Writer’s Idea Box: Can you smell that?

Photo by Meg Boulden on Unsplash

The smell of cheap, store-bought popcorn, the smell of crayons and glue, the smell of freshly-cut grass on a summer evening: these among many others, are strong olfactory triggers that, if consciously engaged, can take a writer swiftly to another place and time.

In this Idea Box exercise, we explore the power of following the nose to create sensory-rich snippets of memoir writing that can, if diligently pursued, result in many pages of memoir.

If you are already a part of our Idea Box community, congratulations! If not, click the subscriber content box below and you’ll be prompted to join us. For only $10 annually, you’ll have access to monthly writing workshop syllabi, including this month’s smell-fest, complete with writing warm-ups, writing samples, and writing exercises. Plus, you’ll be eligible to submit to fws: writer’s idea box for publication.

I can’t wait to read what you write!

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Published on November 08, 2025 10:51
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