I wanted to share something that actually worked for me because I see so many people struggling with making their writing feel vivid. I had to write a personal narrative for my English class, and I kept getting feedback that my writing was 'flat.' Then I remembered something from elementary school—show, don't tell. I did this exercise where I forced myself to include at least one detail for each of the five senses in every scene . Instead of saying 'the kitchen was warm,' I wrote about the heat from the oven on my cheeks and the smell of butter melting. Instead of saying 'grandma was old,' I described her hands, speckled and soft, and the sound of her bracelets clinking when she stirred. It felt silly at first, but the difference was huge.
My professor wrote 'much better' in the margins and I got an A-. Has anyone else tried sensory detailing? What tricks do you use to make your writing come alive?
My professor wrote 'much better' in the margins and I got an A-. Has anyone else tried sensory detailing? What tricks do you use to make your writing come alive?