[image by Stuart Miles from freerangestock.com] |
Synaesthesia is when two (or more) senses become joined. For example when sounds evoke colour or taste. Musical notes might correspond to different colours; the taste of something may make you see colour; names may make you taste different foods.
It was thought to be a rare condition, but recent studies show that as many as 1 in 25 may have some form of this blending of the senses.
Summer Morris, one of the characters in The Wrong Kind of Clouds has synaesthesia. She has a rare version in which emotions and colours are blended. She describes it as her head being filled with specific colours, depending on what she feels. She is a photographer and senses that she has got a picture 'right' because the colour she feels is an intense red.
I decided that she would be a synaesthete, early on, and in the book, the colours she feels not only help her to judge her pictures, but guide her actions - helping her to know that she is doing the right thing.
The video below describes the more common forms of synaesthesia.
Just a reminder... if you haven't already, you can sign up for my mailing list just by filling in your email address in the box in the sidebar. No spam, just an email when I post anything new or have some exciting news or offers for you.
I'm giving away two copies of my book to people randomly drawn from my mailing list. See "G is for... Giveaway" for details.
I'm also offering a discount on pre-orders of The Wrong Kind of Clouds. Go here and use the code CLOUDS to get £2 off.
Comments
Post a Comment