Happy New Year!
There will be no blog this week. I will be celebrating quietly with my family. See you all again next year with a new set of blogs.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Week of December 23, 2012 - Animal Farm Book Review
By Joan Whetzel
Merry Christmas!
Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is a classic 20th century “fairy tale” that, like all fairy tales, uses fictional techniques to retell what’s going on in the political world. It’s a fast-paced little book that packs in a lot tale in just over 100 pages.
Background Story
George Orwell considered himself a socialist, but he hated Stalinism. He wrote Animal Farm as his take on the communist revolution that overtook Russia and the surrounding countries that formed the Soviet Union and his statement against the Stalinist version of Communism. His later book, “1984” continued his theory of communist politics by predicting what would happen if communism, particularly the Stalinist version, were to continue unchecked.
The Story
Animal Farms begins with Mr. Jones and his farm, which he called Manor Farm. Mr. Jones’s life had been going downhill for a while, and the animals were growing restless. One day, the oldest pig tells the story of his dream about a revolution where the animals took over the farm and ran it themselves. In his dream the animals would share in the work and share in the benefits of whatever they reaped. Over the next few days, the animals had a plan in place for how they would govern themselves (the pigs would rule since they were obviously the smartest) once their revolution took place and list of 7 commandments (a constitution of sorts) that made up the basis of their government. The only thing left was to plan the revolution.
The revolution took place much quicker than anticipated. One day, Mr. Jones had drunk to excess and was so wasted he didn’t do anything to make sure the farm was taken care of. Even the farm hands had become so negligent that they had forgotten to feed the animals that day, and the next. The revolt was the culmination of their dissatisfaction with Mr. Jones’s rule. And so all the humans were driven off Manor Farm, and the animals took over, renaming it Animal Farm.
Animal Farm began its socialist existence equitably enough, with everyone doing their share of the work, each according to his abilities and size, and each sharing in the food. They produced They had even planned how they would make it through the winter by saving some food aside.
One of the pigs, Snowball, drew up plans for a windmill which was supposed to produce heat and lighting for the barnyard stalls and painting the 7 commandments on the side of the barn for everyone to see. Of course, not all the animals learned to read. But they trusted that the pigs, in all their wisdom, had their best interests at heart. One day, Mr. Jones and some of his friends from the village and neighboring farms, came to Animal Farm to try and take it back and return Mr. Jones to power. But, remembering how terrible things had become under Mr. Jones’s rule, the animals fought back valiantly and retained possession of the farm in a battle which became known as the Battle
But soon things begin to change, ever so subtly. The 7 commandments are slightly altered, in secret apparently, so that they reflect the changes the pigs are making in their social order. Along with the changes in the commandments and the social order, a series of little lies are told to alter the reality of everyone’s memories and their beliefs. Along with these changes, a growing tension between Snowball and Napoleon, another pig vying for the top power, leads to the ousting Snowball from Animal Farm. From then on, whenever anything goes wrong, the now absent Snowball is blamed. Eventually even the reality of Snowball’s contributions to the revolution and the Battle
At first the animals question some of the new realities because they remember things differently. But they are reassured that the :”new” reality, Napoleon's reality, is the only truth. To question the “truth” is to believe that things were better in the days of Jones. And surely they didn’t want Mr. Jones to return. Then one day, to keep the animals from questioning Napoleon's truth, a mass killing occurs to rid their society of the objectors, the sinners who would cause trouble with their questions. From then on, the changes become less subtle and penalties for asking questions or remembering differently grow stronger.
This story is about communism, more specifically the Stalinist version, on its surface. It’s also about the people we allow to control our lives; the lies we believe from others, the lies we tell ourselves, about sticking up for what we believe, and about committing a revolution to make our lives more in tune with what we truly believe. As one of Sean Connery’s characters (Captain Ramius in “The Hunt for Red October”) once said, “A little revolution, now and then, is a good thing.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
To Bloviate and the Skill of Verbosity for Writers
In fiction, a character who bloviates can be interesting to read about. They usually come across as opinionated blow-hards that make for a great story antagonist. In nonfiction, writers get to use their bloviating skills to change opinion. Bloviating means having the ability to write or speak verbosely or to with a flair for being long-winded. As with any word, bloviate has a number of synonyms that offer ways for writers to use the word bloviate in creative ways.
