#too sunny outside for Edgar Allan Poe

[sannehale]

Book 3 📖 The Fall of the House of Usher

“I learned that the glimpse I had obtained of her person would thus probably be the last I should obtain - that the lady, at least while living, would be seen by me no more.”

[weemsfreak]

The Board Pt 3: Trivia

Tw: smoking cigarettes? Alcohol consumption

Note: Apologies if any language is wrong, I only speak english :( ~3000 words

Pt 2: The Woman

Thursday, a pleasant September day. You loved this month and the next, you loved the fall. You woke up rather late, though it didn't matter much as everyone would already be in Jericho. You were kind of excited to explore Nevermore with nobody else around, no interruptions. Playing Arabella by Arctic Monkeys and throwing on a black tight fitting dress with a corset, you were feeling rather feminine today, as opposed to how you felt yesterday. You found yourself in the library, wanting to read every single book on the shelves. You did that at your old school in Italy, but the library there was maybe half the size of this one. Making your way to the Botany classroom, Sciences, English, History, Math, Fencing, and electives within the school, you found everything up to standard and nothing that the school could be written up for. Heading down to the main entrance, you realized there were many ways to get outside. Taking a minute to remember the school map in your head, you went outside into the quad. A large statue of Edgar Allan Poe was found down a somewhat lit alleyway. "Hm, fitting" you said to yourself. Looking it over, you read the book held in the statues hand. "The opposite of moon, a world between ours,  two months before June, what kind of poem is this Edgar?" You kept reading and realized that it must be a riddle. Writing the answers down in your phone, you stared at the words. Your stomach growled, and you figured you would make your way to meal hall.

Sitting down with a salad and cookie, you kept thinking about the riddle, if it even was one. After eating, you looked around, trying to find something else to do for the day. Just then you thought, acrostic. You looked to the words in your phone and realized as an acrostic poem, it would spell 'snap twice'. Finding your way back to the statue you stood in front of it. Was this just a poem? What if you snapped and nothing happened? Remembering nobody was around, you picked up your hand and snapped twice, loudly. The statue opened slowly, and you walked down some creepy stairs. The room that you thought would be a dirty old cellar was filled with more books and old photos. There was an old fencing photograph, and a photograph of Morticia Frump and Gomez Addams, whoever they were. A photo of Cousin It was on the wall too, you knew who that was. You opened a few books, observing the same symbol on each. After looking through most of the room, you concluded that there was a group called the 'Nightshades'. Was this group still a thing, or was it old? The board couldn't already know about this, or you would've been instructed to check it out. It also wasn't on the school map. Taking a few photos with your phone, you went back upstairs and into the main part of the school. You were happy that Larissa was so on top of everything around here, and that you found nothing that the school could be written up for, until this.

You stepped out of the front doors, nobody was around. You pulled a pack of cigarettes from your bag, another bad habit. Well, I guess you can't quit them all at once. Lighting it, you walked along the main entrance grass and found yourself standing among some interesting flowers. Sitting down, you observed the types of flowers that you haven't seen before. You took in the slightly chilly atmosphere. You didn't like it when it was hot and sunny anyway, so you were content for awhile. As you pulled out and lit another cigarette, you heard a door behind you slam and you turned around quickly, till sitting down. Principal Weems, what was she doing back? She caught you in the flowers and started towards you. You felt like the student now, doing something you weren't supposed to be doing. Panicking, you went to throw your cigarette away, but remembered you were in a garden, so you held onto it. "Good afternoon Mx. Ricci, smoking in the flowers I see" she said with a grin and tilt of her head. Your mind was somewhere else, busy thinking about the way she walked, like a model would. How she wore heels even though she was always on the go, and even though she was already so tall. How the scarf she wore around her done up hair today looked so good on her, even though in general you hated that style. Standing up you carefully walked out of the flowers to her. "Yes, a bad coping mechanism I wish to quit actually" you spoke with fake confidence. "What, admiring the pretty flowers?" she laughed which in turn made you laugh louder. Most people wouldn't normally find this funny, but you loved the middle age woman's sense of humor. "Oh yes, my bad habit of admiring flowers always gets the best of me. How is Jericho treating the students today?" She started walking toward the school, so you followed. "Very good actually, I am pleased as they seem interested and eager. Perhaps they don’t get out much" she turns and smiles at you. "I am grabbing something from my office, then going back to round them up for dinner. Would you like to come for the drive?" Pondering, you remembered the nightshades library. You weren't sure you wanted to bring that up honestly, but you had to have an answer for anything questionable for the board. "Yes, I would love to accompany you."

On the drive to Jericho, Larissa asked you about yourself. She asked about where you lived, if you had a partner, and if your first name meant anything. "Yes actually, Anura means a few things in Sanskrit origin, but mainly it means 'knowledge'." She looked at you, pleased with your response. "So, are you knowledgeable?" she questioned. You smiled, knowing she would have figured out your ability sooner or later. "Extremely. Actually, I'm the most knowledgeable person I know, and I don't care if that makes me sound cocky. Try me" you quipped, proud of your ability. She laughed and thought for a moment. "Well, tonight the staff from Nevermore are going to Trivia in Jericho, would you like to come? If you do though, you must be on my team, it's the rules." You got excited, trivia was your favorite because you ALWAYS won. "Bet, can't wait" you said, turning toward the window as she pulled into the town.

You found yourself in the Weathervane again while waiting for Larissa to round up the kids. You were thinking about ordering a tea when a short red head walked in and up to the counter. "Good afternoon, can I have a matcha latte please" she said with a bubbly smile, then paid and turned to wait. She saw you looking at her, she didn't recognize you and wasn't aware of what you thought about outcasts. Not that she was one, but she worked at the school. Walking over to her you introduced yourself and held out your hand. "Hi, I'm Anura Ricci, from the outcast school board." She took it and smiled, "Marilyn Thornhill, botany teacher at Nevermore." Just as her drink was served to her, Larissa walked in and over to you both. "Ah Mx. Ricci, I see you have met Ms. Thornhill" you shook your head yes and Marilyn turned to look at Larissa. "I didn't know we were getting a visit from the board so soon" she said worriedly. Why is everyone so worried around here, you weren't mean, you didn't think. "Don’t worry Marilyn, Anura is very friendly. I asked her to join us at trivia tonight, hopefully we will get to know her a bit better!" she looked excited for tonight. You smiled, happy that she seemed happy, but caught something. "I'm excited for tonight! Um- I thought I would let you both know, if you're okay with it, I like to use they/them pronouns." You looked at Larissa as her smile dropped. Shit, they weren't woke you guessed. Her face changed to worry as she hurried and said "Oh Anura I'm so sorry, I didn’t even think to ask. Of course darling, that's perfect with us." Marilyn then left to go back to the school with the students. Turning to you, Larissa asked if you want to sit for a bit. "Yes, I actually wanted to talk to you about something" you said as you saw her real smile convert to her fake one. "Yes of course dear. You should try the hot chocolate, it's really good."

Telling Larissa you didn't like hot chocolate probably wasn't the best idea before bringing this up. She quite obviously loved it, considering the faces she made when she sipped on it. "So Principal Weems, there are a couple things that I didn't want to bring up, but feel that I should." She looked at you like she was ready to defend the school with her life, even if that meant to lie.  "I don't want to be a snitch, but I also don't want to start our relationship off with any lies. When I said that Sydney and Bella were showing me to your office, that was a lie. I found them here at the Weathervane during lunch and drove them back to the school." She looked relieved when you said this, then you could see a bit of anger creep up. "Oh dear, they do sneak off every once in awhile. Thank you for bringing them back, I will have to talk to them." "Don't tell them I told you" you said with a wink. "Secondly, I would like to know what the 'Nightshades' are." When you asked her this her smile dropped and she looked like she was trying to form a response. Nobody from the board had found out about the Nightshades before. "Mx. Ricci, I don't want to start our relationship out with any lies either. The Nightshades were a secret society years ago. It was disbanded due to the death of a boy, a normie, back when I attended Nevermore as a student. I do believe that the Nightshades are no longer a society, but we haven't done anything with the room." "So, why does the room look like it's been used and kept clean?" you asked. "Honestly, I haven't been down there in years, but I assure you, it’s not being used." Feeling like this wasn't honest, you figured her reasoning was good enough for you to report to the board. "Thank you for being honest with me Principal Weems. Well, otherwise I've found nothing at your school of any concern and nothing worth writing you up about." Smiling big at her, you took a drink of your tea. "That is wonderful news!" she looked relieved, and that made you extremely glad. As she took a big drink of her hot chocolate, you focused on her features. She had big eyes, the color of Lapis lazuli. Her hair light, like silk made in Italy. Being tan yourself, you took in her skin; pale, soft, a blank canvas you wanted to draw on with your fingers. White teeth, almost as white as her eyes. You found interest in her chunky gold jewelry and wondered if it meant anything. The lip brooch on her jacket was really interesting, kind of fruity you thought. Just joking, unless? Grabbing your attention with her soothing British accent, "Are you ready to get back to the school? We have to get ready for trivia soon!"

Lost in your Latin papers, you took a drink of your mixed rum and coke. If you were drunk at trivia you thought, others would have a better chance at winning. Not a very good chance, but a better one. You chuckled, excited to show Larissa and the others what you had. You made your way to Larissa's office and knocked. She opened the door, glass of wine in hand. "Hello you, come in for a glass?" Sitting down on the couch beside her, you took in the warmth from the fire. It was rather chilly out now, perhaps you should've put on a jacket. Passing you some wine, Larissa stated, "Mx. Ricci, I do apologize for earlier. I should've thought to ask you your pronouns. I thought I was getting better at being more open and accepting lately." Looking over at her, there was disappointment on her face. You felt bad, you could tell she was a sweet woman. "Oh Principal Weems, no worries at all! It's hard to keep up with change sometimes, I know you have a lot on your mind. I appreciate you trying." She smiled with her teeth and took a sip of her wine. "I appreciate your confidence, and your kindness. I was super stressed about this board visit, but I'm so glad that you're here. And please, call me Larissa." You smirked and blush crept up to your cheeks, you looked to the fire to try and hide it. "Thanks Larissa. You can call me Anura, I like the way it sounds when you say it."

Sitting down at Trivia, you were on a team with Larissa, Marilyn, Coach Vlad, and the Math teacher. There were two other teams consisting of Nevermore staff who were having a fun duel with each other. "We got the full shebang on our team. The Sciences, English, History, and Potions. You're going down Principal Weems" the history teacher yelled across the room. When you heard this you laugh snorted by accident. You turned to Larissa, who was pulling you close to her to whisper in your ear. "Help us win and I'll buy you as many drinks as you want" she grinned and winked at you. Hell, she didn't know what was coming. You were the whole package, all the subjects in one. On top of that, you knew many different languages. A bit unfortunately, this was the type of trivia where you didn't write the answers down and total them up, but where whoever screamed the answer first got the point. Unfortunate, you thought, for everyone else. The first few questions were easy, as they always are. Some people from your table hollered them out as people from other tables screamed them too. It was fun to see stupid fights break out. Laughing at their eagerness, you didn't want to answer anything yet. It was always annoying when one person answered every single question. Larissa got a couple right, and the other tables got a few right. They called a small break and you went to grab a drink. When you got back to the table, Larissa was giving you a look. "Anura, I thought you said you were good at trivia, you haven't answered anything yet" Larissa was faking being mad. "Oh Rissa, I'm just waiting for the questions that you can't answer" you quipped at her, fake pouting. You looked her up and down, she looked less like Principal Weems tonight and more like Larissa. You could see how long her legs really were in her light green satin blouse and grey dress pants.

This was general trivia, questions of all levels were asked about a variety of subjects, so it really wasn't hard. You answered a few times, figuring you better step in to keep your teams points up. The last two subjects came up, languages and chemistry, two random subjects you thought. "What is a subatomic particle that is similar to an electron, but has no electrical charge and a very small mass, which might even be zero?" Looking around you figured someone would get this. "A neutron?" the English teacher guessed. Smiling, you knew that was wrong. You were surprised when nobody else guessed, so you said "a neutrino." Ding, ding, a point for your table. "What is the English translation for the Italian saying 'Occhio non vede, cuore non duole'?" You waited for an answer. Nobody spoke Italian, cool. "Eye does not see, heart does not hurt" you said quickly. Marilyn turned to you and gave you a "good job." Larissa looked to you with a sly smile on her face, but didn't say anything. Perhaps she knew she would owe you multiple drinks by the end of the night. "On the periodic table, the names of which two elements, besides iodine, begin with two vowels?" You thought for a few seconds, going through the periodic table in your mind. When nobody else guessed it, you leaned to Marilyn and whispered, "europium and einsteinium."  "OUU europium and einsteinium!" she shouted. Everyone at your table laughed at her eagerness. "Aaaand another point for Einstein's table" screamed the trivia host. "Last question, what does the Latin phrase 'Responsum non habemus' translate to in English?" Oh my god, you were just learning Latin. Responsum must mean response, non habemus? You were stumped. Larissa turned to you, mouth dropping open at your lack of answer. You laughed embarrassed, you didn’t want to be all talk. She leaned close to you and said "I guess I won't be buying you any drinks then" and you acted disgusted with her. Just then, you thought of something. As if your brain wouldn't let you be embarrassed in front of the statuesque beauty sitting next to you offering you drinks, let alone her time of day, you had the answer. The answer was going to sound stupid, but you thought that it was right. Excitedly, you grabbed Larissa's face and leaned close to her. You did have to be professional, but you were a higher up and you moved around a lot, so you knew you could be pretty flirty sometimes. You whispered loudly in Larissa's ear "We do not have an answer!" She looked you in the eye and said "Yes, I know, we don’t know Latin." You let out a loud laugh and hid your face, did they ask this question to make us sound stupid? "No Larissa, that's the translation. Yell out 'We do not have an answer'." She yelled it out and the other tables laughed at her. "No shit, nobody here knows Latin" said the history teacher. "We have a winner!!" exclaimed the trivia host. Everybody else looked super confused, but your table was ecstatic. You hugged Larissa and whispered "You owe me a rum and coke, and make it strong."

Link to Pt 4

[crackling-fires]

2019 Master Post

If you’re looking for autumnal inspiration this September, consider checking out last year’s prompts -- now gathered conveniently in one list!

Crackling Fires 2020 starts on October 1, 2020

1. “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

2. An abandoned car among fallen leaves (photo)

3. Harvest festival

4. A basket of apples (photo)

5. A thunderstorm in autumn (audio)

6. A cabin in the woods (photo)

7. “I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. So I have spent almost all the daylight hours in the open air.” -Nathanial Hawthorne, The American Notebooks, 1842

8. I Put a Spell on You, Nina Simone (audio)

9. Football games

10. The obligatory coffee shop au (photo)

11. Orange, red, yellow

12. Baked goods: apple pie, pumpkin spice muffins, etc.

13. “I was on my way back to the house when I found a very bad omen, one of the worst. My book nailed to a tree in the pine woods had fallen down. I decided that the nail had rusted away and the book–it was a little notebook of our father’s, where he had used to record the names of people who owed him money, and people who ought, he thought, to do favors for him–was useless now as protection. I had wrapped it very thoroughly in heavy paper before nailing it to the tree, but the nail had rusted and it had fallen. I thought I had better destroy it, in case it was now actively bad, and bring something else out to the tree, perhaps a scarf of our mother’s, or a glove. It was really too late, although I did not know it then…” -Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle

14. A lake on a sunny day in autumn (photo)

15. Farmer’s Market

16. Rhiannon, Fleetwood Mac (audio)

17. Dinner outside (photo)

18. Supernatural creature au (ghost!character, vampire!character, etc.)

19. The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe (poem)

20. Hayrides and corn mazes

21. A scarecrow (photo)

22. Haunted House

23. “But as autumn drew on here by the fiord she was alarmed by its being never still. The unceasing murmur and booming of the waves and the cries of the sea-birds, the sweep of the storm over the wooded ridge–all this made her dizzy. If she had but to cross the yard, the wind seemed to rush in at her ears and fill her whole head with noise. And rain and fog drifted in from the sea and took away her courage. She thought of the autumn at home–the ground hard with black frost, the air bright and clear, so that the blows of an axe or the baying of a dog could be heard from farm to farm; there the sun made its way through the morning mist and thawed the rime to dew in the course of the day. And she longed to listen to a stillness around her.” -Sigrid Undset, The Snake Pit

24. Red Hand, Owl John, (audio)

25. Halloween (1978) (movie still)

26. Costume party/costume content

27. Miller’s ghost story (transcript)

28. A graveyard at dusk (photo)

29. Monster Mash (audio)

30. This Living Hand, Now Warm and Capable by John Keats

This living hand, now warm and capable Of earnest grasping, would, if it were cold And in the icy silence of the tomb, So haunt thy days and chill thy dreaming nights That thou would wish thine own heart dry of blood So in my veins red life might stream again, And thou be conscience-calm’d–see here it is– I hold it towards you.

31. First Frost

[mytastessuck]

Gorillaz: Gorillaz (2001)

The history of my relationship is a long one...but I don’t like explaining stuff so I’ll keep it brief. I became a fan of the band when I saw a premiere of the “Clint Eastwood” video on Toonami. This could be attributed to the fact that I loved cartoons and I didn’t know there was a bunch of animated music videos back then. But there are. There are a like a ton of animated music videos. Even back then. Even before back then. Did you know one won an Oscar? It was by Tom Waits. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. We’ll get to him later. Anyway, I heard a couple more songs from them around this era but I couldn’t get into them because I was young, stupid and had no money. It actually wasn’t till around the Demon Days era (Phase 2 for us in the know) that I managed to get a hold of this album. My dad is also a fan of this band and gave a special edition version of this album. Thanks to that gesture, I really got back into Gorillaz in a huge way. Looking up lyrics, lore and cameos (these guys did a song with D12. For 9/11. Is The Rap Critic’s Patreon still open? I got a request to make...). 

We can get into more details later. Right now, I am going to rate every single song on Gorillaz (2001) US Deluxe Edition. 1. Rehash A nice breezy way to start off the album. Although, to be honest, if you picked this CD up and put it in a player after seeing of Gorillaz’ released singles, you’ll most likely be going, “Did I get the right disc?”. Still, that’s the reason I love the band. They can go into any genre and there is still something there that sounds like them. This song is pretty cool. 

Song Score: 8/10

2. 5/4

Now this is what I’m talking about. Classic British Alternative: Uncommon time, indecipherable lyrics, disgust when you figure out what the lyrics are actually saying and a sick bass. This song right here? It justifies the purchase of the whole album. It’s nasty and it’s cool, like Peanut Butter water ice.

Song Score: 10/10

3. Tomorrow Comes Today

Oh my lord, this song. I always have a soft spot for songs that I can pretend I was deep to back in the day. Very slow, very contemplative, very moody...just like a young me. It’s good that they made this their first single because it really showed up what they were capable of.

Song Score: 9/10

4. New Genius (Brother)

Ooooo...spooky. This song is pretty nice for a dark atmosphere and recommended for singing in a bar by with smoking patrons. Also nice of Gorillaz to give us the Stranger Danger spiel without sounding completely lame about it.

Song Score: 8/10

5. Clint Eastwood

AWWW SHIT MUTHAFUCKERS, HERE WE GO! This is the song that I obsessed over for a decade of my life. I sucked the entire life out of this song to the point that I skip over it in some playlists because it has nothing left to offer me. Still, I objectively love this song and I appreciate it for introducing to this band and for introducing me to Del Tha Funkee Homosapien. Seriously, how was I supposed to live the rest of my life without knowing a guy was capable of bars like that? This song fucks.

Song Score: 10/10

6. Man Research (Clapper)

I think I can blame this song for me getting into Electronica at a later age. High-pitched voices, nice beats, the feeling that I’m in a lab watching people being experimented on...everything a good track needs. This song was really fun to sing out loud to myself when I was younger. Probably one of the things that made my neighbors call my sanity into question.

Song Score: 10/10

7. Punk

Fuck yeah. Gorillaz was slaughtering some bands before they even got of their crib with tribute to the genre. Don’t bother with the lyrics because the words just basically become another instrument on this track and boy are the instruments on their loudest display here. I can only hear a dude telling his mom to shut up on it anyway.

Song Score: 9/10

8. Sound Check (Gravity)

Gotta admit, didn’t really appreciate this song when I was younger. It felt like the pieces were there but it didn’t come together into something of substance. Now that I’m older, I...am still of the same opinion. I like the breakdown but I feel like the high-pitched voice has been played out at this point in the album.

Song Score 7/10

9. Double Bass

Ah, an instrumental. Probably one of the first ones I listened to on repeat. I love the string work on this and the accompanying beats. Really good music to chill to...if you ignore that one line.

Song Score: 9/10

10. Rock The House

Hey, it’s our old friend Del! I was pleasantly surprised to see him on another track, kicking ass to a set of nice pan flutes. Man, this song ruled. But I can only listen to the album version. The music video version censors ass crack. Ass crack! How conservative can you get?! Luckily, Gorillaz never ran into this problem again.

Song Score: 10/10

11. 19-2000

I remember this album being the first time I heard the original version of this song instead of the Soulchild Remix. Obviously, I had to prefer this version because the original version is always the best. At least, that’s the way I thought back then. Nowadays...

THEY BOTH SOUND NICE!

But I do have a special place in my heart for this song. I like the woman in the background. Adds an ethereal quality to the song.

Song Score: 9/10

12. Latin Simone (Que Pasa Condigo?)

The first time I heard this, I was like, “Why is this song in Spanish?” This is because I listened to the G Sides album first (more on that next week). But the more I listened, the more I preferred it to the English version. This guy sings like he’s before an auditorium and he wants the people outside to hear him. Funny story: I tried to play this song for my Spanish class but my speakers didn’t work for them to hear it. Sucks for them.

Song Score: 11/10

13. Starshine

This is probably my least favorite song on the album. Just melancholy for the sake of melancholy. Kind of bothers me how there’s no substance to it I can find...nice instrumental though.

Song Score: 6/10

14. Slow Country

My second least favorite song on the album. Usually I like discordant noises in a song but the amateur piano with the honks...don’t really do it for me. Nice mumbling at the end though. Never change, Damon.

Song Score: 7/10

15. M1A1

I remember the first time I watched Day of the Dead and during the beginning I kept going, “WHEN THE GUITAR COME IN?!”. I know, I know, I’m hilarious. Especially when I’m by myself. But seriously, not even factoring in nostalgia, this is the best track on the album. Great song, great singing, awesome fucking solo. The only thing better than M1A1 on this album is M1A1 live.

Song Score: 12/10

16. Dracula

You know that when I heard the sound bite from this track, I thought it was from the original movie? It’s not. It’s from fucking Looney Tunes. Damn. Egg on my face. Anyway, I love the goofiness of this track. It tries to sound dark and scary but it’s like that nice goth kid in your class who always pick Edgar Allan Poe as his Powerpoint topic. Good kid, great song.

Song Score: 8/10

17. Left Hand Suzuki Method

FEEL THE IMPACT

And I did. Like a wise man once said, I don’t need drugs to enjoy this track, just to enhance my enjoyment of it. And you know what? I don’t want to enhance it. This shit sounds good by itself. See, Slow Country? This is how you mix in things that don’t sound good together and make them sound good together. You know what that track needs? Japanese children talking. That improves everything.

Song Score: 9/10

18. 19-2000 (Soulchild remix)

And the head honcho themself, one of the first Gorillaz songs I listened to. Man, this shit slaps like Dave Grohl in a Michael Gondry video. Whenever I heard this song when I was a kid, I was thinking about it all week. It just sounds so sunny, so uplifting, like something you should be listening to on an amusement park ride. Fuck, this track is tight.

Song Score: 10/10

19. Clint Eastwood (Ed Case and Sweetie Irie remix)

...

...Is it too late to change my least favorite track on the album choice yet?

Okay, Slow Country was on the original album so it can keep its title. This track is the worst track of all the bonus ones. It’s just...they were onto something with the breakdown but the goofy reggae singing and the way too fast to enjoy beat? Just rubs me the wrong way. Ugh, and now I’m thinking of Laika already...

Song Score: 5/10

Album Score: 8.8/10

Join me next week as I review G-Sides. It’s gonna resemble fun!

[alittlecstaticxilophone]

It Will Come Back

“I’m glad you two are finally together”

“I am happy too, it’s like a dream come true”

“But I have a question, you have been crushing on him for so long; how did you know you loved him?”

“It’s hard to explain. The first moment I saw him, it felt like if we have known each other for so long that my soul jumped inside of me when my eyes noticed him”

 Lucy sighed, meditating if it had actually been a good idea to volunteer to tutor Natsu. She better than anyone knew how hard-headed the pink haired boy could be, particularly when it came to things he deemed as useless or boring. His eyes seemed like if they would fall asleep in any minute and for a split second, the blonde girl actually felt bad for him. Nothing so big it would overrule the exasperation she was feeling in that instant.

The things you do for your friends.

“I’m telling you, Edgar Allan Poe based his stories on fever dreams he frequently had. And not only that, what tale was inspired by an epidemic there was around that time?”

Natsu groaned loudly, running one hand over his soft pink hair.

“I don’t know… The Raven?”, Lucy felt her eyebrow twitch

“Natsu, would you please tell me how the story about a raven that keeps saying ‘Nevermore’ could be based on an epidemic? The correct answer is ‘The Mask of the Red Death’” She instructed, tying her blonde hair into a ponytail, her brown eyes scanned her friend who was doing nothing but balancing into his chair.

“Man, I don’t know. An epidemic of talking ravens perhaps?” Natsu inquired.

The mix between exasperation and curiosity on his face made Lucy repress a smile. “I don’t know why I have to take this class in college, I’m trying to become a chemical engineer, not an author or a professor. That’s for you”, he complains standing up from the kitchen table throwing himself into the couch.

“Although I do want to become an author, remember I’m studying astronomy. Besides, don’t you recall this was the only optative left because you decided the day before was the perfect day to go to a party and you ended up so drunk, I had to drive you home. And not only that, you also waited until last minute despite my warning that this could very well happen”

“How could I forget, it was the first time you spent the night at my house” Natsu raised a teasing eyebrow, Lucy’s cheeks tuned a soft pink.

“I still don’t know how I survived” 

Natsu’s house, which Lucy still had no idea how exactly he could afford it. Despite the fact she knew the boy had a job, it was still hard to believe a nineteen year old was able to pay for a house that wasn’t an inheritance. It was a mess to say the least; the cat got lost every once in a while in the midst of mountains of dirty laundry, she had her doubts about the origins of some of the food in his fridge and could have sworn some of it had begun to talk, and for some reason he did not only have a bed but also a hammock in his bedroom and another one in the living room. And to top it all, Lucy was impressed how even in his drunken state he was able to move between the trash and dirt like if it was nothing.

“In my defense, I never saw a problem with it”

“That’s because you are an animal”

“Whatever”, he shrugged it off. “I’ll sleep here today. It’s pretty late to go home”

Lucy looked at her phone, it marked it was past two am. She nodded knowing the boy wouldn’t need a blanket to keep himself warm for the rest of the night.

“You could have at least asked, you know?”, she tried to reason.

“What do you mean Luce? I don’t see anything wrong with it. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time I spend the night here”, he had a point, but Lucy didn’t want to admit it. After seeing his house, she thought it was because he didn’t want to risk getting a disease in his own home; she quickly realized her mistake the second after she helped him clean his house thoroughly and buy new groceries. The boy appeared in her house and was asleep in her bed.

“Just don’t make a mess. Goodnight Natsu”, she smiled softly, noticing he was already fast asleep.

