| It's Tuesday! Time for me to pull a topic out of my--I mean, off the top of my little blonde head. Last night I wrote a scene in which smell was a big factor. Sweaty bodies, drugs, magic herbs, cheap beer and homebrew all smushed into one hot, smoky space. I like the scene; I like writing about smells. I think it's one way to really, firmly put the reader where you want them to be. And writing about scents always makes me think of pheremonal attractions, too. A long time ago I read about smell being one of the most basic building blocks of attraction--literal chemistry between two people. You could meet the most beautiful woman or most handsome man in the world, but if you don't like the way they smell chances are you're going to have a hard time getting it up, metaphorically speaking. I don't mean liking their cologne or soap or whatever. It's the scent of their actual skin, that unique combination of different smells that make one person, that's important. It's one of the earliest indicators of attraction, I think, the idle thought that someone smells good. Even smells we might not ordinarily like could very well smell good on someone we find attractive--the hubs used to wear Fahrenheit, which I never liked, but it was okay on him (although I went out and bought him a set of Givenchy Pi, which I love, at the earliest opportunity. The smell of it still makes me go all tingly.) Conversely, I once had a boyfriend buy me a bottle of Giorgio Wings, which I hated. I wore it for him because he liked it so much, but as soon as he was gone, so was it. I gave it away almost before I gave him back his stuff. JK Rowling, I think, used this very effectively, when describing the scents Harry found comforting and appealing, which just happened to coincide with what a particular character smelled like. I've done the same thing, too. When do you notice fragrance or smells? Can you think of a scene in a book which used scent particularly well (no fair citing Suskind's Perfume), or one which didn't? What smells do you like? |
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the rain, mexican hot cocoa, I love the smell of amber on Men(or my ex anyway)I love all Anna Sui scents. And the smell of lavendar...I lurve it.
Verbena does it for me. Get me around it and I'm not responsible for who I sink my teeth into...
Also amber.. so that makes 2/2 people here so far for that one...
Gasoline...not that I can afford it!
Fresh baked human... err, cookies! Yes.. cookies...
I'm a scent junkie so there'd be too many to name. But I love the smell of cigars. I even found cologne for the hubs that smells like them.
the rain, lavender, chamomile, new cars -especially w/ leather interiors, lilacs
Wood smoke, charred, burnt out buildings.
I'm in for gasoline, too. What a bunch of fucking huffers we are.
My wife wears Issey Miyake and Pink Sugar, both are very sweet fragrances. Totally bonerific.
Oh...almost forgot. I love that rusty iron smell rising from the spilled blood of the innocents.
I know I'm not alone there.
I love the smell of cinnamon & nutmeg, and the smell of freshly baked bread - reminds me of home.
I also love the smell of green-ness in the rain. Which is fortunate as I'm in the UK and it's raining. A lot.
Oh yeah, gasoline is awesome too. And freshly lit matches. Although, usually not at the same time.
All kidding aside, King used scent very well. In fact, in On Writing he advises going back through your manuscript and adding a scent to every page where you've neglected it.
Hmmm.
I actually just posted on my own blog last week about how I use scent in my books. It's an often overlooked sense in books.
I'm another amber fan! Try mixing it with cocoa butter, seriously. Yummy.
Anton, I have a lemon verbena perfume. Remind me to pack it if/when I ever meet you in person. :-)
Oooh, Jaye, I love cigars. I love smoke in general. And matches. And fireworks, that gunpowder scent? And gasoline. Basically if it burns I like smelling it.
Psynde, I used to have a Mexican chocolate candle I got at the Whole Foods Market. I loved it.
Oooh, Sadie, new car smell! And leather!
Merry, I love cinnamon & nutmeg too, especially nutmeg. But vanilla is my favorite foodie smell. I have vanilla-scented everything. :-)
Oops, Jaye, I didn't see that. *blush*
stacia- Ha ha I have that candle. It's by Pacifica..Now I am getting scared. Too funny.
Lol! I love that candle!
I got the lilac one too (I think it was lilac) but I'm just ot much of a floral girl as a rule. So it was nice, but not addictive like the chocolate one.
The smell of fresh tobacco, ground coffee, lavendar, any nutty aromas, vanilla, and that first dapple of rain on dry pavement. Can anyone liken it to something to accurately describe it?
Sounds like we're all aroma junkies here. My wife is really into aromatherapy. There's always an appealing smell teasing me nose.
"Oops, Jaye, I didn't see that. *blush*"
No worries. I came at it from a different angle.
vanilla, gardenia, honeysuckle, coffee, pies and cookies and muffins baking.
garlic can do it for me to, if i'm in the mood.
I noticed some people like smelling me??? Hmmm
I love the smell of vanilla, my boyfriend and clean kids.
I don't like the smell of kraut, lavender or full nappies.
orange/lemon/lime, vanilla, cinnamon, lily-of-the-valley, to name the top ones...
not 'napalm in the morning', or any other time....