Sensory Detail and Setting Exercise

Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, this writing exercise from Aatif Rashid will help you write lyrical sentences rich with sensory detail.

One of the most important revelations I had as a writer was understanding the importance of sensory detail in creating lyrical, evocative sentences. When I was younger, I could recognize lyrical prose when I saw it, those beautiful paragraphs that leapt off the page and really moved me, but it wasn’t until later that I finally realized what many of these sentences had in common: they were all dense with description and relied on sensory detail.

Sensory detail is important for all elements of fiction (and other kinds of writing), but the easiest way to begin practicing improving the lyricism of your sentences is to begin with setting, which relies almost entirely on description. This exercise will help get you started.

1. Imagine a character arriving in a new place, or, if you prefer, think back to a time when you yourself arrived in a new place. The reason we want to start with a new place is that we tend to notice more details when we first encounter a new setting—places like our rooms or offices or apartments are so familiar it takes more work to notice the details. But with a new place every sensation is stronger. We can take advantage of this sensory novelty when writing our scenes.

2. Give your character a strong emotion of some kind. If you’re basing this scene on something from your own life, think of how you felt when you arrived in this new place. The emotion could be anything from eagerness and excitement to fear and apprehension, to loneliness, uncertainty, melancholy, anxiety, etc. The reason we want a strong emotion is that this will be the lens through which your character experiences the setting. Descriptions, after all, are never neutral—they’re filtered through your character’s experience. Identifying what your character is feeling will help you focus your sensory description.

3. Take ten minutes to write the scene and describe the setting as you or your character experiences it. You can write in any point of view—first person, third person, even second person if you want. The essential thing is to make sure you cover all five senses. Start with visual details and then move on to sounds, smells, and feelings. Taste can be difficult, but think of creative ways (does your character drink anything or eat anything, for example) to incorporate them. The key here is to not hold back. Don’t overthink what you’re writing—just let your fingers type, let your pen go. In my experience teaching creative writing, most people actually underwrite rather than overwrite. They’re afraid of writing something wrong, and so they hesitate and censor themselves before they even put anything down on the page. But remember, this is a rough draft—you can always cut things during the editing process. In fact, if you’re doing this exercise correctly, it should feel as if you’re overwriting. Instead of two visual details, give us five. Instead of one sound, give us three. When it comes to sensory details in first drafts, more is better.

4. Once you’ve spent ten minutes writing, go back and identify your favorite descriptions. When you reread what you wrote, which descriptions stand out to you? Which ones feel the strongest? By contrast, which ones feel the weakest? Which descriptions didn’t really work like you hoped? Consider deleting the ones that you don’t like, or else editing them by changing the phrasing or adding new sensory details in their place.

This is only a first draft with some cursory editing at the end, but hopefully it’s shown you how to unlock the lyrical potential in your approach to description and detail.

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Aatif is teaching a Catapult class on description and sensory detail. If you enjoyed this prompt, sign up for his four-week seminar here.