Writing from the Senses, with Jacqueline Sheehan

Emotions are the key to crafting compelling scenes and winning a readers’ sympathy. But how do we access our characters’ emotions without telling the reader how they feel?  The sensory details that infuse our lives—the smell of a favorite meal; the texture of a loved one’s skin; the sound of gun firing; the heat-prick of fear or arousal—these things add richness, nuance and believability to our writing.  As skilled storytellers, we must learn how to capture, through sensory detail, the emotional nuances that drive our narratives and bring our characters to life.  Through exercises, examples, writing and feedback, we’ll learn how to enhance emotion and story with powerful sensory images and specific detail.

Saturday, July 17, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ($75)

Jacqueline Sheehan, PhD is the New York Times bestselling author of The Comet’s Tale, Lost & Found, Now & Then, Picture This, The Center of the World, and The Tiger in the House. She writes NPR commentaries, travel articles, and essays including the New York Times column, “Modern Love.” She edited the anthology, Women Writing in Prison. Jacqueline teaches workshops at Grub Street in Boston and around the world. Find out more at http://www.jacquelinesheehan.com/