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The Nose Knows: The Sense of Smell “Takes You Back”
Your five senses know a lot about your life. They know what you like to taste. They know what you like to see. They know what you like to hear. They know what you like to touch. And, they know what you like to smell. Studies have shown that perhaps more than any other sense, it’s your sense of smell that can bring you back to a particular place and time or person most poignantly, whether you were younger or older—that sense of smell can take you there in a moment. Bam! You are quickly reminded of an aspect of your life. That’s why when we teach writing courses, we…
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The Problem with Love Songs
*** Last week in my magazine writing class, we were discussing how to write a memoir. One of the suggestions for effectively constructing one is to write very descriptive prose so the audience can use its senses to stay with your writing. The ability to heighten the sense of sight, smell, sound, taste, or touch can captivate readers as we take them on a ride. Apparently, the most powerful of the senses is smell—a scent can remind you of something immediately, can bring you back in time, and can arouse your sense of nostalgia. In fact, one writing exercise I tackled was to write a scene where a smell enters…