Writing Imagery

Travel Writing​

•Travel writing describes the splendors and miseries of going from one place to another. The quest, the getting there, the difficulty of the road is the story; the journey, not the arrival, matters, and most of the time the traveler—the traveler’s mood, especially—is the subject of the whole writeup.​

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​Using sensory imagery in travel writing.

​•Travel writing should be exciting to read. It should make the reader feel like they are next to you on the powdery beach with a warm breeze tickling their shoulders.​

•They should be able to taste the curry, rich with coconut milk, lime, and lemongrass. They should be able to hear the chaos of the city traffic and smell the sewage wafting from the grimy streets.

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Bringing it to life

​•For example, “I drank the lemonade,” doesn't connect to the sensory imagery like “I felt my tongue tingle as I sipped the frosty glass of tart, sugary lemonade.”​

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following is not a reason why authors use imagery?

• To make the write up long

• To provide a sensory experience

• To make emphasis

• To help the readers create a mental image

• To express emotions

Multiple Choice

As they sat on the soft, sugary sand beach waiting for the sunset, the sinking sun shimmered on the water as the blue sky transformed into various shades of purple and pink. How does the writer's language in the sentence brings the writing to life?

• It appeals to the sense of sight

• It provides an illustration based on sound

• It seems long

• It appeals to the sense of taste

​Categories of Sensory Imagery

​Sight (Visual)​

Sound (Auditory)​

Taste (​Gustatory)

Smell (​Olfactory)

Touch (​Tactile)

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​To use sensory imagery well, it is important to understand how to use adjectives and figures of speech (similes, metaphors and onomatopoeia).

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​Sensory Imagery Words

​Visual

​Gigantic

Teeny-tiny

Bulky

Glitter

Sparkling

Shimmering

Glowing

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Open Ended

Use GLOWING and GIGANTIC in a sentence describing what you saw during a travel experience.

​Touch based words

​Fluffy

Gritty

Rough

Smooth

Slimy

Sticky

Creepy

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​Auditory Words

Buzz

Hubbub

Humming

Faint

Deafening​

Thundering​

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Open Ended

Use SMOOTH, SLIMY and DEAFENING in a sentence to describe a scene or an experience relating to travel writing.

​Sensory Imagery for Taste and Smell

​Bland

Rotten

Fragrant

Stale

Juicy

Stinky

Gooey

Bitter

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Poll

When a food item is having a strong, pleasant, and somewhat spicy flavor, it is referred to as zesty.

• True

• False

• Not Sure

Examples in Sentences​

​As she walked through the wintery woods, her teeth chattered and the leaves crunched under her feet.

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The pitter-patter of rain and whispering breeze had progressed into a gushing downpour and howling wind.

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​Examples in Sentences

​He woke up to the smell of burnt toast and greasy bacon, when all he wanted was coffee.

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As she entered the warm house, she was welcomed by the scents of hot apple cider and cinnamon.

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Open Ended

Think of the last travel experience you had. Describe a particular meal you enjoyed. Use sensory imagery to bring your description to life such that we all feel like we are having that meal too.

​My mouth nearly watered as I stared at the decadent chocolate mousse and imagined the sweet, creamy dessert rolling on my tongue.

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The boy bit into the ripe peach and smiled as the sweet, soft fruit filled his mouth, and the juice ran down his chin.

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​A gust of cold air blew over her, causing her body to shiver. After she pulled the fuzzy blanket up to her chin, she was warm and cozy.

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His legs ached after climbing so many flights of stairs, and he could feel the flush in his face. He couldn’t wait to get out of his sticky, sweaty clothes and let the cool, soothing water wash over him in the shower

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Final Note​

Sensory imagery is a way of bringing your writing to life. Work on learning how to use adjectives to connect your readers to the sense of taste, sight, sound, touch and smell. You can also make comparisons using similes and metaphors.​

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Then apply these in your travel writing structure and see how you​r writing will come to life.

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