Synesthesia -- should I write about the light show?

[JerseyGirlDownUnder]

I've got two particular forms of synthesthesia, where experiences get associated with an alternate sense. A common form of synesthesia is where sounds are also perceived as colours -- for example Franz Liszt referred to musical tones with colour descriptions.

First, I've always associated numbers with personalities... this phenomena was so fundamental to me that I didn't realise other people didn't do the same until I was in my teens.

I also associate strong physical sensations with colours and shapes.

Is it worthwhile trying to write the physical sensations of sex as colours? Or do you think readers would get very confused? Do enough people experience orgasms as a light show for there to be an interested readership?

I'm not particularly visually artistic. So I'm not sure I could do justice to the experience with words, and I don't want to struggle to write AND get labelled a weirdo author (hahahahaha). Opinions?

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

First, I've always associated numbers with personalities... this phenomena was so fundamental to me that I didn't realise other people didn't do the same until I was in my teens.

Hey, I used to do that! I thought it was just me. Man, I really hated 6, that smug bastard.

I also associate strong physical sensations with colours and shapes.

Is it worthwhile trying to write the physical sensations of sex as colours? Or do you think readers would get very confused? Do enough people experience orgasms as a light show for there to be an interested readership?

Well, I don't share this experience, but it sounds like it could be an fresh, new kind of story. I mean writing and reading sex scenes gets repetitive after a while. But having a character who experiences sex differently sounds like a fun new twist. I'd say it's worth experimenting with at least.

 

[NotWise]

Is it worthwhile trying to write the physical sensations of sex as colours? Or do you think readers would get very confused? Do enough people experience orgasms as a light show for there to be an interested readership?

I think the only way you can really answer that question is to do it. "Fireworks" seem fairly common in metaphor and simile when describing orgasm, so it may not be that much of a stretch. Have fun with it.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think you could make this work, but you have to set it up early in the story, or at least before you use it in a descriptive way in a scene. Or have an introductory scene in which you describe things this way. Otherwise, I think the reader will be confused. By the time you have scenes in your story that describes senses this way, the reader needs to be able to decode your writing.

 

[Privates1stClass]

I'm not particularly visually artistic -- possibly I became an engineer because of all those number and trigonometric function personalities. So I'm not sure I could do justice to the experience with words, and I don't want to struggle to write AND get labelled a weirdo author (hahahahaha). Opinions?

Hey, it doesn't cost anything to give it a try. Sounds logical, as long as you describe the effects at the beginning of your story. Go for it!

 

[LupusDei]

Is it worthwhile trying to write the physical sensations of sex as colours? Or do you think readers would get very confused? Do enough people experience orgasms as a light show for there to be an interested readership?

Being very visual person I can experience orgasms as complete dreamlike scenes that may or may not include my partner, and feature, among other things, unseen vistas of unearthly terrain, memories of wastly different body shapes, even been a tree.

I think as far it could be also read as metaphorical description, it might be interesting. Sparks and fireworks are commonly referred, I think some flashing of apparent image might be rather common, actually. Associations between emotions and colours is fairly common also, but there might be variation, I don't know.

For me, berserker level anger affect state colors visible world image in red tint, for example. Might be completely physical effect, or apparent, just like the added combat overlay.

Going deeper in the weird... Not in the plain state of mind, but logging out to the control panel, I experience my heartbeat/breathing/blood oxygen level as intricate five-dimensional shape overlaid by flowing gradients of three colours, deep red, blue, and third I can't name nor see with my human eyes, possibly ultraviolet. Breath pattern is represented as vectors on the shape, and adjusting them the projected effect on heart rate and beat pressure can be seen, for example. It is handily interface, but not a thingy meant to be played with mindlessly.

 

[AwkwardMD]

What you are proposing is very similar to an unreliable narrator. Read up on how to execute one of those, and that should give you a strong foundation to write synesthesia without screwing with or lying to your readers.

 

[SamScribble]

It all makes sense to me. (Mind you, I usually see music as changing shapes and colours. )

 

[Handley_Page]

I also associate strong physical sensations with colours and shapes.

Is it worthwhile trying to write the physical sensations of sex as colours? Or do you think readers would get very confused? Do enough people experience orgasms as a light show for there to be an interested readership?

. . . and I don't want to struggle to write AND get labelled a weirdo author (hahahahaha). Opinions?

