Friday, October 10, 2008

Not scent from heaven

Either I have a really sensitive nose or there are an awful lot of people in my neighborhood making use of some really intense chemicals disguised as dryer sheets and "air fresheners."

When I jog, sometimes I feel like gagging as I inhale a big burst of fakey "perfume" that is so strong it burns the inside of my nose. I feel so sorry for the dogs! Can you imagine what it's like for them? Their God-given noses are about a zillion times more sensitive than mine. And these scents are definitely not from heaven.

What does this subject have to do with writing? Well, everything. For one thing, have you ever noticed how important words are in advertising? Take "air fresheners" for example. Now, these things are not fresh. They have nothing whatsoever to do with fresh. If they were named using accurate words, they would be called "things that pollute the air you breathe and then cover it up with a very strong smell." But advertisers don't mind naming things the opposite of what they are if it makes people buy them.

And words are powerful.

1 comment:

Nayuleska said...

*giggles* Very true!

Just finished reading the seer and the sword...so looked to see if you blogged! And you do :) Adored the book. Going to see if my library have your other books. I uh confess to peeking to the end, but that's a terrible bad habit i Have to see if it ends well. Reading books like yours inspires me to keep working on my own wips :)