Lucy closed the bedroom door behind herself throwing her body onto the bed. She would probably have to wake up early to the sound of him messing around her kitchen looking for something to eat before he left for work.

The room around her was strange, the usually light blue sheets were now yellow and a single desk accompanied the bed in her bedroom. Despite the fact she couldn’t recall ever being in that room before, the entirety of it was so familiar to her she felt as if it had always been her own.

Natsu was in front of her, his face in furrowed eyebrows exhibiting a scowl while Lucy bandaged his arm. She was wearing a skirt and her blonde hair was tied in a side ponytail.

She paid attention to his torso was already tended but she could still see his muscles as she tried to focus on her bitterness and the task ahead of her.

“You shouldn’t be doing this sort of thing anymore Natsu, you are not a child. You shouldn’t get in fights with the first idiot who comes” she scolded with severity, the scowl on his face turned into a pout. Lucy was sure if she hadn’t known him before everything, she would have never believed he was over four hundred years old.

“Well, he was threatening you. The asshole had it coming” Natsu crossed his arms, letting out a small hiss of pain as he did so.

“And you don’t think I can fend for myself?”

 She posed both her arms on her waist raising an eyebrow to the young man, he turned his eyes to the floor.

“It’s not that” he was quick to say. “But the jerk came to me first, so I attacked him back when he did. I know you can very well kick his ass, yet, who am I to refuse the opportunity to burn some asshole’s face off”.

“You still shouldn’t be running around looking for people to burn”, Lucy sighed.

“Awww, Luce, are you worried about me? I’ll be fine”, Natsu laughed grabbing the young woman by the waist until she was close to him, Lucy smiled softly and leaned closer to him.

“Careful Natsu, you don’t want Lucy to crush you”. A blue cat caught Lucy’s eye stopping her from saying any answer to Natsu, instead she focused her attention to the animal while Natsu buried his head on her.

Lucy opened her eyes, running the dream in her head a second time to ensure she recalled it as thoroughly as possible. It wasn’t the first time she had a dream about Natsu, although, this dream was strange compared to the rest; it didn’t feel the same way and she felt a sudden urge to check on Natsu only to find him snoring on the side of her bed. The blonde wondered how he had arrived there but instead was relieved he wasn’t injured like he had been in her dream; it felt awfully real. In any other circumstances she would have screamed and kicked him out of her bedroom, this time, all she did was smile softly and return to sleep.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was a bright sunny day, perfect summer weather. Lucy was outside sitting in a table with Levy, a short flat-chested girl with blue hair with who Lucy shared a deep love for books; and Erza, a girl with bright red hair, taller than both girls and stronger than anyone Lucy knew. The three of them were in the same year and had been friends since high school but with college they barely had time to meet each other as casually as they were in that moment.

The sight in front of them was something quite special. Juvia, a shy friend of them with blue hair, was asleep on her boyfriend’s shoulder. Gray was a friend Lucy held very dearly, and he was very attractive, with dark hair, stern eyes and a toned body he was prone to exhibiting to anyone whether they wanted to see it or not.

How the two of them got together was something Lucy couldn’t quite fully understand, she did know (like everyone who knew the two of them) that Juvia had been crushing on him since she was in middle school and now they were together.

Gray wasn’t known for being a particularly tender boyfriend, that didn’t seem to be very obvious now that he was glaring at anyone who stepped as close as three feet near Juvia or made any sort of noise that could wake the girl up. It was an adorable sight that Lucy knew Gray wouldn’t fully accept to have done.

“They are so cute”, Levy mumbled before returning her eyes to her book for a split second before closing it.

“They really are”, Erza agreed.

“Every girl should get herself a boy who would do that for her”, Lucy commented., Erza and Levy changed a smile between themselves that Lucy didn’t fully understand.

“Well, I’m sure Natsu would do the same for you Lucy”, Erza pointed out and Lucy felt her cheeks turn pink.

“What does Natsu have to do with this?”, Lucy questioned bothered by the facts that her friends dragged Natsu into the conversation.

"Well, Natsu did that for you, Lucy", Levy teased with a cat-like grin she probably caught from Gajeel.

"Very funny. We all now that if Natsu saw me asleep in the middle of the day, he would steal frying pans from the cafeteria and would bang them until they woke me up" Lucy reasoned.

"That's not what I recall", Erza teased, and Lucy raised a curious eyebrow inviting her to continue.

"One day you fell asleep in the middle of class, we were on the class of the teacher who is very strict, the one who kicked a student out for yawning once. Natsu said you had to work until late and that you had also helped him study so despite your attempts you fell asleep. When the teacher noticed you had fallen asleep Natsu realized and began an argument with Gray so the teacher wouldn't wake you up. They both got in detention for three days and since the teacher was out for the rest of the class you were able to sleep. I tried to ask him about it but he said it was a coincidence and hadn't noticed you were asleep" Erza told Lucy, who was unaware of the story.

"You mean, lies", Levy added, taking a drink from her tea.

"Pretty much, yeah", Erza shrugged

Lucy heard the story with close attention, it seemed like something surreal that her friends had probably twisted. There was no way Natsu had purposefully dragged himself to detention just for her.

Lucy could feel twenty-three pairs of eyes staring at her, the confidence she radiated suddenly gone abandoning in front of the unknown figures.

“Alright Lucy, you can sit down over there” The teacher, a woman with white hair whose name Lucy momentarily forgot, pointed at a the only available seat, next to a boy with pink hair whose eyes turned between the blonde and the schoolyard.

She was glad she had found a job and a house cheap enough she was able to pay for the rent, and yet, the prospect of having to go to a new school hadn’t quite settled inside of her. Still, she would be lying if she went and said she regretted leaving her father’s house at the short age of sixteen. Lucy moved the chair trying to make the smallest amount of noise possible to be able to quietly enjoy the class.

The pink haired boy by her side seemed to have an entirely different idea.

He turned to her, his face closer than any other face Lucy had seen in her life, her heart took a leap in her chest and she stood still.

“I’ve met you before.” It wasn’t a question, Lucy knew it and his words did nothing to ease her pre-existing fear of being recognized and dragged back home with her father. The look on the boy’s face wasn’t like the one you would have when encountering the daughter of a millionaire and a movie star and you were eager to get a reward over claiming you had found her, no, he looked like if he had found a long-lost friend.

“I don’t think so, no” Lucy tried, the red all over her face. “Back off”, she pushed the boy back to his seat, his eyes still focused on her.

“You’re a weirdo”, he scrunched his nose, she took offense to his words. 

“I’m Natsu”

“I am a weirdo? You are the one who is approaching your face to mine! My name is Lucy.”

The math problem ahead of her was giving Lucy a headache, the marks of erasing incorrect results all over her notebook, she let out an exasperated groan begging anyone to give her the answer to the problem in a way she could justify it to professor Laxus so she could get an easy way out of his class, or a break. She could use a break from the letters and numbers.

While she was busy complaining in a hushed tone about whoever had decided to mix letters and numbers, the tune to ‘Follow Your Fire’ rang in her phone;, only one person in her contact list had said tune.

“What do you need Natsu?” Lucy looked at the clock in her wall, it was well past one in the morning, which in a Friday night probably meant Natsu wanted to either drag her to a party or her to pick him up from some random party he wanted to get out from.

“Luce!” His tone was overly cheery “Are you busy?” The question was odd coming from him; Lucy stared at the impossible problem in front of her.

“Not particularly, no. Why?” She knew if math had eyes they would be burning her skull right now, shaming her for ignoring her schoolwork for some temporary rest.

“The teacher just e-mailed us the results, and guess what? I passed my literature test!” Lucy made a mental note to check her own results later.

“That’s great Natsu!” Lucy congratulated standing up from her kitchen table to get a glass of water. “Congratulations! What was your score?”

“The important part is that I passed and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you! You are the best Lucy!” His words through the line raised a blush in her cheeks and made a smile reach her lips.

“You worked really hard for that test” Lucy reasoned.

“Yeah, but you’re the one who taught me all that stuff about those guys. It’s thanks to you that I won’t fail the class. I’ll leave now. I probably woke you up and since you’re a weirdo you’ll start saying things about beauty sleep and what-not. Goodbye Lucy, have a nice sleep”

“Goodnight Natsu” She muttered softly as her best friend hung up the line.

She held her phone close to her heart for a few seconds after the call ended, the smile still on her face. She still hadn’t figured out exactly when it had been when she had fallen for Natsu, they had been friends since high school and at some point her feelings for him changed to less friendly ones. Lucy tried to avoid said feelings or at the very least not let anyone notice, it was going as good as it could, she just wished her friends weren’t making a sport on who could get her the most flustered when talking about Natsu.

Lucy lifted the pencil from the notebook trying to focus on the problem ahead of her, she should be able to do it eventually. Or at least leave enough marks on her notebook so her professor would notice she at least tried and have some mercy on her poor unfortunate soul.

As she scribbled through her notebook, her eyes slowly closed, the pencil fell from her grasp and she adjusted herself to sleep.

Lucy stared at the creature in front of her, a curious eyebrow raised as he entertained himself playing with one of the palace mascots while she read in the garden. Her father’s command was that he was to remain at her said at all moment unless he was told otherwise, still, he took every opportunity to make the situation more amusing than it was supposed to be.

She was curious of the pair of horns that grew from his head, common courtesy told her she shouldn’t even dare to ask about other people’s appearance, it was rude in the very least, in some cases even highly offensive.

As she returned her eyes to her reading, she scrunched her nose at how the events unfolded.

“A new letter from a new overly proud lord?” His voice sounded closer than what she assumed he was and was surprised when she discovered he was now sitting by her side holding the creature between his arms.

“What makes you think that?” She questioned, she shrugged it off.

“You always scrunch your nose when you get a letter from one of those Lords ‘Oh your majesty, Princess Lucy, you beautiful angel, every day I’m thankful to have been graced with the sight of your beauty, so grateful that I would ask your hand in marriage to your father at the slightest opportunity, what do you mean you do not wish to marry me? Have you got any idea of how beautiful our children would be as soon as I take over your kingdom and snatch you from your birthright and reduce you to a mere creature whose only function is to provide me children and no other business than that. What part of it doesn’t sound delightful to you, milady? Your interests? Milady, you silly princess, we both know birthing machines have no interest other than pleasing such a great husband as I would be if you would accept my very generous offer’”, Lucy couldn’t avoid laughing at the over exaggerated accent Natsu used when trying to imitate the letters she got from the lords every once in a while.

“Oh Natsu. You are a prince, shouldn’t you be going around pestering ladies and other princesses instead of running around in this castle and playing with my family’s pets?”

“Nah, you’re the only princess I enjoy pestering” He laughed nudging her side. “And you know I can’t leave this castle without your parents’ authorization. I am the peace offer, that doesn’t leave much time to seduce ladies.”

“Sorry” She apologized, sometimes, she forgot the circumstances that made Natsu begin to live with her, and while she enjoyed his company more than anyone else’s, she made herself the promise to offer him his freedom as soon as she became a queen.

“Hey, you have nothing to apologize for you weirdo” He said.

“Do not call me weirdo” She pouted as a woman arrived offering a letter whose calligraphy was painfully familiar to her. “Would you burn this for me after we’re done reading it?” She showed the letter to Natsu who smiled with mischief

“Anything for you, princess.”

As her eyes slowly opened, she contemplated the strange familiarity of the dream she just had, the hour on her cellphone claimed it was barely 3 in the morning, it took her a few seconds to fully realize she had fallen asleep on top of her notebook, she rubbed her cheek conscious there was a red mark in them to prove she had fallen sleep where she wasn’t supposed to.

She tried to not give much thought to the dream she just had as she closed the notebook, finally accepting her defeat. Refusing the strange feeling the dreams were giving her was something that was proving itself to be significantly difficult, dreaming about Natsu was no novelty for Lucy (one of the many disadvantages of falling for someone you see nearly every day), these two dreams, instead of giving her the feeling of relief people had when having a nice dream with someone they love it gave her a sensation of longing. Of giving her something she lost only to have it taken away.

Lucy took her cellphone from the table, checking the date on it as she dragged her feet to the bedroom. Noticing the date she made sure to send Juvia a quick message congratulating her for her 19th birthday. As she threw herself onto bed, she tried to recall if she had anything to wear for the party Gray had planned but figured she would check in the morning.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Lucy looked at her own reflection in the mirror revising for any final touches her make up could require. She smiled at herself proud with the result, the dress on the bed, dark blue, midtight, it went up to her collar and had a small heart on the chest.

Before she could pick the dress from the bed, she heard a knock on her door.

“Luce! It’s me!”

Had it been anyone else, she would have told them to wait, however, it was Natsu. She couldn’t leave him outside even if she wanted to, not to mention the fact that he bothered to knock was a miracle on its own. She opened the door for him, her eyes throwing fire.

“What are you doing here Natsu?”, Lucy questioned, moving from the way so he could walk inside., He threw himself on the couch, Lucy looked at him up and down, black leather jacket, black jeans, snickers and a white shirt that read something about fire., She couldn’t fully make it out.

“I figured you could need a ride” He shrugged “You’re always so late to everything. Look at you, you are not even dressed”

“I am never late!” She argued back, walking to her bedroom. “And if I ever am it’s because of you”

Natsu tsked, “Excuses, excuses, Luce.”

With her door closed behind her, she couldn’t help but smile rolling her eyes finally picking the dress from the bed wondering why was it that she had bought it but never actually worn it. It still fitted her.

It almost felt like a glove on her, and it wasn’t until she had to pull the zipper up when she fully realized why she never put the dress on after buying it. The zipper was trickier than what she remembered and it ended in a point where she couldn’t reach, sighing in defeat she called for Natsu who entered her bedroom as if it was his own. She wasn’t in a position to fight him for it at the moment.

“Could you help me with my dress? I need you to pull the zipper up” She glanced at the young man, who nodded.

“Anything for you, princess”, Lucy blinked a couple times, letting the words Natsu had said sink into her brain, they were familiar, but they didn’t belong to the Natsu she had always known.

“What did you just say?” She questioned turning to him, he shrugged.

“You should check your ears Lucy, I said we’re gonna be late weirdo” He answered staring at him, she knew he was lying but decided to not comment more on it.

She followed Natsu, remembering to lock the door behind herself. Normally the small walk between Lucy’s apartment and whatever ride they were going to take together, (usually Natsu’s car) was filled with Natsu’s jokes or Lucy talking about anything she deemed interesting and Natsu listened as attentive as his short attention span allowed him, sometimes mocking whatever situation she found herself in.

This time, however, there was no laughter or mundane conversation., Natsu didn’t seem to be making any effort to stir a laugh out of Lucy and she was far too focused in the dream she had and how Natsu had said the same thing the same thing the Natsu in her dream had said. Normally Lucy let go of things like that, she deemed similarities between dreams and reality as nothing but mere subconscious coincidences. She couldn’t let go of this., Lucy felt like there was something else to this, something she was supposed to know.

As she got into the seat on Natsu’s car, she stared at the window, watching the cars pass by her side as Natsu started the engine.

“Why did you call me princess?” She questioned, unable to face him as a faint blush shone in her face.

“What do you mean?”

“A few minutes ago, you called me princess, you never call me that.”, Lucy reasoned, noticing how Natsu was gripping the steering wheel a little tighter.

“I used to, a long time ago. I guess I just forgot I didn’t call you that anymore” He shrugged, letting out a goofy grin, never taking his eyes off the road. Lucy stared at him for a few seconds until everything suddenly clicked in her mind. She rested her back against the seat as an array of memories went through her. Every single one of them almost felt like they didn’t belong to her, but they did and she knew it.

 She wasn’t supposed to be there, she was supposed to be resting in her bedroom waiting for the doctor who would ensure she was in good health. It was the first place where they would look for her, but even the curious and almost threatening glances from the guards had no effect on her as she moved with hurried steps past them dragging one of them so he would open the only door she was after.

“Your majesty, your father gave us strict orders not to…”

“I do not care what orders my father gave you. I’m ordering you to open Natsu’s door right now”, Lucy stared at the guard who was taller with than her with daggers in her eyes. The man sighed, mumbling something she wasn’t able to understand. Not that it mattered, when she saw him it was almost like if the world had lit up around her.

Only for it to fall seconds later.

The Natsu in front of her wasn’t the one that had been dragged away from her less than a day ago, his face had visible bags underneath them and there was something black on his fingers that seemed to be getting closer and closer to his heart, his clothes were all ragged. For a second, his eyes lit up the moment he saw her but when he tried to reach her his legs didn’t seem to respond.

Lucy rushed to him, trying desperate to contain the tears in her eyes and gave him a smile. She recognized the symptoms, she also recognized there was no cure for what they had given him.

“Princess” He smiled looking at her, a weak smile in his face. “Glad to see you around, have those princes already told you sweet love words in my absence? I know how those snakes are when I’m not there, but once I get out I’ll kick all their asses.”

“I hope you do. If I hear any of them tell me about how much I’ll love their homeland’s weather, I will die” She complained, following him.

“Lucy” He began with a raspy voice “You were the best thing out of being here, you know that, right? When I first arrived after being pushed away from my own home and sent here, when I met you it seemed like everything happened for a reason.” It was like a goodbye from him, and she didn’t want that, she didn’t want to say goodbye, not yet.

“I’m sorry Natsu.” She lamented

“Hey, don’t apologize. It was fun, I got to ride one of those winged horses that belong to the royal family, I got to be with you. I got a small taste of a future by your side which is more than what I could have asked for, so don’t say sorry. Don’t make it the last thing I hear” He pouted and Lucy couldn’t help but giggle softly.

“I’ll always love you. Know that.”

“I’ve always loved you and now we know that I always will. I wamt you to promise me that no matter what, you will allow yourself to be happy, please do that for me.” She saw him lift his hand to try and touch her cheek but never actually doing it, afraid the poison would spread to her as well.

“I promise.” It felt like a lie coming from her, but she would try. “Hey Natsu.”

His hand to the floor and his eyes looked for her.

“You were the best thing about here for me too” She mumbled, placing a soft kiss on his forehead, he laughed.

It wasn’t until he closed his eyes that she allowed herself to cry.

“Have we met before?”, Lucy questioned him, serious.

“What do you mean? Of course we have, you weirdo” He dismissed, mocking at her.

“That’s not what I mean.”, Lucy pouted irritated.

“I know. Look, we arrived.”

Before Lucy could say anything Natsu got out of the car and opened her door, he began rambling about his cat, not giving her a second to talk.

The moment she stepped inside the party, loud music filled her ears and Natsu wasn’t anywhere in sight. She tried not to give much mind on it and instead focused on trying to find her friends to properly congratulate Juvia and tell her she would give her a present the following Monday.

She had to move in between people wondering who all of them were, some were familiar from college. She didn’t take Juvia for someone overly-friendly since the girl was of shy nature, and it wasn’t like if Gray was too friendly either to have invited all the people who crowded the bar. It took her a few minutes until she finally saw Juvia, she had a drink in hand, her hair held high in a bun she looked beautiful with Gray by her side, giving the girl quick kisses on the cheek. Lucy hesitated on joining them, but then again she probably wouldn’t have another chance of seeing Juvia in the entire night so she hurried to greet her friend.

“Juvia! Happy Birthday girl!” She greeted, raising her voice to make sure the birthday girl heard her as she gave her a tight hug.

“Thank you for coming.”, Juvia smiled breaking the embrace. “I’m glad that all my friends are here, even Gajeel showed up!” Juvia was beaming with happiness pointing at the black haired man who seemed to be scaring every guy who approached to Levy.

“Well, what matters the most is that you are happy, and that you get to enjoy yourself on your birthday. I’ll give you your present on Monday, I promise.”

“Don’t worry, Lucy.”, Juvia dismissed “Natsu didn’t come with you?” Lucy thought her answer for a second while Juvia saw her with curiosity.

“He brought me, but I lost him as soon as we got inside. In the meantime, I’ll go greet Levy, have fun with Gray!” Lucy gave a quick goodbye hug to Juvia before walking towards her short friend.

When she approached Levy with a similar enthusiasm that she had with Juvia, glad she wouldn’t have to spend her time moving around trying to find Natsu and get some sort of answer out of him when he seemed so keen on avoiding her.

“Where is the arsonist?”, Gajeel’s voice resonated in Lucy’s ears while Levy’s eyes looked at her waiting for the answer to the question.

“Who knows”, Lucy shrugged “He pretty much ran away from me as soon as we walked into the party.”

“I see.”, Gajeel nodded drinking something Lucy couldn’t quite identify. “Don’t worry Blondie, every relationship has its issues” He laughed, even more after Levy elbowed his stomach.

“For the last time, Natsu and I aren’t dating.”, Lucy sighed, exasperated.

“Gajeel never said you were though, Lucy”, Levy reasoned, Lucy’s face got covered in red while Gajeel’s laughter grew in volume. The blonde girl ordered a drink for herself trying to allow her mind to focus on something else.

“Where is Erza?”, Lucy questioned, Levy pointed at the dance floor, sly smile on her face. Lucy followed the direction of her finger, to see Erza happily dancing alongside her boyfriend.

“When did he arrive in town?” The surprise in her tone was evident, Lucy didn’t know Jellal had arrived in town or that he would go at all.

“When did Erza kindly reject a girls night?”

“Oh.”, Lucy said simply, it made sense. “We should dance Levy.”

Before the short girl could argue, Lucy was dragging her to the dance floor. Gajeel threw a sympathetic smile to her, leaving her at the mercy of the girl who wanted to enjoy a moment of peace.

The two girls grew tired after a few minutes, deciding to greet Erza and Jellal who received the girls with a pleasant smile while the redhead stood unsure of what to do while her friends began conversation. It didn’t take long for them to leave the couple at their own and instead, retreated to a corner to talk between each other, for what they thought would a night as peaceful as it could be.

The next thing Lucy heard was the sound of glass breaking and the music being shut down as Natsu’s voice resonated across the entirety of the bar.

“If you do as much as touch one hair of her head, I will beat you up!” Lucy knew it was nearly instinctive to know that Natsu would never waste the chance to fight someone; it was part of his nature, just like trying to befriend the person he fought no matter who won. His words, however, were filled with venom and something Lucy thought was genuine hatred.

She walked towards the sound of his voice, trying not to clash with people who seemed to be eager to find out who did the voice belong to. It didn’t take her more than a couple minutes to reach the pair, Natsu had knives in his green eyes standing still on his feet, the young man in front of her, probably a couple years older than them with brown hair was staring at Natsu with fear in his eyes, trying to get him to calm down.

“Calm down?” Natsu walked a step closer to him, only for the other to clash against a stool. “You want me to calm down…”

“Natsu.”, Lucy tried to call.

“When you not only said those things about my friend, but also the woman I waited seven hundred years to meet again. Do you know what it’s like? To wait for someone seven hundred years only to have to hear some fuckhead talk about her like that?” His words seemed senseless, yet, they were clear to Lucy.

“Natsu!”, She raised her voice a little higher.

“Man, are you high?”, The other guy asked, a mocking grin on his face. Natsu had fought someone for less than that, even so, it still surprised Lucy when he approached the guy and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt while holding the other ready to throw the first hit.

“You little…”

“Natsu!”, Lucy screamed, this time louder walking in the middle of the small ring the people had made to grab the hand Natsu was using to hold the guy. His eyes turned to her, no longer filled with venom, instead soft and kinder, the eyes she had always known.

“Let’s go home, please” She pleaded. Natsu dropped the guy letting him fall to the floor, giving a single nod and a friendly smile to the girl.

Lucy left walking behind Natsu, feeling everyone’s eyes on her. She noticed Gray and Juvia throw an empathetic smile at her and she made a mental note to apologize to both of them for the mess her friend had caused; even if Gray would probably fight him about it the next time he saw Natsu.

None of them said a word until they were in the car., Natsu opened Lucy’s door like usual. Instead of immediately turning on the engine they both stood inside the vehicle in silence letting the weight of what had just happened sink in.

“Have we met before?”, Lucy asked, turning her eyes at him, who had his eyes fixed on the car’s keys. A few seconds of silence passed before he raised his head to her direction.

“Twice.”, Natsu finally admitted after a few seconds of silence, Lucy noticed the hesitation on his voice, like if it was something he felt wasn’t appropriate to tell her.

“What happened?”

“Well, the first time Gray was supposed to marry you, but instead decided to marry Juvia and we tried to run away together. It didn’t end well, I died.” He turned on the engine listening to the roar of the vehicle holding in a gag reflex, she observed the unnatural gesture with interest.

“And the second time?”, Lucy pried, his eyes were fixated on the road ahead, seeing the path he was taking she realized they weren’t heading her home. Natsu gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“We were mages.” He smiled. “Well, you were a mage, a celestial one specifically, you summoned spirits from who knows where. By the time we first met, I was a four hundred years old demon, and dragon slayer. We went on so many adventures together and we went to Fairy Tail which was a guild, our family. and we went on adventures together with our friends and I always snuck into your house. You were always such a weirdo Lucy, we went through so much and…” The smile that had lit his face suddenly vanished, Lucy could see his house on the distance. “Then it ended.”

“What happened?” She tried, while he was parking his car.

“It was a threat like nothing we had seen before. We had to make a sacrifice and you decided to be said sacrifice before any of us could stop you., you assured there was no other choice, it was either you or the world and you took the decision.” Natsu turned off his car, his eyes brimming with tears he refused to let out. “Since I met you on Hargeon, my greatest fear was losing you again but it can never compare to the sensation of having to hold your body one last time.” Natsu went out of the car opening her door for her. They walked in silence side by side until he opened his door.

Lucy was surprised his house remained still somewhat clean after her last visit, his cat was sleeping on the couch his mind ignoring what was going on in front of him.

“You know where my clothes are.”, Natsu said throwing his jacket to the floor. “Take anything you feel comfortable in.” Lucy nodded asking him to pull down her dress’s zipper.

She silently walked to Natsu’s bedroom turning the light on as she entered closing the door behind herself., it was a lot to sink in. Lucy still wanted more., she grabbed a shirt she found with the Targaryen banner on it and a pair of pants which she had to tie to make sure they weren’t loose, throwing her dress on the floor next to the bed, the young man had leaving her heels next to the dress.

“Can I come inside?”, His voice resonated on her ears and caused her heart to take a leap.

“Sure.” As soon as those words left her mouth, he opened the door walking on her direction only to surround her with his arms, holding her as tight as he could.

When he broke the embrace, she stared into his eyes, he was close, so close. She wondered if he could read her thoughts, then she would probably be able to guess what he would do next.

“Is it okay if I kiss you?” It took her by surprise, but she nodded.

His lips clashed against hers on a quick soft kiss, barely getting a taste of it, before he pulled apart. Her face was red, and a faint blush was on his cheeks. He was holding her still, their breaths at the same rhythm when he kissed her once again. This time, it was more passionate, hungrier, she could taste a faint of whiskey on his mouth alongside something spicy. They approached his bed until Lucy was sitting on it, he held the back of her neck and they only broke the kiss when the air became a need. Even then he didn’t let go of Lucy, placing his head on the crook of her neck, they stayed like that for a few minutes.

“How long have you known?”, Lucy spoke, her words hesitant as Natsu lifted himself and she looked up to see Natsu’s eyes. he was still holding the back of her neck and her hand was resting on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat.

“Before I met you.”, he confessed. she looked at him, her eyes wide in curiosity. “It was because of a curse. As far as I recall, I’ve always had these dreams about a weird blonde girl smiling and thinking I was supposed to do anything to protect that smile.” He kissed her forehead.

“It must have been difficult, to be constantly dreaming about someone you never met.”, She tried to empathize.

“I’d rather see the bright side.”, He smiled.

“Which is?”, she raised her eyebrows.

