The Power of the Senses
Right from kindergarten classes, we became familiar with the five senses which include:
• Sight
• Smell
• Hearing
• Taste
• Touch
A person with all of the sensory organs intact is at a good advantage of understanding what's happening around them better. This cannot be overemphasised for writers.
A very good writer should be able to apply the use of the senses to create scenes, which throws more light on ‘show and not tell’. In the process of editing manuscripts for different writers, I have observed this as a major flaw. Some scenes are without the senses while some just apply one or two.
Here is a typical example of a scene without the use of the senses:
John went to the market. He saw oranges he liked, he ate one and bought some more. Then he walked away.
I am sure that some of us will recognise some of the flaws in this scene with their writing. But if you still have noticed what is wrong, look at the recreated scene below with the use of the senses:
John got to Balogun market and was soon swept up in the crowd of people making their way to and fro. Everyone jostled for space as bodies hit against each other. Traders plied their wares on the walkways and in front of their shops and he could hear shouts of: “Come and buy your lace!” or “Leggings for 1000 naira”
The cacophony of voices raised gave him a splitting headache and he wished he could get a bottle of water. Then John caught sight of a woman with a gray of oranges attending to a customer. He got to her and on a closer look, loved the appearance of the big oranges.
“Ah, madam, these oranges are big. I hope they will be sweet.”
“My customer, let me give you one to taste first. I am sure you will like it,” the woman said.
John chuckled. In Lagos, everyone was a customer. He watched the woman slice the orange before passing it on to him. He took the first suck and felt the liquid seep down his throat, its sweetness sending a signal to his brain. John smacked his lips in happiness.
“Madam, it is fresh and sweet. Please give me five oranges.”
The woman smiled at him as she cut five more oranges and placed them in a nylon bag for him. Johnny paid for it and sauntered away, still sucking his orange, his headache slowly receding.
This scene above not only applied the use of the senses but also created dialogue which is another major flaw that writers have. The reader is more immersed in the story and can relate to the character’s plight. More so, the rule of ‘show and not tell’ is employed here.
To be a successful writer, you should be able to harness and apply these senses to your writing to create memorable scenes.
Practice more and be a better writer. Cheers to you!
