C R MYERS

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Who knows what lurks in the hearts of men? Who knows what dwells in that deep, dark-down place where fire meets ice?


Wednesday, June 26, 2019


               

The Sound of Good Writing

          People use sound naturally in their speech without being taught.  Under emotional stress people tend to speak in strong rhythm and alliteration.

          Danny!  You’re a low-down, dirty, lying dog!

          Everyone’s brain is a mental filing cabinet storing the sounds of his native language containing recordings of what he has read, radio songs he has heard, football chants, nursery rhymes, curses he has overheard, sermons, prayers, lines from plays he as seen, etc.  This storehouse of knowledge acts as a resource to the writer or speaker.
            To write fully, a writer should try to appeal to all the senses of the reader.  Make a mental note of how places and objects smell, the taste of strawberries, the touch of silk, the sound of a child’s laugh. Try to stay as realistic as possible.

          …the crudest honest sentence is a resounding of experience.
SIDNEY COX                    

Put down in words a page of sounds you like and dislike.  One of the most interesting sounds in life is the variety in human voices.  Try to work those differences into your writing, keeping as true as possible to the style and flavor of the person speaking. Remember, a little can go a long way.