  Short Stories
This week: Wham! What's That Sound? Edited by: Legerdemain  
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The purpose of this newsletter is to help the Writing.com short story author hone their craft and improve their skills. Along with that I would like to inform, advocate, and create new, fresh ideas for the short story author. Write to me if you have an idea you would like presented.
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WHAM!
No, this is not the 80's British musical duo. It is onomatopoeia.
What does onomatopoeia mean? It means the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it. Onomatopoeia can be a great tool for writers. It allows you to convey a feeling or a meaning without specifically expressing it.
"Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark innyard". --Alfred Noyes "The Highwayman"
Could you hear the noise the horseshoes made on the street?
"The moan of doves in immemorial elms, / And murmuring of innumerable bees." --Alfred Lord Tennyson
Onomatopoeia helps your reader develop a mental picture. The clearer the picture is to your reader, the more they can relate to your subject.
The whing of father's racquet and the whack of brother's bat on cousin's ball.--Isabella Gardner, "Summer Remembered"
While short story writing rarely uses graphic novel type onomatopoeia, it is something you can utilize to draw your reader into your story. Inferring a sound to your written image increases participation.
"From the thick grass at the foot of the bush came a low hiss--a horrid cold sound that made Rikki-Tikki jump back two clear feet."--Rudyard Kipling, "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi"
Closely related to this is phonaesthesia. Phonaesthesia occurs when certain sounds become associated with certain meanings, even though they do not attempt to imitate the sound.
For example, it could be argued that <sl> is a phonaesthetic combination of sounds (or phonaestheme) in English in words such slip, slippery, slide, slither, sloppy, slimy, sleazy. The meanings are associated with wetness or greasiness, and gradually take on unpleasant connotations.
You could hear the tinkle of ice in a lemonade pitcher. In the distant kitchen, because of the heat of the day, someone was preparing a cold lunch.
Someone was humming under her breath, high and sweet.
--Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles
I've created a quick little reference sheet to help you add some onomatopoeia to your writing.
Take a look!
I hope you enjoyed this newsletter and think about adding some sensory words to your writing.
This month's question: Send some clever examples of onomatopoeia!
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Excerpt: The last time he'd seen the old man, he was shuffling along the road in a green bin bag cut with ragged arm and head holes. His ashen hair was wispy and wild, curling around his ears in a style that reminded Nick distinctly of a professor. And the worst part, he was talking to himself. Nick would never forget that.
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Excerpt: She twisted halfway around and put out her hand. I pulled one protecting hand up from my groin, and we shook in the confined space like tiny-armed T-rexes.
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Excerpt: A big crash from the kitchen. Now a bunch of smaller thuds, like someone was throwing rocks into a big bucket. Ronald put his ear to the ventilation duct so he could hear them better. Mom was saying, “All of them,” and Dad was making muffled coughing noises.
Excerpt: "A child possessing the halo effect—"Doctor Jennings, as if considering my age, closed out the webpage. "It's a shadow on the scan, nothing more."
Excerpt: Putting water on to boil, I checked out the sky; no clouds to be seen anywhere. A fluttering overhead made me look up. Seeing a crow stare down at me made me take a step back. Didn't they say that if you see a crow, death would come upon you? No, that's when you dream about them.
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Excerpt: Josh didn't sit. "This isn't some retail chain or software company." He spoke slowly, fighting against the alcohol's word-slurring effect. "This is baseball. We have contracts. You can't fire us for breaking your silly rules."
Excerpt: “I should never have bought that stupid thing!” Sandy cried, big teardrops fell onto her robe. “That Ouija board is possessed! I keep throwing it into the trash can outside, but it keeps coming back inside.”
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This month's question: Send some clever examples of onomatopoeia!
Last month's question: Do you have any grammar horror stories to tell?
No replies.
In response to the newsletter topic - good grammar and text-speak:
blunderbuss said: Thank you for the newsletter. I feel much the same way myself. I do wonder though if, because of its ubiquity, some writers actually know they are using abbreviations and text speak? It becomes almost automatic?
Jacqueline  replied: In my day was my day too. I spent many Fridays sitting down and writing letters to friends and family. Then my mum would check my spelling and grammar, and then I had to rewrite the letter. I love having computers to do this for me now. Thank you for your news letter.
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Short Stories: September 25, 2013 Issue [#5911]
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