While many writers recognize the power that results from appealing to any of the five senses when constructing a narrative, some are unaware that conflating two sensorial elements can be even more effective than the aforementioned endeavor. This can be the case given that the literary technique often results in unconventional representations of reality-such as stating that old gum smells gray. In addition to being a creative way to express an idea, the conflation of smell and odor is effective given that ‘gray’ has long since been a signifier for the concept of something archaic or antiquated. Upon considering the opportunity for ingenuity one is afforded upon conflating sensorial elements, why employing the literary technique can be an advantageous endeavor becomes plain.
In reflecting on the efficacy that conflating the sensorial elements can have, I wrote the following microfiction piece:
The scream sounded red. Bold and brazen, the noise kept up the sort of complex and convoluted tension that only bloody color can convey, catalyze.
Here, the connection between color and sound is only vaguely defined. In essence, the sound of the scream is depicted as analogous to the complex tension red represents and reproduces. Yet this delineation seems to evade-rather than unveil-meaning insomuch as the reader isn’t offered a deep description of what the aforementioned tension is. Nor does the writer inform the audience why and how the tension is complicated. Moreover, the addition of the word red may further occlude our ability to grasp the scream’s dimensions and attributes because it is subject to the same dubious description-“complex and convoluted tension”-as the shout itself. Yet the dubiety surrounding the nature and essence of the scream and whether or not color clarifies or complicates our understanding of what the loud shout sounds like doesn’t necessarily detract from the quality of the work because the conflation of the two sensorial elements still affords the reader a new lens through which to view the yell given that color becomes a descriptive adjective for the noisy utterance. Additionally, the ambiguity surrounding the sound’s categorization gives the reader an opportunity to extract their own meaning from the text.
As made evident by the meanings and musings that can result from the conflation of sensorial elements, employing the literary technique can contribute to the creative and cognitive dimensions of one’s text. For this reason, I encourage authors to try combining two senses-touch and taste perhaps-when writing their next narrative.
Jocelyn Crawley holds B.A. degrees in English and Religious Studies. Her work has appeared in Jerry Jazz Musician, Nailpolish Stories, Visceral Uterus, Four and Twenty, Dead Beats and Haggard and Halloo. Other stories are forthcoming in Faces of Feminism and Calliope.
Related Articles From Jocelyn:
Writing Tips: Reading to Strengthen the Logic of Your Claims
Writing Tips: The Power of the Paratext
Writing Tips: Reading to Expand Your Framework of Knowledge
