Sensory Psychology Chart for Fiction Writers

This post and chart, developed and written by me, originally debuted on Manon Eileen’s blog.

As fiction authors, most of us are familiar with the countless Character Questionnaires, Worksheets, and Surveys. These can help us get to know our characters better, and add depth and believability to our characters’ appearances, personalities, and motives.

But what happens after you’ve developed your characters? You still need to show them reacting to each other as seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, and smelling (the stuff real people do) individuals. A sensory chart showing how your characters perceive each other, and how your characters perceive their environments, can help you make your characters more “human.”

Why a “sensory chart”?

Our senses- for most of us: seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling- are what connects us to people, to the world, and to our own bodies. From birth, our senses develop before we learn to speak, play, work, and use logic and reason. Our senses are our primal survival guides, and influence everything we do, including how we interact psychologically and physically with other people. “Sensory psychology” is the study of how the internalization of specific sights, sounds, touches, tastes, and smells influences a person’s reaction to an environment. Using a sensory chart is an approach to developing “palpable” character interactions, using all 5 senses (though smell and taste may overlap).

Consider these examples:

Sight- Love at first sight. Being repulsed (or excited) by the sight of war.

Sound- Dancing to a favorite song. Hearing your name called in a noisy room.

Touch- A lover’s caress. The slap of a hand.

Taste (usually self-referential)- Comfort food. Bile in the mouth.

Smell- The intoxicating smell of a lover’s perfume. The nauseating smell of body odor.

By expanding on these sensory examples, and drawing on some of your own examples, you can customize the ways your characters have unique interactions with each other.

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This chart will help you develop your characters and their interpersonal relationships via sensory-based psychology:

	CHARACTER 1	CHARACTER 2	ETC…
SEE	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.
HEAR	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.
FEEL	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.
TASTE	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.
SMELL	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.	Other characters’ perspectives. — This character’s perspective.

How the heck do I use that chart?

After listing your characters in the top row and the senses in the left column, for each of the remaining boxes, choose one or a few examples of the appropriate sensory focus when describing the character, (as the character would appear to an observer) and one or a few examples of the appropriate sensory focus that the character would regularly experience internally (either positively or negatively).

In my opinion, choosing the sensory attributes for your characters is easier after you start to writing your story, rather than before. If you get stuck on some of the boxes, simply write more of your story, or look at the other boxes to see what could be complimentary or contradictory for the story.

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Here’s a full chart example, using my own WIP:

