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The purpose of this newsletter is to help the Writing.com short story author hone their craft and improve their skills. Along with that I would like to inform, advocate, and create new, fresh ideas for the short story author. Write to me if you have an idea you would like presented.
This week's Short Story Editor
Leger~
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What's that SMELL?
An underused tool in your writing arsenal is probably the sense of smell. Invoking a smell into your readers imagination can help them visualize the scene and get involved emotionally. Odor memories frequently have strong emotional qualities and are associated with bad or good experiences because olfaction is handled by the same part of the brain that handles memories and emotions. Although humans can recognize thousands of different smells, dogs have a nose a hundred thousand times more sensitive. Contrary to popular belief, blind people do not necessarily have a keener sense of smell. It is that their noses are trained to recognize more smells.
Because our sense of smell is tied to emotional factors, many of our olfactory likes and dislikes are based purely on emotional associations. There is also convincing evidence that pleasant fragrances can improve our mood and sense of well-being. This positive or negative emotion effects how we perceive other people. Odors generally regarded as unpleasant such as gasoline or body odor draw a negative response. An increasingly popular ingredient in perfume has become vanilla. Vanilla is a scent that is universally perceived as a pleasant odor and so increases the perfume's appeal.
When writing, keep olfactory information in mind. Using inventive language is a great way to squeeze more juice out of your descriptive statements. When writing using similes and metaphors (like, as), try to steer away from the automatic clichéd response (sweet as a rose) and choose an original response, something with specificity and impact. Or use a hint towards smell to help your sentence gain power.
"I sidled away from him, letting his anger fall on the floor between us.
His gift, a dozen roses distracted me as I thrust my nose into their spun sugar folds."
So when reviewing a scene, think about aiding your reader imagination with the sense of smell. It will bring more strength to your writing.
Write on!
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Excerpt: “It smells like lust,” said Shane, throwing her shirt aside. He refused to meet her pitiful blue eyes. He turned to face the bay window, watching the city below. People moving, living, breathing. Shane wasn’t doing any of these. Or so, he didn’t believe he was.
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Excerpt: Have you ever been to a family reunion and had the unpleasant experience of using the restroom after you old uncle, or maybe grandpa has been in there? You question whether the bathroom should be condemned as a biohazard. Then you know what OMS is. It’s Old Man Smell.
Excerpt: She looked down at the box on the table. It was a gift of chocolate from an admirer, she knew, but not in the usual heart-shaped red box. This small square container, just large enough to hold half a dozen candies, was made of polished silver. Her warm fingers caressed the cold design of yellow roses raised in relief from the background of green leaves. Using the tassel hanging from it, she slowly opened and removed the cover to reveal the contents of the box.
Excerpt: It should have been a vanilla afternoon. She had promised Ellie that it would be, but now, instead of pulling out the ingredients for making vanilla ice cream, Evelyn was staring vacantly at the rain on the kitchen window.
Excerpt: Whenever I smell tangerines I can close my eyes and suddenly I’m nine, or ten at my grandma’s house on Christmas Eve. I loved tangerines then, and with six people in our family I seldom had the chance. My grandma and grandpa always had them at Christmas for me, my sisters, and my brother.
Excerpt: I smell Jasmine. She always loved wearing Jasmine. Whether it was her favorite perfume or her favorite flower. Anything to do with Jasmine would make her happy. My sweet Cathy.
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Excerpt: Most humans wear shoes made out of cows. Some wear shoes of synthetics or canvas. I suppose I can understand that. Since humans have such tender feet, I suppose they have no choice but to put something on the bottom of them.
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Excerpt: "There's somethin' about cinnamon and baked apples." Jake was right, of course, but having him deliver this like some kind of eternal truth was really more than the rest of us could reasonably be expected to handle. We started to chortle, to snicker, and I daresay we would have begun to guffaw, except he went on talking.
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Excerpt: As a freshman in high school, I started out the year early (as I did every year in high school) by attending band camp about a month before classes were to begin. This summer was particularly hot. Wanting to make the best impression, I’d do everything possible to not stink when the sweat came.
Excerpt: For the third time that morning the ghastly odor seeped into my cubicle at work. My eyes watered, my nose was running a marathon, and my throat felt like it was on fire. I had never smelled anything like it. It appeared to be emanating from the cubicle next to mine.
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This month's question: What are some of your favorite phrases using scent that evokes emotion?
Last month's question: Try the "what if" method of writing. Did it work?
Replies:
alfred booth, wanbli ska  : I would never have thought to play the "what if" game as a means of inspiring a story. It seems to me an excellent way of developing things. Thanks for an excellent idea.
kiyasama: Thank you for featuring my story in your newsletter!  Your 'What If' idea is something I find myself doing most of the time, so thanks for touching upon this. It's a great way to find inspiration where you least expect it. 
billwilcox: Leger, What if I started a designer coffee line where instead of using coffee I used other ingridients, and what if it tasted like yak bile and mule sweat? And then what if everybody loved it?
faithjourney: Great newsletter! I'm amazed you wrote this, because every one of my fiction stories start with me wondering "What if this happened?" and following through with characters living through the situation. Great advice!
StephBee  : I love your "what if" scenerio. I did that for my book, "Destination: Berlin." Good topic for this month's newsletter!
exasperanza: Great newsletter. I think the What If? method is really helpful. Thanks!
Jade is very busy : Great newsletter! I love using the "What If" method. I usually get a flood of ideas and characters and have so much fun with it. I even painted a peice that has a huge What If so I can look over at it and get my imagination moving again. You hit some great points. (You're quite an action/adventure writer, aren't you? All your prompts leaned that way ) Cheers
andromeda : I have to admit that I use the 'what if' and in generally ties into a current or new story. I wasn't even thinking about it though. Thanks.
Do you correct/not correct items in your portfolio? Why?
Replies:
cna112003: I write pieces for publication so of course I edit and rewrite. However, I use WC to feedback on the story ideas themselves,and not as an editing tool. I also find it rare that I get similar criticisms from different people on the same story. The point being that what one reviewer might suggest isn't always gospel. Writing and reading are subjective forms. And to answer the question-no, I almost never correct and re-post.
Strange Wulf : Correct my portfolio items? Isn't that called "editing"? =P I was under the impression that all the best writers do that. So yeah. I do.
'Course, sometimes it's best just to rewrite the whole dang thing, and it's easier to just make a new item altogether, especially when you have the space. To each their own though.
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Short Stories: October 10, 2007 Issue [#1994]
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