Of all the sensory experiences writers should convey in their stories, the sense of smell can be the most difficult. Most people share similar experiences around specific aroma, so you can mention oranges, coffee, cigarette smoke, or car exhaust and assume your reader will conjure what you have in mind.
On the other hand, single-word descriptors can be boring. And what can you do when you need to describe a unique or very specific odor? Can you be certain all of your readers know what Chanel No. 5 smells like? How many of us have actually smelled a corpse?
In a post on Writers in the Storm, Ellen Buikema offers advice for writing about the sense of smell with authenticity.
Aromas can factor into numerous areas in your story. Smell is strongly associated with memory; a specific odor can transport a character to another time or it can ground them in the here and now. It can also help set the mood. Romance writers generally don’t spend a lot of time describing the smell of formaldehyde or dead animals in their rom-coms.
Buikema suggests a few ways to practice writing about the sense of smell. For example:
- When you walk into a new environment – or even somewhere you haven’t been in a while – take note of what you smell.
- Make a list of what smells you or your character love or hate
- Write about the aromas associated with specific memories
- Write about an odor in a positive way, then write about it from a negative perspective
Buikema shares some great examples of other writers making evocative use of the sense of smell in their novels, including excerpts from Judy Blume, Jim Butcher, Janet Fitch, Paula Hawkins, James Joyce, and Anne Lamott.
