It's important to consider all the senses when writing about characters.
If you only describe what your monsters look like (sight), the reader feels like he or she is watching your story on a screen like a television or the cinema. However, if you write about all the senses, then the reader will feel like he or she is actually in the story!
I'll demonstrate using my favourite sense for describing monsters - smell. Monsters are often thought to be bad creatures - not always, but often. This means that they usually smell pretty bad. But it's not enough just to say, 'These monsters smell bad.' You have to give readers a sense of how bad.
Here are some words that could be used when describing something that smells bad:
It can also be very effective to compare your monsters to something disgusting or, better still, many disgusting things. When you compare something to something else that is similar, it is known as a simile.
Exercise for Creating a Revolting Simile
1. Write down the three most revolting things you've ever smelt.
2. Write down what you had for dinner yesterday.
Now, replace the ingredients in your dinner with the repulsive-smelling things.
For example, the most disgusting things I can think of right now are sweaty socks, dustbins and skunks. Yesterday, I had a pasty for dinner. Combine all those things and you get:
These monsters smell rotten. They are as stinky as a skunk and sweaty sock pasty, flavoured with gravy from the bottom of a dustbin.
Or, if my last meal had been fish and chips, I might say:
These monsters smell vile, like skunk chips and battered sweaty socks served in a dirty dustbin.
So you see, now that we've discussed smell, you know that my monsters are utterly revolting, without knowing anything else about them. Imagine how vivid they would seem if you also knew what their skin feels like, what their roar sounds like and how they taste when you lick their ears?
Note: Never lick a monster's ears. It's very dangerous.
sight ~ hearing ~ taste ~ smell ~ touch
If you only describe what your monsters look like (sight), the reader feels like he or she is watching your story on a screen like a television or the cinema. However, if you write about all the senses, then the reader will feel like he or she is actually in the story!
I'll demonstrate using my favourite sense for describing monsters - smell. Monsters are often thought to be bad creatures - not always, but often. This means that they usually smell pretty bad. But it's not enough just to say, 'These monsters smell bad.' You have to give readers a sense of how bad.
Here are some words that could be used when describing something that smells bad:
foul, stinky, icky, rotten, repulsive, offensive, vile, revolting
It can also be very effective to compare your monsters to something disgusting or, better still, many disgusting things. When you compare something to something else that is similar, it is known as a simile.
Exercise for Creating a Revolting Simile
1. Write down the three most revolting things you've ever smelt.
2. Write down what you had for dinner yesterday.
Now, replace the ingredients in your dinner with the repulsive-smelling things.
For example, the most disgusting things I can think of right now are sweaty socks, dustbins and skunks. Yesterday, I had a pasty for dinner. Combine all those things and you get:
These monsters smell rotten. They are as stinky as a skunk and sweaty sock pasty, flavoured with gravy from the bottom of a dustbin.
Or, if my last meal had been fish and chips, I might say:
These monsters smell vile, like skunk chips and battered sweaty socks served in a dirty dustbin.
So you see, now that we've discussed smell, you know that my monsters are utterly revolting, without knowing anything else about them. Imagine how vivid they would seem if you also knew what their skin feels like, what their roar sounds like and how they taste when you lick their ears?
Note: Never lick a monster's ears. It's very dangerous.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave your first name, age and location/school when leaving a comment.