise she was a “gold digger.” More subtly, yet just as impactful, could be a prized MacGuffin. A shining gold cup may attract more eyes than a cup made of copper. The copper cup may be rarer and more valuable than the gold one, but perception alters reality.

Enhanced Sounds:

Every location has a distinct soundtrack, and this background noise shapes the atmosphere.

The soundscape of a dark forest is distinct from that of a busy city. Branches snapping in the darkling woods create a different tension than a character shouting and throwing beads off a balcony. One character may react to a scratching on the walls while the other ignores it entirely. Sound can create atmosphere, tension, and reveal character.

Avoid Mediocrity:

There are occasions when one can creatively explore experiences to describe an event.

Instead of saying “He entered a dark room,” one could write, “As he stepped past the threshold, his eyes struggled to pick apart shapes in the darkness. He wandered through a void, unable to see his body as he became a faint outline in the corridor of shadows.”

The Importance of Touch:

While we often focus on sight and sound in sensory writing, the often-overlooked sense of touch holds immense power. Interestingly, the human tongue is well-equipped to understand tactile sensations. You can look at any object and imagine licking it, and your tongue will likely know the texture.

Perception:

The force and texture of an object can alter how one perceives it.
- Being smacked with a pillow may feel very different than being slashed by a whip, even if using the same force. Two cars smashing into each other at an intersection creates a different picture than two cars bumping their fenders.

Experience Texture:

Textures can help create an atmosphere.

The high thread count of a hotel bedspread is very different from the cold, rough stone floor of a dungeon.

The Subtle Touch:

The way two characters touch each other can reveal the nature of their relationship.

A man gently kissing his wife on the head can help an audience peer into a character’s thinking. The moment when two characters come close to each other but then pull away can be very engaging. A lack of touch may also exemplify themes of longing, isolation, or exile. Conversely, a harsh slap or fist to the temple reveals a different relationship.

Conclusion

As we’ve explored, sensory details are the transmitters of immersion. They are not just embellishments but an essential tool for an audience’s enjoyment and a world’s believability. Descriptions ought to be multipurpose and intentionally tap into the human condition. By thoughtfully engaging the senses and understanding their nuanced applications, you elevate your writing into an active experience. However, the best way to learn is by doing. Put these concepts into action by reviewing the exercises listed below.

Tools for the Job

As you build rich worlds and intricate characters, organization is key. Scrivener is a fantastic tool to keep all your research, character sheets, and location details in one place. You can create folders to easily reference specific sights, sounds, and smells you’ve created. It’s the perfect way to make sure your sensory details are consistent and accessible throughout your entire project. Here is my affiliate link: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener-affiliate.html?fpr=polyprose

Once your draft is complete, the next step is to refine your descriptions. QuillBot can help you rephrase sentences to find more evocative language. It’s an excellent way to elevate your prose and bring a fresh perspective to your work. Here is my affiliate link: https://try.quillbot.com/polyprose

Practical Exercises to Enhance Your Sensory Writing

Here are some exercises to help you practice incorporating more sensory details into your writing. I’ve focused on the five basic senses in these examples, but don’t be afraid to experiment with lesser-known ones.

Practicing the five senses in writing: To find your own narrative voice and to sharpen your ability with sensory details, try the following exercise.
- Exercise: Write a short scene (a few hundred words) describing someone walking or interacting in a location. A wizard venturing through a dark forest, a lawyer looking down from his window in Times Square, or a homeless man walking through the subway. Once the first draft is complete, consider which two senses you want to focus on and incorporate into your next draft. Compare the new draft to the previous. Continue experimenting, focusing on different senses.
- Basic Senses
  - Sight: Describe the colors of the leaves, the way sunlight filters to the street, any animals you see, the hues of the sky, or the clothes of anyone nearby.
  - Sound: Include the sounds of birds singing, leaves rustling, cars honking, tires swerving, trains whistling, or even sudden silence.
  - Smell: Describe the earthy scent of damp soil, the musty inner-city scent, body odor, pine needles, decay, the fragrance of sweet flowers, perfume, or anything that may be present.
  - Taste: If applicable, describe the taste of anything you can: sweat dripping onto a lip, toothpaste, rainwater, or a wild berry.
  - Touch: Focus on how the air feels against the skin, the texture of the ground, the hostile architecture, clothes, and temperature. Perhaps your character is under the influence and lacks proprioception.
- Comparison and Reflection:
  - Read both descriptions side-by-side.
  - Consider the following questions:
    - What reader impact do the two descriptions have?
    - Which description feels more immersive? Why?
    - What are the advantages and disadvantages of using more or fewer senses in your writing?
    - How does the choice of senses affect the mood or atmosphere of the scene?