There are often times I’ll be writing a scene and I want to include an odor or scent but my mind goes completely blank. How is it that the only smell I can readily recall is garlic and Axe deodorant?
It’s crazy to think that we’re surrounded 24/7 by smells–good and bad– that we don’t even acknowledge let alone transfer to our writing.
Here’s a list that may spark a memory for you or help you along the way to writing a complete and visceral scene. Each can be taken and expanded upon.
If there’s any you’d like to add, please leave me a message and together we’ll compose a great and smelly list!

COMMON FOODS…
- onions
- garlic
- Fried chicken
- bacon
- cabbage
- fish
- seafood-shrimp, oyster
- mint
- a baking cake
- fresh baked cookies
- a turkey dinner cooking
- fresh baked bread
- burnt toast
- sour milk
- coffee
- barbecue

- pizza
- popcorn
- kimchi
- waffle cone
- fresh citrus: lemon, orange,
- grapefruit
- roast beef dinner in the stove
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Around Us…
- the sea air
- fresh mowed grass
- the smell of home
- the beach
- chlorine at the public pool
- the air before it snows
- sulphur
- cigarette smoke
- cigar smoke
- pipe smoke
- chimney smoke
- wet dog
- new car smell
- camp fire
- fast food restaurant
- insense
- body odor
- Fresh paint
- baby-freshly bathed
- Dirty diaper

- apples
- pineapple
- banana
- pumpkin
- brussel sprouts
- asparagus
- broccoli
- raspberry
- strawberry
- durian
- coconut
- peach
- coconut








- gasoline
- grease
- dirty socks
- dirty sweaty feet
- someone who just finished a cigarette/cigar
- a dirty ashtray
- beer–fresh and stale
- wine
- liquor–whiskey; bourbon;
- essential oils–too many to list
- leather
- old books
- mothballs
- musty dampness like in a basement
- Vicks vapo-rub
- Grandpa’s muscle ointment/cream
- smog
- felt pens
- bubblegum
- marijuana
- rotten eggs
- spices: cinnamon, thyme, pepper, nutmeg, anise, curry, cumin, basil
- campfire
- apple pie
- fresh rain
- car back fire
- cheese: parmesan, blue,
- vinegar
- apple cider vinegar
- fresh lit match
- eucalyptus
- fire crackers
- burning rubber
- burning flesh
- suntan lotion
- trees: pine, fir, cedar
- Christmas tree in the house
- the forest
- nail polish
- stagnant water
- perms
- flowers: lavender, roses, jasmine, clematis, lily, geranium, hyacinth, lilac
- chewing gum: ie juicy fruit
- vanilla
- fresh washed hair/body
- farts
- genitalia
- urine
- feces
- manure
- dairy: milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, butter
- scented soaps, shampoos
- cleaning supplies
- fresh tilled soil
- musk
- vomit
- mold and mildew
- garbage
- death
- disease
- hospital
- retirement home
- prison
- car
- bathroom
- public toilet
- outhouse
- other people’s homes
- hotel room
- gym
- change rooms
- dentist office
- money
- alcohol breath
- toothpaste
- halitosis
- baby powder
- plastics
- natural gas
- diesel
- bleach
- hydrogen Peroxide
- burps
- cold air
- wet concrete
- hay bale
- animals: horse, cow, goat, dog, cat.
- maple syrup
- chocolate
- unwashed or damp laundry
- wood chips
- personal inherited scent/Family scent
- sawdust
- fresh laundry
- sex
- rotten meat
- perfume, Aftershave
- burnt potatoes
- fresh air
By adding smell to your writing it can take it to the next level.
Try to think outside the box.
Adjectives to describe a smell include:
- Heavy
- Pungent
- Putrid
- Fetid
- Bouquet
- Dank
- Fresh
- Pleasant
- Mouth watering
- Cheap
- Choking
- Floral
- Woodsy
- Intoxicating
- Spicy
- Rancid
- Eye watering
- Wild
- Exotic
- Overpowering
- Crisp
- Stale
- Repulsive
- Redolent
- Masculine/Feminine
- Earthy
- Other worldly
- Close
- Pervasive
- Invasive
- Unpleasant
- Distinct
- Medicinal
- Metallic
- Greasy
- Fragrant
- Plasticky or fake
- Overripe
- Ripe
- Faint
- Chemically
- Mild
- Heady
- Rancid
- Acidic
- Sweet
- Oppressive
- Past its prime
- Foul
- Sour
- Funky
So, I’m fresh out of smells now!
Can you think of anymore? Leave me a message and I’ll add them onto the list–would be great to get up to at least 200! I don’t want to name each fruit or flower though so looking for something that isn’t on the list. Can’t wait to hear more!
Additions:
- cinnamon buns or Cinnabon
- sandalwood incense
- sage burning
- wet pine
- rosemary
Thanks so much for dropping by to read what I had to share this week. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to my blog using the form below and using the share buttons below, share with your friends.
Wet pine, sandalwood incense, sage burning, rosemary, lavender. Love this, smell is so evocative!
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