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these guidelines:

* Don't use the verbs of sensation unless absolutely necessary

* Use action verbs of sensation only when the situation requires them, or where they are useful for dramatic effect, rhythm, pacing, etc.

* Avoid the use of modifiers, especially adverbs ending in -ly

* Use onomatopoeia to help the reader hear words

* Make other word choices carefully

* Use comparative description and contrasting description, with metaphors and similes, where appropriate

* Reinforce theme by using sensation as symbols

* Avoid cliches like the plague, unless they fit some purpose to a tee.

* Utilize the full range of intensity available in sensation

* Where appropriate, utilize a character's sixth sense

* Engage sensation as a means of stimulating character emotion

* Utilize sensation a means of stimulating reader emotion

* Use physical reaction as a means of conveying sensation

* In action scenes, occasionally reverse the order of stimulus-response reactions

* Be aware of the hierarchy of sensations, particularly relating to intimacy, when choosing which sensations to portray

* When appropriate, employ more than one sensation

* Strive for unobtrusive, intimate conveyance of sensation as a means of reducing narrative distance

Today's reader expects to live the story through the mind of the character, experiencing the story as if the reader is the character. Effective use of the sensation as a fiction-writing mode can go a long way toward making that experience a virtual reality.

Learn more about this author, Mike Klaassen.
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