Write Scent-sationally: How to Use Smell in Writing

A sense of smell is one of the most evocative but challenging tools a writer can use to immerse readers in a story. Scents are tied to memory, emotion, and atmosphere: all powerful storytelling elements. Read on for tips on how you can harness the (often underutilized) power of smell to create richer, more immersive scenes.

1. Understand the Emotional Impact of Smell

Scents are directly linked to the brain's limbic system, which governs emotions and memory. Writers use this to their advantage by associating specific smells with characters' memories, emotions, or pivotal moments in the story. Scent is an excellent way to summon the past into the present, and is a great lead-in for backstory in particular.

Example: A whiff of cucumber melon body wash as a lonely character sits at a bar can transport them back to memories (good or bad) of their first love.

2. Choose Specific, Memorable Scents related to your scene

Most of the time, generic descriptions such as "the room smelled nice" don't leave a lasting impression on the character or the reader; it gets the job done and moves on. In those instances, there's usually some other sense or story element taking command of the scene.

If it's time for smell to take center stage, get specific. Reference the environment and/or mention a scent related to an action being taken to create vivid imagery and really draw the reader into the scene.

Pro tip: invoke scents without using a scent-based cue. Freshly picked strawberries boiling in a pot on the stove can evoke a scent without requiring words like "scent" and "smelled like" and "aroma." To call extra attention to a scent, pair it with a descriptor.

Examples:

• Nature: Freshly cut grass, manure, damp earth after rain (petrichor)

• Food: Warm cinnamon rolls, the bright tang of citrus, the smoky aroma of barbecue.

• Unusual or Surprising Scents: Burning rubber, wet paint, the metallic odor of blood

• Action: Pulling cookies out of the oven, a rotten odor seeping through the closet wall

3. Add Context: Connect Smells to Characters

Use scents to define your characters or reveal something about them.

Examples:

• A character might wear a distinctive, signature cologne that hints at personality or status (think a werewolf wearing something woodsy and sharp; or an aspiring designer recognizing the scent of an expensive perfume on a mundane-looking visitor).

• The smells of a Lebanese kitchen could evoke nostalgia for a character who misses their childhood home.

• An aversion to a certain smell hinting at a traumatic past (teen remembers fooling around with her boyfriend in a barn when the owner's jealous son came in and shot her boyfriend, and now when she catches a scent of horses and hay she freaks out a little). vs a love of a smell (the teen girl's BFF loves horseback riding).

4. How to Use Smell in Writing: World-building

Smell is a fantastic tool for world-building. It can convey the atmosphere of a setting more effectively than relying on visuals alone. If your descriptions feel a bit flat, or as though something is missing, check how many elements you've added. Scent is commonly forgotten!

Examples:

• A bustling marketplace: "The air was thick with the spicy sweetness of cumin and turmeric mingled with overripe mangoes."

• A decaying mansion: "The faint odor of mildew and rotting wood clung to the faded wallpaper."

• A hospital: "The antiseptic smell was so strong it stung her nostrils, a brutal, sterile odor that left no room for any other scent."

5. Pair Smell with Other Senses

To create a fully immersive experience, pair your olfactory descriptions with other sensory details.

For instance:

"The rich aroma of coffee filled the room, its warmth mirrored by the soft hum of casual conversation and the glow of morning sunlight."

6. Use Smell to Foreshadow

A smell can be a subtle way to hint at events to come.

• The acrid scent of smoke might foreshadow a fire.

• The sickly-sweet odor of decay could hint at a hidden corpse in a mystery.

• The faint perfume lingering in a room might suggest an unseen visitor.

7. Avoid Overloading Your Readers

While smells are powerful, too many at once can overwhelm the reader and detract from the narrative. Choose one or two key scents for a scene and let them shine.

9. Experiment with Metaphors and Similes

Sometimes it's hard to describe a smell directly- or you need to tie it into your scene in just the right way that you require some extra words.

Using comparisons can help:

The Protagonist accidentally spilled Thor's coffee: "A sharp, electric scent filled the air, reminiscent of the stillness before a thunderstorm."

10. Use Smell to Ground Flashbacks or Transitions

Scents can serve as triggers for flashbacks or emotional transitions. A character catching a whiff of a familiar smell might be transported back to a pivotal moment in their past, creating a seamless and evocative shift in the narrative.

At the end of the day,

Incorporating scents into your writing adds depth, emotion, and authenticity to your scenes. By weaving scents into your descriptions, you can transport readers directly into the world of your story, evoking powerful feelings and creating a memorable experience. Don't underestimate the power of smell—use it to make your writing unforgettable.