Helping Authors Bring a Setting Alive
Using all five senses in creating a scene will make it more vivid. Here are tips for helping authors use the five senses in the setting of a book rather than relying solely on visual descriptions.
How to Use the 5 Senses When Writing the Setting of a Book
Authors often visualize their stories as if they were movies unreeling in front of them. This is unfortunate because it often means they focus heavily on the visual when the world of narrative offers so much more!
Namely, the other four senses—sound, smell, taste, and touch.

Using the FIVE Senses: Setting of a Book
Sight alone does not make a reader feel immersed in a story. When authors do this, the setting often feels as if it were merely a backdrop to the unfolding story events and not an actual place where the characters interact.
My basic rule of thumb, and a place to start, is that every page of the manuscript should have a sense other than sight on it. Bells should jingle, and trash cans reek. The skin should prickle, and mouths should pucker.
Often, the challenge is that authors lack the vocabulary or language of the senses, so it can be helpful to provide resources for them. WritersWrite.co.za has some great resources on describing all five senses. Here’s one.
We can also encourage the author to show the characters reacting to their senses: “The stench of putrefying flesh turned my stomach” versus “It smelled disgusting.” This is a matter of showing the character in the setting, not just posing in front of it.
Tips for Editors & Writers
Line Editing for Filter Words
Line editing for filter words is a skill to master for line editors. Tips on Line Editing for Filter Words Filter words in fiction are words that get in the way of the reader experiencing the moment. These often relate to senses: “I saw John get out of the car” instead of “John got out…
The problem with unasked-for editing
Getting work as a freelance editor is always a challenge, and my colleagues sometimes see an opportunity when a local business or other organization publishes a newsletter or blog post with errors. They ask me, “I’m thinking about pointing out the errors and offering my editorial services for pay. What do you think?” I think…
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