“When I met you, I was way happy. I was like ‘look at that blonde girl, that’ is my weirdo’.” He claimed with pride.

“Why were we cursed?”, Lucy questioned.

“My mother, the first time, was a well known witch who wasn’t very happy of having her only child taken away from her. So, instead of cursing your father, she decided it was funnier to curse you and your soulmate to live an endless cycle of find, suffer, and repeat.”, Natsu shrugged. “I was cursed twice though, once indirectly by my mother, the second time by a witch.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, after you died I was grieving, and furious. Mostly furious. So I wanted to give that woman the beating she deserved for taking your life away from us., she wasn’t too pleased about it. She noticed about my first curse, so to add salt to the wound she decided the best thing she could do was force me to live with the fact that my loved one had died on my arms, so since then I remember all the lifetimes you are in, which are only three counting this one.” He made a thinking gesture, until his eyes lit, like a puppy who saw his favorite toy. “Do you want to know something cool?” Lucy nodded. Natsu let go of her and decided instead to rest on the side of the bed on one arm while Lucy followed him lying on her side to not lose sight of him.

“When I realized who you were, I tried my best to not fall for you. I thought that if I didn’t fall in love with you, I would break the cycle. You are so weird Lucy, you make it impossible for me not to love you.”. Natsu put his arms around her and held onto her tightly placing her head close to his heart.

“Like you are any better.”, She muttered. “I love you too, idiot.” Natsu laughed reaching for her to sink his head on the crook of her neck for a few minutes before both of them adjusted onto a more comfortable position allowing the sleep to take both of them.

------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Everyone! The art piece was made by the amazing @linkyychan She and I worked together alongside our mod to create this for the @nalugruviaevents which was a big bang where a lot of creators got together. I hope all of you enjoy this as much as we enjoyed creating it. Have a lovely day

[honeyskins]

Oblivious human!Harry and his lover witch!Y/N would include...

Salt lines the window sills of their shared apartment. Harry doesn’t really mind it, even when Y/N claims it’s to, “Keep the demons away.” Thinks it’s rather nifty.

Y/N knows his zodiac signs, down to the exact positions the planets were in on his birthday. She keeps his birthstone (amethysts) around the house to protect him, knows his Chinese zodiac and which bodily humour he was. Keeps crystals around weird places of the house. She just really likes Astrology, he concludes. 

Harry stumbled upon some cabinet he didn’t know was in the kitchen, filled with stuff labeled, Tonic of Defense, Rat Tongue, Philter of Newt. ”What are these, baby?” She shrugged nonchalant. “Stuff for potions and incantations.” Harry nodded, an eyebrow quirking up. “Rather crafty place to store the decorations, keeps them out of the garage.” 

Sometimes thinks he can hear their cat, Tarot, mumbling things. Human things. Makes sense, as Y/N cast a spell on Tarot so he could talk. Harry shakes his head and jots it down as the apartment having thin walls.

Harry overhearing Y/N reciting spells in Latin, going “Wow, your Italian has improved loads, darling! Which app it it you’re using? Duolingo? I need to give that a try.”

Y/N telling Harry on their one year anniversary that she’s “a witch”, Harry instantly frowning, “No baby, why would you say that? You’re wonderful.” Her insisting makes Harry laugh, “If you’re a witch, I’m a witch.” 

The flowers his mother sent him were wilting, and Harry’s depressed, Y/N noticed. He came home to an empty house on his lunch break, noticing the flowers were alive and thriving. He texts her “The flowers mum got me are alive!!!!!!!!!!!” Y/N like, “yeah :) I brought them back to life.” Harry’s reply “LOL yeah you did baby!!!” 

1st February was rainy to Harry’s dismay, as he hated when his birthday was rainy. One shower and a little time later, Y/N’s suntanning on the balcony, not one single grey cloud in the blue sky sight. “I special looked-up how to cast the weather for you.” A nonchalant, “Thanks love!”

Harry scratching their cat, Tarot. “You’re the cutest trouble-maker, aren’t ya’?” 

“You have no idea.” 

“Wait what the fuck?”

“Meow.”

“Oh, Okay.”

Harry accidentally dropping his iPhone beyond repair on the cement outside, being really upset because he didn’t save the lyrics he was working on. Y/N brings it to him next morning, no damage and lyrics saved. He asked her how she did it, she replies, “Magic.” Harry smiling fondly like “Sure, babe.”

He doesn't mind that she dresses up as a witch every Halloween, she pulls it off rather naturally. “You just need a broom!” 

“Just because I’m a witch, doesn’t mean I ride brooms, Harry.”

“’Course they do...? It’s in the movies. That’s okay, I have other things you can ride.”

Y/N really, really likes Halloween. Like, all year round. And Beltane. And the Midsummer’s Eve. She claims it makes her powers stronger, but Harry just thinks it’s the sunny weather because, “That makes everyone feel nice, silly baby.”

It makes Harry grumpy that she had her candles littered around the place, the sole fact they don’t even smell. “They’re not for smelling Harry, I use them for prayers and rituals.” He scoffs. “Well maybe you can happen to buy one in Vanilla Pumpkin Cupcake next time.”

Grocery shopping with him was rather annoying. “This is perfect!” Y/N grinned, holding stalks of lavender and thistle. “This is exactly what I need for my cauldron.”

“We don’t have a cauldron.” 

“I do too, in the attic. I’ve showed you...many times, Harry.” 

“We don’t have an attic.”

Harry’s colds and flu always seem to last for only one or two days. Y/N tells him that it’s because she sacrificed a soul of sorts in trade for his health back, but he always gives her a chaste kiss on the cheek and babbles about a healthy immune system with all the smoothies he drinks. 

“What a lovely book.” Harry would inspect her outdated book of spells. Thumbing over the gold trimmed edges and the worn down pages, the magic inside it was centuries older than he was. “Is this Edgar Allan Poe?”

“I’m thinking of studying necromancy. Maybe voodoo. Heard it’s really useful.” At this Harry would scrunch his eyebrows with a pout, blinking dumbly a couple of times. “You know baby, most people go back to college for psychology or — or pottery or summat, but uh, necromancy sounds...cool. Yeah. I support you.” 

Harry opened the refrigerator, huffing as he called out to his girlfriend, “Love, did you buy apples?” And maybe Y/N whispered a tiny spell under her breath,  watching them burst into creation at the top shelf of the fridge, coincidentally as Harry was searching the lower shelf. “Yeah, top shelf. The red ones you like, right?” And Harry could’ve sworn he checked the top shelf, but maybe he just didn’t see them.  

And finally, despite his girl being an odd ball, Harry wouldn’t trade her for anything.

[sapphictrash92]

Yaz secretly writes poetry about Thirteen. 

Yasmin Khan was nineteen years old and for the first time in her life she’d fallen in love, she’d never felt ashamed for not being particularly interested in anyone, she knew it would take someone really special to make her that vulnerable. She needed someone that could challenge her, that could handle her being headstrong, and that could understand her drive to want to make a difference and get out of Sheffield. She was prepared to wait until she was older to find that person, but then the Doctor quite literally crashed into her life, giving her everything she needed and more. It amused Yaz that it had taken an alien to make her fall, but you couldn’t really get any more special than that. The other woman didn’t know, no she was much too afraid to admit her feelings, fearing that she’d lose her best friend and bring an end to their incredible adventures. Instead she pined in secret, scribbling line after line of poetry about her in a journal she constantly moved around her room on the Tardis so it was never in view. 

she gifted me a new life an entire universe of possibility beautiful worlds rich with history vast landscapes lush and green sandy and sunny darkness illuminated by starlight  yet nothing shines as bright as her

Yaz smiled as she read it back, tucking her journal in her pillowcase, smoothing her hair and checking her reflection in the mirror before going to join the others at the console. Off on another adventure they went, in the meantime the Tardis decided to take things into her own hands. It was obvious to her and basically everyone but the two women themselves that they both felt the same way, which was why Yaz’s journal now lay on the Doctor’s purple sofa she’d recently Kerblam’d for her room. 

The team arrived back to the Tardis absolutely beat, the three humans barely managed the walk to their rooms. They needed a lot more rest than the Doctor, but she was happy to go to her room, kick off her boots and lounge on her comfy new sofa. She hung up her coat, left her boots by the door, and threw herself down on her purple purchase. 

“What the?” She said to herself, feeling something underneath her. 

She reached underneath and pulled out the journal, she looked at it puzzled, she didn’t remember leaving something there. She shrugged her shoulders and opened it, putting a cushion behind her head to read. Pages upon pages of poetry, some of the most beautiful words she’d ever read. They started more vague, speaking of friendship, but as she continued reading they grew into descriptions of romantic feelings. She read until she reached the last entry, her eyes widening as it suddenly dawned on her that she was reading about herself, she was the subject! The question was, who was the author? She flipped through the remaining blank pages and at the back, she found her answer, a photograph of Yaz with her family stuck to the inside. 

Her hearts picked up speed in her chest, she hurriedly flipped back to the start of the journal, reading and re-reading every precious word. Yaz wrote about me, Yaz has feelings for me, my Yaz. But how did her-

“This was you wasn’t it” She accused aloud, the Tardis whirring lowly in reply. 

She scrunched up her face, feeling conflicted. She was happy she now knew Yaz returned her feelings, but journals were private, especially when they contained beautiful secret poetry! 

“Ugh! You shouldn’t have done this, put it back!” She ordered, expecting it to suddenly disappear from her hands. Nothing happened, no disappearing, no whirring. She pouted in exasperation, putting the journal over her face. 

What do I do? Sneak it back into her room while she’s asleep? Play dumb? Tell her I feel the same way?

The Tardis whirred in agreement with the last option.

“No one asked you! Meddling machine” She huffed. 

She spent the rest of the night re-reading the words and coming up with a plan, by the time Graham knocked on her door to ask her if she was hungry she had one. She pulled him into her room, quickly shutting the door. 

“Graham I need your help, the Tardis decided to meddle and I ended up accidentally reading Yaz’s secret poetry about me. I need you or Ryan to put it back, if I get her out of the Tardis can you do that for me? I’ll say we’re gonna go pick up breakfast for all of us, whatever you want” She babbled, Graham not even phased, smiled and nodded.

“Of course, Doc, but you will tell her how you feel won’t you? Cancer and losing Grace just drove home how short life is, not so short for you but, you get what I mean.”

“You’re right, I’m definitely gonna tell her. Thanks, Graham.” 

“Go get her, Doc” He winked, she smiled shyly. 

He left with the journal, leaving a suddenly nervous Doctor to change into her burgundy shirt, coat, and boots. Brushing her hair until she was happy where every strand lay, she took a deep breath and made her way to Yaz’s room, tentatively knocking. 

“Yaz? You up for coming to get breakfast with me?” 

“‘Course! Lemme just fix my hair”

Hands in her pockets she made her way to the control room, planning in her head what she was going to say. So lost in her thoughts she didn’t hear Yaz approaching. 

“Ready to go?” Yaz asked, Thirteen jumped a little.

“Yep! I’m hungry, need fried egg sandwiches. Let’s go!” 

She hurried out of the Tardis doors with Yaz close behind her.

“Did you sleep at all last night?”

“Me? No, no. I was reading po- Poe, Edgar Allan Poe. Strange fellow, but friendly enough. Very talented man.” Thirteen babbled, shoving her hands in her pockets as they walked to one of the cafes they frequented when back. 

“Right. Is there anyone you haven’t met?” Yaz teased. 

“Yes! I hadn’t met Rosa Parks until I did with you lot” She replied, sticking her tongue out at her crush. 

Crush, right. Okay, I can do this. I’ve done amazing things, I can tell Yaz I want to be more than friends. 

Lost in her thoughts again as they crossed a road she missed the car suddenly speeding around the corner, she turned toward the sound of the beeping and felt herself being quickly pulled onto the pavement. Yaz looked so worried she immediately felt guilty for the watery look in her eyes.

“Doctor, are you okay?!” 

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Thanks to you. Sorry, I was in my own little world.”

Yaz looked her over, making sure the car hadn’t manage to clip her, but she was fine, other than the wounded puppy dog expression on her face. 

“Something’s up, you don’t seem yourself. Wanna talk about it?” 

Thirteen bit her lip and nodded, gesturing for her to sit on the nearby bench. Yaz sat down, immediately turning her body to face her as she sunk down beside her. She could see she was nervous about something, bouncing her leg and twiddling her thumbs. 

“Hey” Yaz said softly, reaching over to take her hand. “Talk to me, you know you can tell me anythin’“ 

She sighed, looking down at their hands and exhaling slowly. 

“I know it’s just.. Remember when you told me that I’m the best person you’ve ever met”

“Of course I do!” Yaz smiled fondly, nudging her slightly. “It’s the truth.”

“Well, I didn’t say it back and I should’ve. I’ve known so many people, Yaz, so many species and races throughout the galaxies, but when I’m with you... I feel more human than I have in a long time.” 

The weight of the words resonated with Yaz, she felt her heart beating away and hoped that her hand wasn’t as clammy as it felt as the woman squeezed it.

“I know you’re a regenerating timelord, but you’ve always just been human to me. An extraordinary one with an extra heart and a home outside of Earth, but a human, a really good one.”

Thirteen smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek that Yaz couldn’t gently wipe away fast enough. She held the younger woman’s hand against her cheek, closing her eyes. 

“I want to be more than your friend, Yaz” She whispered, eyes opening to see the surprise on her face. 

“Wh- You- Can you say that again?”

She chuckled, shuffling until their legs touched and leaning close to her ear.

“I’ve fallen for you, Yaz. I tried not to, I tried to fight it, I don’t want to fight it.”

“I- You- Wow” She gasped, giving her brain a minute to catch up. The Doctor sat patiently waiting, still holding her hand. 

“I don’t wanna fight it either” Yaz told her, shaking her head. “I didn’t say anything ‘cuz I didn’t want to lose you or this amazin’ life you’ve given us.”

“You chose it, Yaz. You and Ryan and Graham, that night you came back to the Tardis and told me you wanted more time with me.. it made me so happy, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.”

“We weren’t either, when you asked us to be sure.. that was the surest I’ve ever felt, besides being sure that I’m in love with you.”

The Doctor knew it, she’d read many words expressing it, but hearing her say it took the air from her lungs. They grinned at each other, their eyes twinkling, their gaze falling to each other’s lips. 

“How do you feel about public displays of affection?” Thirteen murmured, tucking a strand of dark hair behind the girl’s ear, relishing the way she leaned in to her touch. 

“Well I don’t see anyone around, do you?” Yaz cheekily quirked an eyebrow, hand grabbing on to one of the Doctor’s suspenders closing the small gap left  between their lips. Soft lips, warm and inviting, happily becoming acquainted with the other’s. Smiling, so much smiling. Savouring the moment, not wanting it to end quite yet. 

“Oi!” A familiar voice said, moving toward them. 

They sheepishly turned around to see Ryan, who was now smirking at them.

“It’s about time! I’m happy for ya, but me and Grandad were waiting for our fried egg sandwiches!” 

Yaz shook her head at him, Thirteen laughed. Those two and food. 

“Honestly you two act like I starve ya! I’m sorry your breakfast is late, but I was distracted for a bit. You do realize there’s a stocked kitchen on the Tardis though right?” 

Ryan rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, but there’s no eggs!”

“Fair enough” Thirteen agreed. 

“Sorry Ry, we had some talking to do”

“With your tongues?” 

Yaz narrowed her eyes at him, his shit-eating grin melting away.

“Hey! There was no tongue involved, we’re on the street.”

“If you say so, now can we please get breakfast before my stomach eats itself?”

“You’re such a drama queen” Yaz sighed as she stood up, pulling the Doctor up with her. 

“I’m a growing lad” Ryan smiled. “Need my energy for fighting our enemies init”

“Can’t fault his logic there” Thirteen shrugged, draping her arm around Yaz’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s feed them so we can actually do other things today”

“Like?” Yaz inquired, heart fluttering as she saw the mischievous look on the Doctor’s face. 

“My room after breakfast” She whispered, though apparently not well enough as Ryan groaned.

“Doc you need to work on your whispering” He shook his head, kicking at stones in his path.

“Will bacon on your sandwiches make up for the trauma?” 

He pondered this.

“Well y’know I AM really hungry...”

“Oh for god’s sake” Yaz grumbled. “Tell you what, run the rest of the way to the café in under a minute and I’ll get you and your Grandad a full fry up”

Ryan didn’t need to hear any more, he took off running and they watched him disappear around the corner.

“You know it’s way closer than a minute away” Thirteen said, tilting her head curiously.

“Uh huh” Yaz smiled, wrapping her arms around her waist. 

“Yasmin Khan” She tutted in faux dismay, already leaning down.

“Shut up and kiss me before he comes back to get us.”

Falling from the Tardis into Sheffield, brilliant.

[sandranelsonuk]

581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant

It’s almost too easy.

By using sensory words to evoke sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell; smart and attractive writers just like you are able to make their words burst to life in their readers’ minds.

In this post, you’ll learn:

The science behind sensory details (e.g. why sensory words are so persuasive);

The definition of sensory words (plus examples);

How answering five simple questions will help you write descriptive words that pack your content with sensory language;

500+ sensory words you can incorporate into your own writing (right now).

Let’s dive in.

Pin Image

Back to Top

The Colossal Power of Sensory Details

Remember the final scene in Field of Dreams when Ray Kinsella has a catch with his dad?

You can smell the grass on the field.

You can hear the sound of the baseball hitting their gloves.

And you can feel Ray’s years of guilt melting away as he closes his eyes, smiles, and tosses the ball back to his dad.

(Be honest. You’re crying right now, aren’t you?)

Field of Dreams made you feel like you were in Ray’s shoes, on his field, playing catch with dad.

The scene creates such a vivid experience for many viewers that whenever they think of playing catch, this scene will come up alongside their own childhood memories.

Here’s why:

When you paint a strong scene in your audience’s mind, you make it easier for them to pull it back up from their memory. You’ve essentially bookmarked it for them so they can easily find it when something — a sight, a smell, a sound — reminds them of it.

That’s the power of content that incorporates sensory details.

And this power isn’t limited to cinema classics capable of making grown men cry. For centuries, literary giants have been packing their prose with powerful words that evoke the senses:

“Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war; That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial” — William Shakespeare (circa 1599)

In addition to The Bard, authors like Maya Angelou, Edgar Allan Poe, and Charles Dickens excel at sensory language. So do literally every famous poet you learned about in school.

And that begs the obvious question…

Back to Top

Why are Sensory Details so Effective?

Short answer:

Our brains handle sensory words differently than ordinary words.

In a 2011 study published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, experts found that our brains process “tangible” (i.e. sensory) words faster than other words.

And in a study published for Brain and Language in 2012, psychologists found that a certain part of our brain is “activated” when we read sensory words.

In other words:

So, we know why sensory details are powerful. And we know writers have been tapping into their power for a long, long time.

Now let’s define them and go over a few examples:

Back to Top

What are Sensory Words?

Sensory words are descriptive words — using imagery, they describe how we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell the world around us.

Let’s break each one down:

#1. Sight Sensory Words

Words related to vision describe the appearance of something (its color, size, shape, and so on).

Examples of visual words:

Her golden hair looked disheveled thanks to the gust of wind.

He was a towering presence.

I ordered a large orange juice, but the waiter brought me a teeny-tiny glass the size of a thimble.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Sight Sensory Words.

Angular Azure Billowy Black Bleary Bloated Blonde Blue Blurred Blushing Branching Bright Brilliant Broad Brown Brunette Bulbous Bulky Camouflaged Chubby Circular Colorful Colorless Colossal Contoured Cosmic Craggy Crimson Crinkled Crooked Crowded Crystalline Curved Dark Dazzling Deep Dim Dingy Disheveled Distinct Drab Dreary Dull Dusty Elegant Enchanting Engaging Enormous Faded Fancy Fat Filthy Flashy Flat Flickering Foggy Forked Freckled Fuzzy Gargantuan Gaudy Gigantic Ginormous Glamorous Gleaming Glimpse Glistening Glitter Glittering Globular Gloomy Glossy Glowing Gold Graceful Gray Green Grotesque Hazy Hollow Homely Huge Illuminated Immense Indistinct Ivory Knotty Lacy Lanky Large Lavender Lean Lithe Little Lofty Long Low Malnourished Maroon Massive Miniature Misshapen Misty Motionless Mottled Mountainous Muddy Murky Narrow Obtuse Olive Opaque Orange Oval Pale Peered Petite Pink Portly Pristine Prodigious Purple Quaint Radiant Rectangular Red Reddish Rippling Rotund Round Ruby Ruddy Rusty Sabotaged Shadowy Shallow Shapeless Sheer Shimmering Shiny Short Silver Skinny Small Smudged Soaring Sparkling Sparkly Spherical Spotless Spotted Square Steep Stormy Straight Strange Striped Sunny Swooping Tall Tapering Tarnished Teeny-tiny Tiny Towering Translucent Transparent Triangular Turquoise Twinkling Twisted Ugly Unsightly Unusual Vibrant Vivid Weird White Wide Wiry Wispy Wizened Wrinkled Wrinkly Yellow

  #2. Sound Sensory Words

Words related to hearing often describe the sound they make (known as onomatopoeia), but this isn’t always the case.

Examples of hearing words:

He had a big, booming voice.

The sound of screeching tires was soon followed by the deafening sound of a car horn.

As I peeked under the bed, the cackling laughter coming from the closet made the hairs on my arms stand up.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Sound Sensory Words.

Babble Bang Barking Bawled Bawling Bellow Blare Blaring Bleat Boom Booming Bray Buzz Buzzing Cackle Cackling Chatter Chattering Cheer Chiming Chirping Chuckle Clamor Clang Clanging Clap Clapping Clicking Clink Clinking Cooing Coughing Crackle Crackling Crashing Creak Croaking Crow Crunch Crunching Crunchy Cry Crying Deafening Distorted Dripping Ear-piercing Earsplitting Exploding Faint Fizzing Gagging Gasping Giggle Giggling Grate Grating Growl Grumble Grunt Grunting Guffaw Gurgle Gurgling Hanging Hiss Hissing Honking Howl Hubbub Hum Humming Hush Jabber Jangle Jangling Laughing Moaning Monotonous Mooing Muffled Mumble Mumbling Murmur Mutter Muttering Noisy Peeping Piercing Ping Pinging Plopping Pop Purring Quacking Quiet Rant Rapping Rasping Raucous Rave Ringing Roar Roaring Rumble Rumbling Rustle Rustling Scratching Scream Screaming Screech Screeching Serene Shout Shouting Shrieking Shrill Sigh Silent Sing Singing Sizzling Slam Slamming Snap Snappy Snoring Snort Splashing Squawking Squeaky Stammer Stomp Storm Stuttering Tearing Thudding Thump Thumping Thunder Thundering Ticking Tingling Tinkling Twitter Twittering Wail Warbling Wheezing Whimper Whimpering Whine Whining Whir Whisper Whispering Whistle Whooping Yell Yelp

  #3. Touch Sensory Words

Touch words describe the texture of how something feels. They can also describe emotional feelings.

Examples of touch words:

Two minutes into the interview, I knew his abrasive personality would be an issue if we hired him.

With a forced smile, I put on the itchy Christmas sweater my grandmother bought me.

The Hot Pocket was scalding on the outside, but ice-cold in the middle.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Touch Sensory Words.

Abrasive Balmy Biting Boiling Breezy Bristly Bubbly Bubby Bumpy Burning Bushy Chilled Chilly Clammy Coarse Cold Cool Cottony Crawly Creepy Cuddly Cushioned Damp Dank Dirty Downy Drenched Dry Elastic Feathery Feverish Fine Fleshy Fluff Fluffy Foamy Fragile Freezing Furry Glassy Gluey Gooey Grainy Greasy Gritty Gushy Hairy Heavy Hot Humid Ice-Cold Icy Itchy Knobbed Leathery Light Lightweight Limp Lukewarm Lumpy Matted Metallic Moist Mushy Numbing Oily Plastic Pointed Powdery Pulpy Rocky Rough Rubbery Sandy Scalding Scorching Scratchy Scummy Serrated Shaggy Sharp Shivering Shivery Silky Slimy Slippery Sloppy Smooth Smothering Soapy Soft Sopping Soupy Splintery Spongy Springy Sputter Squashy Squeal Squishy Steamy Steely Sticky Stifled Stifling Stinging Stony Stubby Tangled Tapered Tender Tepid Thick Thin Thorny Tickling Tough Unsanitary Velvety Warm Waxy Wet Woolly

  #4. Taste Sensory Words

Taste words are interesting. Though they can describe food, they’re often used in comparisons and metaphors.

Examples of taste words:

It’s a bittersweet situation.

Her zesty personality caught Karl’s eye.

The scrumptious jalapeno poppers comforted Karl after his bitter rejection.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Taste Sensory Words.

Acidic Appetizing Bitter Bittersweet Bland Buttery Charred Contaminated Creamy Crispy Delectable Delicious Doughy Earthy Fermented Flavorful Flavorless Floury Garlicky Gingery Gritty Hearty Juicy Luscious Medicinal Mellow Melted Nauseating Nutritious Nutty Palatable Peppery Pickled Piquant Raw Refreshing Rich Ripe Runt Savory Scrumptious Stale Sugary Syrupy Tangy Tart Tasteless Unripe Vinegary Yummy Zesty

  #5. Smell Sensory Words

Words related to smell describe — yes, you guessed it — how things smell. Often underutilized, sensory words connected with smell can be very effective.

Examples of smell words:

The pungent smell was unmistakable: someone in this elevator was wearing Axe Body Spray.

No matter the expiration date, it was clear from its rancid stench the milk had gone bad.

The flowery aroma was a welcome change after the elevator and milk incidents.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Smell Sensory Words.

Ambrosial Antiseptic Aroma Aromatic Briny Citrusy Decayed Decomposed Doggy Fetid Floral Flowery Foul-smelling Fragrant Gamy Gaseous Horrid Inodorous Malodorous Mephitic Musky Musty Odiferous Odor Odorless Old Perfumed Piney Polluted Pungent Putrid Rancid Rank Redolent Reeking Scent Scented Sickly Skunky Smell Smoky Stagnant Stench Stinky Sweaty Tempting

  Note on Taste and Smell:

Because they’re closely related, some sensory words can be used for both taste and smell. Examples: fruity, minty, and tantalizing.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Taste and Smell Sensory Words.

Acrid Burnt Fishy Fresh Fruity Lemony Minty Moldy Mouth-watering Rotten Salty Sour Spicy Spoiled Sweet Tantalizing

  Back to Top

Sensory Details: Examples in the Wild

Imagine the following headline came across your Twitter feed:

How to Avoid Using Boring Stock Photo Images in Your Content

Would you click it?

Better question…

Could you read the headline without falling asleep?

The answers are probably “no” and “heck no.”

Now imagine you saw this headline:

Much better, right?

The simple addition of the sensory word “cringeworthy” changes the tone of the entire headline. Instead of yawning, you’re thinking of an awkward or embarrassing moment you really don’t want to relive.

Let’s look at a few more modern-day examples of sharp people using sensory language to spruce up their content:

Using Sensory Words in Author Bios

I’ll pick on me for this one.

Here’s the author bio I used for one of my first-ever guest posts:

Kevin Duncan is the owner of Be A Better Blogger, where he helps people become the best bloggers they can be.

Now look at the author bio my friend Henneke wrote for Writer’s Block: 27 Techniques to Overcome It Forever:

Henneke Duistermaat is an irreverent copywriter and business writing coach. She’s on a mission to stamp out gobbledygook and to make boring business blogs sparkle.

