Nocturnal Descriptions

by Adam Huddleston

During a recent bout of insomnia, I lay in bed thinking of ideas for my blog. It finally occurred to me: A lot of writing is focused on describing what the characters see in the world around them, but what if we focused on the other senses that we use at night?

Try this experiment: Lay flat on your back in bed, the later the better. Very few bedrooms are in total darkness. What light is available? Where does it come from? Does it produce any oddly-shaped shadows in the room? Do you feel anything other than the bed-sheets (overhead fan, air-conditioning vent, etc.)? What do you hear (dog barking outside, significant other breathing next to you, refrigerator compressor, etc.)? Any smells (garbage from nearby kitchen trash can, vented air freshener, etc.)?

When your sight is diminished, your other senses can pick-up on lots of things you may not think about. Hopefully these will help you in honing your craft.

Happy writing!