Here is an owl.  A barn owl.

Unable to credit photographer as Anon.

What is a barn owl doing on your page, Janey?

Great question!

Yesterday I witnessed the joy and emotion on the face of a girl without sight when a barn owl flew onto her gloved hand.  A barn owl is an exquisite creature, particularly in flight as can be seen in the photo above.  Yet, the blind girl seemed to experience as much enjoyment from her experience as a sighted person.

We have five senses.  Use them all in your writing!

The point of sharing this with you is to remind us that all five of our senses are a gift.  If we lose one, our bodies compensate with the others.  Touch, taste, smell, sound and sight: all enrich our experience of life, none is dependent upon the other.  When writing, we can bring our stories to life for readers by utilising senses.  Crucially, with the introduction of audio books, it’s vital to also consider how these senses are invoked through the spoken word.

Using all five senses brings the story to life whereas using only sight, for example, renders it one-dimensional and isn’t true to life.  Even if we can’t see the ocean, we can taste the salt on our tongues, feel the sand – powdery or scrunching between our toes.  We can hear the squawk of a careening seagull…and so on.

What did the girl feel as the owl perched on her gloved hand?  

‘Magic,’ she said.

Write on!  🙂

Janey x