Today I realised that I paid more attention when I reread a story I had already written. I found myself trying to look at it with a critical eye, even though it was difficult. I tried to observe whether I had made the narrative strong and appropriate.
Although I mostly used it where it was appropriate in this story, there is one literary tool that needs to be fully established in my mind in general. Imagery.
Although it has a very basic meaning, this concept does not only concern our imagination. Nor should it. But we can also go into detail and make it effective in aspects that can make it more physical. To do this we need to use a method of imagery that properly involves our five senses.
Not everyone's five senses work in the same way. Therefore it is necessary to pay attention to the interaction with each sense when reading or writing. Although I don't feel the need to express them in the simplest form, let's mention them.
Photo by Milo Miloezger on Unsplash
Visual Imagery
When describing a landscape, expressing colours and shapes, or conveying the appearance of a character, this style is more useful. When describing the moment, it is in our hands to take the readers back to a landscape they may have seen before and to evoke nostalgic memories. When describing colours, it may be more logical to list the objects that remind us of that colour, rather than using a meaningless phrase such as "a colour that has never been seen before". Perhaps we can focus on an object that everyone can understand.
Auditory Imagery
The crunch of fallen leaves in autumn, the sweet sound of a pigeon suddenly heard on a Sunday morning when you are half awake with burrs in your eyes, the grunt of the old neighbour next door, the monotonous noise of the vacuum cleaner that makes your head swell... You've been able to picture each of them in your mind, haven't you? Remember to use onomatopoeia when you write.
Olfactory Imagery
We have seen and heard, but sometimes we need to smell. In fact, smell is one of the most powerful senses. Smelling an old perfume can take you back to your first date with your lover. You can remember the laughter of that evening your mother cooked years ago. You may want to avoid unpleasant smells that make you feel nauseous. I think smell is also one of the places where we can use the art of exaggeration.
Gustatory Imagery
One of the most versatile senses is taste. Remember the old science lesson. Sour, sweet, salty, bitter together. And hot or spicy too, if you like. Of course, there's also umami, which we later heard about but still don't quite understand. The so-called fifth taste. I have heard that the human tongue has the power to distinguish more than these four or five tastes, but we probably categorise them in this way. Before I forget, umami is for flavours that contain meat, which we can call "meaty". Mushrooms, seaweed, seafood and meat all fall into this category. I wonder how successful we would be if we tried to tell a story with it? It also got me thinking: no matter how good our storytelling is, the reader might not be able to fully feel it unless they have first experienced it with their five senses, right?
Tactile Imagery
Finally, the effect of the skin, one of our largest organs. When we think of touch, our hands probably come to mind first. But it is thanks to the imagery of touch that we are able to convey the confidence we feel in the solidity of the rock on which we rest our backs, the gut-wrenching surprise and anxiety we feel when we step on seaweed at the bottom of the sea, or the numb discomfort of our legs and hips that go numb after sitting for a long time.
Well, we know them, but for what purpose and where can they be used?
First of all, the reason for using this tool is, of course, to make the narrative strong and vivid. It allows the reader to relive their memories or to directly access their emotions. It adds realism to the narrative; perhaps these moments should be the closest we can feel to cinema. To be honest, part of what makes this happen is the active imagination of the reader.
When I think of where it can be used outside of storytelling, I think of advertising. We all know how vividly food and related consumer products are visualised. In addition to the visuals, a good tone of voice and effective narration are essential to make things even more perfect. Pay attention next time, you won't want that hamburger the same way when the TV is on mute.
In my opinion, this tool, which appears in poems, songs and films and is of great importance, can probably have the greatest impact on children's books and cartoons. Children's and adults' perceptions may not work in exactly the same way, so images may need to be more detailed and healthier for them. The description of sweet snacks, the emphasis on pastel colours or the evocation of energetic and exciting voices are more prominent and necessary for children.
Particularly for children, the use of this literary device can be important in attracting and stimulating attention, developing imagination, facilitating learning, enhancing sensory experience and strengthening empathy/emotional attachment.
It bears repeating, of course, that it is very important that these are conveyed in a conscious and healthy way, rather than exaggerated and misrepresented. However, as I always say, not everyone should write children's stories just because they think they can make good money out of them.
What we experience with our five senses, according to the details of the story, we can only get with one of them (the eye). Isn't that something like magic? There are probably very few things like that in life. Another example: the words we see with our eyes, the words we read, echo in our minds, pass through us through another voice, whether it belongs to us or not. It is like a sixth sense.
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