There are seven distinct types of imagery: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, kinesthetic and organic. Many of these deal with the five senses, which all work together to help us create mental images of whatever we are reading.

​

​

VISUAL (sight)

Visual imagery appeals to the sense of sight, and plays the largest role in imagery in literature. It describes what a scene or character looks like.

​

​

AUDITORY (sound)

Auditory imagery describes specific sounds that are happening within the story. Auditory imagery could also appear in the form of onomatopoeia. Words such as “bang!” “achoo!” “cacaw!” all work to describe sounds that most people are familiar with.

​

​

OLFACTORY (smell)

Olfactory imagery describes a particular scent. Authors want you to be able to almost smell the scent coming off the pages.

​

​

GUSTATORY (taste)

Gustatory imagery pertains to the sense of taste. For example:

"The rich, sweet, sugary taste of chocolate ran over his taste buds as he chewed and swallowed the whole dessert."

​

​

TACTILE (touch)

Tactile imagery appeals to the sense of touch. The feeling of a nice fuzzy blanket on a cold night, the smooth underside of a snake, the rough texture of tree bark. Anything you can touch can be described through imagery.

​

​

KINESTHETIC (movement)

Kinesthetic imagery deals with the movement or action of objects or people.

E.g. “The birds flapped their wings in excitement, the promise of food so close. They sprung out of the tree, one by one, soaring through the branches and swooping down low to the pile of berries beneath the tree”. 

​

 

ORGANIC (feelings/emotions)

Organic imagery is the most difficult form of imagery to write, because it deals with creating a specific feeling or emotion within the reader. Phrases that make the reader feel sad, fearful, nostalgic, elated, even lost are all extremely effective organic imagery.

​

​