My bio is devoid of sensory words (or any interesting words at all, if we’re being honest).

Henneke’s is chock full of them.

Her bio is interesting.

Mine is boring.

The lesson? Add at least one sensory word to your author bio.

Using Sensory Words in Social Media Profiles

Some people opt for brevity when writing their social media profiles, and that’s fine.

But if you want your Twitter profile (or Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media profile) to stand out from the crowd, sprinkle in a sensory word or two.

Like so:

Mel Wicks is a veteran copywriter who knows a thing or two about the effectiveness of descriptive words, so she uses them to spice up her Twitter profile.

Here’s an example from my badly-neglected Instagram account:

“Enchanting” and “adorably-jubilant” are wonderful sensory words — so wonderful, it’s a shame they’re wasted on a profile no one sees.

Look at your own profiles and see if there’s a place to add a sensory word or two. They’ll help your profile jump off the screen.

Heck, see if you can use enchanting and adorably-jubilant.

They deserve to be seen.

Using Sensory Words in Introductions

The opening lines of your content are so important.

If you’re a student, your opening sets the tone for your teacher (who we both know is dying to use his red pen).

If you’re an author, your opening can be the difference between someone buying your book or putting it back on the shelf in favor of one of those Twilight books (probably).

And if you’re a blogger, writer, content marketer, or business; your opening can hook the reader (increasing dwell time, which is great in Google’s eyes) or send them scurrying for the “back” button.

It’s why we put such an emphasis on introductions here at Smart Blogger.

Sometimes our openings hook you with a question.

Sometimes we strike a note of empathy or (like this post) focus on searcher intent.

And sometimes we give you a heaping helping of sensory words:

Imagine you’re sitting in a lounge chair on the beach, staring out over the glittering sea, the ocean breeze ruffling your hair, listening to the slow, steady rhythm of the waves.

In the above opening for How to Become a Freelance Writer and Get Paid $200 – $1K per Post, Jon Morrow uses sensory language to set a scene for the reader.

And it’s highly, highly effective.

Using Sensory Words in Email Subject Lines

Like you, your readers are flooded with emails.

And with open rates in a steady decline, people are trying anything and everything to make their email subject lines stand out:

Emojis;

Capitalized words;

All lowercase letters;

Two exclamation points;

Clickbait that would make even BuzzFeed go, “that’s too far, man.”

You name it, people are trying it.

Want a simpler, far-more-effective way to help your emails stand out from the crowd?

Add a sensory word.

Brian Dean loves to include words like “boom” in his subjects:

The folks at AppSumo and Sumo (formerly SumoMe) regularly feature descriptive words in their subjects and headlines.

Here’s one example:

And sensory language appears in most everything Henneke writes, including her subject lines.

In this one she also uses an emoji related to her sensory word. Very clever:

Now that we’ve covered several examples, let’s dig a bit deeper…

Let’s discuss some practical steps you can take that will make adding sensory language to your writing a breeze:

Back to Top

How Descriptive Words Can Pack Your Writing With Sensory Language

If you’ve taken a good English or writing class, you’ve probably been told a time or two to “show, don’t tell.”

This means you should create an engaging experience for your audience; not just tell them what you want them to know.

You accomplish this by using descriptive language that conveys sensations and lets readers experience your words (rather than simply read them).

And how do you do that, exactly?

Ask yourself these five questions when you’re writing:

#1. What Do You See?

It isn’t enough to tell your readers there was a scary house in your neighborhood when you were a child. Describe the house to them in vivid detail.

What shade of gray was it?

Were the doors boarded up?

Precisely how many ghostly figures did you see staring at you from the upstairs bedroom windows, and how many are standing behind you right now?

Paint a mental picture for your readers.

#2. What Do You Hear?

We listen to uptempo songs to push us through cardio workouts. Many of us listen to rainfall when we’re trying to sleep. Some of us listen to Justin Bieber when we want to punish our neighbors.

Want to transplant readers into your literary world?

Talk about the drip, drip, drip of the faucet.

Mention the squeaking floors beneath your feet.

Describe the awful music coming from your next-door-neighbor’s house.

#3. How Does it Feel?

Touch sensory words can convey both tactile and emotional sensations.

Can you describe to the reader how something feels when touched? Is it smooth or rough? Round or flat? Is it covered in goo or is it goo-less?

Paint a picture for your reader so they can touch what you’re touching.

The same goes for emotions. Help the reader feel what you (or your character) are feeling. Draw them in.

#4. What Does it Taste Like?

Does the beach air taste salty? Is the roaring fire so intense you can taste the smoke? Is the smell of your roommate’s tuna fish sandwich so strong you can taste it from across the room?

Tell your audience.

Be descriptive.

Make them taste the fishiness.

#5. How Does it Smell?

It wasn’t a basement you walked into — it was a musty, moldy basement.

And you didn’t simply enjoy your Mom’s homemade lasagna. You inhaled the aromatic scents of sauce, cheese, and basil.

Evoking the sense of smell is possibly the most effective way to pull readers out of their world and into yours.

So when you sit down to write, ask yourself if it’s possible to describe how something smells. And if you can? Do it.

Back to Top

The Massive Sensory Words List: 581 (and Counting) Descriptive Words to Supercharge Your Writing

Once you’ve asked and answered the five questions above, your writing will be packed with sensory details.

In time, you’ll build up your own massive list of sensory words you can reference and sprinkle throughout your work.

But in the meantime, here’s my list.

Bookmark them.

Print them.

Use them often:

SIGHT

SOUND

Angular Babble Azure Bang Billowy Barking Black Bawled Bleary Bawling Bloated Bellow Blonde Blare Blue Blaring Blurred Bleat Blushing Boom Branching Booming Bright Bray Brilliant Buzz Broad Buzzing Brown Cackle Brunette Cackling Bulbous Chatter Bulky Chattering Camouflaged Cheer Chubby Chiming Circular Chirping Colorful Chuckle Colorless Clamor Colossal Clang Contoured Clanging Cosmic Clap Craggy Clapping Crimson Clicking Crinkled Clink Crooked Clinking Crowded Cooing Crystalline Coughing Curved Crackle Dark Crackling Dazzling Crashing Deep Creak Dim Croaking Dingy Crow Disheveled Crunch Distinct Crunching Drab Crunchy Dreary Cry Dull Crying Dusty Deafening Elegant Distorted Enchanting Dripping Engaging Ear-piercing Enormous Earsplitting Faded Exploding Fancy Faint Fat Fizzing Filthy Gagging Flashy Gasping Flat Giggle Flickering Giggling Foggy Grate Forked Grating Freckled Growl Fuzzy Grumble Gargantuan Grunt Gaudy Grunting Gigantic Guffaw Ginormous Gurgle Glamorous Gurgling Gleaming Hanging Glimpse Hiss Glistening Hissing Glitter Honking Glittering Howl Globular Hubbub Gloomy Hum Glossy Humming Glowing Hush Gold Jabber Graceful Jangle Gray Jangling Green Laughing Grotesque Moaning Hazy Monotonous Hollow Mooing Homely Muffled Huge Mumble Illuminated Mumbling Immense Murmur Indistinct Mutter Ivory Muttering Knotty Noisy Lacy Peeping Lanky Piercing Large Ping Lavender Pinging Lean Plopping Lithe Pop Little Purring Lofty Quacking Long Quiet Low Rant Malnourished Rapping Maroon Rasping Massive Raucous Miniature Rave Misshapen Ringing Misty Roar Motionless Roaring Mottled Rumble Mountainous Rumbling Muddy Rustle Murky Rustling Narrow Scratching Obtuse Scream Olive Screaming Opaque Screech Orange Screeching Oval Serene Pale Shout Peered Shouting Petite Shrieking Pink Shrill Portly Sigh Pristine Silent Prodigious Sing Purple Singing Quaint Sizzling Radiant Slam Rectangular Slamming Red Snap Reddish Snappy Rippling Snoring Rotund Snort Round Splashing Ruby Squawking Ruddy Squeaky Rusty Stammer Sabotaged Stomp Shadowy Storm Shallow Stuttering Shapeless Tearing Sheer Thudding Shimmering Thump Shiny Thumping Short Thunder Silver Thundering Skinny Ticking Small Tingling Smudged Tinkling Soaring Twitter Sparkling Twittering Sparkly Wail Spherical Warbling Spotless Wheezing Spotted Whimper Square Whimpering Steep Whine Stormy Whining Straight Whir Strange Whisper Striped Whispering Sunny Whistle Swooping Whooping Tall Yell Tapering Yelp Tarnished Teeny-tiny Tiny Towering Translucent Transparent Triangular Turquoise Twinkling Twisted Ugly Unsightly Unusual Vibrant Vivid Weird White Wide Wiry Wispy Wizened Wrinkled Wrinkly Yellow

TOUCH

TASTE

Abrasive Acidic Balmy Appetizing Biting Bitter Boiling Bittersweet Breezy Bland Bristly Buttery Bubbly Charred Bubby Contaminated Bumpy Creamy Burning Crispy Bushy Delectable Chilled Delicious Chilly Doughy Clammy Earthy Coarse Fermented Cold Flavorful Cool Flavorless Cottony Floury Crawly Garlicky Creepy Gingery Cuddly Gritty Cushioned Hearty Damp Juicy Dank Luscious Dirty Medicinal Downy Mellow Drenched Melted Dry Nauseating Elastic Nutritious Feathery Nutty Feverish Palatable Fine Peppery Fleshy Pickled Fluff Piquant Fluffy Raw Foamy Refreshing Fragile Rich Freezing Ripe Furry Runt Glassy Savory Gluey Scrumptious Gooey Stale Grainy Sugary Greasy Syrupy Gritty Tangy Gushy Tart Hairy Tasteless Heavy Unripe Hot Vinegary Humid Yummy Ice-Cold Zesty Icy Itchy Knobbed Leathery Light Lightweight Limp Lukewarm Lumpy Matted Metallic Moist Mushy Numbing Oily Plastic Pointed Powdery Pulpy Rocky Rough Rubbery Sandy Scalding Scorching Scratchy Scummy Serrated Shaggy Sharp Shivering Shivery Silky Slimy Slippery Sloppy Smooth Smothering Soapy Soft Sopping Soupy Splintery Spongy Springy Sputter Squashy Squeal Squishy Steamy Steely Sticky Stifled Stifling Stinging Stony Stubby Tangled Tapered Tender Tepid Thick Thin Thorny Tickling Tough Unsanitary Velvety Warm Waxy Wet Woolly

SMELL

TASTE & SMELL

Ambrosial Acrid Antiseptic Burnt Aroma Fishy Aromatic Fresh Briny Fruity Citrusy Lemony Decayed Minty Decomposed Moldy Doggy Mouth-watering Fetid Rotten Floral Salty Flowery Sour Foul-smelling Spicy Fragrant Spoiled Gamy Sweet Gaseous Tantalizing Horrid Inodorous Malodorous Mephitic Musky Musty Odiferous Odor Odorless Old Perfumed Piney Polluted Pungent Putrid Rancid Rank Redolent Reeking Scent Scented Sickly Skunky Smell Smoky Stagnant Stench Stinky Sweaty Tempting

Back to Top

Are You Ready to Unleash the Power of Sensory Words?

It’s time to say goodbye.

Goodbye to lifeless words that sit on the page.

Goodbye to indifferent readers ready to move on to something, anything, else.

You now know why sensory details are so effective. You know how to sprinkle descriptive words throughout your content. And you now have a massive, ever-growing list of sensory words to bookmark and come back to again and again.

Variations of the following quote have been attributed to everyone from Carl W. Buehner to Maya Angelou, but regardless of who said it, and how they said it, it’s true:

“People may forget what you said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”

It’s time to make your readers feel.

Are you ready?

Then let’s do this thing.

About the Author: When he’s not busy telling waitresses, baristas, and anyone else who crosses his path that Jon Morrow once said he was in the top 1% of bloggers, Kevin J. Duncan is the Blog Editor and Social Media Manager for Smart Blogger.

The post 581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Julia Garza Social Media Tips https://smartblogger.com/sensory-words/

[yumidarkheart]

21 Qs

tagged by @beckyshtar @shoheiakagi @anewmourning

RULES: Answer 21 questions and then tag 21 people you want to get to know better.

I’m NOT gonna tag 21 ppl here because literally half of the ppl I would tag tagged me first and the other half it’s practically dead onlin so I’m only tagging the friends and mutuals I know are active.

@finalgale @danaescrazybitch @twisted-twosided-fate @redloveashes @kuroh-is-my-queen @endless-season @kurgy​

Friendly reminder no one is obligated to do this! uwu

1. HEIGHT: like 168 c or something like this but I’m not ure at all.

2. ZODIAC: Capricorn with an Aies ascendant and moon on Taurus

3. LAST MOVIE I SAW: Zootopia. (On theather Mary Poppins Returns)

4. FAVORITE MUSICIAN: I like a lot of artirts but my favs forever are Skillet, Kenshi Yonezu, Daft Punk, Cascada, Whitim Temptation, Florence and the Machine, EGOISt and Hollywood Undead. I also love a lot of anime OST compositors like Kajiura Yuki, Kevin Penkin and Yoko Kano.

5. FAVORITE AUTHOR: I have a lot of time I don’t read actual books but I can say I like a lot edgar allan poe(?).  Sorry it’s hard to read new books on a country where we don’t get any kind of outside influence since 2012...

6. FAVORITE FANFICTION:   Well I have a lot so here goes my personal list.

Español / Spanish

Caldo de Pollo por  Airam09 ( Fanfiction de Code lyoko, es un one shot super fluffy de Oddlita y es todo lo que se necesita saber)

Tras las conquistas, existió una historia  por  Bicho Raro  ( Fanfiction de Axis Powers Hetalia, centrado en Prussia, su historia como país y como  Federico II el Grande influyó en su persona, un fanfic muy interesante, grasioso y un poquito rompe corazones)

Mente Frágil por  MagiDunkelheit ( Fanfiction de Yu - Gi- Oh!, Kaiba x Yami, es un AU de manicomio donde seto es un médico que se adjudica el caso de un joven inestable responsable de la muerte de su hermano menor yugi moto, pero realmente es el asesino? tristemente no esta completo pero es una buena lectura)

Yo te Protegeré  por  NightKids ( Fanfiction de Axis Powers Hetalia, DenNor & RusNor, Advertencia de una relación super tóxica, violaciones e intento de asesinato, pero vale la pena leer)

It’s right here in front of You  por  Becky Ishtar (Compilado de oneshots de Fujieric, algunos muy llenos de drama otros muy tiernos, si te gusta la pareja es super recomendada la lectura)

Cuestión de Tiempo  por  Becky Ishtar ( One Shot de Fujieric muy suave con tematica slice of life y muy rosa)

De gatos gordos y llamas cálidas por  Becky Ishtar ( One Shot de Fujieric (que sorpresa conmigo lmao) un poco mas dramático pero muy bueno para leer)

Palabras  por  Becky Ishtar (Otro Oneshot Fujieric super tierno, hyper recomendado)

English / Inglés

Toy Soldier by Kittyclaw (Code Lyoko Fanfiction, Odd centric, has an interesting twist of what if the xanafied character wasn’t William but Odd).

Opposing Tides by  xTAx  ( Code Lyoko Fanfiction, Yumi and Aelita centric, Oddlita and Ulumi, Pirates AU, hella good and highly recomended)

C R E A T I O N  by  WingsxOfxThexRaven ( DRRR! one shot, bassically shinra created an Izaya clone that was called Hachimenroppi and it’s kind of interesting)

The Lip-Lock Jinx by  Cassis Luna ( Harry Potter one shot Fanfiction, Drarry, post book events with a really cute interactions, highly recomended if you’re looking for a fluffy thing to read)

Unter Dem Licht Des Vollmondes by Gaxxy ( Axis Powers Hetalia, WARNING: Germancest, BUT before any of you judge me neither Lugwig or Gilbert are brothers here, it’s slettled on a medieval fantasy AU where Gilbert it’s a werewolf and it’s a really fun fic to read because their interactions are hella good)

The boy who leapt through time by  Fabulously Distressed ( Axis Powers Hetalia, Sealand and nordics centric)

Confusion, Delusion, Misapprehension by  Comic Goldfish (Axis Powers Hetalia Fanfiction, Amrica centered, AmeEng & DenNor based on a fantasy universe with magic and a aparent goverment complot, it’s not complete but it’s a good reading)

Sealand Spends the Night by  EarlyMorningMassacre (Axis Powers Hetalia, Norway centered, super angsty but with a good final on it)

Let me In by Winged Senea  ( K project Fanfiction, Eric centered one shots about his life in HOMRA and his adaptation procss, HIGHLY recomended and it’s super IC)

Slow Burn by  Sententiae ( K project one shot Fanfiction, Fujieric with a Fujishima PoV, hella good I highly recomend it)

The Most Incredible Thing by Diglossia ( K project Fanfiction, Eric and Dewa centered, has a good mistery and everyone it’s super IC, good interactions and good suspence)

Train a Child by  Midorima Kazunari  ( K project Fanfiction, HOMRA centered one shot about a simple night with Fujishima, Eric and Kusanagi at the bar)

7. FAVORITE MOVIE: I can’t think on most of them right now but sure I love N°9, tangled, Spirited Away,Howl’s Moving Castle, When Marnie was Here, The witch's flower, The angel’s egg,  Hoshi o Ou Kodomo, Mary Poppins, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban & Goblet of Fire,  Red Riding Hood (A super guilty pleasure) and a lot of horror movies.

8. FAVORITE ANIME: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain, K project, MoB Psycho 100, Shigeki no Bahamut (second season never happened to me), Mawaru Penguindrum, Cad Captor Sakura.

9. PLAY ANY INSTRUMENTS?: I used to play tambora and maracas but lost the practice.

10. RANDOM FACT: I can see and hear death people (not joking, sometimes it’s creepy as fuck and sometimes it’s wonderful)

11. LUCKY NUMBER: 3,6,13.

12. DO YOU GET ASKS?:  Once every blue moon and mostly from my friend @stergens when she is bored and active, which is rare lol.

13. FAVORITE FANDOM(S): i wouldn’t say i have a favorite one. i don’t go too deep into fandoms themselves i guess? i just enjoy lol

14. FAVORITE SONG:  the list it’s to big sorry.

15. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING: Black T-shirt, pink sporty pants, lilac socks and a pink heart choker.

16. HAIR COLOR: dark brown.

17. EYE COLOR: sometimes brow, sometimes ambar, sometimes olive.

18. FAVORITE FOOD: Tuna, ocean food in general, italian food, spicy tuna roll, venezuelan hamburguer “con todo mixta” (meat, chicken, pork, egg, cheese, tomato, lettuce, chips, a lot of sauces).

19. HOBBIES: draw, roleplay, lay in bed and procastinate whil watching youtube critics or vlogs.

20. FAVORITE WEATHER: Template, like cold but not TOO COLD , with the sky gray and calm wind. Or when it’s sunny but the wind it’ cold, the sky blue and the wind is fresh.

21. FAVORITE SUPERHERO(S): I’m not muh in to super heroes fanbase but I like spiderman, thor, ironman and idk...Chat Noir???(?)

[moffixxey]

581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant

It’s almost too easy.

By using sensory words to evoke sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell; smart and attractive writers just like you are able to make their words burst to life in their readers’ minds.

In this post, you’ll learn:

The science behind sensory details (e.g. why sensory words are so persuasive);

The definition of sensory words (plus examples);

How answering five simple questions will help you write descriptive words that pack your content with sensory language;

500+ sensory words you can incorporate into your own writing (right now).

Let’s dive in.

Pin Image

Back to Top

The Colossal Power of Sensory Details

Remember the final scene in Field of Dreams when Ray Kinsella has a catch with his dad?

You can smell the grass on the field.

You can hear the sound of the baseball hitting their gloves.

And you can feel Ray’s years of guilt melting away as he closes his eyes, smiles, and tosses the ball back to his dad.

(Be honest. You’re crying right now, aren’t you?)

Field of Dreams made you feel like you were in Ray’s shoes, on his field, playing catch with dad.

The scene creates such a vivid experience for many viewers that whenever they think of playing catch, this scene will come up alongside their own childhood memories.

Here’s why:

When you paint a strong scene in your audience’s mind, you make it easier for them to pull it back up from their memory. You’ve essentially bookmarked it for them so they can easily find it when something — a sight, a smell, a sound — reminds them of it.

That’s the power of content that incorporates sensory details.

And this power isn’t limited to cinema classics capable of making grown men cry. For centuries, literary giants have been packing their prose with powerful words that evoke the senses:

“Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war; That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial” — William Shakespeare (circa 1599)

In addition to The Bard, authors like Maya Angelou, Edgar Allan Poe, and Charles Dickens excel at sensory language. So do literally every famous poet you learned about in school.

And that begs the obvious question…

Back to Top

Why are Sensory Details so Effective?

Short answer:

Our brains handle sensory words differently than ordinary words.

In a 2011 study published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, experts found that our brains process “tangible” (i.e. sensory) words faster than other words.

And in a study published for Brain and Language in 2012, psychologists found that a certain part of our brain is “activated” when we read sensory words.

In other words:

So, we know why sensory details are powerful. And we know writers have been tapping into their power for a long, long time.

Now let’s define them and go over a few examples:

Back to Top

What are Sensory Words?

Sensory words are descriptive words — using imagery, they describe how we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell the world around us.

Let’s break each one down:

#1. Sight Sensory Words

Words related to vision describe the appearance of something (its color, size, shape, and so on).

Examples of visual words:

Her golden hair looked disheveled thanks to the gust of wind.

He was a towering presence.

I ordered a large orange juice, but the waiter brought me a teeny-tiny glass the size of a thimble.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Sight Sensory Words.

Angular Azure Billowy Black Bleary Bloated Blonde Blue Blurred Blushing Branching Bright Brilliant Broad Brown Brunette Bulbous Bulky Camouflaged Chubby Circular Colorful Colorless Colossal Contoured Cosmic Craggy Crimson Crinkled Crooked Crowded Crystalline Curved Dark Dazzling Deep Dim Dingy Disheveled Distinct Drab Dreary Dull Dusty Elegant Enchanting Engaging Enormous Faded Fancy Fat Filthy Flashy Flat Flickering Foggy Forked Freckled Fuzzy Gargantuan Gaudy Gigantic Ginormous Glamorous Gleaming Glimpse Glistening Glitter Glittering Globular Gloomy Glossy Glowing Gold Graceful Gray Green Grotesque Hazy Hollow Homely Huge Illuminated Immense Indistinct Ivory Knotty Lacy Lanky Large Lavender Lean Lithe Little Lofty Long Low Malnourished Maroon Massive Miniature Misshapen Misty Motionless Mottled Mountainous Muddy Murky Narrow Obtuse Olive Opaque Orange Oval Pale Peered Petite Pink Portly Pristine Prodigious Purple Quaint Radiant Rectangular Red Reddish Rippling Rotund Round Ruby Ruddy Rusty Sabotaged Shadowy Shallow Shapeless Sheer Shimmering Shiny Short Silver Skinny Small Smudged Soaring Sparkling Sparkly Spherical Spotless Spotted Square Steep Stormy Straight Strange Striped Sunny Swooping Tall Tapering Tarnished Teeny-tiny Tiny Towering Translucent Transparent Triangular Turquoise Twinkling Twisted Ugly Unsightly Unusual Vibrant Vivid Weird White Wide Wiry Wispy Wizened Wrinkled Wrinkly Yellow

  #2. Sound Sensory Words

Words related to hearing often describe the sound they make (known as onomatopoeia), but this isn’t always the case.

Examples of hearing words:

He had a big, booming voice.

The sound of screeching tires was soon followed by the deafening sound of a car horn.

As I peeked under the bed, the cackling laughter coming from the closet made the hairs on my arms stand up.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Sound Sensory Words.

Babble Bang Barking Bawled Bawling Bellow Blare Blaring Bleat Boom Booming Bray Buzz Buzzing Cackle Cackling Chatter Chattering Cheer Chiming Chirping Chuckle Clamor Clang Clanging Clap Clapping Clicking Clink Clinking Cooing Coughing Crackle Crackling Crashing Creak Croaking Crow Crunch Crunching Crunchy Cry Crying Deafening Distorted Dripping Ear-piercing Earsplitting Exploding Faint Fizzing Gagging Gasping Giggle Giggling Grate Grating Growl Grumble Grunt Grunting Guffaw Gurgle Gurgling Hanging Hiss Hissing Honking Howl Hubbub Hum Humming Hush Jabber Jangle Jangling Laughing Moaning Monotonous Mooing Muffled Mumble Mumbling Murmur Mutter Muttering Noisy Peeping Piercing Ping Pinging Plopping Pop Purring Quacking Quiet Rant Rapping Rasping Raucous Rave Ringing Roar Roaring Rumble Rumbling Rustle Rustling Scratching Scream Screaming Screech Screeching Serene Shout Shouting Shrieking Shrill Sigh Silent Sing Singing Sizzling Slam Slamming Snap Snappy Snoring Snort Splashing Squawking Squeaky Stammer Stomp Storm Stuttering Tearing Thudding Thump Thumping Thunder Thundering Ticking Tingling Tinkling Twitter Twittering Wail Warbling Wheezing Whimper Whimpering Whine Whining Whir Whisper Whispering Whistle Whooping Yell Yelp

  #3. Touch Sensory Words

Touch words describe the texture of how something feels. They can also describe emotional feelings.

Examples of touch words:

Two minutes into the interview, I knew his abrasive personality would be an issue if we hired him.

With a forced smile, I put on the itchy Christmas sweater my grandmother bought me.

The Hot Pocket was scalding on the outside, but ice-cold in the middle.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Touch Sensory Words.

Abrasive Balmy Biting Boiling Breezy Bristly Bubbly Bubby Bumpy Burning Bushy Chilled Chilly Clammy Coarse Cold Cool Cottony Crawly Creepy Cuddly Cushioned Damp Dank Dirty Downy Drenched Dry Elastic Feathery Feverish Fine Fleshy Fluff Fluffy Foamy Fragile Freezing Furry Glassy Gluey Gooey Grainy Greasy Gritty Gushy Hairy Heavy Hot Humid Ice-Cold Icy Itchy Knobbed Leathery Light Lightweight Limp Lukewarm Lumpy Matted Metallic Moist Mushy Numbing Oily Plastic Pointed Powdery Pulpy Rocky Rough Rubbery Sandy Scalding Scorching Scratchy Scummy Serrated Shaggy Sharp Shivering Shivery Silky Slimy Slippery Sloppy Smooth Smothering Soapy Soft Sopping Soupy Splintery Spongy Springy Sputter Squashy Squeal Squishy Steamy Steely Sticky Stifled Stifling Stinging Stony Stubby Tangled Tapered Tender Tepid Thick Thin Thorny Tickling Tough Unsanitary Velvety Warm Waxy Wet Woolly

  #4. Taste Sensory Words

Taste words are interesting. Though they can describe food, they’re often used in comparisons and metaphors.

Examples of taste words:

It’s a bittersweet situation.

Her zesty personality caught Karl’s eye.

The scrumptious jalapeno poppers comforted Karl after his bitter rejection.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Taste Sensory Words.

Acidic Appetizing Bitter Bittersweet Bland Buttery Charred Contaminated Creamy Crispy Delectable Delicious Doughy Earthy Fermented Flavorful Flavorless Floury Garlicky Gingery Gritty Hearty Juicy Luscious Medicinal Mellow Melted Nauseating Nutritious Nutty Palatable Peppery Pickled Piquant Raw Refreshing Rich Ripe Runt Savory Scrumptious Stale Sugary Syrupy Tangy Tart Tasteless Unripe Vinegary Yummy Zesty

  #5. Smell Sensory Words

Words related to smell describe — yes, you guessed it — how things smell. Often underutilized, sensory words connected with smell can be very effective.