	PETRA (phone sex operator & biological template)	RAY (inventor)	RAMONA (artificial intelligence)	ADELAIDE (entomologist & motivational speaker)	AUBREY (life extentionist)	ALICIA (reverend)
SEE	Petra and her usual environ. look like- disheveled, broken high heel, Drambuie ————- Petra focuses on- coins on the ground, expensive clothes on others	Ray and his usual environ. look like- soft face, blinky eyes, computer equipment, crowds ————- Rays focuses on- robots, his own business products	Ramona and her usual environ. look like- tilting, bobbing, weaving ————- Ramona focuses on- holograms, robots, sexy women	Adelaide and her usual environ. look like- flannel, baggy pants, boots ————- Adelaide focuses on- bugs as an entomologist	Aubrey and her usual environ. look like- pubs, Guinness ————- Aubrey focuses on- pubs, sexy people	Alicia and her usual environ. look like- vivid colors against a dark interior, metallics, candles ————- Alicia focuses on- halos, auras
HEAR	Petra sounds like- blasphemy ————- Petra focuses on-phones ringing	Ray sounds like- “That’s reasonable” ————- Ray focuses on- buzzing, whirring	Ramona sounds like- buzzing, whirring, “I’m learning” ————- Ramona focuses on- buzzing, whirring	Adelaide sounds like- a pirate, cursing ————- Adelaide focuses on- surf & waves crashing (imaginary)	Aubrey sounds like- stuttering, “How ‘bout a beer?” ————- Aubrey focuses on- classic German music (Guinness association)	Alicia sounds like- prayers, “Amen” ————- Alicia focuses on- other-worldly sounds
FEEL	Petra physically feels (to others)- muscular, esp. calves (from high heels) ————- Petra physically feels (herself)- her feet in high heels (comfortable)	Ray physically feels (to others)- soft, smooth ————- Ray physically feels (himself)- heat, electricity	Ramona physically feels (to others)- warm, electric ————- Ramona physically feels (herself)- electrical charge	Adelaide physically feels (to others)- pudgy, squishy ————- Adelaide physically feels (herself)- al dente food (Italian food connoisseur)	Aubrey physically feels (to others)- wiry, sinewy, strong ————- Aubrey physically feels (herself)-padding of chairs and bar stools (gluteus minimus)	Alicia physically feels (to others)- billowy muumuus ————- Alicia physically feels (herself)- comfy chairs (sits & prays a lot)
TASTE	Petra tastes like- fruit (she’s vegan & a messy eater) ————- Petra focuses on- expensive liquor	Ray tastes like- chemical supplements ————- Ray focuses on- metal, chemicals	Ramona tastes like- metal ————- Ramona focuses on- ions	Adelaide tastes like- marinara, sweat (overweight & hot-blooded) ————- Adelaide focuses on- garlic	Aubrey tastes like- alcohol, beer, sweat (exercise) ————- Aubrey focuses on- yeast, malt, vinegar (fond of fermented food)	Alicia tastes like-flowers (douses with floral water) ————- Alicia focuses on- herbal tea
SMELL	Petra smells like- Drambuie, cheap perfume ————- Petra focuses on- cooking crack	Ray smells like- chemical supplements ————- Ray focuses on- ether, over-heating wires	Ramona smells like- ether, over-heating wires ————- Ramona focuses on- chemical supplements	Adelaide smells like- sweat (overweight & hot-blooded) ————- Adelaide focuses on- salt air	Aubrey smells like- beer, sweat (exercise) ————- Aubrey focuses on- beer	Alicia smells like- flowers & incense ————- Alicia focuses on- flowers

For example, in the box for “PETRA” + “SEE,” I list Petra’s main and / or distinguishing characteristics which are externally observed by another person through sight in the top part of the box. In the bottom part of the box, I list what Petra usually or characteristically observes herself through sight.

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Tips:

1. At start of your story, add a few details gleaned from your completed chart. As your story progresses, repeat some of these details in meaningful places.
2. In the case of love interests or obsessive relationships, you could fill in some of the boxes to “match” characters. For example, Ray particularly enjoys the smell of ether, and is attracted to Ramona, who smells like ether.
3. Conversely, in the case of enemies or antagonistic relationships, you could fill in some of the boxes to “mismatch” characters. For example, Petra particularly dislikes the smell of chemicals (cooking crack) and is aggravated by Ray, who smells like chemicals (supplements).
4. Or you could show conflict by and irony by showing Petra’s attraction to Ray in spite of disliking the sight, sound, etc of Ray. Or a Petra could dislike Ray in spite of being attracted to the sight, sound, etc of Ray.
5. Don’t try to make your chart too “matched up,” or your characters will seem formulaic and programmed. Let your characters develop organically.
6. If a character is disabled- for example, is blind or deaf- use this chart to discover how their remaining senses are enhanced and amplified.
7. Using senses to show interactions between characters adds immediacy and strength to your scenes, but don’t overdo it. Not every scene needs to be dripping with sensory detail. Use your completed chart as a guideline for suggested sensory details only when those details will move your story forward.

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Feel free to use this Sensory Psychology Chart as you see fit for enhancing your own characters’ interactions in your own novels. The chart may be altered, copied, printed and shared. If shared, an attribution would be appreciated.

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Posted by CMStewart on January 27, 2012

http://cmstewartwrite.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/sensory-psychology-chart-for-fiction-writers/