The Sense of Smell
What about how things smell? Do you put scents in your books? How things smell is another important factor to convey to your readers. When I was a child I noticed that people's homes smelled different than my own. Often it was the cooking smells I noticed. Mexican food wasn't nearly as popular as it is today. Most of us didn't eat out much and if we did it was at a small diner where the food offering was much like mom cooked at home. (I'm talking about the years during World War II.) I remember visiting a Mexican friend's home and when I walked in I was bombarded with what to me then were exotic cooking scents. The first tacos I ever ate one of my aunties made and I recognized the scents that went along with some of what I'd smelled at my friend's house. Remember the overpowering and almost sickening scent of flowers in a funeral home? The first time I noticed this was at a funeral service at one of the little chapels at Forest Lawn. The smell of a dea...