Sensory Immersion: Writing Sound, Touch, Sight, Taste, and Vision

When we are captivated by a story, a poem, or an essay, it is often because we feel, for a moment, like we are inside of it. We can smell the sea in Moby Dick, feel the frigid heath in Wuthering Heights, and taste all of Raymond Carver’s gin and tonics. Sensory details play a key part in this magic trick; they turn symbolic marks on a page into heart-pounding action, tear-jerking romance, frustrating injustice, or effervescent hope. In this generative writing class, we will dedicate each week to a single sense: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. We will read and/or view published pieces that focus on that specific sense, and through discussion, prompts, and even mindfulness exercises, will hone our perceptions of all five senses, and then practice translating these perceptions into writing.

This course is focused primarily on generating new material rather than revising or workshopping previous works. Expect to leave with new beginnings to strong, sensory work. Open to writers of all genres and experience levels.

Class goals:
-Explore a wide variety of work that explicitly engages with sensory details
-Discuss what makes a piece of writing feel alive or realistic, and how we might replicate that experience in our own work
-Collectively generate writing prompts and exercises to help us seek out sensory details in our lives, and practice writing them ourselves
-Casually share new writing and ideas in a supportive community environment.

Class schedule:
The order of these weeks is subject to change!
Week 1: Introductions & Sight
Week 2: Sound
Week 3: Smell
Week 4: Taste
Week 5: Touch

Liaison position
Every in-person class and seminar at Literary Arts has one liaison position. Liaisons perform specific duties for each class meeting. If you are a liaison for a class or seminar, the full amount of your tuition is covered by Literary Arts. Apply here for the liaison position.