I’ve been stuck in my corner of the cave for most of the week, working away on INVISIBLE FIENDS book 3. While writing a description of a brand new character, I found myself struggling to really get him clearly defined in my mind.

Obviously, that’s a problem. If I, as the writer, can’t clearly visualise a character, then what hope does the reader have? How can I effectively describe something if I don’t know what the thing I’m describing is supposed to look like?

But that’s where things get complicated. You see, I did know what he looked like. I could ‘see’ him fine, and I’d already described his physical appearance on the page. Yet it wasn’t working as well as I wanted it to. There was something missing. That little piece that would make the character come alive wasn’t falling into place.

And then, from nowhere, inspiration struck. That final piece clicked, as I typed the phrase “he smelled like old milk”.

When writing descriptions, it’s often easy just to rely on the two main senses – sight and sound. But why depend on just those two, when there are three others you can use to help spice up your descriptive paragraphs?

Smell is a good one, as in my milky example above.  A forest smells very different to a factory, and a factory smells nothing like a swimming pool.  Think about where the scene is taking place, and try to imagine what it might smell like.  It’ll really help the reader identify with the location.

Taste is less obvious, but can be used just as effectively in some situations.  Whether your character is enjoying the creamy sweetness of a hot chocolate, or swallowing down coppery mouthfuls of their own blood, taste can be an effective tool in your writing.

You probably already use the sense of touch when describing physical things happening to your characters – the throbbing pain caused by being hit in the face with a rubber mallet, for example – but do you use it when describing objects and locations?  If not, give it a try.  If you’re describing an object, think about its surface.  Is it rough?  Smooth?  Sticky?  Spongy?  All these are determined by the sense of touch, and they can help make an object feel more real to the reader.  Likewise, is a location hot or cold?  Is there a breeze blowing in through a window, or does the air feel heavy and oppressive?  These little details can really make a description much more vivid.

So, next time you find yourself writing a description of a person, object or place, try to think beyond sight and sound.  Try to put yourself there in the scene and think about whether you can smell, taste or feel anything.  If you can, put it down on the page, and your descriptions may just be better for it.

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