Riehlife Writing Idea: Sensory Scan as Memory Prompt

When Jake Lorfing and I were talking yesterday about some long ago work I felt would be worthy writing material, he said, “But I don’t remember anything; it’s too long ago.”

I suggested he do a Sensory Scan. You can do this, too.

1) Take each sense in turn: sight, sound, taste, touch, smell.

2) Scan each sense. Put yourself back in the situation you want to remember in order to write about. Let’s say you are working with sound: A door slams. A person screams, groans, giggles. A cane taps on the corridor.

“Yes, it’s working. Pictures are coming in,” reported Jake.

And, then, write, dad-gum-it.