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Is it stylistically sound to use onomatopoeic words?
What methods can I use to revise my writing?How to indicate the topic has been changed without using words?Ways to avoid repetition of “filler” words in writing?I am losing significant word count in the second draft of my novel. How might I use that space to deepen the characters and story?How to write dialogue where only some of the words matter?Series: How can I get my reader to not expect any one genre?Should a non-native writer try to use complex English words?How to write in a more conversational tone?What can a novel do that film and TV cannot?Are there stylistic overlaps between novels and comic books?
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I'm writing a non-comedic fantasy novel, and I find myself using onomatopoeic words, like "SLAM!" and "TWISH" (for the shooting of arrows). To my knowledge, onomatopoeic words are almost only used in cartoons and comic books/manga. Perhaps also in cinematography which is derived from set genres. But what about using it in writing, in a non-comedic fantasy novel?
fiction style technique description
edited 8 hours ago
Cyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
A. KvåleA. Kvåle
1,3729 silver badges29 bronze badges
add a comment |
I'm writing a non-comedic fantasy novel, and I find myself using onomatopoeic words, like "SLAM!" and "TWISH" (for the shooting of arrows). To my knowledge, onomatopoeic words are almost only used in cartoons and comic books/manga. Perhaps also in cinematography which is derived from set genres. But what about using it in writing, in a non-comedic fantasy novel?
fiction style technique description
edited 8 hours ago
Cyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
A. KvåleA. Kvåle
1,3729 silver badges29 bronze badges
add a comment |
I'm writing a non-comedic fantasy novel, and I find myself using onomatopoeic words, like "SLAM!" and "TWISH" (for the shooting of arrows). To my knowledge, onomatopoeic words are almost only used in cartoons and comic books/manga. Perhaps also in cinematography which is derived from set genres. But what about using it in writing, in a non-comedic fantasy novel?
fiction style technique description
edited 8 hours ago
Cyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
A. KvåleA. Kvåle
1,3729 silver badges29 bronze badges
I'm writing a non-comedic fantasy novel, and I find myself using onomatopoeic words, like "SLAM!" and "TWISH" (for the shooting of arrows). To my knowledge, onomatopoeic words are almost only used in cartoons and comic books/manga. Perhaps also in cinematography which is derived from set genres. But what about using it in writing, in a non-comedic fantasy novel?
fiction style technique description
fiction style technique description
edited 8 hours ago
Cyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
A. KvåleA. Kvåle
1,3729 silver badges29 bronze badges
edited 8 hours ago
Cyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
A. KvåleA. Kvåle
1,3729 silver badges29 bronze badges
edited 8 hours ago
Cyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
edited 8 hours ago
Cyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
edited 8 hours ago
Cyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
A. KvåleA. Kvåle
1,3729 silver badges29 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
A. KvåleA. Kvåle
1,3729 silver badges29 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
A. KvåleA. Kvåle
1,3729 silver badges29 bronze badges
1,3729 silver badges29 bronze badges
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
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Unlike with comics, you wouldn't want to use sound effects as dialogue or dialogue adjuncts (in comics the letterer makes them separate from actual speech), though you can get away with it in something humorous.
You can, however, evoke sound effects.
The door slammed shut.
vs.
She shut the door hard.
Or
She notched another arrow, let it fly, and smiled as it hit the target
with a satisfying thunk.
vs.
She notched another arrow, let it
fly, and smiled as it hit the target's rings.
These are fairly subtle examples but they each use words one might imagine in a comic but in regular narration. I left out "twish" as it isn't one that ahem speaks to me.
You can also bring sound into the narration more directly. This is basically the point of the sound effects; they're shorthand for narration. Describe the background noises just like you would the scenery. Use sounds for emotional impact just like you would the feeling of air whooshing by (another sound effect word).
Make your auditory world as rich as your visual one. But do it with solid narration, not with shortcuts.
answered 8 hours ago
CynCyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
add a comment |
Fair warning as a reader I have a pet peeve about onomatopoeia, I dislike it intensely as it tends to break my flow when reading, this is usually when non-word syllable strings are used rather than proper words but my aggravation carries over to all forms.
You can use onomatopoeia in any genre, at least you certainly can if you're using a first person narrative I'm not completely sure about third person, but I wouldn't. In first person you're describing the experience of the narrator so onomatopoeic language is an appropriate mechanism. However onomatopoeia does not translate well, if at all, across people and cultures, what one person thinks the word "twish" sounds like is not the same as another. Nor in fact is one persons experience of what an arrow sounds like going past going to match that of any other particular person.
answered 8 hours ago
AshAsh
7,5669 silver badges39 bronze badges
1+ for the distinguishing between 1st-person and 3rd-person. I didn't quite get the problem about the onomatopoeia not translating well in different languages. Only people who know English are going to read, and if the book is translated, surely the onomatopoeic words will be translated as well, i.e. English "woof", Spanish "Guau".
