The Sensuous Story

Sensuous.

It's a word that conjures up a constellation of images, ideas, thoughts, memories and feelings. It's a word that describes some of the most powerful moments of life: falling in love, a wedding, the birth of a child, etc.

It's also a word that describes bestselling fiction.

Does it describe your story?

Check out this opening paragraph from Dean Koontz's novel, Frankenstein: Lost Souls:

"The October wind came down from the stars. With the hiss of an artist's airbrush, it seemed to blow the pale moonlight like a mist of paint across the slate roofs of the church and abbey, across the higher windows, and down the limestone walls."

If you're like me, descriptions like that set off explosions of sensory delight in your head. The words expertly draw you into the story through the doorway of your senses.


How to Become a Sensuous Writer

You, too, can write with such poetic magic. Part of Koontz's blockbuster success is owed to his ability to engage the reader's senses.

In that short excerpt above, Koontz managed to activate three of the five senses (i.e. sight, sound, touch, taste and smell).

Sight = stars, airbrush, pale moonlight, mist of paint, slate roof, limestone walls, high windows

Sound = hiss

Touch = blow...across the slate roofs, across the high windows, etc.

You become a sensuous writer by imitating Koontz, by tapping into the senses in every scene of your story. Stephen King has suggested that aspiring writers include three sensory details in each scene to ground readers in the sensory experience of the story.

The Sensory Cheat-Sheet

Sight: colors (yellow, blue, red, green, turquoise, brown, black, white, etc), rough, smooth, flat, bumpy, jagged, rugged, tough, flimsy, tall, short, fat, thin, massive, tiny, twisted, ropey, damaged, bubbly, calm, etc.

Sound: beep, clink, clatter, chirp, bam, bang, clang, chatter, fluid, smooth, jazzy, screech, scream, whisper, melodic, angelic, floating, pop, etc.

Touch: harsh, cold, hot, warm, soft, hard, blow, brush, slam, jam, scrape, scratch, move, deliberate, clumsy, loving, tender, brackish, sexy, spongy, etc.

Smell: moldy, nasty, sweet, gross, delicious, sexy, fresh, overpowering, overwhelming, hint of..., etc

Taste: chewy, soft, hard, slippery, salty, spicy, hot, cold, warm, delicious, gross, sweet, crunchy, stale, etc.

More Tips on Sensuous Writing

1. Use a thesaurus: don't settle for the first word that comes to mind. Be unique and come up with a fresh new way to immerse readers into your story world.
2. Combine two or three senses into a single paragraph, or even a single sentence, as Koontz does in the above excerpt.
3. Spend five minutes a day listening and paying attention to and recording the everyday sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and "touches" around you. Use them in your stories. Take a notebook or recording device with you.
4. Transfer the information on the notebook or recording device to your computer. Create a file of sounds, sights, tastes, etc.
5. Review your "sensory" file often as you write and edit your stories. Your file may spark new and surprising ways to lure readers into the sensory world of your fiction.

The Heart of a Bestseller Part II

Welcome back, friend. Continuing with the last post, here are some additional writing secrets culled from Dean Koontz's Your Heart Belongs to Me.

Chapter 2

-The main character reacts and responds both physically, emotionally and mentally to the "episode" in the water (Don't know what I'm talking about? Review the previous post, Heart of a Bestseller Part I).
-The chapter is filled with wonderful sentences like, "The offshore breeze strengthened, blowing liquid smoke off the lips of the waves."
-The two main characters move from the beach to an apartment, where they eat and talk about Sam's (female main character) history with a certain family member. Talk is off death and dying, with a bit of Koontz humor drizzled in for flavor.
-The chapter ends with a short, powerful scene where Ryan (male protagonist) experiences another "episode" with his heart.

Chapter 3

-This four-page chapter details the "episode," detailing both the physical experience and Ryan's response to it.
-More beautiful language.

Chapter 4

-More response to the episodes. Ryan decides to have a doctor check him out.

Chapter 5

-Ryan at the doctor's office.
-The dialogue between doctor (who is a friend) and patient dominates this chapter. The doctor gives information, Ryan responds to it. After dumping the painful prognosis, the doctor and patient talk of common things, things having nothing to do with death and dying or heart problems. They talk about boats.
-The end of the chapter finishes with the twosome returning briefly to the painful prognosis.


What writing secrets can you learn?

*Craft memorable and vivid sentences that fire your reader's brains with delight. Study how bestsellers like Koontz pair words and structure sentences.
*Describe (show!) your protagonist reacting and responding to what happens in the story.
*Go one step further by showing how your characters respond emotionally, physically and mentally to the events of the story. This will add depth and realism to your novel.
*After characters discuss a painful or uncomfortable topic, have them briefly talk about mundane subjects, like mutual passions for boats, for instance. Then, right before the end of the scene or chapter, have the characters return to the painful topic. This will lend the often elusive quality of subtext to your novel or short story.

Stay tuned for the next installment, Heart of a Bestseller Part III.

Secrets of Bestseller Premises Part 1

Blockbusters.
Bestsellers.
Mega hits.


Your first step towards your breakout novel is creating a bestselling premise. If you can do that, you can write a breath-taking ride of a story, the kind that keeps overworked, underpaid literary agents up at night. The kind that lands six figure publishing deals, including movie adaptions.


Sounds good, right? But how do you do it? How do you create an idea with bestseller potential? How do you yourself at the publishing world and take no prisoners? Let's get practical.


Just as there is a first step in crafting a bestseller, there is a first step in designing a premise with breakout potential. This first step, which I call "The Psychological Secret of Bestseller Premises," is the subject of this post. As you read it, as you sit there thinking about the information deeply, allow yourself to share it with your writer friends and family.


The psychological secret begins when you train your mind to filter everything through the question, "How can I use that in a story?" Another way to ask the same question is, "What if?"


Just this morning, as I was browsing through a gun magazine at my hotel in Atlanta, GA, I stumbled upon an article about self-defense. The article listed ways self-defense shootings go wrong. And my mind automatically started asking, "What if that did happen? What if ALL that bad stuff happened to someone? What would the person do? Why might it happen? What might make the situation worse?"


You see, bestseller premises grow best in open minds. Minds alert for the next big idea. So, to give you a practical action strategy, make it a point to stop throughout the day and ask yourself, "Can I use anything around me for a story?" It doesn't matter if you are reading the newspaper, watching TV, at the grocery store, or flipping through a gun magazine in Atlanta. Once you start to practice this seemingly simple question method, you will begin the process of training your mind to ask the questions and make the connections automatically. Over time, you start to pick up ideas others miss. You see the potential simmering just below the surface. Then, and only then, you are on your way.


Use the following quick tips to create your bestseller premise.

1. Stop 3 to 4 times a day this week and look closely at your surroundings.


2. Ask yourself, "Is there anything here I can use in a story?" It could be a character, a setting, a plot event, anything.


3. Ask yourself, "What if that DID happen?"


4. Notice how you feel about the idea. Are you excited and enthralled or nonchalant? If you feel powerfully about the idea, then you may be on to something.


5. Write down the idea as soon as possible. You don't want to wake up tomorrow and realize you've forgotten the bestseller idea.


6. Play with the idea. Who is involved? Why might it happen? Where might it happen? What might make matters worse? Even worse than that?


7. Remember, when you find the right idea, you'll know. You'll often feel it in your gut. Your juices flow. You glace around hungrily, looking for a computer, a pen and paper, anything to scribble down the story.

If you have gained anything from this blog, please share it with others. It is my gift to you. It can become your gift to others.


Come back soon for the next installation, Secrets of Bestseller Premises Part 2.


Thank you for visiting.