We all know to involve the senses in our writing. The eyes, ears and nose – or sights, sounds and smells. Naturally there are tactile senses too, like touch and feel.
I'll concentrate on sounds today.
As I sit here, I hear the fan in my computer whine and whirr. Whine because I need to get the dust out. I hear the chuntering of my hard drive when it kicks in. Is there such a word? I don't know, to be honest, but that's the sound it makes. Looking it up, it's defined as "murmur, mutter, grumble". So in a way, yes, that's what it does.
There are people talking, the forklift beeps while in reverse, there are rattles, clangs and crashes coming from the warehouse. (Yes, I'm at work.) The phone here "woodles" rather than rings.
So with just those few sentences, we already have a multitude of sounds.
Remember to include sound when you write.
The computer whirred to life.
A pair of bleating lambs came running across the yard.
The leaves rustled beneath his feet.
You get the idea.
Here are a few sound words for you, just in case you like lists:
baa, babble, bam, bang, beep, boom, bow wow, buzz, caw, cheep, chime, chirp, chomp, chortle, clack, clang, clatter, click, clip clop, cluck, clunk, coo, crackle, creak, croak, cuckoo, ding, drop, eek, fizzle, flush, groan, growl, hee haw, hiss, hoot, honk, howl, hush, kiss, lap, meow, moan, moo, murmur, neigh, oink, pant, peep, ping, pitter patter, plop, pluck, pop, purr, quack, ratchet, ribbit, rustle, roar, scream, screech, sizzle, slap, slurp, squish, smack, smash, snap, snarl, snort, squawk, squeak, snap, splash, swish, swoosh, thump, tick tock, tinkle, trickle, tweet, vroom, wham, whack, whimper, whine, whirr, woof, woosh, yap, yelp, zip
Make your own list!
