{"id":22134,"date":"2026-05-31T20:19:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T02:19:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=22134"},"modified":"2026-05-31T20:19:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T02:19:58","slug":"writing-the-senses-openbook-blog-hop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=22134","title":{"rendered":"Writing The Senses #OpenBook Blog Hop"},"content":{"rendered":"

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June 1, 2026<\/p>\n

Which of the senses is the hardest for you to include in your writing?<\/h3>\n

As a writer, we’re told all the time to include all the senses in our writing.<\/h4>\n

That can be a hard job. It’s part of the adage “Show, not tell.” I can describe a snowy day -cold, windy, dark clouds, maybe even the smell of a storm moving is – but taste?<\/p>\n

That’s my downfall. I’ll easily tell you about the Chinese food my characters are eating, but to describe the flavor of those dishes eludes me. How many words are there? Sweet, salty, spicy, chocolatey? I suspect that I am flavor-blind in a way. In real life, other people can taste basic flavors in food long before I can. Even something as simple as potato chips don’t appeal to me because I find them bland. Something has to be really salty before I can taste the salt. I once cooked a batch of biscuits with half the salt the recipe called for. I couldn’t tell the difference, but my mother-in-law could.<\/p>\n

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So taste is the hardest sense for me to write. How do you describe what a chocolate cake tastes like? What’s the difference between a strawberry and a blueberry? If you haven’t experienced a food or a spice, how do you describe it or understand the description someone else has shared?<\/p>\n

But I guess that’s true for any of the senses. How do you describe a blue sky to someone who has lived in darkness? Or the difference between the smell of burnt feathers and daisies?<\/p>\n

That’s our job as writers. It’s not always easy. Truthfully, it’s rarely easy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What do the other authors on this hop have trouble writing? Find out by following the links below.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As always, please stay safe until the next time.<\/p>\n

Goal update: I’ve broken 60,000 words. Unless the universe interferes, I should finish in a day or two!<\/p>\n

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You are invited to the Inlinkz<\/strong> link party!<\/p>\r\nClick here to enter<\/a><\/div><\/div>\r\n