Have a go at reading "Men at Arms" by Terry Pratchett.
His descriptions of how Sgt Angua see personalities are colours may provide you with a few more clues about description.

And, to some, we're all wierdo authors, one way of another.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Absolutely try, yes. You have written some superb descriptive content, it shouldn't be a stretch to write what you experience in such a way that people "get" it.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I'd be very interested to read it.

 

[KindofHere]

That movie Mask with Cher and Eric Stoltz and the kid with the deformity. He meets a blind girl and she's never seen color, so he used elements of touch to help her imagine and understand colors.

Good movie. Sad.

 

[JerseyGirlDownUnder]

What you are proposing is very similar to an unreliable narrator. Read up on how to execute one of those, and that should give you a strong foundation to write synesthesia without screwing with or lying to your readers.

Oh thank you thank you. This is exactly the sort of help I need to learn how to write. Plus I've been jonesing to read some Kazuo Ishiguro.

 

[JerseyGirlDownUnder]

Hey, I used to do that! I thought it was just me. Man, I really hated 6, that smug bastard.

Bwahaha this made me laugh. You totally get it. Personally, i think 6 is very shifty.

Well, I don't share this experience, but it sounds like it could be an fresh, new kind of story. I mean writing and reading sex scenes gets repetitive after a while. But having a character who experiences sex differently sounds like a fun new twist. I'd say it's worth experimenting with at least.

Thank you for the encouragement!

 

[JerseyGirlDownUnder]

Being very visual person I can experience orgasms as complete dreamlike scenes that may or may not include my partner, and feature, among other things, unseen vistas of unearthly terrain, memories of wastly different body shapes, even been a tree.

I think as far it could be also read as metaphorical description, it might be interesting. Sparks and fireworks are commonly referred, I think some flashing of apparent image might be rather common, actually. Associations between emotions and colours is fairly common also, but there might be variation, I don't know.

For me, berserker level anger affect state colors visible world image in red tint, for example. Might be completely physical effect, or apparent, just like the added combat overlay.

Going deeper in the weird... Not in the plain state of mind, but logging out to the control panel, I experience my heartbeat/breathing/blood oxygen level as intricate five-dimensional shape overlaid by flowing gradients of three colours, deep red, blue, and third I can't name nor see with my human eyes, possibly ultraviolet. Breath pattern is represented as vectors on the shape, and adjusting them the projected effect on heart rate and beat pressure can be seen, for example. It is handily interface, but not a thingy meant to be played with mindlessly.

Thank you for that description. That makes me feel smack in the middle of the bell curve. The metaphorical description angle is also a great idea.

 

[JerseyGirlDownUnder]

Have a go at reading "Men at Arms" by Terry Pratchett.
His descriptions of how Sgt Angua see personalities are colours may provide you with a few more clues about description.

And, to some, we're all wierdo authors, one way of another.

Excellent, another tick to my reading list and another bout of encouragement.

 

[JerseyGirlDownUnder]

I think you could make this work, but you have to set it up early in the story, or at least before you use it in a descriptive way in a scene. Or have an introductory scene in which you describe things this way. Otherwise, I think the reader will be confused. By the time you have scenes in your story that describes senses this way, the reader needs to be able to decode your writing.

Hey, it doesn't cost anything to give it a try. Sounds logical, as long as you describe the effects at the beginning of your story. Go for it!

Great minds think alike. Thank you.

 

[JerseyGirlDownUnder]

thanks for the encouragement

To everyone who replied so positively, thank you so much. I need the encouragement and the suggestions on similar styles and how to make this work will help me enormously.

 

[delicious_man]

I'm wondering if you would plan to write in the first person and base your story on personal experience or instead write about this through a fictional character (in which case first or third person perspective could be used)? Either approach could work of course.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing things would be to hear about the first time the character experiences this particular synesthaesia. Imagine the experience of discovering your orgasm comes with a vivid colour show!

However you choose to approach it, I'm certain this sort of description could work. You could describe it explicitly (in which case it would probably be helpful to 'prep' the reader as SimonDoom suggests) or allude to the experience in a more poetic sense. After all, some of the more effective descriptions of orgasm out there already use imagery that suggests colours, sounds or a dream-like state not otherwise associated with the actual act of sex.

 

[Oblimo]

Synesthesia is remarkably rare. You are in an almost unique position to share a sense of the world very few people ever experience except through metaphor and imagination.