Examples of smell words:

The pungent smell was unmistakable: someone in this elevator was wearing Axe Body Spray.

No matter the expiration date, it was clear from its rancid stench the milk had gone bad.

The flowery aroma was a welcome change after the elevator and milk incidents.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Smell Sensory Words.

Ambrosial Antiseptic Aroma Aromatic Briny Citrusy Decayed Decomposed Doggy Fetid Floral Flowery Foul-smelling Fragrant Gamy Gaseous Horrid Inodorous Malodorous Mephitic Musky Musty Odiferous Odor Odorless Old Perfumed Piney Polluted Pungent Putrid Rancid Rank Redolent Reeking Scent Scented Sickly Skunky Smell Smoky Stagnant Stench Stinky Sweaty Tempting

  Note on Taste and Smell:

Because they’re closely related, some sensory words can be used for both taste and smell. Examples: fruity, minty, and tantalizing.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Taste and Smell Sensory Words.

Acrid Burnt Fishy Fresh Fruity Lemony Minty Moldy Mouth-watering Rotten Salty Sour Spicy Spoiled Sweet Tantalizing

  Back to Top

Sensory Details: Examples in the Wild

Imagine the following headline came across your Twitter feed:

How to Avoid Using Boring Stock Photo Images in Your Content

Would you click it?

Better question…

Could you read the headline without falling asleep?

The answers are probably “no” and “heck no.”

Now imagine you saw this headline:

Much better, right?

The simple addition of the sensory word “cringeworthy” changes the tone of the entire headline. Instead of yawning, you’re thinking of an awkward or embarrassing moment you really don’t want to relive.

Let’s look at a few more modern-day examples of sharp people using sensory language to spruce up their content:

Using Sensory Words in Author Bios

I’ll pick on me for this one.

Here’s the author bio I used for one of my first-ever guest posts:

Kevin Duncan is the owner of Be A Better Blogger, where he helps people become the best bloggers they can be.

Now look at the author bio my friend Henneke wrote for Writer’s Block: 27 Techniques to Overcome It Forever:

Henneke Duistermaat is an irreverent copywriter and business writing coach. She’s on a mission to stamp out gobbledygook and to make boring business blogs sparkle.

My bio is devoid of sensory words (or any interesting words at all, if we’re being honest).

Henneke’s is chock full of them.

Her bio is interesting.

Mine is boring.

The lesson? Add at least one sensory word to your author bio.

Using Sensory Words in Social Media Profiles

Some people opt for brevity when writing their social media profiles, and that’s fine.

But if you want your Twitter profile (or Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media profile) to stand out from the crowd, sprinkle in a sensory word or two.

Like so:

Mel Wicks is a veteran copywriter who knows a thing or two about the effectiveness of descriptive words, so she uses them to spice up her Twitter profile.

Here’s an example from my badly-neglected Instagram account:

“Enchanting” and “adorably-jubilant” are wonderful sensory words — so wonderful, it’s a shame they’re wasted on a profile no one sees.

Look at your own profiles and see if there’s a place to add a sensory word or two. They’ll help your profile jump off the screen.

Heck, see if you can use enchanting and adorably-jubilant.

They deserve to be seen.

Using Sensory Words in Introductions

The opening lines of your content are so important.

If you’re a student, your opening sets the tone for your teacher (who we both know is dying to use his red pen).

If you’re an author, your opening can be the difference between someone buying your book or putting it back on the shelf in favor of one of those Twilight books (probably).

And if you’re a blogger, writer, content marketer, or business; your opening can hook the reader (increasing dwell time, which is great in Google’s eyes) or send them scurrying for the “back” button.

It’s why we put such an emphasis on introductions here at Smart Blogger.

Sometimes our openings hook you with a question.

Sometimes we strike a note of empathy or (like this post) focus on searcher intent.

And sometimes we give you a heaping helping of sensory words:

Imagine you’re sitting in a lounge chair on the beach, staring out over the glittering sea, the ocean breeze ruffling your hair, listening to the slow, steady rhythm of the waves.

In the above opening for How to Become a Freelance Writer and Get Paid $200 – $1K per Post, Jon Morrow uses sensory language to set a scene for the reader.

And it’s highly, highly effective.

Using Sensory Words in Email Subject Lines

Like you, your readers are flooded with emails.

And with open rates in a steady decline, people are trying anything and everything to make their email subject lines stand out:

Emojis;

Capitalized words;

All lowercase letters;

Two exclamation points;

Clickbait that would make even BuzzFeed go, “that’s too far, man.”

You name it, people are trying it.

Want a simpler, far-more-effective way to help your emails stand out from the crowd?

Add a sensory word.

Brian Dean loves to include words like “boom” in his subjects:

The folks at AppSumo and Sumo (formerly SumoMe) regularly feature descriptive words in their subjects and headlines.

Here’s one example:

And sensory language appears in most everything Henneke writes, including her subject lines.

In this one she also uses an emoji related to her sensory word. Very clever:

Now that we’ve covered several examples, let’s dig a bit deeper…

Let’s discuss some practical steps you can take that will make adding sensory language to your writing a breeze:

Back to Top

How Descriptive Words Can Pack Your Writing With Sensory Language

If you’ve taken a good English or writing class, you’ve probably been told a time or two to “show, don’t tell.”

This means you should create an engaging experience for your audience; not just tell them what you want them to know.

You accomplish this by using descriptive language that conveys sensations and lets readers experience your words (rather than simply read them).

And how do you do that, exactly?

Ask yourself these five questions when you’re writing:

#1. What Do You See?

It isn’t enough to tell your readers there was a scary house in your neighborhood when you were a child. Describe the house to them in vivid detail.

What shade of gray was it?

Were the doors boarded up?

Precisely how many ghostly figures did you see staring at you from the upstairs bedroom windows, and how many are standing behind you right now?

Paint a mental picture for your readers.

#2. What Do You Hear?

We listen to uptempo songs to push us through cardio workouts. Many of us listen to rainfall when we’re trying to sleep. Some of us listen to Justin Bieber when we want to punish our neighbors.

Want to transplant readers into your literary world?

Talk about the drip, drip, drip of the faucet.

Mention the squeaking floors beneath your feet.

Describe the awful music coming from your next-door-neighbor’s house.

#3. How Does it Feel?

Touch sensory words can convey both tactile and emotional sensations.

Can you describe to the reader how something feels when touched? Is it smooth or rough? Round or flat? Is it covered in goo or is it goo-less?

Paint a picture for your reader so they can touch what you’re touching.

The same goes for emotions. Help the reader feel what you (or your character) are feeling. Draw them in.

#4. What Does it Taste Like?

Does the beach air taste salty? Is the roaring fire so intense you can taste the smoke? Is the smell of your roommate’s tuna fish sandwich so strong you can taste it from across the room?

Tell your audience.

Be descriptive.

Make them taste the fishiness.

#5. How Does it Smell?

It wasn’t a basement you walked into — it was a musty, moldy basement.

And you didn’t simply enjoy your Mom’s homemade lasagna. You inhaled the aromatic scents of sauce, cheese, and basil.

Evoking the sense of smell is possibly the most effective way to pull readers out of their world and into yours.

So when you sit down to write, ask yourself if it’s possible to describe how something smells. And if you can? Do it.

Back to Top

The Massive Sensory Words List: 581 (and Counting) Descriptive Words to Supercharge Your Writing

Once you’ve asked and answered the five questions above, your writing will be packed with sensory details.

In time, you’ll build up your own massive list of sensory words you can reference and sprinkle throughout your work.

But in the meantime, here’s my list.

Bookmark them.

Print them.

Use them often:

SIGHT

SOUND

Angular Babble Azure Bang Billowy Barking Black Bawled Bleary Bawling Bloated Bellow Blonde Blare Blue Blaring Blurred Bleat Blushing Boom Branching Booming Bright Bray Brilliant Buzz Broad Buzzing Brown Cackle Brunette Cackling Bulbous Chatter Bulky Chattering Camouflaged Cheer Chubby Chiming Circular Chirping Colorful Chuckle Colorless Clamor Colossal Clang Contoured Clanging Cosmic Clap Craggy Clapping Crimson Clicking Crinkled Clink Crooked Clinking Crowded Cooing Crystalline Coughing Curved Crackle Dark Crackling Dazzling Crashing Deep Creak Dim Croaking Dingy Crow Disheveled Crunch Distinct Crunching Drab Crunchy Dreary Cry Dull Crying Dusty Deafening Elegant Distorted Enchanting Dripping Engaging Ear-piercing Enormous Earsplitting Faded Exploding Fancy Faint Fat Fizzing Filthy Gagging Flashy Gasping Flat Giggle Flickering Giggling Foggy Grate Forked Grating Freckled Growl Fuzzy Grumble Gargantuan Grunt Gaudy Grunting Gigantic Guffaw Ginormous Gurgle Glamorous Gurgling Gleaming Hanging Glimpse Hiss Glistening Hissing Glitter Honking Glittering Howl Globular Hubbub Gloomy Hum Glossy Humming Glowing Hush Gold Jabber Graceful Jangle Gray Jangling Green Laughing Grotesque Moaning Hazy Monotonous Hollow Mooing Homely Muffled Huge Mumble Illuminated Mumbling Immense Murmur Indistinct Mutter Ivory Muttering Knotty Noisy Lacy Peeping Lanky Piercing Large Ping Lavender Pinging Lean Plopping Lithe Pop Little Purring Lofty Quacking Long Quiet Low Rant Malnourished Rapping Maroon Rasping Massive Raucous Miniature Rave Misshapen Ringing Misty Roar Motionless Roaring Mottled Rumble Mountainous Rumbling Muddy Rustle Murky Rustling Narrow Scratching Obtuse Scream Olive Screaming Opaque Screech Orange Screeching Oval Serene Pale Shout Peered Shouting Petite Shrieking Pink Shrill Portly Sigh Pristine Silent Prodigious Sing Purple Singing Quaint Sizzling Radiant Slam Rectangular Slamming Red Snap Reddish Snappy Rippling Snoring Rotund Snort Round Splashing Ruby Squawking Ruddy Squeaky Rusty Stammer Sabotaged Stomp Shadowy Storm Shallow Stuttering Shapeless Tearing Sheer Thudding Shimmering Thump Shiny Thumping Short Thunder Silver Thundering Skinny Ticking Small Tingling Smudged Tinkling Soaring Twitter Sparkling Twittering Sparkly Wail Spherical Warbling Spotless Wheezing Spotted Whimper Square Whimpering Steep Whine Stormy Whining Straight Whir Strange Whisper Striped Whispering Sunny Whistle Swooping Whooping Tall Yell Tapering Yelp Tarnished Teeny-tiny Tiny Towering Translucent Transparent Triangular Turquoise Twinkling Twisted Ugly Unsightly Unusual Vibrant Vivid Weird White Wide Wiry Wispy Wizened Wrinkled Wrinkly Yellow

TOUCH

TASTE

Abrasive Acidic Balmy Appetizing Biting Bitter Boiling Bittersweet Breezy Bland Bristly Buttery Bubbly Charred Bubby Contaminated Bumpy Creamy Burning Crispy Bushy Delectable Chilled Delicious Chilly Doughy Clammy Earthy Coarse Fermented Cold Flavorful Cool Flavorless Cottony Floury Crawly Garlicky Creepy Gingery Cuddly Gritty Cushioned Hearty Damp Juicy Dank Luscious Dirty Medicinal Downy Mellow Drenched Melted Dry Nauseating Elastic Nutritious Feathery Nutty Feverish Palatable Fine Peppery Fleshy Pickled Fluff Piquant Fluffy Raw Foamy Refreshing Fragile Rich Freezing Ripe Furry Runt Glassy Savory Gluey Scrumptious Gooey Stale Grainy Sugary Greasy Syrupy Gritty Tangy Gushy Tart Hairy Tasteless Heavy Unripe Hot Vinegary Humid Yummy Ice-Cold Zesty Icy Itchy Knobbed Leathery Light Lightweight Limp Lukewarm Lumpy Matted Metallic Moist Mushy Numbing Oily Plastic Pointed Powdery Pulpy Rocky Rough Rubbery Sandy Scalding Scorching Scratchy Scummy Serrated Shaggy Sharp Shivering Shivery Silky Slimy Slippery Sloppy Smooth Smothering Soapy Soft Sopping Soupy Splintery Spongy Springy Sputter Squashy Squeal Squishy Steamy Steely Sticky Stifled Stifling Stinging Stony Stubby Tangled Tapered Tender Tepid Thick Thin Thorny Tickling Tough Unsanitary Velvety Warm Waxy Wet Woolly

SMELL

TASTE & SMELL

Ambrosial Acrid Antiseptic Burnt Aroma Fishy Aromatic Fresh Briny Fruity Citrusy Lemony Decayed Minty Decomposed Moldy Doggy Mouth-watering Fetid Rotten Floral Salty Flowery Sour Foul-smelling Spicy Fragrant Spoiled Gamy Sweet Gaseous Tantalizing Horrid Inodorous Malodorous Mephitic Musky Musty Odiferous Odor Odorless Old Perfumed Piney Polluted Pungent Putrid Rancid Rank Redolent Reeking Scent Scented Sickly Skunky Smell Smoky Stagnant Stench Stinky Sweaty Tempting

Back to Top

Are You Ready to Unleash the Power of Sensory Words?

It’s time to say goodbye.

Goodbye to lifeless words that sit on the page.

Goodbye to indifferent readers ready to move on to something, anything, else.

You now know why sensory details are so effective. You know how to sprinkle descriptive words throughout your content. And you now have a massive, ever-growing list of sensory words to bookmark and come back to again and again.

Variations of the following quote have been attributed to everyone from Carl W. Buehner to Maya Angelou, but regardless of who said it, and how they said it, it’s true:

“People may forget what you said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”

It’s time to make your readers feel.

Are you ready?

Then let’s do this thing.

About the Author: When he’s not busy telling waitresses, baristas, and anyone else who crosses his path that Jon Morrow once said he was in the top 1% of bloggers, Kevin J. Duncan is the Blog Editor and Social Media Manager for Smart Blogger.

The post 581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/sensory-words/

[amelia-friend]

Not a Superhero

Cute Wellenore and/or AnnaPoe modern au fluff, or time travelling Wellenore. Just all the Fluff!

Secret Santa Present for @valentine-lang. I really hope you like it!!

HG is awkward, Lenore is always right, Edgar is a Disney princess, and Annabel is terrifying and amazing (but we knew that already).

Or the modern/bookstore/superpowers AU that almost definitely isn’t what the prompt asked for, but I wrote anyway.

Available on AO3 here

HG Wells is not a superhero.

He could be, that’s what he’s been told his entire life, but he isn’t.

He got his telekinesis (a fairly common power, but quite high level anyway) around age ten (early, but not abnormally so), and when combined with his (by most people’s standard; very high, but not supernaturally gifted) intelligence – he’d make a great superhero.

But he’s shy and awkward, almost painfully so, and he’d much prefer spending time with his books and his inventions than all that running and saving and interacting with strangers.

HG Wells is not a superhero, but he likes it that way.

The bookstore is not new. The paint is peeling, and the door creaks, and there’s a hundred things that need fixing.

The bookstore is new to HG.

He’s just moved, and managed to get lost on his way home, and stumbled across the old building entirely by accident.

It’s late and it’s raining and he really, really wants to be home – so he doesn’t go inside, but he does make a note of the name, and a mental promise to return when he has time.

When he has time, turns out to be not the next Saturday, but the one after – a sunny morning heralding the start of the warmth of spring. It’s the perfect morning to spend in a bookshop.

And that’s how he ends up outside “The Raven” once again, peeling paint and creaking door and all.

It’s cooler inside than he would have expected given the heat, and there’s not the usual cloud of dust he normally associates with shops like this, but it’s nowhere near sterile. The light filters gently through the slightly clouded windows, and the smell is the classic mix of books old and new, and he’s never been here before, but somehow, he feels as though he has come home.

There’s a red-headed woman behind the desk with a smile like the sun, and he turns down her offer to help him find what he’s looking for, in preference to simply spend some time (as much time as he can) simply browsing through the books.

There’s a lot of books.

Three floors, floor to ceiling shelving, and the store goes deeper than he would have expected from the outside. There’s the usual new fiction craze near the front door, with crisp covers and handwritten notes of recommendation on most of them; there’s the children’s section that holds no interest for him, but is bright and colourful and soft and if he was still ten he would have loved to spend an hour and his parent’s money there. There’s the cooking; and the crime; and the biographies; and the histories; and the travel guides.

There’s a lot of books.

He could wander for hours – days – and still be surprised every time he turned a corner.

He keeps going to the back – the books get older and more interesting the more he looks; and he isn’t quite sure what he’s looking for, but the small basket he had picked up at some point gains a friend in a book, then two and three and four, and they just keep getting better.

He even found the shelf of his books – written under a pseudonym of course. He had steered clear of that shelf as soon as he realised.

There was a steady stream of customers – he can hear the bell above the door semi-regularly, and the red-headed woman at the desk greets them all just as cheerfully (and sincerely, he really believes) as she greeted him – but they all seem to be searching for something in particular, or if they don’t browse, they don’t end up as deep in the maze as he has ended up, and he looks up from his current book (he meant to glance through the first few pages, and is now at least twenty five pages deep, and it’s definitely going in his basket to come home with him), as he realises he hasn’t actually seen another person for almost twenty minutes.

And of course, that is exactly the moment he (actually literally) walks straight into the woman in the white dress, and manages to send both their (not exactly small) piles of books flying into the air.

Lenore Poe is not a superhero.

She had considered it once, as a child – the way she considered being a ballerina or a chef or a fashion designer.

She considers it sometimes as an adult – anything to pass the boredom of working in her brother’s bookstore.

Her powers don’t really lend themselves to “superhero-ing” though.

She got her powers at thirteen – materialisation (Edgar called her a 3-d printer once. She made sure he never said it again). They’re pretty useful in her day to day life – she’s never more than a thought away from that specific book a customer wants, or that little thing she’s misplaced but really needs right now, or (her favourite) more than ten seconds away from the perfect glass of anything she wants (so useful when Edgar is going through one of his “hermit” phases – although considering his “hermit” phases last at least three times longer than his “normal human being” phases, should she consider them the other way around? She doesn’t actually care).

For something that can fit in her hand, she can do it a hundred or two hundred times a day with basically no effort required. For something about the size of the average person it takes more concentration and more time, and requires real non-materialised food waiting for her when she finishes. In an emergency, she can create something as large as a car (but she will need to sleep for like a week afterwards, and it better be a real emergency).

So yeah – not the most useful superhero-ing gift in the long run.

She tried to materialise a house when she was seventeen. She doesn’t really know why. She was seventeen and showing off and teenagers think a lot of things are a good idea when they really aren’t. She gets about three rooms in, and then she wakes up four days later in the hospital. She hasn’t tried again since.

But the alcohol is unlimited and free-flowing, she hasn’t paid for her (perfect in every way) clothes since she was sixteen and she has pretty much everything she could want (except a job that doesn’t make her want to claw her eyeballs out).

Lenore Poe is not a superhero, but her life’s still pretty great.

And then all the books freeze in mid-air, before a quick twitch of HG’s hand sends them flying back to their original owner.

He’s trying to stammer out a coherent apology, and she looks more amused (and kind of impressed) than anything else, and that’s about the time he realises she’s wearing a name tag, and she obviously works here.

Lenore.

It’s a pretty name.

“I’m HG,” he finally manages to say without embarrassing himself too much.

“You’re not meant to be here,” she tells him, and he’s confused for a moment (It’s not the usual response to that statement, and he spends more time than he should considering normal and usual responses to common sentences and statements). “Only staff back here.”

And that probably explains why there weren’t any other customers nearby, and he can feel his face turning burnt tomato – which she finds almost adorable more than anything else.

Except there’s no time for him to apologise, because she simply goes on to say – “I’ll take you back,” she offers – except it’s not really an offer – he’s not supposed to be there. “You find everything you were searching for?” She asks, already leading the way back to the actual part of the shop customers were meant to be in.

“And then some,” he replies, completely truthfully, following right next to her.

“This is Annabel,” Lenore introduces, once the pair get back to the front desk and HG can see actual sunlight once more, and realises he spent almost two and a half hours among the book stacks. “She is like literal human sunshine.” There’s an underlying something, and Annabel gives a sharp look (or what is intended to be a sharp look – she’s Annabel, she’s much too good for something like that.), and HG is definitely missing part of the story, but he knows better than to actually ask (he knows better now, that was a social lesson he learnt the hard way).

Annabel is quick at her job, and the books are run through in seconds (and placed into a paper bag with – what else – a raven printed on the front). Lenore hands his receipt over, and then he leaves; a cheerful ‘goodbye’ from the two working in the shop, and a still awkward smile, and half a head nod from HG in return.

“I saw you write your number on the receipt,” Annabel remarks, once the door has completely shut and HG is at least halfway down the street.

Lenore’s response is nothing more than a raised eyebrow, before she disappears back into the book stacks once again, leaving Annabel to greet the next customer through the door.

He texts her that afternoon.

How he managed to make a text sound awkward and unsure and exactly how he spoke, is beyond her, and she gets the feeling that he thinks it’s probably a joke, and it would actually be a pretty cute moment, except…

Except that’s when Edgar (and his usual army – only half joking – of birds and random mammals) decided to make an appearance.

Edgar Allan Poe is not a superhero.

Not that that would be a surprise to anyone – Edgar Allan Poe is practically infamous for hating people (excluding a select few. Read: Annabel Lee – and Lenore when she forces her way into his office because “it’s been two weeks Edgar, you need to leave this room. Shower, eat, interact with humans for a change and maybe even see the sun. It won’t kill you. I might though.” He pretends not to hear the last bit, she probably doesn’t mean it.), and that’s not exactly a great trait for a superhero.

He has his books, and he has his birds (and the various other animals who trail in now and again, but he prefers the birds. The ravens hold a special significance for him), and he has Lenore (even if he wished she would be a little bit … less … at times) and Annabel (she’s his friend – if you don’t include his sister – basically his only friend, and she’s wonderful and amazing and everything and sunshine, and it’s not exactly a secret that he wants to be more than that, but as long as he doesn’t lose her, he doesn’t care what they are).

He sees the way people (society, Lenore, Annabel) look at the superhero – those chosen few elite who are obviously so much better than everyone else, and for a moment he wants to be one (even if he hates – most – people, even if his powers really aren’t suited to helping, well, anyone human) even if just so she looks at him the way she looks at the superheroes.

Not that talking to animals (zoolingualism, a teacher had referred to it, once upon a time when he was twelve and confused why animals would follow into school, and why he had birds literally sitting on him and around him no matter what he did, and why the outdoors had suddenly got so much … chattier, and why the other children couldn’t understand him when he spoke – although that last one might have just been adolescent bullying, because other people didn’t have a problem understanding him, even in the middle of a conversation with one of his birds or random creature that wandered into his life) is that great of a superhero power. He can’t make them do anything, they just exist and chatter and annoy him, and despite it all, he still wishes he could be a superhero (for Annabel).

But he can’t and she won’t look at him like she looks at them (at least – not for superhero-ing), so he leaves daydreams behind for children, and goes back to his writing. He’s only been locked in his study for less than a day, he’s got time to finish this next piece before Lenore comes to break his door down herself and drag him (sometimes actually physically) to the kitchen, or sends Annabel to knock gently and accomplish the exact same thing.

Edgar Allan Poe is not a superhero, but sometimes he wishes he could be.

Everything shifts about three weeks after their first meeting.

HG has fallen into the habit of visiting the store almost every day on his way home from work, and most days on his way to work as well.

Sometimes it’s just Lenore in the front, and sometimes it’s just Annabel. Sometimes it’s Edgar, on his own, usually in the middle of a conversation with a bird, of which HG can only just understand the human half of the conversation (Edgar is very weird. This is not a recent occurrence).

But they’re becoming friends – like actual proper friends that HG doesn’t have many (read: any) of. And he likes it. He likes having friends. It’s nice.

It’s nice when Lenore is bickering with Edgar over the shop, or the animals, or his fashion sense, or his life, or his (very obvious) infatuation with Annabel. It’s nice when Edgar deigns to join them, or sends some random rodent downstairs with a note attached to its neck and Lenore screams before she realises it’s an ‘Edgar Animal’, or when Edgar is dragged out of his office by a sudden angry Lenore. It’s nice when Annabel does, basically anything really, Annabel is just about perfect in everyone’s eyes. She made cookies one time. Those were very nice.

It’s nice when they treat him like a friend, as well.

Sometimes he buys something, sometimes he buys lots of things, sometimes he doesn’t buy anything – just stays there for hours until the sun has long set and they need to lock up, and he needs to go home.

It’s nice having friends, but he’s still not very good at it.

(He’s trying)

So – it’s a Sunday, just over three weeks after the first time HG met Lenore and Annabel (just under three weeks since HG met Edgar and was almost attacked by an owl who wanted his goggles. That’s another story. Actually, wait – that’s the entire story. Lenore thought it was funny. Annabel fussed a little. Edgar disappeared … somewhere), when the screaming comes from outside.

It’s not uncommon – the screaming. They live in a society where 99% of the population, and like 5% of them decide their life purpose is to become a superhero.

They have their fair share of supervillains as well.

This guy has ice powers – pretty classic supervillain stuff. Does the power decide the villain-y? Or were they going to become villainous anyway and the powers only helped? (The middle of an attack is probably not the place for such musings, HG)

They’re probably safe inside, and the superheroes will be along in like two minutes to deal with this guy – so they move further away from the window, closer towards the book stacks, but it’s not like they’re in any real danger.

That would be the moment a stray icicle punches a fist-sized hole in the large store window – and the pointed (like, literally like a spear tip, this is a really sharp icicle. How did this dude do that? Natural icicles are pretty blunt – it’s fairly difficult to murder, or even assault, someone with a regular natural icicle. Really not the time, HG) end came flying towards HG’s head.

Annabel Lee is not a superhero.

She wanted to be when she was a child, she had the heart for it (like that was the most important thing), but when her powers didn’t kick in at ten or eleven or twelve, she moved onto other ideas of what her future would look like.

When her powers didn’t kick in at thirteen or fourteen, she didn’t really notice. When they hadn’t come by fifteen, she knew her parents were getting concerned, but she didn’t mind too much – there were other kids in her year that didn’t have theirs either.

Her powers came at sixteen. She was the last in her year. She wished they had never come.

It really had been an accident. There was an exam, and she was stressed (it was an important exam), and she doesn’t really know what happened between then and the alarms and the screaming and the running. It really had been an accident.

She had always been known as “sweet” and “nice”, but now (after having to move to a new school, where all questions of her powers were shrugged off with a “they’re not that interesting” and a change of subject, and everyone just goes with it, except for one Lenore Poe in her new class and her – a little / a lot – weird brother in the year above) she was the “sweetest”, the “nicest”, the “embodiment of happiness and flowers”, and the “literal human incarnation of sunshine”.

If only they knew how true that last one was.

Annabel Lee is not a superhero, but she would have made an amazing supervillain.

And then the ice is gone, because fire and ow, that definitely removed some hair from his face – that fire was too close to his face.

And then he remembered that he’s telekinetic; and sends a sudden blast that gets rid of the rest of the ice (and also kind of makes the crack in the window worse – sorry Lenore – but it was already cracked, it was going to have to be fixed anyway).

