Today, let's consider a third sensory detail. Sound surrounds us in some way nearly all the time. Rare is the moment when complete silence reigns. Even if you're home alone with the TV off, your kitchen appliances make funny little noises now and then. When sitting on a hillside enjoying a natural surrounding, there isn't complete silence. The rustle of leaves, the trill of a bird, the distant horn of a passing train--all can be heard during what you thought might be a solitary, silent time of reflection.
Hearing is a major sense and one that many writers tend to ignore when writing a story. What better way to bring a story to life than to sprinkle some sounds/hearing details into your writing?
For this exercise, write a phrase or sentence(s) that allows the reader to hear what occurs. Don't tell your reader that Anne thought the bell sounded loud. Show them through a better description. Perhaps something like Anne covered her ears when the incessant clanging of the morning bell threatened to reduce her to tears. In the second example, the reader knows that the bell kept on ringing and was loud enough to disturb Anne. Try showing the reader something about the following words that deal with hearing/sound:
1. echo
2. screech
3. thud
4. bump
5. roar
6. swish
7. boom
8. cry
9. rumble
10. rattle
11. click
12. sigh
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