A Greek Bell Tower
Our five senses are an important part of our writing world. All of them--sight, sound, smell, taste and touch--help enhance our writing. Today's post is about just one of those senses. Sound!
A few years ago, we were traveling in England with some dear friends from South Africa. We'd had a very long day of driving before we stopped to look for a hotel. The hotels in small English towns are not the huge commercial ones we know in our country. They often have only a handful of rooms. The one we stayed in that night had been a lovely mansion at one time, a private home. It was old, furnished with many antiques and some things that were just 'old' but interesting.
After a good night's sleep, I wandered down the hall, or passage as the English call it, to the front reception area. It was early on a Sunday morning and so very quiet. I opened the large front door and stepped outside. I could see a green area to the right filled with lovely, leafy trees. But it was church bells pealing in the distance that captured my full attention. There was no traffic on the street, no sound but those lovely, lilting bells. I stood there for quite some time listening, enchanted by the length of time they continued and the joyous sound that carried through the area and straight to my heart.
When I think about that particular trip, one of the first things that comes to mind is the sound of those church bells.
Do certain sounds trigger memories from long ago for you? Which ones from the list below can you relate to? Some are from today, some from way back.
- water running from the tap in a kitchen sink
- someone sanding a board
- the ice cream truck's bell
- chalk screeching on a blackboard
- rain on the roof
- the whack of a ball hit by a baseball bat
- a train's whistle
- a runner panting
- coal being shoveled
- a child coughing
- a bus stopping for passengers
- the clanging bell of a trolley car
- your mother's rolling pin
- the sound of water rushing in a brook
- a car engine
- a baby crying
- a dog barking
- a tractor in a farmer's field
- chewing ice cubes
- thunder
- a jet taking off
- church bells
Some of the words in the list above are ones that are in a category called onomatopoeia. I've always liked that word. It means a word that makes a sound, ones like whack, hiss, boom and clang. You can use a search engine to find lengthy lists of these words. Go back to the list and pick out the ones that qualify.
A sound can definitely trigger a memory. Church bells often bring me back to that top step at the old mansion on that quiet Sunday morning. Take advantage of those memories that return to you when you hear a certain sound. Include it within whatever you are writing or write an entire piece about that particular sound/memory.
When you write, don't only tell your reader about a sound. Show them what the sound is like. Use some of those words in the onomatopoeia listings or describe it in such a way that the reader can almost 'hear it.' The sound that triggered a memory for you can do the same for a reader.
Don't underestimate any of the five senses when you write. Each of them will evoke sensation in your reader. Evoke sensation was a term used in one of our poster images a few days ago. I liked the thought conveyed it made so here it is again in a different context than used the other day.
For this week, concentrate on the sense of sound as you write.
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