On the Beach - Sensory Description Exercise

The best writers have a talent for transporting their readers into the setting of their story or poem.

This is a skill that can be learned. This prompt is a practice at using all five senses to bring a setting to life.

Prompt: On the Beach
Imagine you (or your character) are on a beach. Describe the setting using all five of your senses:

• What can you see? How does the sea look? Does it remind you of anything (i.e. can you use metaphor or simile to describe it)?
• What can you hear? Waves crashing, seagulls screaming, children playing? Describe each sound and its effect on you/your character - e.g. is it piercing, irritating, soothing?
• What can you feel? Sand between your toes, sun on your skin? Take each part of the body in turn.
• What can you smell? Are the smells pleasant or unpleasant? Do they evoke memories?
• What can you taste? Are you eating an ice-cream, or just tasting the salty tang in the air? Taste is a very visceral sensation that lends itself to rich, sensual descriptions.

Send your finished pieces (prose or verse) to freewritingprompts@gmail.com - the best ones will be published on the blog. You can include a short bio and a link to your writing blog or site, or be anonymous.