Sensory Details in Fiction: How the Five Senses Contribute to Character Building

Saturday, September 19 & 26, 2026

11:00am-12:30pm MST (Phoenix)
Location: Piper Writers House

What to expect at a glance:

A new understanding in the ways sensory details bring a scene to life
Revision practices in scene work
One new piece of writing

Class Description:

In this generative workshop, writers will learn to utilize sensory details to create deeper emotional resonance and build conflict within their character limits. Saying what the character sees and feels inside is easy, but how can we dive into a deeper space? Sensory details located through setting are an overlooked source of character building. We will look at examples in novels and stories, then craft our own piece of short fiction. Although this is a fiction workshop, utilizing sensory details can be applied to memoir as well.

About the instructor:

Stephanie Austin is the author of the CNF chapbook Something I Might Say (WTAW Press, 2023) and the novel Burn (Cowboy Jamboree, 2026). Her stories and essays have been published in more than 30 literary journals including The Sun, Wigleaf, American Short Fiction, and The New England Review. She has attended both the Bread Loaf and the Community of Writers confeences as a contributor in fiction. Her website is stephanieaustin.net.

About our registration fees:

Your purchase is an investment not only in your voice, but in our literary community. The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing is dedicated to helping create a sustainable local and national literary arts community. The general rate for our classes is only $25 per hour of instruction. The pay scale is designed in favor of instructors, ensuring that the majority of all sales goes to them. Any additional profit allows us to offer discounts, scholarships, and occasionally free educational programs. To inquire about whether or not you are eligible for a discount code, please send an email to: pipercenter.info@asu.edu

Thank you for your interest in Sensory Details in Fiction: How the Five Senses Contribute to Character Building.

Registration has closed for this event.

For information or questions:

Sheila Black

Assistant Director

Arizona State University

Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing

Mail Code: 5002

450 E Tyler Mall

Tempe, AZ 85281

P: (480) 965-6018

E: Sheila.Black@asu.edu

https://piper.asu.edu/