Exercise

Step 1: Choose a random object as the subject of this exercise. Or visit objectwriting.com for inspiration. 

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Step 2: Use a pen and paper to complete this exercise, or take a voice recorder and record your thoughts.

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Step 3: Set a timer for 10 minutes. 'Dive into your sense memories and associations surrounding the object. Anything goes, as long as it is sense bound. Write freely. No rhythm, no rhyme. No need for complete sentences. Use all seven senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, organic, and kinesthetic’ (Pattison, 2009, pp. 4-5).

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Theory

‘Sensory writing is writing from the senses of taste, touch, sight, sound, smell, (…) movement [and awareness]. When we use our senses, we encourage the listener to feel what we feel, instead of standing on the outside of the experience. (…) Pictures tell a thousand words, and it’s no less true for sensory language in our lyrics’ (Stolpe, 2017). 

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Sources

• Berklee Online (2017) How to Write a Song: Tips to Generate Imagery for Lyrics | Part 3/9 | Andrea Stolpe. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0DY7SNRjlk&t=2s (Accessed: 6 December 2025).

• Berklee Online (2016) How to Write a Song: Sensory Writing Tricks | Songwriting | Tips & Techniques. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vanCNkkdKc (Accessed: 9 June 2025).

• Pattison, P. (2009) Writing Better Lyrics: The Essential Guide to Powerful Songwriting. 2nd edn. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books

• Stolpe, A (2017) Getting Started With Sensory Writing. Available at: https://www.andreastolpe.com/articles/getting-started-with-sensory-writing (Accessed: 2 November 2025).