Ideas, I get ideas…

Writers of all kinds, from academic/scientific to the most wild creators, have to dredge up ideas. I reflected a lot this week on where I get kernels of inspiration, and what I wanted to discuss was…scents and smells.

Any of you have front-loading washing machines? Yeah? Okay, I dare you to pull out the water reservoir, especially if you’ve been less than persistent about cleaning it monthly. It’ll smell like death. That’s probably a Klebsiella bacteria. You’ll never forget it, trust me.

When writing backstory for Rustwater, I imagined that there is some kind of spicy smell everywhere now that the Others have invaded the world. People (NPCs) from the Relic Age don’t necessarily remember it being around before. It’s not something you can pinpoint to say, “Hey, I smell the Others.” But deep in the soul, as the PCs, you’ll feel uneasy. The scene is off-kilter, wrong, but precisely what’s bugging you? It’s elusive.

As I write the main adventure for an upcoming game, I sought input on what Cape Cod beaches smell like. Is it sand? Salt? Fish? One of my brainstormers said, “Briney, yet clean…there’s pine in the mix, and the scent of rain, even on a sunny day.” Those few yet potent words helped me punch up the tension building across the plot and challenges for the players.

How do you use scent to build atmosphere in your games? Kismet would like to know more. :)