My Book Stinks
But not like you might think.
So I am writing a book. I didn’t even know it until it started to smell. It started with a real short story while I let the coffee steep. The pleasant smell of arabica filled the pages deep. Some winter flowers wrote themselves. I put them in the keep.
Then something stank just like a skunk. I checked beneath the sink. I’d left a character to himself. I really didn’t think. I found him rolling grass and paper; a “dooby,” nice and tight. I got a little nervous. This really can’t be right. My kids are coming home soon. No! I don't have a light.
It calmed a bit. A candle lit, I tried to delete the shit. But then I thought, “what if he’s right?” We talked and laughed a bit. He took another hit.
I wrote on and heard a song about another stink. The irony in this story, wouldn’t let me sleep a wink. I kept on typing, writing notes, and then I began to think. My story has the odor of many papers soaked in ink.
The soggy papers began to grow like the seed of a small tree. They blossomed into flower petals. Look! Here comes a bee. The nectar started flowing then and now I had a plan. I’ll keep on writing until this thing has a smell that you can stand.
Pardon my Vogon poetry. but I wanted to give an example of why writers should use smells in their arsenal of words. Odors and smells have strong symbolic meaning and tend to evoke great meaning for your readers. Using this trick might make the difference between a stinky piece and something that is boring and bland.
Chris
