There are often times I’ll be writing a scene and I want to include an odor or scent but my mind goes completely blank. How is it that the only smell I can readily recall is garlic and Axe deodorant?
It’s crazy to think that we’re surrounded 24/7 by smells–good and bad– that we don’t even acknowledge let alone transfer to our writing.
Here’s a list that may spark a memory for you or help you along the way to writing a complete and visceral scene. Each can be taken and expanded upon.
If there’s any you’d like to add, please leave me a message and together we’ll compose a great and smelly list!
COMMON FOODS…
- onions
- garlic
- Fried chicken
- bacon
- cabbage
- fish
- seafood-shrimp, oyster
- mint
- a baking cake
- fresh baked cookies
- a turkey dinner cooking
- fresh baked bread
- burnt toast
- sour milk
- coffee
- barbecue
- pizza
- popcorn
- kimchi
- waffle cone
- fresh citrus: lemon, orange,
- grapefruit
- roast beef dinner in the stove
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Around Us…
- the sea air
- fresh mowed grass
- the smell of home
- the beach
- chlorine at the public pool
- the air before it snows
- sulphur
- cigarette smoke
- cigar smoke
- pipe smoke
- chimney smoke
- wet dog
- new car smell
- camp fire
- fast food restaurant
- insense
- body odor
- Fresh paint
- baby-freshly bathed
- Dirty diaper
- apples
- pineapple
- banana
- pumpkin
- brussel sprouts
- asparagus
- broccoli
- raspberry
- strawberry
- durian
- coconut
- peach
- coconut
- gasoline
- grease
- dirty socks
- dirty sweaty feet
- someone who just finished a cigarette/cigar
- a dirty ashtray
- beer–fresh and stale
- wine
- liquor–whiskey; bourbon;
- essential oils–too many to list
- leather
- old books
- mothballs
- musty dampness like in a basement
- Vicks vapo-rub
- Grandpa’s muscle ointment/cream
- smog
- felt pens
- bubblegum
- marijuana
- rotten eggs
- spices: cinnamon, thyme, pepper, nutmeg, anise, curry, cumin, basil
- campfire
- apple pie
- fresh rain
- car back fire
- cheese: parmesan, blue,
- vinegar
- apple cider vinegar
- fresh lit match
- eucalyptus
- fire crackers
- burning rubber
- burning flesh
- suntan lotion
- trees: pine, fir, cedar
- Christmas tree in the house
- the forest
- nail polish
- stagnant water
- perms
- flowers: lavender, roses, jasmine, clematis, lily, geranium, hyacinth, lilac
- chewing gum: ie juicy fruit
- vanilla
- fresh washed hair/body
- farts
- genitalia
- urine
- feces
- manure
- dairy: milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, butter
- scented soaps, shampoos
- cleaning supplies
- fresh tilled soil
- musk
- vomit
- mold and mildew
- garbage
- death
- disease
- hospital
- retirement home
- prison
- car
- bathroom
- public toilet
- outhouse
- other people’s homes
- hotel room
- gym
- change rooms
- dentist office
- money
- alcohol breath
- toothpaste
- halitosis
- baby powder
- plastics
- natural gas
- diesel
- bleach
- hydrogen Peroxide
- burps
- cold air
- wet concrete
- hay bale
- animals: horse, cow, goat, dog, cat.
- maple syrup
- chocolate
- unwashed or damp laundry
- wood chips
- personal inherited scent/Family scent
- sawdust
- fresh laundry
- sex
- rotten meat
- perfume, Aftershave
- burnt potatoes
- fresh air
By adding smell to your writing it can take it to the next level.
Try to think outside the box.
Adjectives to describe a smell include:
- Heavy
- Pungent
- Putrid
- Fetid
- Bouquet
- Dank
- Fresh
- Pleasant
- Mouth watering
- Cheap
- Choking
- Floral
- Woodsy
- Intoxicating
- Spicy
- Rancid
- Eye watering
- Wild
- Exotic
- Overpowering
- Crisp
- Stale
- Repulsive
- Redolent
- Masculine/Feminine
- Earthy
- Other worldly
- Close
- Pervasive
- Invasive
- Unpleasant
- Distinct
- Medicinal
- Metallic
- Greasy
- Fragrant
- Plasticky or fake
- Overripe
- Ripe
- Faint
- Chemically
- Mild
- Heady
- Rancid
- Acidic
- Sweet
- Oppressive
- Past its prime
- Foul
- Sour
- Funky
So, I’m fresh out of smells now!
Can you think of anymore? Leave me a message and I’ll add them onto the list–would be great to get up to at least 200! I don’t want to name each fruit or flower though so looking for something that isn’t on the list. Can’t wait to hear more!
Additions:
- cinnamon buns or Cinnabon
- sandalwood incense
- sage burning
- wet pine
- rosemary
Wet pine, sandalwood incense, sage burning, rosemary, lavender. Love this, smell is so evocative!