Longwinded
To be longwinded, the writer must use long, drawn out phrases explanations. Long-windedness also implies rambling, or being interminable, lengthy, boring, wordy , wearisomely verbose.
Blarney
Blarney is the ability to flatter or smooth talk others. It includes the art of talking deceptive nonsense and getting away with it.
Opine
To opine is to state or express an opinion. Fictional characters who opine are known to speak out, harangue, preach, orate, give discourses, and lecture.
Ramble
Writers should be careful of rambling, especially in nonfiction. Rambling in writing involves writing at length while digressing, a lot. When writers – or fiction characters – ramble they go on, stray from the main topic, go off on a tangent, wander off topic, or wander off point.
Wordy and Verbose
Wordiness includes being quite verbal and using more words than are necessary to convey the message. It means being talkative, verbose, long-winded, effusive, garrulous, loquacious, talkative, and chatty.
Bloviating can be used to your advantage (as in the case of blarney or opining). On the other hand, it can get you into trouble if you overuse it, such as when the writing is excessively longwinded, wordy, verbose, or in rambling. Use your bloviating wisely and sparingly and it will carry you far.
Resources
American Heritage Dictionary
Roget’s Thesaurus. Fifth Edition. Edited by Robert L. Chapman. New York, New York: Harper’s and Collins Publishers, 1992.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
If Money Were No Object, What Classes Would You Take?
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/IfMoneyWereNoObjectWhatClassesWouldYouTake
Union Pacific Railroad Celebrates 150 Years: A Celebrated Visit to Houston
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/Union-Pacific-Railroad-Celebrates-150-Years-A-Celebrated-Visit-to-Houston
Monday, December 10, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
How to Repurpose Old Content fo Writers
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Repurpose-Old-Content-for-Writers
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Taste Words for Writers
By Joan Whetzel
Describing taste in words is challenging to say the least. As writers, we need to elicit the memory of specific flavors and flavor combinations within the reader’s minds so that they can taste what you are writing about. Creating a sort of taste-o-vision for our readers is what we’re after by using these types of taste words.
The Tastes
- Taste
Taste, as a verb, means to distinguish between flavors using the mouth, to perceive with the sense of taste, to have a distinct flavor, or to experience, enjoy, or partake of some food or drink. As an noun, taste includes the sense that distinguishes between salty, sweet, sour, and bitter flavors that are dissolved into foods, drinks, and other substances. The sense of taste works in combination with the senses of smell and touch (texture) to gain the complete experience. Taste also includes the act of tasting, the perception of liking specific flavors or experiences, and the ability to distinguish between different flavors.
Thesaurus Synonyms
· Nouns: flavor, smack, tang, savor, relish, palate, taste in the mouth, sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, aftertaste, savoriness, sip, sup, lick, bite, lick, sample, specimen, taste bud, tongue, lingua, palate, tasting, savoring.
· Verbs: taste, savor, sip, sup, roll on the tongue, lick, smack
· Adjs: flavored, flavor, sapid, soporific, savory, flavorful, sweet, sour, bitter, bittersweet, salt, lingual, tongue-like
- Savoriness
Savory flavors and tastes, or savoriness can be used as an adjective or nouns. As an adjective, savoriness means anything that is appetizing to taste or smell, anything that is piquant, pungent or salty. As a noun, savoriness includes any dish with a pungent flavor (e.g. anchovies, pickled fruits or veggies).
Thesaurus Synonyms
· Nouns: palatibleness, palatability, tastiness, goodness, good taste, deliciousness, scrumptiousness, yumminess, lusciousness, delectability, flavorfulness, savor, relish, zest, gusto, flavoring, flavor, seasoning, condiment, spice
· Verbs: taste good, tickle the palate, tempt the appetite, make one's mouth water, melt in one's mouth, savor, relish, like, love, enjoy, have a soft spot for, smack the lips, taste, taste of, smack of, have the flavor of, season, salt pepper, spice, sauce
· Adjs: tasty, good, fit to eat, finger lickin' good, palatable, toothsome, nice, delicious, exquisite, delicate, dainty, luscious, lush, ambrosial, fit for a king, gourmet, flavorful, full-bodied, rich, appetizing, mouthwatering, tempting.