– A. Kvåle
4 hours ago
add a comment |
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2 Answers
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active
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
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active
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votes
active
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votes
Unlike with comics, you wouldn't want to use sound effects as dialogue or dialogue adjuncts (in comics the letterer makes them separate from actual speech), though you can get away with it in something humorous.
You can, however, evoke sound effects.
The door slammed shut.
vs.
She shut the door hard.
Or
She notched another arrow, let it fly, and smiled as it hit the target
with a satisfying thunk.
vs.
She notched another arrow, let it
fly, and smiled as it hit the target's rings.
These are fairly subtle examples but they each use words one might imagine in a comic but in regular narration. I left out "twish" as it isn't one that ahem speaks to me.
You can also bring sound into the narration more directly. This is basically the point of the sound effects; they're shorthand for narration. Describe the background noises just like you would the scenery. Use sounds for emotional impact just like you would the feeling of air whooshing by (another sound effect word).
Make your auditory world as rich as your visual one. But do it with solid narration, not with shortcuts.
answered 8 hours ago
CynCyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
add a comment |
Unlike with comics, you wouldn't want to use sound effects as dialogue or dialogue adjuncts (in comics the letterer makes them separate from actual speech), though you can get away with it in something humorous.
You can, however, evoke sound effects.
The door slammed shut.
vs.
She shut the door hard.
Or
She notched another arrow, let it fly, and smiled as it hit the target
with a satisfying thunk.
vs.
She notched another arrow, let it
fly, and smiled as it hit the target's rings.
These are fairly subtle examples but they each use words one might imagine in a comic but in regular narration. I left out "twish" as it isn't one that ahem speaks to me.
You can also bring sound into the narration more directly. This is basically the point of the sound effects; they're shorthand for narration. Describe the background noises just like you would the scenery. Use sounds for emotional impact just like you would the feeling of air whooshing by (another sound effect word).
Make your auditory world as rich as your visual one. But do it with solid narration, not with shortcuts.
answered 8 hours ago
CynCyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
add a comment |
Unlike with comics, you wouldn't want to use sound effects as dialogue or dialogue adjuncts (in comics the letterer makes them separate from actual speech), though you can get away with it in something humorous.
You can, however, evoke sound effects.
The door slammed shut.
vs.
She shut the door hard.
Or
She notched another arrow, let it fly, and smiled as it hit the target
with a satisfying thunk.
vs.
She notched another arrow, let it
fly, and smiled as it hit the target's rings.
These are fairly subtle examples but they each use words one might imagine in a comic but in regular narration. I left out "twish" as it isn't one that ahem speaks to me.
You can also bring sound into the narration more directly. This is basically the point of the sound effects; they're shorthand for narration. Describe the background noises just like you would the scenery. Use sounds for emotional impact just like you would the feeling of air whooshing by (another sound effect word).
Make your auditory world as rich as your visual one. But do it with solid narration, not with shortcuts.
answered 8 hours ago
CynCyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
Unlike with comics, you wouldn't want to use sound effects as dialogue or dialogue adjuncts (in comics the letterer makes them separate from actual speech), though you can get away with it in something humorous.
You can, however, evoke sound effects.
The door slammed shut.
vs.
She shut the door hard.
Or
She notched another arrow, let it fly, and smiled as it hit the target
with a satisfying thunk.
vs.
She notched another arrow, let it
fly, and smiled as it hit the target's rings.
These are fairly subtle examples but they each use words one might imagine in a comic but in regular narration. I left out "twish" as it isn't one that ahem speaks to me.
You can also bring sound into the narration more directly. This is basically the point of the sound effects; they're shorthand for narration. Describe the background noises just like you would the scenery. Use sounds for emotional impact just like you would the feeling of air whooshing by (another sound effect word).
Make your auditory world as rich as your visual one. But do it with solid narration, not with shortcuts.
answered 8 hours ago
CynCyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
CynCyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
CynCyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
CynCyn
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
26.1k2 gold badges57 silver badges118 bronze badges
add a comment |
add a comment |
Fair warning as a reader I have a pet peeve about onomatopoeia, I dislike it intensely as it tends to break my flow when reading, this is usually when non-word syllable strings are used rather than proper words but my aggravation carries over to all forms.
