Short and Sweet Advice for Writers – Color Code Your Senses

From kitchennostalgia.com

You know your writing should evoke all five senses, but here’s a handy tip for not only making sure you’ve included sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell in a scene, but also that you’ve balanced your use of the senses:

Color Coding for the Senses:

1. Pick a passage from your writing.
2. Pull out your highlighters or colored pens and assign one color to each of the five senses.
3. Now, read the passage and use the appropriate color to highlight or underline each word or phrase that evokes a sense. If certain words or phrases evoke multiple senses, use both colors.
4. Hold the paper at arm’s length for a quick and easy-to-read snapshot of how much sensory writing you have included and which senses you’re evoking.
5. Based on what you see, go back to your piece and edit.

I most recently heard this piece of advice on an episode…