Sensory Description: Taste/New Books/Calls for Submissions

I just received copies of my three new books. Holding them for the first time made me feel like a six-year-old at Christmas. Here’s a peek.

Back to regular programming. This blog is part of a series based on sensory description.

Describing sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, hot, cold, and different textures are ways to build convincing and engaging scenes. Imagery evokes pictures in the reader’s mind. Sour pickles, sweet chocolate ice cream, and juicy, cold watermelon are sensations that readers identify with instantly.

But to really get creative, we can go beyond the usual, the ordinary. A character might taste the salty air as she walks along the beach. Or the gritty taste of a mud pie. Yes, I actually did that once. Only once.

Taste is a description that many writers struggle with. It won’t be used as often as other senses because taste simply isn’t appropriate in many stories. But in stories in which flavor or tang is suitable, this descriptor can place the reader in the middle of the action.

Call for submissions for adult writers:

THE SANTA CLAWS CONTEST is for aspiring fiction and creative non-fiction writers who have not professionally published. This contest covers TWO issues: the October Issue (horror / suspense) and the December Issue (holiday / fantasy). SUBMISSIONS for the October Issue (horror / suspense) are now open. Please wait to submit holiday / fantasy material until AFTER October 15th. Liternational Editor’s will select the semi-finalists for publication and judging begins AFTER the December Issue’s release. Winners will be announced on or before St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th). You may submit in BOTH categories. You may also make MULTIPLE submissions. However, each contestant is only eligible for ONE prize.

Details at http://www.mariealexanderseries.com/submit.shtml

Call for submissions for young writers:

Creative Kids Magazine. The most exciting aspect of Creative Kids is that it is written by kids. Students from all over the world write for the magazine, so it includes exciting examples of the most creative student work to be found in any publication.

To find out more about Creative Kids or to submit your work for publication, please visit http://www.ckmagazine.org!

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/