Smells….are Important!
Smells are important. We don’t think about smell because its such a basic part of our life. We take it for granted. Yet, smell is intricately linked to our lives. Smell is what helps us make memories. Crazy right? Try to remember your best and worst memories, you will find that smell is a critical part of them!
Using smell in your writing is extremely important. Just writing the word cinnamon elicits visions of cinnamon rolls and French toast in my head. I smell apple cider and apple pie wafting from the kitchen. My stomach rumbles making my mouth water and ALL I DID WAS WRITE THE WORD.
What other words jump out at me? Bread. Sage. Grass. I make my own pizza crusts and homemade bread from time to time. This requires yeast. Rising yeast has a fabulous scent that warms the whole house. You walk into it and feel home. It’s such a comforting smell! It makes me want to curl up with a book and a blanket and not leave the house for a week.
Sage is a scent that evokes a sense of wildness for me. Sage sends my heart racing, I breathe deeper, a shiver runs down my back. I can hear the soft yelps of turkeys roosting in the trees. Rough prairie grass crumples underneath my boots. I can see the sagebrush bushes stretching across the prairie and under the pines. The bushes scraped against my clothes leaving behind their pungent aroma. Sage sends me straight to the Black Hills.
Fresh cut grass makes me want summer to never end. I love to mow the lawn. It’s relaxing, plus you are being productive. How often do you get to be relaxed and get stuff done? Grass reminds me of country songs on the radio. It reminds me of the swimming pool. It reminds me of walks down the road in the evening. Fresh cut grass smell also makes me want to run outside in my socks…. I know… you get stains all over the socks, but have you tried it? Soft grass plus socks is incredible!
These are some of the things that come to my mind with smell. I am just as guilty as anyone for forgetting to use it in my writing. It adds such a level of quality when I do remember it though! What are some smells that are important to you? What jogs your memories? Is it bread? Or maybe something not so nice like wet dog? Use this! Let your imagination take you on a wild ride with whatever smell is important to you.