But windows and telekinesis and ice will have to wait because HG turns around and Annabel is glowing. And Annabel is On Fire. And when did this happen?

And suddenly the “literal human sunshine” phrase Lenore had introduced her with makes more sense – but HG had assumed Lenore was using ‘literal’ in the common ‘figurative’ sense (in that Annabel was a very nice and sunny person) not in the actual ‘literal’ sense (in that Annabel is, yes, very nice, but also able to set herself and other things on fire. Like the sun.)

It’s terrifying and it’s also kind of really awesome at the same time.

The “fight” lasts maybe two minutes from that point.

Annabel ignores both Lenore and Edgar, and storms out to the street, all righteous anger and (yes) literal fire.

And what hope did ice (especially ice from what looks like a seventeen year old kid) ever have against the burning fury of the sun.

None.

That’s how much hope ice had, from the moment he broke the shop window.

Lenore tried to materialise a house when she was a teenager and put herself in the hospital; Edgar tried to organise an animal revolution when he was a teenager, but quickly realised that while he could talk to animals, he couldn’t make them do anything they didn’t want to do, and they didn’t want to revolt; HG tried to use telekinesis on himself so as to fly when he was a teenager, and ended up breaking both his legs, and was stuck on bed rest for far too long. Annabel tried not to use her powers as a teenager.

And this kid tried to take over the world, or take over the city, or terrorise this one street, when he was a teenager. Because teenagers are stupid, and don’t make the most rational decisions, and sometimes taking over the world seems like a good idea at the time.

(It’s never a good idea to take over the world. The easy bit is taking over the world, but then you’ve got to run it. And then there’s no time for anything else, just because you thought taking over the world would be fun.)

The actual superheroes turn up about three minutes after the boy is turned into a soaking wet random kid in the middle of the street.

They smile, they greet the people now starting to come out onto the streets, they say something hopeful and utterly meaningless, and then they leave with the ice villain wannabe in tow.

Being a superhero actually seems pretty boring when you put it that way.

There’s a sound from behind him, and HG turns to see Lenore spraying Annabel down with a fire extinguisher (she’s never been as good at putting her own fire out as she is at putting other people’s fires out. That probably means something, but right now it means she gets covered head to toe in white foam while her best friend tries not to laugh at the sight.).

Right – the fire thing. That’s still a thing.

The next little bit of time passes in somewhat of a blur. There are hot drinks all around – one tea (a proper one), one hot chocolate (a proper one), one regular coffee and one coffee strong enough to kill a standard human.

Lenore takes charge (it’s her shop just as much as Edgar’s, and he seems pretty useless at the moment, if the ever-growing number of small mammals surrounding him is any indication), and somehow HG gets roped into helping out (he should have escaped sooner).

(He’s kind of glad he didn’t)

Edgar’s arguing with a cat (don’t focus on it, just ignore it, Lenore advises him), and Annabel is proving that she actually is literal human sunshine in the common figurative sense, as well as in the literally literal sense HG’s just discovered.

And maybe it’s a good thing these people are not superheroes.

These people were never meant to be superheroes.

And that’s perfectly fine by them.

[williamlwolf89]

583 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant

It’s almost too easy.

By using sensory words to evoke sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell; smart and attractive writers just like you are able to make their words burst to life in their readers’ minds.

In this post, you’ll learn:

The science behind sensory details (e.g. why sensory words are so persuasive);

The definition of sensory details (plus examples);

How answering five simple questions will help you write descriptive details that pack your content with sensory language;

500+ sensory words you can incorporate into your own writing (right now).

Let’s dive in.

Back to Top

The Colossal Power of Sensory Details

Remember the final scene in Field of Dreams when Ray Kinsella has a catch with his dad?

You can smell the grass on the field.

You can hear the sound of the baseball hitting their gloves.

And you can feel Ray’s years of guilt melting away as he closes his eyes, smiles, and tosses the ball back to his dad.

(Be honest. You’re crying right now, aren’t you?)

Field of Dreams made you feel like you were in Ray’s shoes, on his field, playing catch with dad.

The scene creates such a vivid experience for many viewers that whenever they think of playing catch, this scene will come up alongside their own childhood memories.

Here’s why:

When you paint a strong scene in your audience’s mind, you make it easier for them to pull it back up from their memory. You’ve essentially bookmarked it for them so they can easily find it when something — a sight, a smell, a sound — reminds them of it.

That’s the power of content that incorporates sensory details.

And this power isn’t limited to cinema classics capable of making grown men cry. For centuries, literary giants have been packing their prose with powerful words that evoke the senses:

“Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war; That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial” — William Shakespeare (circa 1599)

In addition to The Bard, authors like Maya Angelou, Edgar Allan Poe, and Charles Dickens excel at the use of sensory language. So do literally every famous poet you learned about in school.

And that begs the obvious question…

Back to Top

Why are Sensory Details so Effective?

Short answer:

The brains of human beings handle sensory words differently than ordinary words.

In a 2011 study published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, experts found that our brains process “tangible” (i.e. sensory) words faster than other words.

And in a study published for Brain and Language in 2012, psychologists found that a certain part of our brain is “activated” when we read sensory words.

In other words:

So, we know why sensory details are powerful. And we know writers have been tapping into their power for a long, long time.

Now let’s define them and go over a few examples:

What are Sensory Details?

Sensory details are descriptive words that appeal to the five senses — using imagery, they describe how we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell the world around us.

Let’s break each one down:

1. Sight Sensory Words

Words related to vision describe the appearance of something (its color, size, shape, and so on).

Examples of sight words:

Her golden hair looked disheveled thanks to the gust of wind.

He was a towering presence.

I ordered a large orange juice, but the waiter brought me a teeny-tiny glass the size of a thimble.

Click here to see all 185 sight sensory words

Angular

Azure

Billowy

Black

Bleary

Bloated

Blonde

Blue

Blurred

Blushing

Branching

Bright

Brilliant

Broad

Brown

Brunette

Bulbous

Bulky

Camouflaged

Chubby

Circular

Colorful

Colorless

Colossal

Contoured

Cosmic

Craggy

Crimson

Crinkled

Crooked

Crowded

Crystalline

Curved

Dark

Dazzling

Deep

Dim

Dingy

Disheveled

Distinct

Drab

Dreary

Dull

Dusty

Elegant

Enchanting

Engaging

Enormous

Faded

Fancy

Fat

Filthy

Flashy

Flat

Flickering

Foggy

Forked

Freckled

Fuzzy

Gargantuan

Gaudy

Gigantic

Ginormous

Glamorous

Gleaming

Glimpse

Glistening

Glitter

Glittering

Globular

Gloomy

Glossy

Glowing

Gold

Graceful

Gray

Green

Grotesque

Hazy

Hollow

Homely

Huge

Illuminated

Immense

Indistinct

Ivory

Knotty

Lacy

Lanky

Large

Lavender

Lean

Lithe

Little

Lofty

Long

Low

Malnourished

Maroon

Massive

Miniature

Misshapen

Misty

Motionless

Mottled

Mountainous

Muddy

Murky

Narrow

Obtuse

Olive

Opaque

Orange

Oval

Pale

Peered

Petite

Pink

Portly

Pristine

Prodigious

Purple

Quaint

Radiant

Rectangular

Red

Reddish

Rippling

Rotund

Round

Ruby

Ruddy

Rusty

Sabotaged

Shadowy

Shallow

Shapeless

Sheer

Shimmering

Shiny

Short

Silver

Skinny

Small

Smudged

Soaring

Sparkling

Sparkly

Spherical

Spotless

Spotted

Square

Steep

Stormy

Straight

Strange

Striped

Sunny

Swooping

Tall

Tapering

Tarnished

Teeny-tiny

Tiny

Towering

Translucent

Transparent

Triangular

Turquoise

Twinkling

Twisted

Ugly

Unsightly

Unusual

Vibrant

Vivid

Weird

White

Wide

Wiry

Wispy

Wizened

Wrinkled

Wrinkly

Yellow

2. Sound Sensory Words

Words related to hearing often describe the sound they make (known as onomatopoeia), but this isn’t always the case.

Examples of hearing words:

He had a big, booming voice.

The sound of screeching tires was soon followed by the deafening sound of a car horn.

As I peeked under the bed, the cackling laughter coming from the closet made the hairs on my arms stand up.

Click here to see all 161 sound sensory words

Babble

Bang

Barking

Bawled

Bawling

Bellow

Blare

Blaring

Bleat

Boom

Booming

Bray

Buzz

Buzzing

Cackle

Cackling

Chatter

Chattering

Cheer

Chiming

Chirping

Chuckle

Clamor

Clang

Clanging

Clap

Clapping

Clicking

Clink

Clinking

Cooing

Coughing

Crackle

Crackling

Crashing

Creak

Croaking

Crow

Crunch

Crunching

Crunchy

Cry

Crying

Deafening

Distorted

Dripping

Ear-piercing

Earsplitting

Exploding

Faint

Fizzing

Gagging

Gasping

Giggle

Giggling

Grate

Grating

Growl

Grumble

Grunt

Grunting

Guffaw

Gurgle

Gurgling

Hanging

Hiss

Hissing

Honking

Howl

Hubbub

Hum

Humming

Hush

Jabber

Jangle

Jangling

Laughing

Moaning

Monotonous

Mooing

Muffled

Mumble

Mumbling

Murmur

Mutter

Muttering

Noisy

Peeping

Piercing

Ping

Pinging

Plopping

Pop

Purring

Quacking

Quiet

Rant

Rapping

Rasping

Raucous

Rave

Ringing

Roar

Roaring

Rumble

Rumbling

Rustle

Rustling

Scratching

Scream

Screaming

Screech

Screeching

Serene

Shout

Shouting

Shrieking

Shrill

Sigh

Silent

Sing

Singing

Sizzling

Slam

Slamming

Snap

Snappy

Snoring

Snort

Splashing

Squawking

Squeaky

Stammer

Stomp

Storm

Stuttering

Tearing

Thudding

Thump

Thumping

Thunder

Thundering

Ticking

Tingling

Tinkling

Twitter

Twittering

Wail

Warbling

Wheezing

Whimper

Whimpering

Whine

Whining

Whir

Whisper

Whispering

Whistle

Whooping

Yell

Yelp

3. Touch Sensory Words

Touch words describe the texture of how something feels. They can also describe emotional feelings.

Examples of touch words:

Two minutes into the interview, I knew his abrasive personality would be an issue if we hired him.

With a forced smile, I put on the itchy Christmas sweater my grandmother bought me.

The Hot Pocket was scalding on the outside, but ice-cold in the middle.

Click here to see all 123 touch sensory words

Abrasive

Balmy

Biting

Boiling

Breezy

Bristly

Bubbly

Bubby

Bumpy

Burning

Bushy

Chilled

Chilly

Clammy

Coarse

Cold

Cool

Cottony

Crawly

Creepy

Cuddly

Cushioned

Damp

Dank

Dirty

Downy

Drenched

Dry

Elastic

Feathery

Feverish

Fine

Fleshy

Fluff

Fluffy

Foamy

Fragile

Freezing

Furry

Glassy

Gluey

Gooey

Grainy

Greasy

Gritty

Gushy

Hairy

Heavy

Hot

Humid

Ice-Cold

Icy

Itchy

Knobbed

Leathery

Light

Lightweight

Limp

Lukewarm

Lumpy

Matted

Metallic

Moist

Mushy

Numbing

Oily

Plastic

Pointed

Powdery

Pulpy

Rocky

Rough

Rubbery

Sandy

Scalding

Scorching

Scratchy

Scummy

Serrated

Shaggy

Sharp

Shivering

Shivery

Silky

Slimy

Slippery

Sloppy

Smooth

Smothering

Soapy

Soft

Sopping

Soupy

Splintery

Spongy

Springy

Sputter

Squashy

Squeal

Squishy

Steamy

Steely

Sticky

Stifled

Stifling

Stinging

Stony

Stubby

Tangled

Tapered

Tender

Tepid

Thick

Thin

Thorny

Tickling

Tough

Unsanitary

Velvety

Warm

Waxy

Wet

Woolly

4. Taste Sensory Words

Taste words are interesting. Though they can describe food, they’re often used in comparisons and metaphors.

Examples of taste words:

It’s a bittersweet situation.

Her zesty personality caught Karl’s eye.

The scrumptious jalapeno poppers comforted Karl after his bitter rejection.

Click here to see all 51 taste sensory words

Acidic

Appetizing

Bitter

Bittersweet

Bland

Buttery

Charred

Contaminated

Creamy

Crispy

Delectable

Delicious

Doughy

Earthy

Fermented

Flavorful

Flavorless

Floury

Garlicky

Gingery

Gritty

Hearty

Juicy

Luscious

Medicinal

Mellow

Melted

Nauseating

Nutritious

Nutty

Palatable

Peppery

Pickled

Piquant

Raw

Refreshing

Rich

Ripe

Salted

Savory

Scrumptious

Stale

Sugary

Syrupy

Tangy

Tart

Tasteless

Unripe

Vinegary

Yummy

Zesty

5. Smell Sensory Words

Words related to smell describe — yes, you guessed it — how things smell. Often underutilized, sensory words connected with smell can be very effective.

Examples of smell words:

The pungent smell was unmistakable: someone in this elevator was wearing Axe Body Spray.

No matter the expiration date, it was clear from its rancid stench the milk had gone bad.

The flowery aroma was a welcome change after the elevator and milk incidents.

Click here to see all 47 smell sensory words

Ambrosial

Antiseptic

Aroma

Aromatic

Briny

Citrusy

Decayed

Decomposed

Doggy

Fetid

Floral

Flowery

Foul-smelling

Fragrant

Gamy

Gaseous

Horrid

Inodorous

Malodorous

Mephitic

Musky

Musty

Odiferous

Odor

Odorless

Old

Perfumed

Piney

Polluted

Pungent

Putrid

Rancid

Rank

Redolent

Reeking

Scent

Scented

Sickly

Skunky

Smell

Smoky

Stagnant

Stench

Stinky

Sweaty

Tempting

Whiff

Bonus: Taste and Smell Sensory Words

Because they’re closely related, some sensory words can be used for both taste and smell. Examples: fruity, minty, and tantalizing.

Click here to see all 16 taste & smell sensory words

Acrid

Burnt

Fishy

Fresh

Fruity

Lemony

Minty

Moldy

Mouth-watering

Rotten

Salty

Sour

Spicy

Spoiled

Sweet

Tantalizing

Next, we’ll look at a few real-world examples of sensory details.

Back to Top

Sensory Details: Examples in the Wild

Imagine the following headline came across your Twitter feed:

How to Avoid Using Boring Stock Photo Images in Your Content

Would you click it?

Better question…

Could you read the headline without falling asleep?

The answers are probably “no” and “heck no.”

Now imagine you saw this headline:

Much better, right?

The simple addition of the sensory word “cringeworthy” changes the tone of the entire headline. Instead of yawning, you’re thinking of an awkward or embarrassing moment you really don’t want to relive.

Let’s look at a few more modern-day examples of sharp people using sensory language to spruce up their content:

Using Sensory Words in Author Bios

I’ll pick on me for this one.

Here’s one of my old author bios:

Kevin J. Duncan is the Editor of Smart Blogger, where he helps writers learn the skills they need to land writing gigs that pay.

Now look at the author bio my friend Henneke wrote for Writer’s Block: 27 Techniques to Overcome It Forever:

Henneke Duistermaat is an irreverent copywriter and business writing coach. She’s on a mission to stamp out gobbledygook and to make boring business blogs sparkle.

My bio is devoid of sensory words (or any interesting words at all, if we’re being honest).

Henneke’s is chock full of them.

Her bio is interesting.

Mine is boring.

The lesson? Add at least one sensory word to your author bio.

Using Sensory Words in Social Media Profiles

Some people opt for brevity when writing their social media profiles, and that’s fine.

But if you want your Twitter profile (or Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media profile) to stand out from the crowd, sprinkle in a sensory word or two.

Like so:

Mel Wicks is a veteran copywriter who knows a thing or two about the effectiveness of descriptive details, so she uses them to spice up her Twitter profile.

Here’s an example from my badly-neglected Instagram account:

“Enchanting” and “adorably-jubilant” are wonderful sensory words — so wonderful, it’s a shame they’re wasted on a profile no one sees.

Look at your own profiles and see if there’s a place to add a sensory word or two. They’ll help your profile jump off the screen.

Heck, see if you can use enchanting and adorably-jubilant.

They deserve to be seen.

Using Sensory Words in Introductions

The opening lines of your content are so important.

If you’re a student, your opening sets the tone for your teacher (who we both know is dying to use his red pen).

If you’re an author, your opening can be the difference between someone buying your book or putting it back on the shelf in favor of one of those Twilight books (probably).

And if you’re a blogger, writer, content marketer, or business; your opening can hook the reader (increasing dwell time, which is great in Google’s eyes) or send them scurrying for the “back” button.

It’s why we put such an emphasis on introductions here at Smart Blogger.

Sometimes our openings hook you with a question.

Sometimes we strike a note of empathy or (like this post) focus on searcher intent.

And sometimes we give you a heaping helping of sensory words:

Imagine you’re sitting in a lounge chair on the beach, staring out over the glittering sea, the ocean breeze ruffling your hair, listening to the slow, steady rhythm of the waves.

In the above opening for How to Become a Freelance Writer, Starting from Scratch, Jon Morrow uses sensory language to set a scene for the reader.

And it’s highly, highly effective.

Using Sensory Words in Email Subject Lines

Like you, your readers are flooded with emails.

And with open rates in a steady decline, people are trying anything and everything to make their email subject lines stand out:

Emojis;

Capitalized words;

All lowercase letters;

Two exclamation points;

Clickbait that would make even BuzzFeed go, “that’s too far, man.”

You name it, people are trying it.

Want a simpler, far-more-effective way to help your emails stand out from the crowd?

Add a sensory word.

Brian Dean loves to include words like “boom” in his subjects:

The folks at AppSumo and Sumo (formerly SumoMe) regularly feature descriptive words in their subjects and headlines.

Here’s one example:

And sensory language appears in most everything Henneke writes, including her subject lines.

In this one she also uses an emoji related to her sensory word. Very clever:

Now that we’ve covered several examples, let’s dig a bit deeper…

Let’s discuss some practical steps you can take that will make adding figurative language to your own writing style a breeze:

Back to Top

How Descriptive Details Can Pack Your Writing With Sensory Language

If you’ve taken a good English or creative writing class, you’ve probably been told a time or two to “show, don’t tell.”

This means you should create an engaging experience for your audience; not just tell them what you want them to know.

You accomplish this by using descriptive writing that conveys sensations and lets readers experience your words (rather than simply read them).

And how do you do that, exactly?

Ask yourself these five questions when you’re writing:

#1. What Do You See?

It isn’t enough to tell your readers there was a scary house in your neighborhood when you were a child. Describe the house to them in vivid detail.

What shade of gray was it?

Were the doors boarded up?

Precisely how many ghostly figures did you see staring at you from the upstairs bedroom windows, and how many are standing behind you right now?

Paint a mental picture for your readers.

#2. What Do You Hear?

We listen to uptempo songs to push us through cardio workouts. Many of us listen to rainfall when we’re trying to sleep. Some of us listen to Justin Bieber when we want to punish our neighbors.

Want to transplant readers into your literary world?

Talk about the drip, drip, drip of the faucet.

Mention the squeaking floors beneath your feet.

Describe the awful music coming from your next-door-neighbor’s house.

#3. How Does it Feel?

Touch sensory words can convey both tactile and emotional sensations.

Can you describe to the reader how something feels when touched? Is it smooth or rough? Round or flat? Is it covered in goo or is it goo-less?

Paint a picture for your reader so they can touch what you’re touching.

The same goes for emotions. Help the reader feel what you (or your character) are feeling. Draw them in.

#4. What Does it Taste Like?

Does the beach air taste salty? Is the roaring fire so intense you can taste the smoke? Is the smell of your roommate’s tuna fish sandwich so strong you can taste it from across the room?

Tell your audience.

Be descriptive.

Make them taste the fishiness.

#5. How Does it Smell?

It wasn’t a basement you walked into — it was a musty, moldy basement.

And you didn’t simply enjoy your Mom’s homemade lasagna. You inhaled the aromatic scents of sauce, cheese, and basil.

Evoking the sense of smell is possibly the most effective way to pull readers out of their world and into yours.

So when you sit down to write, ask yourself if it’s possible to describe how something smells. And if you can? Do it.

Back to Top

The Massive Sensory Words List: 583 (and Counting) Descriptive Words to Supercharge Your Writing With Sensory Language

Once you’ve asked and answered the five questions above, your writing will be packed with sensory details.

In time, you’ll build up your own massive list of sensory words you can reference and sprinkle throughout your work (no thesaurus needed!).

But in the meantime, here’s my list.

Bookmark them.

Print them.

Use them often:

SIGHT WORDS SOUND WORDS Angular Babble Azure Bang Billowy Barking Black Bawled Bleary Bawling Bloated Bellow Blonde Blare Blue Blaring Blurred Bleat Blushing Boom Branching Booming Bright Bray Brilliant Buzz Broad Buzzing Brown Cackle Brunette Cackling Bulbous Chatter Bulky Chattering Camouflaged Cheer Chubby Chiming Circular Chirping Colorful Chuckle Colorless Clamor Colossal Clang Contoured Clanging Cosmic Clap Craggy Clapping Crimson Clicking Crinkled Clink Crooked Clinking Crowded Cooing Crystalline Coughing Curved Crackle Dark Crackling Dazzling Crashing Deep Creak Dim Croaking Dingy Crow Disheveled Crunch Distinct Crunching Drab Crunchy Dreary Cry Dull Crying Dusty Deafening Elegant Distorted Enchanting Dripping Engaging Ear-piercing Enormous Earsplitting Faded Exploding Fancy Faint Fat Fizzing Filthy Gagging Flashy Gasping Flat Giggle Flickering Giggling Foggy Grate Forked Grating Freckled Growl Fuzzy Grumble Gargantuan Grunt Gaudy Grunting Gigantic Guffaw Ginormous Gurgle Glamorous Gurgling Gleaming Hanging Glimpse Hiss Glistening Hissing Glitter Honking Glittering Howl Globular Hubbub Gloomy Hum Glossy Humming Glowing Hush Gold Jabber Graceful Jangle Gray Jangling Green Laughing Grotesque Moaning Hazy Monotonous Hollow Mooing Homely Muffled Huge Mumble Illuminated Mumbling Immense Murmur Indistinct Mutter Ivory Muttering Knotty Noisy Lacy Peeping Lanky Piercing Large Ping Lavender Pinging Lean Plopping Lithe Pop Little Purring Lofty Quacking Long Quiet Low Rant Malnourished Rapping Maroon Rasping Massive Raucous Miniature Rave Misshapen Ringing Misty Roar Motionless Roaring Mottled Rumble Mountainous Rumbling Muddy Rustle Murky Rustling Narrow Scratching Obtuse Scream Olive Screaming Opaque Screech Orange Screeching Oval Serene Pale Shout Peered Shouting Petite Shrieking Pink Shrill Portly Sigh Pristine Silent Prodigious Sing Purple Singing Quaint Sizzling Radiant Slam Rectangular Slamming Red Snap Reddish Snappy Rippling Snoring Rotund Snort Round Splashing Ruby Squawking Ruddy Squeaky Rusty Stammer Sabotaged Stomp Shadowy Storm Shallow Stuttering Shapeless Tearing Sheer Thudding Shimmering Thump Shiny Thumping Short Thunder Silver Thundering Skinny Ticking Small Tingling Smudged Tinkling Soaring Twitter Sparkling Twittering Sparkly Wail Spherical Warbling Spotless Wheezing Spotted Whimper Square Whimpering Steep Whine Stormy Whining Straight Whir Strange Whisper Striped Whispering Sunny Whistle Swooping Whooping Tall Yell Tapering Yelp Tarnished Teeny-tiny Tiny Towering Translucent Transparent Triangular Turquoise Twinkling Twisted Ugly Unsightly Unusual Vibrant Vivid Weird White Wide Wiry Wispy Wizened Wrinkled Wrinkly Yellow TOUCH WORDS TASTE WORDS Abrasive Acidic Balmy Appetizing Biting Bitter Boiling Bittersweet Breezy Bland Bristly Buttery Bubbly Charred Bubby Contaminated Bumpy Creamy Burning Crispy Bushy Delectable Chilled Delicious Chilly Doughy Clammy Earthy Coarse Fermented Cold Flavorful Cool Flavorless Cottony Floury Crawly Garlicky Creepy Gingery Cuddly Gritty Cushioned Hearty Damp Juicy Dank Luscious Dirty Medicinal Downy Mellow Drenched Melted Dry Nauseating Elastic Nutritious Feathery Nutty Feverish Palatable Fine Peppery Fleshy Pickled Fluff Piquant Fluffy Raw Foamy Refreshing Fragile Rich Freezing Ripe Furry Salty/Salted Glassy Savory Gluey Scrumptious Gooey Stale Grainy Sugary Greasy Syrupy Gritty Tangy Gushy Tart Hairy Tasteless Heavy Unripe Hot Vinegary Humid Yummy Ice-Cold Zesty Icy Itchy Knobbed Leathery Light Lightweight Limp Lukewarm Lumpy Matted Metallic Moist Mushy Numbing Oily Plastic Pointed Powdery Pulpy Rocky Rough Rubbery Sandy Scalding Scorching Scratchy Scummy Serrated Shaggy Sharp Shivering Shivery Silky Slimy Slippery Sloppy Smooth Smothering Soapy Soft Sopping Soupy Splintery Spongy Springy Sputter Squashy Squeal Squishy Steamy Steely Sticky Stifled Stifling Stinging Stony Stubby Tangled Tapered Tender Tepid Thick Thin Thorny Tickling Tough Unsanitary Velvety Warm Waxy Wet Woolly SMELL WORDS TASTE & SMELL WORDS Ambrosial Acrid Antiseptic Burnt Aroma Fishy Aromatic Fresh Briny Fruity Citrusy Lemony Decayed Minty Decomposed Moldy Doggy Mouth-watering Fetid Rotten Floral Salty Flowery Sour Foul-smelling Spicy Fragrant Spoiled Gamy Sweet Gaseous Tantalizing Horrid Inodorous Malodorous Mephitic Musky Musty Odiferous Odor Odorless Old Perfumed Piney Polluted Pungent Putrid Rancid Rank Redolent Reeking Scent Scented Sickly Skunky Smell Smoky Stagnant Stench Stinky Sweaty Tempting Whiff

This post is part of Smart Blogger's

Freelance Writing Hub

From elevating your writing skills to getting paid to write, learn everything you need to know about freelancing.

Go to the Hub

Are You Ready to Unleash the Power of Sensory Details?

It’s time to say goodbye.

Goodbye to lifeless words that sit on the page.

Goodbye to indifferent readers ready to move on to something, anything, else.

You now know why sensory details are so effective. You know how to sprinkle descriptive words throughout your content. And you now have a massive, ever-growing list of sensory words to bookmark and come back to again and again.

Variations of the following quote have been attributed to everyone from Carl W. Buehner to Maya Angelou, but regardless of who said it, and how they said it, it’s true:

“People may forget what you said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”

It’s time to make your readers feel.

Are you ready?

Then let’s do this thing.