- Unsavoriness
Unsavoriness is, obviously, the opposite of savoriness. Unsavoriness, used as an adjective, means anything distasteful or disagreeable.
Thesaurus Synonyms
· Nouns: unpalatibleness, distastefulness, bad taste, acridness, acridity, tartness, sharpness, astringence, sourness, bitterness, bitter taste, nastiness, foulness, vileness, loathsomeness, repulsiveness, obnoxiousness, rankness, rancidity, repugnance
· Verbs: disgust, repel, nauseate, turn' one's stomach, gross one out
· Adjs: unpalatable, unappetizing, distasteful, uninviting, bitter, acrid, nasty, offensive, noxious, gross, icky, yucky, sickening, nauseating, nauseous, poisonous, rank, rancid, maggoty, weevil, spoiled, overripe, rotten, stinking, putrid, malodorous, fetid, inedible, uneatable, not fit to eat or drink, impotable, unfit for human consumption.
- Insipidness
Insipidness, used as an adjective, means lacking in flavor, having no zest, and not tasty..
Thesaurus
· Nouns: tastelessness, flavorlessness, weakness, thinness, whish-washiness, flatness, staleness,
· adjs: tasteless, flavorless, bland, spiceless, savorless, unflavored, gruelly, weak, thin, mild, wishy-washy, milk toast, watery, watered down, diluted, flat, stale
- Sweetness
Sweetness, as an adjective, includes anything that tastes of sugar, honey, or sugar substitutes (anything resembling sugar), containing or derived from sugar. The noun, sweetness, means a sweet taste, a sweet quality, or something that tastes sweet (e.g. candy, deserts, jellies and jams).
Thesaurus
· Nouns: sweet, sweetishness, saccharinity, sugariness, syrupiness, over-sweetness, cloyingness, sickly sweetness, sweetening, sweetener, sugar, sweetening agent, sugar-substitute saccharin, aspartame, Nutra Sweet, cyclamates, blackstrap, syrup, maple syrup, cane syrup, molasses, treacle, honey, nectar, ambrosia
· Verbs: sweeten, sugar, honey, sugarcoated, glaze, candy, mull
· Adjs: sweet, sweetish, sugary, candied, honeyed, syrupy, ambrosial, sugar sweet, honeysweet, sweet as sugar or honey, oversweet, saccharine, cloyingly, sickly sweet
- Sourness
Sourness, as an adjective can be defined as having the taste produced by acids, sharp, tart, or tangy tastes; anything made acid or rancid through the fermentation process; and tasting or smelling of decay. As a noun, sourness is the sensation of a sour taste.
Thesaurus Synonyms
· Nouns: sourness, tartness, hyperacidity, vinegariness, dryness pungency, vinegar, pickle, sour pickle, dill pickle, lemon, lime, crab apple, green apple, acid, souring , acidification,
· Verbs: sour, acidify, ferment, set one's teeth on edge
· Adjs: sour, tart, crab, crabbed, vinegarish, pungent, dry, green, unripe, acid,
- Pungency
Pungency affects the taste and smell with a sharp, acrid sensation. Pungency is penetrating, biting, sharp, or caustic.
Thesaurus
· Nouns: piquancy, sharpness, edge causticity, astringency, acridity, bitterness, sourness, zest, briskness, nippiness, tanginess, spiciness, tang, spice, nip, bite, punch, snap, zip, ginger, kick, strength, high flavor, gaminess, saltiness, salinity, slat, brine
· Verbs: bite, nip, cut, penetrate, bite the tongue, sting, make the eyes water, go up the nose
· Adjs. piquant, sharp, biting, acrid, sour, bitter, caustic, zestful, brisk, nippy, tangy, spicy, peppery, strong, rank gamy, saline, briny, brackish, pickled
Resources
Roget’s Thesaurus. Fifth Edition. Edited by Robert L. Chapman. New York, New York: Harper’s and Collins Publishers, 1992.
