Surround Sense

      For me, a page of good prose is where one hears the rain [and] the noise of battle.  ~John Cheever

     In this hot, dry weather, it would be nice to hear the rain...

       It's easy to remember to describe what you see and hear in your writing. The man is short and stubby, the sun peeks from behind the clouds, the report of a gun echoes down the alley, a bench creaks. But let's not forget to make our readers feel the ache in the main character's feet after wearing heels at work all day and smell the burgers-smell of McDonald's through the open car window and taste salty sweat after a chase through an abandoned mine.

       Of course, things like taste won't come up too often, so there is a balance. But when you have all of those things in the right proportion, it's like surround sound plus surround sight, touch, smell, and taste.