The problem of beginning …
The Southern novelist and poet George Garrett, director of creative writing at the University of Virginia when I was a graduate student there, always said that if you’re having trouble getting into a story (or a chapter or a scene) you should use all five sentences right at the start, preferably in the first paragraph: touch, taste, smell, hearing, sight. Your scene will jump to life, and you’ll have an easier time falling into the dream world of the story.
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What a great reminder.
When one of my kids was diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder and it forced me to learn a lot about all of the senses and how much each contributes to typical experiences, and I think it made my writing better.
I had to think about things like the lint inside a sock, the difference in the texture between a hot dog and its bun, the way water feels inside an ear while showering — all things my son could at one time not tolerate. It really helped me think about putting more sense information in my work.