American Heritage Dictionary
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Friday, November 30, 2012
Week of December 2, 2012 - Sound Words for Writers
By Joan Whetzel
Sound words are great for adding juicy details to any writing. Cacophony describes the noise produced during hullabaloo better then "a big noise" or a "bunch of yelling" which are both a bit bland. Instead of telling about a bee flying around the guy who swatted it a killed it, sound words could say it so much better: "The buzzing round his head drove him mad, until the blasted thing landed near the rose he'd just placed on the table in front of him. Thwack! 'There! That'll teach you to annoy me!' he hissed at the bee guts that were smeared across the table." The sound words in the Thesaurus are broken down into several categories: hearing, deafness, sound, silence, faintness of sound, loudness, resonance, repeated sounds, sibilation, stridency, cry or call, explosive noise, animal sounds, an discord. Many of the synonyms for these are unique and make incredible descriptivy and juicy words when used in writing.
The Sounds
Hearing
The synonyms for hearing include objects intended to aid hearing and a few hearing related interjections. Hearing is defined as the sense that perceives sound, the capacity to hear, the range of hear-ability, earshot, an opportunity to be heard, or the ability to hear. The Thesaurus synonyms include:
Nouns: sense of hearing, auditory or aural sense, ear, listening, heeding, rapt attention, audibility, audience, interview, conference, listening, listening in, eavesdropping, surveillance, wire tapping, bugging, an ear for, musical ear, earshot, auditory range, sound of one’s voice, listener, hearer, fly on the wall, eavesdropper, snoop, audience, congregation, ear, listening device, hearing aid, ear trumpet, amplifier, megaphone, stethoscope
Verbs: listen, hark, hearken, heed, attend, give ear, bend an ear, listen to, listen in, eavesdrop, intercept, bug, keep one’s ears open, all ears, hang on every word, catch, get, take in, overhear, hear tell of, get an earful, get wind of, be heard, come to one’s ear, register, make an impression, make oneself heard, get through to, gain a hearing, assault the ear.
Adjectives: auditory, audio, audible, otic, audio-visual, otoscopic, acoustic, phonic, listening, attentive, all ears, sharp-eared, tin eared
Interjections: Hark! Hearken! Hear ye, hear ye! Oyez! Now hear this! Listen! Listen Up! Psst! Yo!
Deafness
Deafness is a form of communication problem where there is a partial or total loss of the ability to understand the spoken word. There are a number of factors that may contribute to the level or degree of deafness. Sensorineural deafness relates to the sensory nerves, especially as it affects hearing. Thesaurus synonyms include:
Nouns: heard of hearing, deaf ears, stone deafness, nerve deafness, tone deafness, impaired hearing, loss of hearing, hearing loss, the deaf, the hard of hearing, deaf-mute
Verbs: be deaf, lose one’s hearing, suffer hearing loss, go deaf, close one’s ears, turn a deaf ear, fall on deaf ears, deafen, split the eardrums
Adjectives: deaf, hard of hearing, dull or thick hearing, deaf eared, deafened, deaf as a stone, deaf as a doorknob or a doornail, deaf as a post, unhearing
Sound
Synonyms include the equipment needed to produce sound or deliver sound to the ears, as well as words describing the quality of sound and words used as specific sounds. Sound is defined as the vibrations transmitted within the frequency range of 20 to 20,000 Hertz required to be detected by human ears. Sound includes the sensation of hearing, any distinctive noise, the distance over which something can be heard, vocalizations, recorded audio materials, noises with no meaning to them, to make a sound, to summon, to announce, or to signal with sound. Thesaurus entries include:
Nouns: sound, resonance, acoustic, acoustic phenomenon, stimulus, auditory effect, noise, sound wave, sound intensity, sound level, amplitude, loudness, tone, pitch, frequency, monotone, monotony, tonelessness, overtone, harmonic, intonation, timbre, tone quality, clang, sounding, acoustics, phonics, sonics, subsonics, supersonics, ultrasonics, sound barrier, speed of sound, sonic boom, decibel, loudspeaker, speaker, speaker system, headphones, earphone, stereo headset, microphone, mike, audio amplifier, amp, sound reproduction system, high fidelity system, record player, phonograph, Victrola, jukebox, nickelodeon, public address system, PA system, intercom, tape recorder, CD player, record, phonograph record, recording, tape recording, cassette tape, CD, compact disc, audio distortion, scratching, hum, rumble, hissing, howling, blurping, booming, woomping, fluttering, flutter, squeals, whistles, birdies, feedback, static
Verbs: make a sound, make a noise, give a sound, emit a sound, noise, speak, resound, record, tape, prerecord, play back
Adjectives: sounding, sonorous, sounded, tonal, monotone, toneless, droning, audible, distinct, clear, plink, definite, articulate,, distinctive, hi-fi, acoustic, phonic, sonic, subsonic, ultrasonic, hypersonic, faster than sound.
