Writing without the Use of Your Five Senses

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I read a compelling blog post by Steff Metal about writing without color. Steff is legally blind and doesn’t have the luxury of sight that most writers have. Sight is one of the five senses. The others are hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. Would you continue to be a writer if you lost one or all five of your senses? How much do you rely on your five senses? How much do you take them for granted? For one day, put yourself into the writing shoes of a blind or color blind person and write a blog post and article. Track how long it takes you to write the post or article. Write down how difficult it was for you. Finally, be grateful for your eyesight and can easily write, “The corner house was painted mint green; it had white plantation shutters” instead of having to reach beyond your sight. Then again, reaching beyond what your sight can see could improve your writing.

Sometimes a writer can rely too much on their five senses. Some ‘spiritual gurus’ believe we have six, seven, or even more senses than are basic five senses. However, you must be open or sensitive to this. Meditating for at least 15 minutes per day can open and expand your senses. Think about what it will do for your writing. Ideas may come into your mind that would not have before. If you don’t feel like working on your novel, you can meditate and release any negative energy surrounding it. Let go and float down the river of creativity. You may be surprised at what you find.

Before you sit down at your laptop, computer, or pad of paper to write, think about the writer who can’t see, smell, taste, touch, or hear. How would they approach a writing project? Keep the dictionary and or thesaurus close by or use an online reference guide. It’s time to harness the power of your mind and push beyond your writing comfort zone. It’s time to stop churning out boring and generic writing that doesn’t have any depth to it. Go beyond your five senses, you’ll like what you find.

Rebecca

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