I’m not sure if it would confuse the reader to provide synesthetic detail without it being clear, or eventually being made clear, that the character experiencing these details is an actual synesthete. It might lead the reader to make the wrong inferences about the character’s personality, however.

Especially if the synesthete experiences ordinal-linguistic personification (I had to google the term ) like you and LoquiSordiaAdMe do. Imagine the line, “She gave me the key to her motel room. It was room number 6. A bad number.”

I would think the typical reader would infer that the narrator was superstitious, if a full understanding of the character’s perceptions — that 6 is a skeevy, deceitful jerk — were not eventually made clear.

 

[weftandwarp]

Why don't you do two versions of the same story? One with and one without. Don't copy word for word because that could invite rejection. That could give you a better idea of its acceptability. As your full name and address isn't going to be displayed, I wouldn't worry too much about what people think. I wrote a story about my aspergers. Some didn't understand it well. They didn't like the disjointedness and disn't realise I needed that to show elements of my aspergers. I found that people were respectful and some commented in beautifully positive ways. I'm pleased I did it, though the anxiety I had when I submitted it was something I don't want again. In a strange way the rules here may offend you but they also protect you. I was protected by the rules once and that story was rejected. I couldn't find a way to change it without losing the power of it so it still languishes as a reject though I thought it was one of my best and most meaningful offerings. So, don't worry about being different, celebrate it, so long as it isn't hurting anyone, and be aware that we are all different, what some hate others will enjoy.

 

[JerseyGirlDownUnder]

I'm wondering if you would plan to write in the first person and base your story on personal experience or instead write about this through a fictional character.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing things would be to hear about the first time the character experiences this particular synesthaesia. Imagine the experience of discovering your orgasm comes with a vivid colour show!

Hmmm. I'm always tempted to write in the first person although I am slowly learning how to use some other point of view. That's a good suggestion to write as the character "seeing" it for the first time. Certainly it was bloody alarming for me to have it happen, and I only allow myself to dive in to the experience now when I'm feeling very safe. I could certainly channel the wonder aspect. Thanks.

 

[JerseyGirlDownUnder]

Synesthesia is remarkably rare. You are in an almost unique position to share a sense of the world very few people ever experience except through metaphor and imagination.

Well, shucks. Thanks. And I always thought something was broken in my brain.

I’m not sure if it would confuse the reader to provide synesthetic detail without it being clear, or eventually being made clear, that the character experiencing these details is an actual synesthete. It might lead the reader to make the wrong inferences about the character’s personality, however.

Especially if the synesthete experiences ordinal-linguistic personification (I had to google the term ) like you and LoquiSordiaAdMe do. Imagine the line, “She gave me the key to her motel room. It was room number 6. A bad number.”

I would think the typical reader would infer that the narrator was superstitious, if a full understanding of the character’s perceptions — that 6 is a skeevy, deceitful jerk — were not eventually made clear.

I tried to explain to someone else in a PM that the "numbers have personalities" is not something I pay much attention to in daily life. It just is for me. It doesn't have much functionality utility, and in fact it does come out sounding like I'm weirdly superstitious. So I don't tend to mention it much... and damn it, I've never won the lottery using this "talent." Although, hey, that is a good idea to include in a story. Pick a really voluptuous number and win!

 

[JerseyGirlDownUnder]

Why don't you do two versions of the same story? One with and one without. Don't copy word for word because that could invite rejection. That could give you a better idea of its acceptability. ....
So, don't worry about being different, celebrate it, so long as it isn't hurting anyone, and be aware that we are all different, what some hate others will enjoy.

Hoorah for that idea! It's the diversity of the writers and readers on Literotica that make the whole "random story game" so much fun on the app.

I like the idea of two versions. I might take that suggestion and follow through with two versions -- the light show and the partner's point of view. Plenty to think about!

 

[weftandwarp]

Hoorah for that idea! It's the diversity of the writers and readers on Literotica that make the whole "random story game" so much fun on the app.

I like the idea of two versions. I might take that suggestion and follow through with two versions -- the light show and the partner's point of view. Plenty to think about!

)OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Thank you so much for telling me.. I hope the results will be what you want. I can't help but think of how lucky you are to have synesthesia. It must be kind of like having an extra colour or two in one's spectrum. Enviable, it really is.