One of the best things about reading a novel—at least in my opinion—is escaping from my world, my life. When I read I want to stop being me sitting in my home and become someone else somewhere else doing exciting things, having fascinating experiences, falling in love, experiencing things for the first time, etc. But how do you make a reader feel that? Experience that?
The best way is to write in “deep point of view”. When a writer writes in deep point of view they need to become the character. They not only write everything the character is saying, but also what they’re feeling, thinking, and experiencing (using as many of the five senses as possible).
I’ve written about method writing before (here and here), but it’s such an essential way to write I think it bears talking about again.
In those other blog posts, I focus on the emotions of the character and their backstory (and therefore how they view the world). Today I want to focus more on the five senses.
So many authors merely describe what characters see—usually the setting or the expression or body language of the person they’re speaking with. This is absolutely important, but you shouldn’t stop there.
When a character enters a new location what do they hear? What are the sounds all around them? Is there the noise of a city? The clopping of horses and rattle of metal wheels on cobble stones? Are there street hawkers crying out their wares? Or, contrary to those, is there dead silence? Or just the sound of someone breathing (either themselves or someone else)?
When writing a romance touch is especially important. The touch of a hand—is it soft or calloused? The feel of silk as it glides over a body. But do not discount the importance of touch in a mystery or thriller—the quality of the clothing worn by the victim (scratchy, rough, soft), the hardness of the ground where the victim (or investigator) fell or are thrown (soft dirt or hard concrete), the feel of some unknown substance (slick like oil, sticky like some other bodily fluids).
And along with these is the sense of smell. In a romance those pheromones are important. Does the love interest smell good? Smell of flowers, wine, or cologne? Does the villain smell bad? Reeking of sweat, horse, or bitterness? In that mystery the smell of a body or some fluid can be vital clues that a good investigator wouldn’t dismiss. If your character is on spaceship how that does that smell? Sterile, of the other people on board? How does that alien smell? Is it pleasant or repulsive?
And finally, there is taste. This could come into play when a character is eating or drinking, naturally. But sometimes a person can taste their emotions—the bitterness of disappointment or anger, the dryness of being nervous. These are cliché’s but you can definitely get creative about it—a sour taste for anger, the sweet chocolate of joy, etc.
The essence is to bring your reader into your world and encourage them to experience it as if they were really there in all of it’s wonder, goodness, and disgusting aspects too. Wouldn’t you rather be transported when you read too?