Adverbs: audibly, aloud, out loud, distinctly, clearly, plainly
Silence
Silences consists of a complete lack of sound, a stillness, or a refusal or failure to speak out. Silence includes the ability to make silent or to bring to silence (e.g. a crowd), and to curtail or suppress the expression of something. Synonyms include:
Nouns: soundlessness, stillness, noiselessness, quietness, quietude, quite, peace, hush, mum, lull, dead of night, tranquility, muteness, voicelessness, silence of the tomb or grave, code of silence, keeping one's lip buttoned, mute, silencer, muffler, muffle, cushion, soft pedal, dampener, damper, gag, muzzle, soundproofing, acoustic tile, sound absorbing material
Verbs: be silent, keep silent or keep still or keep quiet, keep one’s mouth shut, hold one’s tongue, bite one’s tongue, seal one’s lips, not breathe a word, hold one’s peace, not utter a word, not open one’s mouth, not have a word to say, shut up, keep one’s trap shut, button one’s lip, save one’s breath, dummy up, clam up, say nothing, not say boo, play dumb, fall silent, hush, quiet down, pipe down, have one’s words stick in one’s throat, gag, muzzle, shush, muffle, mute, soften deaden, baffle damp, tone down, put on the soft pedal
Adjectives: silent, still, quiet, hushed, soundlessness, echoless, inaudible, invoiced, unarticulated, tacit, wordless, unspoken, implicit, mute, mum, speechless, tongue-tied, speechless, dumbstruck, dumbfounded
Adverbs: silently, in silence, quietly, soundlessly, inaudibly
Interjections: silence! Hush! Shhh! Be silent! Be quiet! Keep still! Hold your tongue! Shut your mouth! Not another word! Not another peep out of you! Save your breath! Clam up! Can it!
Faintness of Sound
Faintness of sound usually describes any sound that is barely audible, is faint, or is indistinct - like one of those sounds off in the distance that you can't quite make out. Thesaurus entries include:
Nouns: lowness, softness, subduedness, dimness, weakness, muffled tone, mutedness, flatness, thud, dull, thud, thump, flump, crump, clop, clump, clunk, plunk, plump, bump, pitter patter, tap, rap, click, tick, pop, tinkle, clink, ting-a-ling, chink, murmur, mutter, mumble undertone, whisper, ripple, splash, rustle, hum, humming, thrumming, low rumbling, droning, buzzing, whirring, purring, sigh, sighing, moaning, sobbing, whining
Verbs: waft on the air, float in the air, mumble, murmur, mutter, lower one’s voice, whisper, breathe, sigh, ripple, babble, bubble, gurgle, trill, lap, splash, swish, slosh, wash, rustle, crinkle, swish, hum, thrum, drone, buzz, whiz, whir, sigh, moan, sob, whine, whimper, thud, thump, patter, clop, clump, clunk, tap, click, tinkle, clink
Adjectives: faint, low, soft, gentle, subdued, dim, feeble weak, distant, indistinct unclear, barely audible, pianissimo, muffled, muted, softened, dampened, damped, smothered, dull, dead, flat, murmuring, muttering, mumbling, whispering, rustling, rippling, babbling, gurgling, humming, droning, buzzing
Adverbs: faintly, softly, gently , dimly, weakly, low, in an undertone, under one’s breathe, with bated breath, in a whisper, between the teeth, aside, out of earshot
Loudness
Loudness describes any sound that is strongly audible, has great volume or intensity, something that makes such sounds, anything clamorous or vociferous, or any sound that is emphatic or insistent. Looking in the Thesaurus, you'll find such words as:
Nouns Intensity, volume, amplitude, sonorousness, surge of sound, crescendo, noisiness, thunderousness, clamorousness, boisterousness, vociferousness, noise, blast, racket, din, clamor, uproar, thunder, roar, rattle, clap, jangle, crash, boom, bang, tumult, hubbub, fracas, brawl, pandemonium, hullabaloo, free-for-all, rumpus, ruckus, hell broke loose, blare, blast, shriek, peal, trumpet, fanfare, noisemaker, bull-roarer, catcall, siren, boiler factory
