“It was a dark and stormy night…”

Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s the Snoopy-at-his-typewriter iconic opening line of melodramatic English literature. But read the whole paragraph from Sir Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton’s Paul Clifford and then let me ask you a question.

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents – except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

As over-the top as that is, can you see it? Can you feel the rain drenching your wool coat, and cold rivulets of water running down your back?

Writing is a Battle for Your Reader’s Senses

It’s not cool to say anything positive about that stormy night, since this paragraph has been eviscerated countless times . In 1830, though, this novel was the bee’s knees. And it puts me in mind of some advice a bestselling author gave me once:

Attack the senses and you will drag your readers by the hair into your story. Draw blood; fill their nostrils with smoke.

Uh… okay… I’d never looked at my writing quite that way.

The author  explained, and with less violent language, that describing the five senses is a surefire way to engage your readers and pull them into the story. Make. It. Real.

And then she asked me: would I remember her advice?

I can honestly say I’ll never forget that draw blood bit.

Learn How to Describe the Five Senses Like a Master

How, exactly, do we rush headlong into the battle to capture a reader’s precious attention via the senses?

• Read. Read—the masters, and your fellow authors.

• Dissect the different ways writers use words and sentence construction.

• Practice, practice, practice.

The Masque of the Red Death (affiliate link)

Example: How to Describe Sound

Edgar Allen Poe was a genius at assailing the senses. No wonder the man wrote horror. He could twist your guts with the mere turn of a phrase. I think he was particularly adept at sound. For example, in Masque of the Red Death, he uses the chime of a somber, arguably brooding, grandfather clock to permeate, and dampen, Prince Prospero’s party.

Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when the minute hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was so clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause momentarily…

And, of course, this hellish bell tolls as the ghostly Red Death makes his appearance. It is positively eerie and wonderfully masterful. You hear the clock without hearing it. Poe’s writing here is rhythmic. He uses vivid verbs and adjectives conducive to creating the creepy mood. His words resonate with impact and sound. The sentence length is long, giving us plenty of time to ponder this mysterious clock.

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (affiliate link)

Or what of his most famous tale in which the sense of sound is the key to the story, unlocking the door to a living, breathing, growing madness? Of course the beat of the victim’s heart is over-arching, but rhythm is everything.

It begins benignly enough:

Now, I say, there came to my ears, a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.

But, by the end of the story, the monster is unleashed by the simple, rhythmic heartbeat.

I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides … but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed— I raved— I swore! … It grew louder— louder— louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God!— no, no!

Passionate, violent, staccato sentences and fragments fire at the reader like a Gatling gun. The stories are opposites in style and mood, but no less terrifying, and quite evocative. Amazing, isn’t it, the power of mere words?

Example: How to Describe Touch

Some senses, in my opinion, are easier than others to use to full impact. Touch presents the best opportunity to capture your readers, but it’s the biggest challenge. If you can’t draw blood, metaphorically speaking, they’ll shut down the Kindle.

Dark Witch by Nora Roberts (affiliate link)

In Norah Robert’s Dark Witch, our heroine gets her first look at Ireland, and it is like a slap in the face:

The cold carved bone deep, fueled by the lash of the wind, iced by the drowning rain gushing from a bruised, bloated sky….

This passage takes no prisoners. In describing the cold, Roberts wields verbs and adjectives like a sharp sword. Not a wasted word. You see it. You feel it. You want a warm mug of coffee and a coat.

Wounds by Alton Gansky (affiliate link)

Conversely, anyone who has ever experienced Deep South Humidity can appreciate this powerful passage from Alton Gansky’s novel Wounds:

A bead of sweat trickled down the preacher’s spine, trekking south toward a perspiration-soaked waistband … the growing rivulet widened and flowed faster with each minute. A similar outpouring ran from beneath his arms and down his sides, gluing his dress shirt to damp skin.

No flashy words there. No breath-stealing verbs. Justprecise descriptions that immerse you in the sticky air.

How to Put the Senses to Work in Your Own Descriptions

Read a book with a pen in your hand (or use your finger, as on the Kindle), and highlight those passages that strike a sense. Did you touch it? Taste it? See it? Did you bleed? Could you smell the smoke?

Then try to answer the question: How did the author make it feel real?

Did he use short sentences, long sentences, or a mix? Strong verbs, vivid adjectives, or word choices that set the mood? It’s a form of reverse engineering, and you’ll be amazed at what you pick up.

Sure, maybe one day your work will be mocked and ridiculed and Snoopy will be typing your first line, but, hey, as long as it’s remembered, is that really such a bad thing?

Wordplayers, tell me your opinion! What is your biggest challenge in describing the five senses? Tell me in the comments!