50+ Show Don’t Tell Examples for Olfactory Imagery:

As a new writer, we almost always fall victim to the situation where we ‘tell’ too much and ‘show’ too less; our writing is too narrative but far less depictive. 

‘Show, don’t tell’ is one of the most common (sometimes, over-emphasized) rules in fiction writing. And yet, it is neglected. 

Check this info-graphic if you’re struggling to understand the difference between showing and telling

Before I begin, understand that there are 7 different types of imagery in literature:

• Visual
• Auditory
• Olfactory
• Gustatory
• Tactile
• Kinesthetic
• Organic

This article focuses on Olfactory imagery.

Show Don’t Tell Examples for Olfactory Imagery:

How, as a writer, will you make the reader smell what your character can smell? Which words or imagery can you use to familiarize the reader with the scent in the scene, the place? Olfactory Imagery is used for this purpose. I am going to provide you with a few examples which you can gladly use as they are (I’ll try to be as creative as I can be.)

1. The smell of burnt coal brought back the memories of him sneaking in her room after midnight, and fear crept up her spine making the hairs on her neck stand.
2. The honeysuckle fragrant lawn lured the insects and flies; I could hear the crickets calling and singing their eerie song of the night.
3. The scent of wet soil reached my nostrils and my eyes closed on their own accord
4. He sprayed the lavender air-freshener to deaden the smell of tobacco.
5. Her hair smelt of the cigarette she stubbed outside before entering the house.
6. His room stank of rotten eggs which made Shaina retch, and she covered her mouth with her hand.
7. The hall reeked of wet paint and anti-termite solution; Kiara walked back to her cabin scrunching her nose.
8. As she entered the room, Jessica smelled caramel popcorn in the making and watched her sister, with a bandana on her head, work her hands with oil paints.
9. The tracker dog sniffed the table and recoiled in the stench of bleach and ammonia.
10.  Violet put on her cherry blossom perfume and walked out of the door.

I am going to provide you with a few adjectives and nouns which can be used for pleasant and unpleasant smells, scents, stenches, fragrances:

Pleasant Nouns for Smells:

1. Sun-dried tomatoes
2. Air-dried blankets
3. Baby powder
4. Anise
5. Mint
6. Cinnamon
7. Apple Cider
8. Orange
9. Sea Breeze
10. Maple Syrup
11. Meadows/ Grass/ Flowers- Rose, Lilacs, Jasmine, Lavender, Honeysuckle/ Tuberose/ Hibiscus
12. Coconut
13. Chocolate
14. Bubblegum
15. Cardamom
16. Chamomile
17. Coffee
18. Candy
19. Fruity
20. Forest
21. Wet soil
22. Freshly baked bread
23. Lemon/ Lime
24. Popcorn
25. Licorice
26. Pizza Place
27. Melted Cheese
28. Toast
29. Vanilla/ Butterscotch
30. Wine

Unpleasant Nouns for Smell:

1. Burnt Toast
2. Burnt tire
3. Acetone
4. Bad breath
5. Dog and Dog breath
6. Sweat
7. Locker Room
8. Laundry Room
9. Storeroom
10. Rotten Eggs
11. Fungus/ Moss/ Moulded Bread
12. Onions and Garlic
13. Toilet Cleaner
14. Bleach and Ammonia
15. Meat- Pork/ Beef/ Chicken (uncooked)
16. Fish
17. Sewage/ Pot Holes
18. Sulfur
19. Fresh/ Wet Paint
20. Litter/ Poop of any animal
21. Cigars/ Cigarette/ Nicotine
22. Burnt Plastic
23. Burnt Food
24. Burnt Rubber
25. Hospital/ Morgue
26. Corpse
27. Unwashed Socks
28. Unclean Underwear
29. Seaweed
30. Greasy Cloth

Unpleasant Adjectives for Smells:

1. Acidic
2. Burnt
3. Ascetic
4. Acrid
5. Pungent
6. Bitter
7. Sour
8. Tart
9. Noxious
10. Nauseating
11. Antiseptic
12. Decaying
13. Musty
14. Wax
15. Sickly
16. Sterile
17. Stale
18. Putrid
19. Rancid
20. Rotting/ Rotten
21. Putrescent
22. Olid
23. Fetid
24. Bland
25. Caustic
26. Greasy
27. Dirty
28. Soiled
29. Mouldy
30. Dank/ Damp

Pleasant Adjectives for Smells:

1. Fragrant
2. Balmy
3. Airy
4. Breezy
5. Oceanic
6. Cool
7. Lemony
8. Earthy
9. Fresh
10. Sweet
11. Tangy
12. Savoury
13. Rich
14. Floral
15. Flowery
16. Aromatic
17. Redolent
18. Musky
19. Scented
20. Perfumy
21. Clean
22. Clear
23. Moist
24. Refreshing
25. Tantalizing
26. New
27. Wooden
28. Cemented
29. Gentle
30. Giddy

Before you leave, check out these 80+ examples on Gustatory imagery to empower your ‘Show don’t tell game.’