Friday, March 20, 2009

Mmm... Love that Smell


Don't you love the smell of fresh squeezed oranges? Chocolate chip cookies? How about baking bread?

My critique group always is helpful to remind me to incorporate smells into my stories. And they are right. Smells really add a strong mood to a scene.
In teaching, we're told that scents help our student's remember concepts. So in my classroom, I like to have the plug ins. In the spring I put something fresh in like Jasmine and Christmas it's always gingerbread.

Similarly, in my stories, I'm always searching to add my sensory details and not the typical ones that might come to your mind right away. One of my favorite sites to get ideas is Bath and Body Shop. Check out this link for a list of different scents that might inspire you.

I think warm vanilla sugar and wild honeysuckle are my favorite for today. Tomorrow I'm sure it will be something different!

16 comments:

Kimbra Kasch said...

I love the smell of freshly brewing coffee - even more than drinking it and THAT is saying something.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Unknown said...

Smell is my weakness--I will remember everything but smell.

Kate Fall said...

honeysuckle = best smell ever

Rena Jones said...

Smells I love are coffee, fresh cut grass, honeysuckle, orange blossoms, roses, grapefruit, ginger, baby powder and the smell of a glass of red wine.

Oh and the absolute BEST is being in the forest/mountains picking fresh huckleberries. After awhile the aroma just gets to you. No wonder the bears love them so much!

Lenore Appelhans said...

I do love the smell of vanilla. What else... toasted nuts, freshly mown grass, coffee (though I don't drink it), a good red wine...

Christina Farley said...

These are all great smells!
Kim- Thanks! You too.

Beth- you have many strengths- like a fantastic imagination!

Kate- I agree!

Rena- oh huckleberries sound yummy fresh!

Lenore- I miss the smell of fresh cut grass. Sigh. Guess that's what happens when you live in the city!

C.J. Raymer said...

Smells are so very important to me in general, but particularly in my writing. Also, sounds. I love the smell of coffee, lavender and vanilla, the air after a warm summer rain. I could go on and on. And like you, I love the smell of fresh cut grass in the spring after a long cold winter.

Jen and Steven said...

I'm a little late in the list but I love the smell of fresh basil, and the smell that's left on your hands after you pick tomatoes. Also, freshly brewing coffee, cut grass in the summertime, the clean smell after you step out of the shower, and just the outdoors in general. Nothing airs out your house better than opening all the windows.

Martha Flynn said...

ooh - coffee and basil are both good ones! I'm so lame with the senses - it's something I need to work on in my WIP! Thanks for the reminder and the link.

Brenda said...

I love smells...a new candy bar when you first unwrap it...a grapefruit as you slice into it...the smell of dinner being ready when I get home...the smell of Hubs after a shower (he's a dairy farmer, so a few of those smells I can do without...grin)

Nora MacFarlane said...

The smell of lilacs always remind me of home. This might sound weird, but I love the smell of auto repair shops. My dad is retired now, but he was a master mechanic. I also love the smell of a little baby's hair when they come out of the bath!

Nandini said...

Great reminder! Fresh mulch, tomato leaves, cinnamon, new books, crayons, sandalwood, jasmine, wood smoke, puppy breath (when they're real small- not when they get dog breath), eucalyptus, fresh laundry, cedar wood ... I'm a smell addict!

Christina Farley said...

These are such great smells! I love seeing what each person likes. And its really interesting because I think it shows something about each person's personality.

Thinking about them makes me happy. :)

Anonymous said...

I think it's honeysuckle that I've been smelling on my walks recently, but I'm not sure. Whatever it is, I love it.

C.R. Evers said...

mmmmm . . . warm vanilla sugar is one of my favorites too! anything that has to do w/ baking or fruit smells! mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

great post!

Kelly Polark said...

I'm with you on the vanilla smell. Great reminder to use the sense of smell in your story too. Another smell I love is my kids freshly washed hair!