Using the Five Senses

At the prompting of my fabulous mentor, I'm focusing on making more use of the five senses to make my scenes come alive. It's always such a delight to find books written by authors who excel in this. One of my favorites is The Secret Life of Bees. So the other day, I paid close attention to an outing with my niece and my 2-1/2 year old grand niece as we met for a picnic in the park. What a lovely day that was. The sounds: happy squeals as kids rush to the swings, parents cautioning to be careful. The smells: freshly watered grass, occasional whiffs of dust as little feet patter across the playground. The visual: Little bodies wriggling across the monkey bars, colorful fall leaves drifting to the ground, wide eyes trying to decide what activity to do next. Taste: ham and turkey sandwich dabbed with red wine vinegrette, lightly salted chips, juicy grapes, and chocolaty brownies. The feel: the gentle autumn sun on my skin, the warmth inside as little hands reach for the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I made especially for her. We couldn't experience life without all of these sensory inputs. How can we expect our readers to feel the life in our books if we leave them out?