How do you put the sensory detail of smell in writing? Let’s sniff out ideas.

Take a deep breath and imagine the smell of:

fresh lemons

watermelon

chocolate

coffee

fish – cooked, or freshly caught

roast turkey right out of the oven

popcorn – movie popcorn with melted butter

How would you describe these smells to someone who cannot smell or who never smelled these particular scents?

What does a crunchy red apple smell like? Does a red apple smell the same as a green apple? Does an apple smell different if it’s crunchy or mushy? If it’s cold, it might have that earthy smell of a river. Or an apple might smell like a hot summer afternoon in an orchard. Can you put apple smell into words?

If you can, walk through an orchard or a field where the earth has recently been plowed. Inhale. Describe that earthy smell.

What does a river smell like?

Describe fresh cut lawn.

What about describing smells for other things? What does” old,” ancient” and “calm” smell like?

Here are some ideas:

old . . . smells like parchment paper

ancient . . . smells like musty book

calm . . . smells like summer rain candle

But what does parchment paper, musty book and rain candle smell like? Can you describe these smells?

How about adding sounds:

“old” sounds like coughing and wheezing

“ancient” sounds like rattling breath

“calm” sounds like church . . . sitting in church

The following is from The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury:

There was a smell of Time in the air tonight. . . What did Time smell like? Like dust and clocks and people. And if you wondered what Time sounded like, it sounded like water running in a dark cave and voices crying and dirt dropping down upon hollow box lids, and rain. Time looked like snow dropping silently into a black room or it looked like a silent film in an ancient theatre one hundred billion faces falling like those New Year balloons down and down into nothing. That was how Time smelled and looked and sounded.

A glorious line about smell:  “The air took on its mossy evening smell.” — Elizabeth Sims, September 215 Writer’s Digest.

Your turn: How do you infuse smell in your writing? Tell us. We want to know.