The post 583 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/sensory-words/

[g0thbb]

All of them ;)

Already answered: 2, 4, 5, 9, 15, 25, 27, 69, 72, 73, 77(For the 5 blogs I tagged, you’re on number 65 !!)1.) 6 of the songs you listen to most?: I Hate Myself and Want To Die - Nirvana (Don’t ask), Polly - Nirvana, Master of Puppets - Metallica, Raining Blood - Slayer, South of Heaven - Slayer, Madhouse - Anthrax 3.) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17: “He did not turn back a second time, but stepped up with decision and rapped at the door of our chamber.” (Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”)6.) Do you sleep with or without clothes on?: With?7.) What’s your strangest talent?: I don’t think I have any other than being able to stay in my house for weeks at a time 8.) Girls… (finish the sentence) ; Boys… (finish the sentence): Lmao what???10.) When was the last time you played the air guitar?: Never11.) Do you have any strange phobias?: Bridges, freakishly tall people, butterflies (Normal phobias: Heights, insects/spiders, snakes, rollercoasters, rejection, embarrassment, loud noises)12.) Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?: No??13.) What’s your religion?: I don’t have one. I’m an atheist. 14.) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?: Me? Outside?? What is this nonsense???16.) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?: Metallica or Slayer17.) What was the last lie you told?: “I’m not gay.”18.) Do you believe in karma?: Not really 19.) What does your URL mean?: I think it’s pretty self-explanatory 20.) What is your greatest weakness?:I’m a pushover. What is your greatest strength?: You can’t exactly hurt my feelings at this point.21.) Who is your celebrity crush?: Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, and Matthew Gray Gubler22.) Have you ever gone skinny dipping?: Fuck no23.) How do you vent your anger?: I don’t. 24.) Do you have a collection of anything?: Books.26.) Are you happy with the person you’ve become?: This is going to sound emo but no. 28.) What’s your biggest “what if”?: “What if they end up hating me?”29.) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?: Ghosts? No. Aliens? Possibly with further research. 30.) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.: Right: My certificates/posters. Left: My bedpost31.) Smell the air. What do you smell?: Air freshener 32.) What’s the worst place you have ever been to?: Florida 33.) Choose - East Coast or West Coast?: West Coast34.) Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?: Kurt Cobain35.) To you, what is the meaning of life?: You’re going to die. Do whatever the fuck makes you happy.36.) Define Art: “Art - The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”37.) Do you believe in luck?: No38.) What’s the weather like right now?: Sunny 39.) What time is it?: 7:3640.) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?: Too young41.) What was the last book you read?: All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr42.) Do you like the smell of gasoline?: Yes43.) Do you have any nicknames?: Chel, “Admin Chel” (@ Brooklynn it’s time to stop), Dildo Windshield (Don’t ask)44.) What was the last film you saw?: Young Guns 245.) What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?: Someone threw a pipe at the back of my knee 46.) Have you ever caught a butterfly?: No. Fuck butterflies.47.) Do you have any obsessions right now?: The Outsiders lmao48.) What’s your sexual orientation?: Bisexual49.) Ever had a rumour spread about you?: Yes50.) Do you believe in magic?: No51.) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?: Depends on the severity of what they had done 52.) What is your astrological sign?: Aries53.) Do you save money or spend it?: Save 54.) What’s the last thing you purchased?: A sun & moon necklace (The sun necklace went to Brooklynn)55.) Love or lust?: Love56.) In a relationship?: Yes57.) How many relationships have you had?: 2 58.) Can you touch your nose with your tongue?: No59.) Where were you yesterday?: Home60.) Is there anything pink within ten feet of you?: No61.) Are you wearing socks right now?: No62.) What is your favorite animal?: Raven63.) What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?: I don’t have one64.) Where is your best friend?: In a location 65.) Give me your top 5 favorite blogs on Tumblr: @jinxed-trash@pureoutsiderstrash@pmcurtis@the-outsiders-slut@itsdatponyboy66.) What is your heritage?: Mainly German67.) What were you doing last night at 12 AM?: Sleeping?68.) What do you think is Satan’s last name?: I’m not that shady 70.) Are you the kind of friend that you would want to have as a friend?: Not really, I’m fuckin annoying lmao71.) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?: Save it and take it home. If I’m at risk of being fired, I obviously would have left early. 74.) What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?: Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana75.) What are the last 4 digits in your cell phone number?: Can’t tell you guys that lmao76.) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?: Chemistry 78.) Can insanity bring on more creativity?: Well, by definition, insanity can make you think/see things that others can’t, and that’s basically what creativity is. So yes.79.) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?: Joining The Outsiders fandom80.) What size shoe do you wear?: 981.) What would you want to be written on your tombstone?: “I tried.”82.) What is your favourite word?: I don’t have one83.) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart: An organ.84.) What is a saying you say a lot?: “I feel attacked.”85.) What’s the last song you listened to?: Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin 86.) Basic question; What’s your favourite colour/colours?: Dark, brooding colors87.) What is your current desktop photo?: The moon88.) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?: Nobody??89.) What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?: I can’t think of one from the top of my head90.) Turn offs?: Rudeness. Inconsideration. Ignorance. Idiocy. 91.) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you withthe superpower of your choice. What is that power?: Probably the power of the elements (Earth, water, wind, and fire)92.) Where are your parents from?: The U.S.93.) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?: Probably shouldn’t talk about it on Tumblr 94.) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?: Kurt Cobain 95.) You just got a plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?: Berlin, Germany.96.) Do you have any relatives in jail?: Yes97.) Have you ever thrown up in the car?: Yes98.) Ever been on a plane?: No99.) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?: I’d probably get overwhelmed and cry tbh.

[just-barrow]

I was tagged by @benmendelsohnappreciation thank yoooouu! ♥︎ 

1. Are you named after someone? Nope! My parents just liked the name Kimberly. My first name was supposed to be Dewi (my mom is of Indonesian descent and I think it means something like goddess or princess?), but they thought it was a bit too unique/weird so now it’s my second name. Everybody and their dog is called Dewi nowadays though…I COULD HAVE BEEN A PIONEER DAMMIT. Oh well :p

2. When was the last time you cried? I think last Friday when I had a bit of a meltdown. I still feel like a useless excuse for a human being but at least I've managed to organize my thoughts a bit.

3. Do you like your handwriting? It’s very clunky and irregular but I like it! In elementary school my cursive writing was considered top of the class but I’ve gone off the rails a bit haha.

4. What is your favorite lunch meat? None! I hardly eat meat at all tbh…

5. Do you have kids? No, and I don’t want any either. I’m more of a pet mama!

6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? I’m really bad at making/keeping friends and communicating in general, and apparently I can come across as pretty distant at first…it would help if we had the same interests!

7. Do you use sarcasm? Sometimes…I often don’t pick up on it in others so I’m not good at using it myself.

8. Do you still have your tonsils? No, when I was a kid my throat swelled up like I’d swallowed two tennis balls and I had to get them removed. I remember there was lots of dried blood and ice cream involved.

9. Would you bungee jump? HAHA NO

10. What is your favorite kind of cereal? I’m more of an oatmeal obsessee myself, but I do enjoy the occassional bowl of Coco Pops.

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Nooo I wear combat boots most of the time and those things are VERY hard to take off without untying them first :p

12. Do you think you’re a strong person? My initial reaction is no, but I went through a lot of shit/felt like an enormous pile of shit during the past few years and for some miraculous reason I haven’t killed myself yet, so I guess I’m stronger than I think?

13. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? I like mango and red fruit-y flavors, and anything that has lots of nuts and chocolate bits in it.

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Their overall vibe I guess? Also I have a tendency to avoid eye contact so I often look at people’s mouths instead.

15. What is the least favorite physical thing you like about yourself? My thighs D:

16. What color pants and shoes are you wearing now? Black leggings, white/brown fluffy slippers!

17. What are you listening to right now? The sound of the dishwasher and my cat snoring omg it’s so cute ♥︎

18. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? I know there’s one called ‘Unmellow Yellow’. That’s definitely me :p

19. Favorite smell? BAKED GOODS!!! Also at the moment I’m obsessed with my cat’s fur, burying my face in her tummy has a really calming effect on me. 

20. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? I absolutely LOATHE phonecalls but I looked it up and it was my boyfriend.

21. Favorite sport to watch? I don’t watch a lot of sports voluntarily but my boyfriend watches A LOT. I guess the Tour De France is pretty good background noise.

22. Hair color? Brown. Thick. Unmanageable.

23. Eye color? Green-greyish.

24. Do you wear contacts? Only when I go outside, but not every time. When I’m at home I always wear my glasses!

25. Favorite food to eat? Pancakes! Chocolate! Fruit! Any kind of sweet baked goods!!! I LOVE FOOD

26. Scary movies or comedy? I’m scared of my own shadow so comedy!

27. Last movie you watched? I think Adore is still the last movie I watched…lovely sweet dad!Ben with Mendelstache™ *dreamy sigh*

28. What color of shirt are you wearing? Black, like my soul.

29. Summer or winter? I don’t handle heat very well (I can’t sweat so I overheat really quickly) so I’ll go with a chilly but sunny winter’s day :D

30. Hugs or kisses?  I like both but if I have to choose it’s hugs!

31. What book are you currently reading? I’ve got the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe lying next to me, I’m currently reading The Murder In The Rue Morgue.

32. Who do you miss right now? My dog :(

33. What is on your mouse pad? I haven’t had one in years!

34. What is the last TV program you watched? Just finished the first season of Humans! Highly recommended!

35. What is the best sound? Ben Mendelsohn’s ridiculous gigglelaugh.

36. Rolling Stones or The Beatles? I enjoy both, but I enjoy The Beatles more.

37. What is the furthest you have ever traveled? Madeira

38. Do you have a special talent? I’m pretty damn good at baking! Also, this is not really a talent but I was born with deformed hips so I can sit on my bum, with my knees together on the floor and my lower legs splayed outwards. I don’t know if that makes sense but it freaks people out when I do it XD

This was a nice distraction, thank you for the tag! ❤

If you feel like doing this, consider yourself tagged!

[lindabodecom]

581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant

It’s almost too easy.

By using sensory words to evoke sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell; smart and attractive writers just like you are able to make their words burst to life in their readers’ minds.

In this post, you’ll learn:

The science behind sensory details (e.g. why sensory words are so persuasive);

The definition of sensory words (plus examples);

How answering five simple questions will help you write descriptive words that pack your content with sensory language;

500+ sensory words you can incorporate into your own writing (right now).

Let’s dive in.

Pin Image

Back to Top

The Colossal Power of Sensory Details

Remember the final scene in Field of Dreams when Ray Kinsella has a catch with his dad?

You can smell the grass on the field.

You can hear the sound of the baseball hitting their gloves.

And you can feel Ray’s years of guilt melting away as he closes his eyes, smiles, and tosses the ball back to his dad.

(Be honest. You’re crying right now, aren’t you?)

Field of Dreams made you feel like you were in Ray’s shoes, on his field, playing catch with dad.

The scene creates such a vivid experience for many viewers that whenever they think of playing catch, this scene will come up alongside their own childhood memories.

Here’s why:

When you paint a strong scene in your audience’s mind, you make it easier for them to pull it back up from their memory. You’ve essentially bookmarked it for them so they can easily find it when something — a sight, a smell, a sound — reminds them of it.

That’s the power of content that incorporates sensory details.

And this power isn’t limited to cinema classics capable of making grown men cry. For centuries, literary giants have been packing their prose with powerful words that evoke the senses:

“Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war; That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial” — William Shakespeare (circa 1599)

In addition to The Bard, authors like Maya Angelou, Edgar Allan Poe, and Charles Dickens excel at sensory language. So do literally every famous poet you learned about in school.

And that begs the obvious question…

Back to Top

Why are Sensory Details so Effective?

Short answer:

Our brains handle sensory words differently than ordinary words.

In a 2011 study published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, experts found that our brains process “tangible” (i.e. sensory) words faster than other words.

And in a study published for Brain and Language in 2012, psychologists found that a certain part of our brain is “activated” when we read sensory words.

In other words:

So, we know why sensory details are powerful. And we know writers have been tapping into their power for a long, long time.

Now let’s define them and go over a few examples:

Back to Top

What are Sensory Words?

Sensory words are descriptive words — using imagery, they describe how we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell the world around us.

Let’s break each one down:

#1. Sight Sensory Words

Words related to vision describe the appearance of something (its color, size, shape, and so on).

Examples of visual words:

Her golden hair looked disheveled thanks to the gust of wind.

He was a towering presence.

I ordered a large orange juice, but the waiter brought me a teeny-tiny glass the size of a thimble.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Sight Sensory Words.

Angular Azure Billowy Black Bleary Bloated Blonde Blue Blurred Blushing Branching Bright Brilliant Broad Brown Brunette Bulbous Bulky Camouflaged Chubby Circular Colorful Colorless Colossal Contoured Cosmic Craggy Crimson Crinkled Crooked Crowded Crystalline Curved Dark Dazzling Deep Dim Dingy Disheveled Distinct Drab Dreary Dull Dusty Elegant Enchanting Engaging Enormous Faded Fancy Fat Filthy Flashy Flat Flickering Foggy Forked Freckled Fuzzy Gargantuan Gaudy Gigantic Ginormous Glamorous Gleaming Glimpse Glistening Glitter Glittering Globular Gloomy Glossy Glowing Gold Graceful Gray Green Grotesque Hazy Hollow Homely Huge Illuminated Immense Indistinct Ivory Knotty Lacy Lanky Large Lavender Lean Lithe Little Lofty Long Low Malnourished Maroon Massive Miniature Misshapen Misty Motionless Mottled Mountainous Muddy Murky Narrow Obtuse Olive Opaque Orange Oval Pale Peered Petite Pink Portly Pristine Prodigious Purple Quaint Radiant Rectangular Red Reddish Rippling Rotund Round Ruby Ruddy Rusty Sabotaged Shadowy Shallow Shapeless Sheer Shimmering Shiny Short Silver Skinny Small Smudged Soaring Sparkling Sparkly Spherical Spotless Spotted Square Steep Stormy Straight Strange Striped Sunny Swooping Tall Tapering Tarnished Teeny-tiny Tiny Towering Translucent Transparent Triangular Turquoise Twinkling Twisted Ugly Unsightly Unusual Vibrant Vivid Weird White Wide Wiry Wispy Wizened Wrinkled Wrinkly Yellow

  #2. Sound Sensory Words

Words related to hearing often describe the sound they make (known as onomatopoeia), but this isn’t always the case.

Examples of hearing words:

He had a big, booming voice.

The sound of screeching tires was soon followed by the deafening sound of a car horn.

As I peeked under the bed, the cackling laughter coming from the closet made the hairs on my arms stand up.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Sound Sensory Words.

Babble Bang Barking Bawled Bawling Bellow Blare Blaring Bleat Boom Booming Bray Buzz Buzzing Cackle Cackling Chatter Chattering Cheer Chiming Chirping Chuckle Clamor Clang Clanging Clap Clapping Clicking Clink Clinking Cooing Coughing Crackle Crackling Crashing Creak Croaking Crow Crunch Crunching Crunchy Cry Crying Deafening Distorted Dripping Ear-piercing Earsplitting Exploding Faint Fizzing Gagging Gasping Giggle Giggling Grate Grating Growl Grumble Grunt Grunting Guffaw Gurgle Gurgling Hanging Hiss Hissing Honking Howl Hubbub Hum Humming Hush Jabber Jangle Jangling Laughing Moaning Monotonous Mooing Muffled Mumble Mumbling Murmur Mutter Muttering Noisy Peeping Piercing Ping Pinging Plopping Pop Purring Quacking Quiet Rant Rapping Rasping Raucous Rave Ringing Roar Roaring Rumble Rumbling Rustle Rustling Scratching Scream Screaming Screech Screeching Serene Shout Shouting Shrieking Shrill Sigh Silent Sing Singing Sizzling Slam Slamming Snap Snappy Snoring Snort Splashing Squawking Squeaky Stammer Stomp Storm Stuttering Tearing Thudding Thump Thumping Thunder Thundering Ticking Tingling Tinkling Twitter Twittering Wail Warbling Wheezing Whimper Whimpering Whine Whining Whir Whisper Whispering Whistle Whooping Yell Yelp

  #3. Touch Sensory Words

Touch words describe the texture of how something feels. They can also describe emotional feelings.

Examples of touch words:

Two minutes into the interview, I knew his abrasive personality would be an issue if we hired him.

With a forced smile, I put on the itchy Christmas sweater my grandmother bought me.

The Hot Pocket was scalding on the outside, but ice-cold in the middle.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Touch Sensory Words.

Abrasive Balmy Biting Boiling Breezy Bristly Bubbly Bubby Bumpy Burning Bushy Chilled Chilly Clammy Coarse Cold Cool Cottony Crawly Creepy Cuddly Cushioned Damp Dank Dirty Downy Drenched Dry Elastic Feathery Feverish Fine Fleshy Fluff Fluffy Foamy Fragile Freezing Furry Glassy Gluey Gooey Grainy Greasy Gritty Gushy Hairy Heavy Hot Humid Ice-Cold Icy Itchy Knobbed Leathery Light Lightweight Limp Lukewarm Lumpy Matted Metallic Moist Mushy Numbing Oily Plastic Pointed Powdery Pulpy Rocky Rough Rubbery Sandy Scalding Scorching Scratchy Scummy Serrated Shaggy Sharp Shivering Shivery Silky Slimy Slippery Sloppy Smooth Smothering Soapy Soft Sopping Soupy Splintery Spongy Springy Sputter Squashy Squeal Squishy Steamy Steely Sticky Stifled Stifling Stinging Stony Stubby Tangled Tapered Tender Tepid Thick Thin Thorny Tickling Tough Unsanitary Velvety Warm Waxy Wet Woolly

  #4. Taste Sensory Words

Taste words are interesting. Though they can describe food, they’re often used in comparisons and metaphors.

Examples of taste words:

It’s a bittersweet situation.

Her zesty personality caught Karl’s eye.

The scrumptious jalapeno poppers comforted Karl after his bitter rejection.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Taste Sensory Words.

Acidic Appetizing Bitter Bittersweet Bland Buttery Charred Contaminated Creamy Crispy Delectable Delicious Doughy Earthy Fermented Flavorful Flavorless Floury Garlicky Gingery Gritty Hearty Juicy Luscious Medicinal Mellow Melted Nauseating Nutritious Nutty Palatable Peppery Pickled Piquant Raw Refreshing Rich Ripe Runt Savory Scrumptious Stale Sugary Syrupy Tangy Tart Tasteless Unripe Vinegary Yummy Zesty

  #5. Smell Sensory Words

Words related to smell describe — yes, you guessed it — how things smell. Often underutilized, sensory words connected with smell can be very effective.

Examples of smell words:

The pungent smell was unmistakable: someone in this elevator was wearing Axe Body Spray.

No matter the expiration date, it was clear from its rancid stench the milk had gone bad.

The flowery aroma was a welcome change after the elevator and milk incidents.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Smell Sensory Words.

Ambrosial Antiseptic Aroma Aromatic Briny Citrusy Decayed Decomposed Doggy Fetid Floral Flowery Foul-smelling Fragrant Gamy Gaseous Horrid Inodorous Malodorous Mephitic Musky Musty Odiferous Odor Odorless Old Perfumed Piney Polluted Pungent Putrid Rancid Rank Redolent Reeking Scent Scented Sickly Skunky Smell Smoky Stagnant Stench Stinky Sweaty Tempting

  Note on Taste and Smell:

Because they’re closely related, some sensory words can be used for both taste and smell. Examples: fruity, minty, and tantalizing.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Taste and Smell Sensory Words.

Acrid Burnt Fishy Fresh Fruity Lemony Minty Moldy Mouth-watering Rotten Salty Sour Spicy Spoiled Sweet Tantalizing

  Back to Top

Sensory Details: Examples in the Wild

Imagine the following headline came across your Twitter feed:

How to Avoid Using Boring Stock Photo Images in Your Content

Would you click it?

Better question…

Could you read the headline without falling asleep?

The answers are probably “no” and “heck no.”

Now imagine you saw this headline:

Much better, right?

The simple addition of the sensory word “cringeworthy” changes the tone of the entire headline. Instead of yawning, you’re thinking of an awkward or embarrassing moment you really don’t want to relive.

Let’s look at a few more modern-day examples of sharp people using sensory language to spruce up their content:

Using Sensory Words in Author Bios

I’ll pick on me for this one.

Here’s the author bio I used for one of my first-ever guest posts:

Kevin Duncan is the owner of Be A Better Blogger, where he helps people become the best bloggers they can be.

Now look at the author bio my friend Henneke wrote for Writer’s Block: 27 Techniques to Overcome It Forever:

Henneke Duistermaat is an irreverent copywriter and business writing coach. She’s on a mission to stamp out gobbledygook and to make boring business blogs sparkle.

My bio is devoid of sensory words (or any interesting words at all, if we’re being honest).

Henneke’s is chock full of them.

Her bio is interesting.

Mine is boring.

The lesson? Add at least one sensory word to your author bio.

Using Sensory Words in Social Media Profiles

Some people opt for brevity when writing their social media profiles, and that’s fine.

But if you want your Twitter profile (or Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media profile) to stand out from the crowd, sprinkle in a sensory word or two.

Like so:

Mel Wicks is a veteran copywriter who knows a thing or two about the effectiveness of descriptive words, so she uses them to spice up her Twitter profile.

Here’s an example from my badly-neglected Instagram account:

“Enchanting” and “adorably-jubilant” are wonderful sensory words — so wonderful, it’s a shame they’re wasted on a profile no one sees.

Look at your own profiles and see if there’s a place to add a sensory word or two. They’ll help your profile jump off the screen.

Heck, see if you can use enchanting and adorably-jubilant.

They deserve to be seen.

Using Sensory Words in Introductions

The opening lines of your content are so important.

If you’re a student, your opening sets the tone for your teacher (who we both know is dying to use his red pen).

If you’re an author, your opening can be the difference between someone buying your book or putting it back on the shelf in favor of one of those Twilight books (probably).

And if you’re a blogger, writer, content marketer, or business; your opening can hook the reader (increasing dwell time, which is great in Google’s eyes) or send them scurrying for the “back” button.

It’s why we put such an emphasis on introductions here at Smart Blogger.

Sometimes our openings hook you with a question.

Sometimes we strike a note of empathy or (like this post) focus on searcher intent.

And sometimes we give you a heaping helping of sensory words:

Imagine you’re sitting in a lounge chair on the beach, staring out over the glittering sea, the ocean breeze ruffling your hair, listening to the slow, steady rhythm of the waves.

In the above opening for How to Become a Freelance Writer and Get Paid $200 – $1K per Post, Jon Morrow uses sensory language to set a scene for the reader.

And it’s highly, highly effective.

Using Sensory Words in Email Subject Lines

Like you, your readers are flooded with emails.

And with open rates in a steady decline, people are trying anything and everything to make their email subject lines stand out:

Emojis;

Capitalized words;

All lowercase letters;

Two exclamation points;

Clickbait that would make even BuzzFeed go, “that’s too far, man.”

You name it, people are trying it.

Want a simpler, far-more-effective way to help your emails stand out from the crowd?

Add a sensory word.

Brian Dean loves to include words like “boom” in his subjects:

The folks at AppSumo and Sumo (formerly SumoMe) regularly feature descriptive words in their subjects and headlines.

Here’s one example:

And sensory language appears in most everything Henneke writes, including her subject lines.

In this one she also uses an emoji related to her sensory word. Very clever:

Now that we’ve covered several examples, let’s dig a bit deeper…

Let’s discuss some practical steps you can take that will make adding sensory language to your writing a breeze:

Back to Top

How Descriptive Words Can Pack Your Writing With Sensory Language

If you’ve taken a good English or writing class, you’ve probably been told a time or two to “show, don’t tell.”

This means you should create an engaging experience for your audience; not just tell them what you want them to know.

You accomplish this by using descriptive language that conveys sensations and lets readers experience your words (rather than simply read them).

And how do you do that, exactly?

Ask yourself these five questions when you’re writing:

#1. What Do You See?

It isn’t enough to tell your readers there was a scary house in your neighborhood when you were a child. Describe the house to them in vivid detail.

What shade of gray was it?

Were the doors boarded up?

Precisely how many ghostly figures did you see staring at you from the upstairs bedroom windows, and how many are standing behind you right now?

Paint a mental picture for your readers.

#2. What Do You Hear?

We listen to uptempo songs to push us through cardio workouts. Many of us listen to rainfall when we’re trying to sleep. Some of us listen to Justin Bieber when we want to punish our neighbors.

Want to transplant readers into your literary world?

Talk about the drip, drip, drip of the faucet.

Mention the squeaking floors beneath your feet.

Describe the awful music coming from your next-door-neighbor’s house.

#3. How Does it Feel?

Touch sensory words can convey both tactile and emotional sensations.

Can you describe to the reader how something feels when touched? Is it smooth or rough? Round or flat? Is it covered in goo or is it goo-less?

Paint a picture for your reader so they can touch what you’re touching.

The same goes for emotions. Help the reader feel what you (or your character) are feeling. Draw them in.

#4. What Does it Taste Like?

Does the beach air taste salty? Is the roaring fire so intense you can taste the smoke? Is the smell of your roommate’s tuna fish sandwich so strong you can taste it from across the room?

Tell your audience.

Be descriptive.

Make them taste the fishiness.

#5. How Does it Smell?

It wasn’t a basement you walked into — it was a musty, moldy basement.

And you didn’t simply enjoy your Mom’s homemade lasagna. You inhaled the aromatic scents of sauce, cheese, and basil.

Evoking the sense of smell is possibly the most effective way to pull readers out of their world and into yours.

So when you sit down to write, ask yourself if it’s possible to describe how something smells. And if you can? Do it.

Back to Top

The Massive Sensory Words List: 581 (and Counting) Descriptive Words to Supercharge Your Writing

Once you’ve asked and answered the five questions above, your writing will be packed with sensory details.

In time, you’ll build up your own massive list of sensory words you can reference and sprinkle throughout your work.

But in the meantime, here’s my list.

Bookmark them.

Print them.

