In his timeless Inferno, Dante Alighieri uses sensory imagery to immerse us in his dark underworld: the far-off wailing of the damned; the bubbling of a dark purple river of blood; the orange glow and the steam of an eternally searing sarcophagus. And wait ‘til you get to the unfortunate chaps who’re being rolled around in the devil’s mouth…
Have I grossed you out yet?
My point is that reading Inferno doesn’t feel like a mere story; it feels like a live tour of Hell.
Furthermore, Dante uses his skills to illustrate images that emotionally impact the reader: the tears of two lovers tormented by a never-ending whirlwind. The monstrously unnatural winged demon on whose back the narrator must descend from a cliff. A familiar face among the damned asking Dante for news of his home city.
Use sensory description to elicit a strong emotional reaction, and you’re writing poetry (or lyrics, in our case) that will move your listener and stick with them for years. Will your art survive—and even flourish—over the next seven centuries, as Dante’s did?
Next songwriting tip in this series: Using Structure to Control Pace >>
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