You can use onomatopoeia in any genre, at least you certainly can if you're using a first person narrative I'm not completely sure about third person, but I wouldn't. In first person you're describing the experience of the narrator so onomatopoeic language is an appropriate mechanism. However onomatopoeia does not translate well, if at all, across people and cultures, what one person thinks the word "twish" sounds like is not the same as another. Nor in fact is one persons experience of what an arrow sounds like going past going to match that of any other particular person.
answered 8 hours ago
AshAsh
7,5669 silver badges39 bronze badges
1+ for the distinguishing between 1st-person and 3rd-person. I didn't quite get the problem about the onomatopoeia not translating well in different languages. Only people who know English are going to read, and if the book is translated, surely the onomatopoeic words will be translated as well, i.e. English "woof", Spanish "Guau".
– A. Kvåle
4 hours ago
add a comment |
Fair warning as a reader I have a pet peeve about onomatopoeia, I dislike it intensely as it tends to break my flow when reading, this is usually when non-word syllable strings are used rather than proper words but my aggravation carries over to all forms.
You can use onomatopoeia in any genre, at least you certainly can if you're using a first person narrative I'm not completely sure about third person, but I wouldn't. In first person you're describing the experience of the narrator so onomatopoeic language is an appropriate mechanism. However onomatopoeia does not translate well, if at all, across people and cultures, what one person thinks the word "twish" sounds like is not the same as another. Nor in fact is one persons experience of what an arrow sounds like going past going to match that of any other particular person.
answered 8 hours ago
AshAsh
7,5669 silver badges39 bronze badges
1+ for the distinguishing between 1st-person and 3rd-person. I didn't quite get the problem about the onomatopoeia not translating well in different languages. Only people who know English are going to read, and if the book is translated, surely the onomatopoeic words will be translated as well, i.e. English "woof", Spanish "Guau".
– A. Kvåle
4 hours ago
add a comment |
Fair warning as a reader I have a pet peeve about onomatopoeia, I dislike it intensely as it tends to break my flow when reading, this is usually when non-word syllable strings are used rather than proper words but my aggravation carries over to all forms.
You can use onomatopoeia in any genre, at least you certainly can if you're using a first person narrative I'm not completely sure about third person, but I wouldn't. In first person you're describing the experience of the narrator so onomatopoeic language is an appropriate mechanism. However onomatopoeia does not translate well, if at all, across people and cultures, what one person thinks the word "twish" sounds like is not the same as another. Nor in fact is one persons experience of what an arrow sounds like going past going to match that of any other particular person.
answered 8 hours ago
AshAsh
7,5669 silver badges39 bronze badges
Fair warning as a reader I have a pet peeve about onomatopoeia, I dislike it intensely as it tends to break my flow when reading, this is usually when non-word syllable strings are used rather than proper words but my aggravation carries over to all forms.
You can use onomatopoeia in any genre, at least you certainly can if you're using a first person narrative I'm not completely sure about third person, but I wouldn't. In first person you're describing the experience of the narrator so onomatopoeic language is an appropriate mechanism. However onomatopoeia does not translate well, if at all, across people and cultures, what one person thinks the word "twish" sounds like is not the same as another. Nor in fact is one persons experience of what an arrow sounds like going past going to match that of any other particular person.
answered 8 hours ago
AshAsh
7,5669 silver badges39 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
AshAsh
7,5669 silver badges39 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
AshAsh
7,5669 silver badges39 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
AshAsh
7,5669 silver badges39 bronze badges
7,5669 silver badges39 bronze badges
1+ for the distinguishing between 1st-person and 3rd-person. I didn't quite get the problem about the onomatopoeia not translating well in different languages. Only people who know English are going to read, and if the book is translated, surely the onomatopoeic words will be translated as well, i.e. English "woof", Spanish "Guau".
– A. Kvåle
4 hours ago
add a comment |
1+ for the distinguishing between 1st-person and 3rd-person. I didn't quite get the problem about the onomatopoeia not translating well in different languages. Only people who know English are going to read, and if the book is translated, surely the onomatopoeic words will be translated as well, i.e. English "woof", Spanish "Guau".
– A. Kvåle
4 hours ago
1+ for the distinguishing between 1st-person and 3rd-person. I didn't quite get the problem about the onomatopoeia not translating well in different languages. Only people who know English are going to read, and if the book is translated, surely the onomatopoeic words will be translated as well, i.e. English "woof", Spanish "Guau".
– A. Kvåle
4 hours ago
1+ for the distinguishing between 1st-person and 3rd-person. I didn't quite get the problem about the onomatopoeia not translating well in different languages. Only people who know English are going to read, and if the book is translated, surely the onomatopoeic words will be translated as well, i.e. English "woof", Spanish "Guau".
– A. Kvåle
4 hours ago
add a comment |
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