Use them often:

SIGHT

SOUND

Angular Babble Azure Bang Billowy Barking Black Bawled Bleary Bawling Bloated Bellow Blonde Blare Blue Blaring Blurred Bleat Blushing Boom Branching Booming Bright Bray Brilliant Buzz Broad Buzzing Brown Cackle Brunette Cackling Bulbous Chatter Bulky Chattering Camouflaged Cheer Chubby Chiming Circular Chirping Colorful Chuckle Colorless Clamor Colossal Clang Contoured Clanging Cosmic Clap Craggy Clapping Crimson Clicking Crinkled Clink Crooked Clinking Crowded Cooing Crystalline Coughing Curved Crackle Dark Crackling Dazzling Crashing Deep Creak Dim Croaking Dingy Crow Disheveled Crunch Distinct Crunching Drab Crunchy Dreary Cry Dull Crying Dusty Deafening Elegant Distorted Enchanting Dripping Engaging Ear-piercing Enormous Earsplitting Faded Exploding Fancy Faint Fat Fizzing Filthy Gagging Flashy Gasping Flat Giggle Flickering Giggling Foggy Grate Forked Grating Freckled Growl Fuzzy Grumble Gargantuan Grunt Gaudy Grunting Gigantic Guffaw Ginormous Gurgle Glamorous Gurgling Gleaming Hanging Glimpse Hiss Glistening Hissing Glitter Honking Glittering Howl Globular Hubbub Gloomy Hum Glossy Humming Glowing Hush Gold Jabber Graceful Jangle Gray Jangling Green Laughing Grotesque Moaning Hazy Monotonous Hollow Mooing Homely Muffled Huge Mumble Illuminated Mumbling Immense Murmur Indistinct Mutter Ivory Muttering Knotty Noisy Lacy Peeping Lanky Piercing Large Ping Lavender Pinging Lean Plopping Lithe Pop Little Purring Lofty Quacking Long Quiet Low Rant Malnourished Rapping Maroon Rasping Massive Raucous Miniature Rave Misshapen Ringing Misty Roar Motionless Roaring Mottled Rumble Mountainous Rumbling Muddy Rustle Murky Rustling Narrow Scratching Obtuse Scream Olive Screaming Opaque Screech Orange Screeching Oval Serene Pale Shout Peered Shouting Petite Shrieking Pink Shrill Portly Sigh Pristine Silent Prodigious Sing Purple Singing Quaint Sizzling Radiant Slam Rectangular Slamming Red Snap Reddish Snappy Rippling Snoring Rotund Snort Round Splashing Ruby Squawking Ruddy Squeaky Rusty Stammer Sabotaged Stomp Shadowy Storm Shallow Stuttering Shapeless Tearing Sheer Thudding Shimmering Thump Shiny Thumping Short Thunder Silver Thundering Skinny Ticking Small Tingling Smudged Tinkling Soaring Twitter Sparkling Twittering Sparkly Wail Spherical Warbling Spotless Wheezing Spotted Whimper Square Whimpering Steep Whine Stormy Whining Straight Whir Strange Whisper Striped Whispering Sunny Whistle Swooping Whooping Tall Yell Tapering Yelp Tarnished Teeny-tiny Tiny Towering Translucent Transparent Triangular Turquoise Twinkling Twisted Ugly Unsightly Unusual Vibrant Vivid Weird White Wide Wiry Wispy Wizened Wrinkled Wrinkly Yellow

TOUCH

TASTE

Abrasive Acidic Balmy Appetizing Biting Bitter Boiling Bittersweet Breezy Bland Bristly Buttery Bubbly Charred Bubby Contaminated Bumpy Creamy Burning Crispy Bushy Delectable Chilled Delicious Chilly Doughy Clammy Earthy Coarse Fermented Cold Flavorful Cool Flavorless Cottony Floury Crawly Garlicky Creepy Gingery Cuddly Gritty Cushioned Hearty Damp Juicy Dank Luscious Dirty Medicinal Downy Mellow Drenched Melted Dry Nauseating Elastic Nutritious Feathery Nutty Feverish Palatable Fine Peppery Fleshy Pickled Fluff Piquant Fluffy Raw Foamy Refreshing Fragile Rich Freezing Ripe Furry Runt Glassy Savory Gluey Scrumptious Gooey Stale Grainy Sugary Greasy Syrupy Gritty Tangy Gushy Tart Hairy Tasteless Heavy Unripe Hot Vinegary Humid Yummy Ice-Cold Zesty Icy Itchy Knobbed Leathery Light Lightweight Limp Lukewarm Lumpy Matted Metallic Moist Mushy Numbing Oily Plastic Pointed Powdery Pulpy Rocky Rough Rubbery Sandy Scalding Scorching Scratchy Scummy Serrated Shaggy Sharp Shivering Shivery Silky Slimy Slippery Sloppy Smooth Smothering Soapy Soft Sopping Soupy Splintery Spongy Springy Sputter Squashy Squeal Squishy Steamy Steely Sticky Stifled Stifling Stinging Stony Stubby Tangled Tapered Tender Tepid Thick Thin Thorny Tickling Tough Unsanitary Velvety Warm Waxy Wet Woolly

SMELL

TASTE & SMELL

Ambrosial Acrid Antiseptic Burnt Aroma Fishy Aromatic Fresh Briny Fruity Citrusy Lemony Decayed Minty Decomposed Moldy Doggy Mouth-watering Fetid Rotten Floral Salty Flowery Sour Foul-smelling Spicy Fragrant Spoiled Gamy Sweet Gaseous Tantalizing Horrid Inodorous Malodorous Mephitic Musky Musty Odiferous Odor Odorless Old Perfumed Piney Polluted Pungent Putrid Rancid Rank Redolent Reeking Scent Scented Sickly Skunky Smell Smoky Stagnant Stench Stinky Sweaty Tempting

Back to Top

Are You Ready to Unleash the Power of Sensory Words?

It’s time to say goodbye.

Goodbye to lifeless words that sit on the page.

Goodbye to indifferent readers ready to move on to something, anything, else.

You now know why sensory details are so effective. You know how to sprinkle descriptive words throughout your content. And you now have a massive, ever-growing list of sensory words to bookmark and come back to again and again.

Variations of the following quote have been attributed to everyone from Carl W. Buehner to Maya Angelou, but regardless of who said it, and how they said it, it’s true:

“People may forget what you said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”

It’s time to make your readers feel.

Are you ready?

Then let’s do this thing.

About the Author: When he’s not busy telling waitresses, baristas, and anyone else who crosses his path that Jon Morrow once said he was in the top 1% of bloggers, Kevin J. Duncan is the Blog Editor and Social Media Manager for Smart Blogger.

The post 581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant appeared first on Smart Blogger.

source https://smartblogger.com/sensory-words/

[claudeleonca]

581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant

It’s almost too easy.

By using sensory words to evoke sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell; smart and attractive writers just like you are able to make their words burst to life in their readers’ minds.

In this post, you’ll learn:

The science behind sensory details (e.g. why sensory words are so persuasive);

The definition of sensory words (plus examples);

How answering five simple questions will help you write descriptive words that pack your content with sensory language;

500+ sensory words you can incorporate into your own writing (right now).

Let’s dive in.

Pin Image

Back to Top

The Colossal Power of Sensory Details

Remember the final scene in Field of Dreams when Ray Kinsella has a catch with his dad?

You can smell the grass on the field.

You can hear the sound of the baseball hitting their gloves.

And you can feel Ray’s years of guilt melting away as he closes his eyes, smiles, and tosses the ball back to his dad.

(Be honest. You’re crying right now, aren’t you?)

Field of Dreams made you feel like you were in Ray’s shoes, on his field, playing catch with dad.

The scene creates such a vivid experience for many viewers that whenever they think of playing catch, this scene will come up alongside their own childhood memories.

Here’s why:

When you paint a strong scene in your audience’s mind, you make it easier for them to pull it back up from their memory. You’ve essentially bookmarked it for them so they can easily find it when something — a sight, a smell, a sound — reminds them of it.

That’s the power of content that incorporates sensory details.

And this power isn’t limited to cinema classics capable of making grown men cry. For centuries, literary giants have been packing their prose with powerful words that evoke the senses:

“Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war; That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial” — William Shakespeare (circa 1599)

In addition to The Bard, authors like Maya Angelou, Edgar Allan Poe, and Charles Dickens excel at sensory language. So do literally every famous poet you learned about in school.

And that begs the obvious question…

Back to Top

Why are Sensory Details so Effective?

Short answer:

Our brains handle sensory words differently than ordinary words.

In a 2011 study published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, experts found that our brains process “tangible” (i.e. sensory) words faster than other words.

And in a study published for Brain and Language in 2012, psychologists found that a certain part of our brain is “activated” when we read sensory words.

In other words:

So, we know why sensory details are powerful. And we know writers have been tapping into their power for a long, long time.

Now let’s define them and go over a few examples:

Back to Top

What are Sensory Words?

Sensory words are descriptive words — using imagery, they describe how we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell the world around us.

Let’s break each one down:

#1. Sight Sensory Words

Words related to vision describe the appearance of something (its color, size, shape, and so on).

Examples of visual words:

Her golden hair looked disheveled thanks to the gust of wind.

He was a towering presence.

I ordered a large orange juice, but the waiter brought me a teeny-tiny glass the size of a thimble.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Sight Sensory Words.

Angular Azure Billowy Black Bleary Bloated Blonde Blue Blurred Blushing Branching Bright Brilliant Broad Brown Brunette Bulbous Bulky Camouflaged Chubby Circular Colorful Colorless Colossal Contoured Cosmic Craggy Crimson Crinkled Crooked Crowded Crystalline Curved Dark Dazzling Deep Dim Dingy Disheveled Distinct Drab Dreary Dull Dusty Elegant Enchanting Engaging Enormous Faded Fancy Fat Filthy Flashy Flat Flickering Foggy Forked Freckled Fuzzy Gargantuan Gaudy Gigantic Ginormous Glamorous Gleaming Glimpse Glistening Glitter Glittering Globular Gloomy Glossy Glowing Gold Graceful Gray Green Grotesque Hazy Hollow Homely Huge Illuminated Immense Indistinct Ivory Knotty Lacy Lanky Large Lavender Lean Lithe Little Lofty Long Low Malnourished Maroon Massive Miniature Misshapen Misty Motionless Mottled Mountainous Muddy Murky Narrow Obtuse Olive Opaque Orange Oval Pale Peered Petite Pink Portly Pristine Prodigious Purple Quaint Radiant Rectangular Red Reddish Rippling Rotund Round Ruby Ruddy Rusty Sabotaged Shadowy Shallow Shapeless Sheer Shimmering Shiny Short Silver Skinny Small Smudged Soaring Sparkling Sparkly Spherical Spotless Spotted Square Steep Stormy Straight Strange Striped Sunny Swooping Tall Tapering Tarnished Teeny-tiny Tiny Towering Translucent Transparent Triangular Turquoise Twinkling Twisted Ugly Unsightly Unusual Vibrant Vivid Weird White Wide Wiry Wispy Wizened Wrinkled Wrinkly Yellow

  #2. Sound Sensory Words

Words related to hearing often describe the sound they make (known as onomatopoeia), but this isn’t always the case.

Examples of hearing words:

He had a big, booming voice.

The sound of screeching tires was soon followed by the deafening sound of a car horn.

As I peeked under the bed, the cackling laughter coming from the closet made the hairs on my arms stand up.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Sound Sensory Words.

Babble Bang Barking Bawled Bawling Bellow Blare Blaring Bleat Boom Booming Bray Buzz Buzzing Cackle Cackling Chatter Chattering Cheer Chiming Chirping Chuckle Clamor Clang Clanging Clap Clapping Clicking Clink Clinking Cooing Coughing Crackle Crackling Crashing Creak Croaking Crow Crunch Crunching Crunchy Cry Crying Deafening Distorted Dripping Ear-piercing Earsplitting Exploding Faint Fizzing Gagging Gasping Giggle Giggling Grate Grating Growl Grumble Grunt Grunting Guffaw Gurgle Gurgling Hanging Hiss Hissing Honking Howl Hubbub Hum Humming Hush Jabber Jangle Jangling Laughing Moaning Monotonous Mooing Muffled Mumble Mumbling Murmur Mutter Muttering Noisy Peeping Piercing Ping Pinging Plopping Pop Purring Quacking Quiet Rant Rapping Rasping Raucous Rave Ringing Roar Roaring Rumble Rumbling Rustle Rustling Scratching Scream Screaming Screech Screeching Serene Shout Shouting Shrieking Shrill Sigh Silent Sing Singing Sizzling Slam Slamming Snap Snappy Snoring Snort Splashing Squawking Squeaky Stammer Stomp Storm Stuttering Tearing Thudding Thump Thumping Thunder Thundering Ticking Tingling Tinkling Twitter Twittering Wail Warbling Wheezing Whimper Whimpering Whine Whining Whir Whisper Whispering Whistle Whooping Yell Yelp

  #3. Touch Sensory Words

Touch words describe the texture of how something feels. They can also describe emotional feelings.

Examples of touch words:

Two minutes into the interview, I knew his abrasive personality would be an issue if we hired him.

With a forced smile, I put on the itchy Christmas sweater my grandmother bought me.

The Hot Pocket was scalding on the outside, but ice-cold in the middle.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Touch Sensory Words.

Abrasive Balmy Biting Boiling Breezy Bristly Bubbly Bubby Bumpy Burning Bushy Chilled Chilly Clammy Coarse Cold Cool Cottony Crawly Creepy Cuddly Cushioned Damp Dank Dirty Downy Drenched Dry Elastic Feathery Feverish Fine Fleshy Fluff Fluffy Foamy Fragile Freezing Furry Glassy Gluey Gooey Grainy Greasy Gritty Gushy Hairy Heavy Hot Humid Ice-Cold Icy Itchy Knobbed Leathery Light Lightweight Limp Lukewarm Lumpy Matted Metallic Moist Mushy Numbing Oily Plastic Pointed Powdery Pulpy Rocky Rough Rubbery Sandy Scalding Scorching Scratchy Scummy Serrated Shaggy Sharp Shivering Shivery Silky Slimy Slippery Sloppy Smooth Smothering Soapy Soft Sopping Soupy Splintery Spongy Springy Sputter Squashy Squeal Squishy Steamy Steely Sticky Stifled Stifling Stinging Stony Stubby Tangled Tapered Tender Tepid Thick Thin Thorny Tickling Tough Unsanitary Velvety Warm Waxy Wet Woolly

  #4. Taste Sensory Words

Taste words are interesting. Though they can describe food, they’re often used in comparisons and metaphors.

Examples of taste words:

It’s a bittersweet situation.

Her zesty personality caught Karl’s eye.

The scrumptious jalapeno poppers comforted Karl after his bitter rejection.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Taste Sensory Words.

Acidic Appetizing Bitter Bittersweet Bland Buttery Charred Contaminated Creamy Crispy Delectable Delicious Doughy Earthy Fermented Flavorful Flavorless Floury Garlicky Gingery Gritty Hearty Juicy Luscious Medicinal Mellow Melted Nauseating Nutritious Nutty Palatable Peppery Pickled Piquant Raw Refreshing Rich Ripe Runt Savory Scrumptious Stale Sugary Syrupy Tangy Tart Tasteless Unripe Vinegary Yummy Zesty

  #5. Smell Sensory Words

Words related to smell describe — yes, you guessed it — how things smell. Often underutilized, sensory words connected with smell can be very effective.

Examples of smell words:

The pungent smell was unmistakable: someone in this elevator was wearing Axe Body Spray.

No matter the expiration date, it was clear from its rancid stench the milk had gone bad.

The flowery aroma was a welcome change after the elevator and milk incidents.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Smell Sensory Words.

Ambrosial Antiseptic Aroma Aromatic Briny Citrusy Decayed Decomposed Doggy Fetid Floral Flowery Foul-smelling Fragrant Gamy Gaseous Horrid Inodorous Malodorous Mephitic Musky Musty Odiferous Odor Odorless Old Perfumed Piney Polluted Pungent Putrid Rancid Rank Redolent Reeking Scent Scented Sickly Skunky Smell Smoky Stagnant Stench Stinky Sweaty Tempting

  Note on Taste and Smell:

Because they’re closely related, some sensory words can be used for both taste and smell. Examples: fruity, minty, and tantalizing.

→ Click here to unfold the full list of Taste and Smell Sensory Words.

Acrid Burnt Fishy Fresh Fruity Lemony Minty Moldy Mouth-watering Rotten Salty Sour Spicy Spoiled Sweet Tantalizing

  Back to Top

Sensory Details: Examples in the Wild

Imagine the following headline came across your Twitter feed:

How to Avoid Using Boring Stock Photo Images in Your Content

Would you click it?

Better question…

Could you read the headline without falling asleep?

The answers are probably “no” and “heck no.”

Now imagine you saw this headline:

Much better, right?

The simple addition of the sensory word “cringeworthy” changes the tone of the entire headline. Instead of yawning, you’re thinking of an awkward or embarrassing moment you really don’t want to relive.

Let’s look at a few more modern-day examples of sharp people using sensory language to spruce up their content:

Using Sensory Words in Author Bios

I’ll pick on me for this one.

Here’s the author bio I used for one of my first-ever guest posts:

Kevin Duncan is the owner of Be A Better Blogger, where he helps people become the best bloggers they can be.

Now look at the author bio my friend Henneke wrote for Writer’s Block: 27 Techniques to Overcome It Forever:

Henneke Duistermaat is an irreverent copywriter and business writing coach. She’s on a mission to stamp out gobbledygook and to make boring business blogs sparkle.

My bio is devoid of sensory words (or any interesting words at all, if we’re being honest).

Henneke’s is chock full of them.

Her bio is interesting.

Mine is boring.

The lesson? Add at least one sensory word to your author bio.

Using Sensory Words in Social Media Profiles

Some people opt for brevity when writing their social media profiles, and that’s fine.

But if you want your Twitter profile (or Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media profile) to stand out from the crowd, sprinkle in a sensory word or two.

Like so:

Mel Wicks is a veteran copywriter who knows a thing or two about the effectiveness of descriptive words, so she uses them to spice up her Twitter profile.

Here’s an example from my badly-neglected Instagram account:

“Enchanting” and “adorably-jubilant” are wonderful sensory words — so wonderful, it’s a shame they’re wasted on a profile no one sees.

Look at your own profiles and see if there’s a place to add a sensory word or two. They’ll help your profile jump off the screen.

Heck, see if you can use enchanting and adorably-jubilant.

They deserve to be seen.

Using Sensory Words in Introductions

The opening lines of your content are so important.

If you’re a student, your opening sets the tone for your teacher (who we both know is dying to use his red pen).

If you’re an author, your opening can be the difference between someone buying your book or putting it back on the shelf in favor of one of those Twilight books (probably).

And if you’re a blogger, writer, content marketer, or business; your opening can hook the reader (increasing dwell time, which is great in Google’s eyes) or send them scurrying for the “back” button.

It’s why we put such an emphasis on introductions here at Smart Blogger.

Sometimes our openings hook you with a question.

Sometimes we strike a note of empathy or (like this post) focus on searcher intent.

And sometimes we give you a heaping helping of sensory words:

Imagine you’re sitting in a lounge chair on the beach, staring out over the glittering sea, the ocean breeze ruffling your hair, listening to the slow, steady rhythm of the waves.

In the above opening for How to Become a Freelance Writer and Get Paid $200 – $1K per Post, Jon Morrow uses sensory language to set a scene for the reader.

And it’s highly, highly effective.

Using Sensory Words in Email Subject Lines

Like you, your readers are flooded with emails.

And with open rates in a steady decline, people are trying anything and everything to make their email subject lines stand out:

Emojis;

Capitalized words;

All lowercase letters;

Two exclamation points;

Clickbait that would make even BuzzFeed go, “that’s too far, man.”

You name it, people are trying it.

Want a simpler, far-more-effective way to help your emails stand out from the crowd?

Add a sensory word.

Brian Dean loves to include words like “boom” in his subjects:

The folks at AppSumo and Sumo (formerly SumoMe) regularly feature descriptive words in their subjects and headlines.

Here’s one example:

And sensory language appears in most everything Henneke writes, including her subject lines.

In this one she also uses an emoji related to her sensory word. Very clever:

Now that we’ve covered several examples, let’s dig a bit deeper…

Let’s discuss some practical steps you can take that will make adding sensory language to your writing a breeze:

Back to Top

How Descriptive Words Can Pack Your Writing With Sensory Language

If you’ve taken a good English or writing class, you’ve probably been told a time or two to “show, don’t tell.”

This means you should create an engaging experience for your audience; not just tell them what you want them to know.

You accomplish this by using descriptive language that conveys sensations and lets readers experience your words (rather than simply read them).

And how do you do that, exactly?

Ask yourself these five questions when you’re writing:

#1. What Do You See?

It isn’t enough to tell your readers there was a scary house in your neighborhood when you were a child. Describe the house to them in vivid detail.

What shade of gray was it?

Were the doors boarded up?

Precisely how many ghostly figures did you see staring at you from the upstairs bedroom windows, and how many are standing behind you right now?

Paint a mental picture for your readers.

#2. What Do You Hear?

We listen to uptempo songs to push us through cardio workouts. Many of us listen to rainfall when we’re trying to sleep. Some of us listen to Justin Bieber when we want to punish our neighbors.

Want to transplant readers into your literary world?

Talk about the drip, drip, drip of the faucet.

Mention the squeaking floors beneath your feet.

Describe the awful music coming from your next-door-neighbor’s house.

#3. How Does it Feel?

Touch sensory words can convey both tactile and emotional sensations.

Can you describe to the reader how something feels when touched? Is it smooth or rough? Round or flat? Is it covered in goo or is it goo-less?

Paint a picture for your reader so they can touch what you’re touching.

The same goes for emotions. Help the reader feel what you (or your character) are feeling. Draw them in.

#4. What Does it Taste Like?

Does the beach air taste salty? Is the roaring fire so intense you can taste the smoke? Is the smell of your roommate’s tuna fish sandwich so strong you can taste it from across the room?

Tell your audience.

Be descriptive.

Make them taste the fishiness.

#5. How Does it Smell?

It wasn’t a basement you walked into — it was a musty, moldy basement.

And you didn’t simply enjoy your Mom’s homemade lasagna. You inhaled the aromatic scents of sauce, cheese, and basil.

Evoking the sense of smell is possibly the most effective way to pull readers out of their world and into yours.

So when you sit down to write, ask yourself if it’s possible to describe how something smells. And if you can? Do it.

Back to Top

The Massive Sensory Words List: 581 (and Counting) Descriptive Words to Supercharge Your Writing

Once you’ve asked and answered the five questions above, your writing will be packed with sensory details.

In time, you’ll build up your own massive list of sensory words you can reference and sprinkle throughout your work.

But in the meantime, here’s my list.

Bookmark them.

Print them.

Use them often:

SIGHT

SOUND

Angular Babble Azure Bang Billowy Barking Black Bawled Bleary Bawling Bloated Bellow Blonde Blare Blue Blaring Blurred Bleat Blushing Boom Branching Booming Bright Bray Brilliant Buzz Broad Buzzing Brown Cackle Brunette Cackling Bulbous Chatter Bulky Chattering Camouflaged Cheer Chubby Chiming Circular Chirping Colorful Chuckle Colorless Clamor Colossal Clang Contoured Clanging Cosmic Clap Craggy Clapping Crimson Clicking Crinkled Clink Crooked Clinking Crowded Cooing Crystalline Coughing Curved Crackle Dark Crackling Dazzling Crashing Deep Creak Dim Croaking Dingy Crow Disheveled Crunch Distinct Crunching Drab Crunchy Dreary Cry Dull Crying Dusty Deafening Elegant Distorted Enchanting Dripping Engaging Ear-piercing Enormous Earsplitting Faded Exploding Fancy Faint Fat Fizzing Filthy Gagging Flashy Gasping Flat Giggle Flickering Giggling Foggy Grate Forked Grating Freckled Growl Fuzzy Grumble Gargantuan Grunt Gaudy Grunting Gigantic Guffaw Ginormous Gurgle Glamorous Gurgling Gleaming Hanging Glimpse Hiss Glistening Hissing Glitter Honking Glittering Howl Globular Hubbub Gloomy Hum Glossy Humming Glowing Hush Gold Jabber Graceful Jangle Gray Jangling Green Laughing Grotesque Moaning Hazy Monotonous Hollow Mooing Homely Muffled Huge Mumble Illuminated Mumbling Immense Murmur Indistinct Mutter Ivory Muttering Knotty Noisy Lacy Peeping Lanky Piercing Large Ping Lavender Pinging Lean Plopping Lithe Pop Little Purring Lofty Quacking Long Quiet Low Rant Malnourished Rapping Maroon Rasping Massive Raucous Miniature Rave Misshapen Ringing Misty Roar Motionless Roaring Mottled Rumble Mountainous Rumbling Muddy Rustle Murky Rustling Narrow Scratching Obtuse Scream Olive Screaming Opaque Screech Orange Screeching Oval Serene Pale Shout Peered Shouting Petite Shrieking Pink Shrill Portly Sigh Pristine Silent Prodigious Sing Purple Singing Quaint Sizzling Radiant Slam Rectangular Slamming Red Snap Reddish Snappy Rippling Snoring Rotund Snort Round Splashing Ruby Squawking Ruddy Squeaky Rusty Stammer Sabotaged Stomp Shadowy Storm Shallow Stuttering Shapeless Tearing Sheer Thudding Shimmering Thump Shiny Thumping Short Thunder Silver Thundering Skinny Ticking Small Tingling Smudged Tinkling Soaring Twitter Sparkling Twittering Sparkly Wail Spherical Warbling Spotless Wheezing Spotted Whimper Square Whimpering Steep Whine Stormy Whining Straight Whir Strange Whisper Striped Whispering Sunny Whistle Swooping Whooping Tall Yell Tapering Yelp Tarnished Teeny-tiny Tiny Towering Translucent Transparent Triangular Turquoise Twinkling Twisted Ugly Unsightly Unusual Vibrant Vivid Weird White Wide Wiry Wispy Wizened Wrinkled Wrinkly Yellow

TOUCH

TASTE

Abrasive Acidic Balmy Appetizing Biting Bitter Boiling Bittersweet Breezy Bland Bristly Buttery Bubbly Charred Bubby Contaminated Bumpy Creamy Burning Crispy Bushy Delectable Chilled Delicious Chilly Doughy Clammy Earthy Coarse Fermented Cold Flavorful Cool Flavorless Cottony Floury Crawly Garlicky Creepy Gingery Cuddly Gritty Cushioned Hearty Damp Juicy Dank Luscious Dirty Medicinal Downy Mellow Drenched Melted Dry Nauseating Elastic Nutritious Feathery Nutty Feverish Palatable Fine Peppery Fleshy Pickled Fluff Piquant Fluffy Raw Foamy Refreshing Fragile Rich Freezing Ripe Furry Runt Glassy Savory Gluey Scrumptious Gooey Stale Grainy Sugary Greasy Syrupy Gritty Tangy Gushy Tart Hairy Tasteless Heavy Unripe Hot Vinegary Humid Yummy Ice-Cold Zesty Icy Itchy Knobbed Leathery Light Lightweight Limp Lukewarm Lumpy Matted Metallic Moist Mushy Numbing Oily Plastic Pointed Powdery Pulpy Rocky Rough Rubbery Sandy Scalding Scorching Scratchy Scummy Serrated Shaggy Sharp Shivering Shivery Silky Slimy Slippery Sloppy Smooth Smothering Soapy Soft Sopping Soupy Splintery Spongy Springy Sputter Squashy Squeal Squishy Steamy Steely Sticky Stifled Stifling Stinging Stony Stubby Tangled Tapered Tender Tepid Thick Thin Thorny Tickling Tough Unsanitary Velvety Warm Waxy Wet Woolly

SMELL

TASTE & SMELL

Ambrosial Acrid Antiseptic Burnt Aroma Fishy Aromatic Fresh Briny Fruity Citrusy Lemony Decayed Minty Decomposed Moldy Doggy Mouth-watering Fetid Rotten Floral Salty Flowery Sour Foul-smelling Spicy Fragrant Spoiled Gamy Sweet Gaseous Tantalizing Horrid Inodorous Malodorous Mephitic Musky Musty Odiferous Odor Odorless Old Perfumed Piney Polluted Pungent Putrid Rancid Rank Redolent Reeking Scent Scented Sickly Skunky Smell Smoky Stagnant Stench Stinky Sweaty Tempting

Back to Top

Are You Ready to Unleash the Power of Sensory Words?

It’s time to say goodbye.

Goodbye to lifeless words that sit on the page.

Goodbye to indifferent readers ready to move on to something, anything, else.

You now know why sensory details are so effective. You know how to sprinkle descriptive words throughout your content. And you now have a massive, ever-growing list of sensory words to bookmark and come back to again and again.

Variations of the following quote have been attributed to everyone from Carl W. Buehner to Maya Angelou, but regardless of who said it, and how they said it, it’s true:

“People may forget what you said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”

It’s time to make your readers feel.

Are you ready?

Then let’s do this thing.

About the Author: When he’s not busy telling waitresses, baristas, and anyone else who crosses his path that Jon Morrow once said he was in the top 1% of bloggers, Kevin J. Duncan is the Blog Editor and Social Media Manager for Smart Blogger.

The post 581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/sensory-words/