I’m back from the Land Down Under! It was a 10 hour flight but our two boys took it all in stride, happily playing with Leapsters, writing and drawing in their journals (What can I say? They have a mother whose obsessed with writing), watching unlimited movies (Heaven), and eating lollipops (for the takeoff and landing).

For an early Christmas gift, my hubby bought me a cute journal (He read my blog. Bonus point!). I did my regular reflections and memories from each day of course, but this time I decided to go a step further.

You see, when I was writing my book set in France, I kept trying to pull back my memories of my trip there. What smells did I sense? Sounds? Fortunately I fast drafted that book just after the trip so everything was fresh and alive in my mind.

But what if I wanted to write another story in that same setting, say five years from now? (Confession: I have one in mind). Would I be able to pull that journal out and remember those senses? Maybe.

So for this trip, I had another section in my journal divided by each sense: smells, sights, touches, and sounds (note: this category had two parts, one for noise and another for language with words like g’day, mate and cheeky). Anytime one of those senses was triggered, I jotted it down. And every time I went to a new place- like the zoo, beach or pool- I made a mental note to identify those scents.

By the end of the trip, I was pleased with my results of my journal. And I hope, whenever I write my story set in Australia, I’ll have a plethora of sensory details to enrich my story.