A sensory detail set should refrain from using linking verbs - is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been. Action verbs - leaped, struck, tripped, sounded, cursed - appeal to the sense because they should action in the reader's brain.
However, there is a special subset of action verbs that provide an extra frisson of sensory experience - onomatopoeic verbs. These are action verbs that both name sounds and mimic the sounds that they name.
Don't confuse these words with the onomatopoeic that you learned as fourth graders - "Brriinng!" went the alarm clock. These were fine for fourth grade, but they rapidly expire. At this point, they make your writing seem kind of child-like. These are regular action verbs that people already use and know, they simply have been coined to mimic the sound that they name.
Examples of Onomatopoeic Action Verbs
click, cough, sputter, crack, crackle, sizzle, buzz, gurgle, rattle, clatter, scratch, flutter, hack, thunk, clack, snapped, spurt, ripple, rifle, tramp, stomp, stamp, scrape . . .
There are scores more, I'm sure.
No comments:
Post a Comment