Success In Writing - How To Write Powerful Scenes
Like a great movie, the most effective writing excites all 5 senses; hearing, smell, touch, sight, and taste. When you put your readers smack dab in the midst of a sticky,snake infested swamp, or the vibrating cabin of a Boeing 747, you transport them–and they will thank you for it.
For example, John Updike in Rabbit, Run,depicts a scene as
follows: “Over at the pavilion the rubber thump of roof ball
and the click of checkers call to his memory, and the
forgotten smell of that narrow plastic ribbon you braid
bracelets and whistle-chains out of and of glue and the sweat
on the handles on athletic equipment is blown down by a breeze
laced with children’s murmuring.” Here Updike uses four of the
five senses: we see the pavilion, we smell the plastic ribbon,
we feel the sweat on the handles, and we hear the thump of the
ball, the click of the checkers, and the murmuring of the
children. The effect of these sensory descriptions, skillfully
woven into the story, is that they actually elicit in the reader
the same smell and feel of what the author is relating.
Let’s look at two variations of the same description; one with
sensory details and one without. I might write “Henry wore a
baggy faded yellow wool jacket. In this case you might picture Henry
standing about 10 feet away. On the other hand, I might write,
“Henry’s coat smelled of wet wool and salt, with the edges
of the collar badly frayed.” Now, I have created a writer’s
variation of a close-up. When you see Henry, chances are you
are close enough to smell him and see his frayed clothing. Accomplished
authors use this tool the way film directors
use a close-up.They bring the reader’s focus and attention to facets of a
character or details of a story they want to stress. You wouldn’t want
to use this device on the delivery boy who brings your protagonist
his pizza, unless you are intentionally trying to trick the reader
into believing this pizza delivery boy is more significant than he
really is. But, if Henry and his life at sea are essential to the
story, if his seafaring ways are critical for the reader’s
understanding of what makes Henry who he is, then you
must convey to the reader the sights, tastes, smells, sounds, and feelings
of Henry’s life.
Now sit down and write your descriptions full of noise and smells and
colors, just as you envision them. Then your readers will see,
hear, and smell the new world you have created for them. After
all, isn’t that what it’s all about?