Verbs din, boom, thunder, resound, ring, peal, blast the ear, deafen, bang, crash, rend the air, fill the air, rattle the windows, wake the dead, shout, drown out, outshout, shout down, overpower, be noisy, make a racket, clamor, make an uproar, kick up a racket, raise the roof, raise hell, whoop it up, blare, blast, shriek, clarion, honk, blow the horn
Adjectives loud, forte, fortissimo, resounding, ringing, pealing, deafening, dear-splitting, ear-piercing, thunderous, crashing, booming, earthshaking, enough to wake the dead, loud-voiced, loudmouthed, noisy, rackety, clattery, clanging, clamorous, blatant, blaring, brassy, tumultuous, turbulent, boisterous, vociferous
Adverbs loudly, aloud, boomingly, thuderously, thunderingly, noisily, resoundingly, with a loud voice, at the top of one’s voice, in full cry, with one wild yell, with a whoop and a hurrah
Resonance
Resonance includes any sounds that have the quality of being resonant, have an intensified or prolonged sound, or is produced by sympathetic vibration. Synonyms include:
Nouns resoundingness, vibrancy, snore, lowness, deepness, rumble, rumbling, thunder, growl, grumble, grumbling, echo, ringing, pealing, chiming, tinkling, jingling, dinging, donging, tolling, knelling, clangor, clanking, peal, ring, chime, toll, click, ping, tinnitis, ringing in the ear, bell, gong, triangle, chimes, clapper, clarion, carillon, resonator, reverberator, sounding board, resonant chamber, echo chamber
Verbs resonate, vibrate, pulse, throb, snore, rumble, roll, boom, echo, bounce back, be reflected, be sent back, ring, peal, toll, knell, chime, gong, tinkle, jingle, ding, dong, jangle, ring in the ear
Adjectives resonant, reverberant, sonorous, rolling, mellow, rich, full, echoing, vibrating, pulsing, throbbing, deep, hollow, low, grave, heavy, base, baritone, contralto, reverberating, resounding, rumbling, ringing, pealing, tolling tinkling, jingling, bells
Repeated Sounds
Repeated sounds are those that occur two or more times in succession. Synonyms in the Thesaurus include:
Nouns stacatto, drum, thrum, beat, pound, roll, drumming, pounding, beating, thumping, throb, pulsation, palpitation, pitter patter, tattoo, drumbeat, barrage, clicking, ticking, tick-tock, rattle, rattlety-bang, clatter, chatter
Verbs drum, thrum, beat, pound, pound out, thump, roll, flutter, sputter, splatter, throb, pulsate, beat a devil’s tattoo, tick, tick-tock, tick away, rattle, clatter, chatter, rattle around
Adjectives staccato, drumming, thrumming, beating, pounding, thumping, throbbing, fluttering, sputtering, spattering, clicking, ticking, rattly, rattling, chattering, clattery, clattering
Explosive Noise
Explosive Noises sound just like their name suggests: of, causing or having the nature of an explosion. Their synonyms include:
Nouns report, crash, crack, clap, bang, wham, slam, clash, burst, knock, rap, tap, smack, whack, thwack, whop, whomp, splat, bump, slap, flap, flop, snap, crack, click, clack, crackle, crackling, sizzling, spitting, detonation, blast, explosion, discharge, burst, bang, pop, crack, shot, bark gun shot, boom, cannonade, peal, rumble, grumble, roll, roar, thunder, thundering, peal of thunder, thunderclap
Verbs crack, clap, crash, wham, slam, bang, clash, knock, rap, tap, smack, whack, thwack, whop, whomp, splat, slap, snap, crack, click, clack, crackle, spit, blast, detonate, explode, discharge, burst, go off, bang, pop, crack, bark, boom, thunder, peal, rumble, roll, roar
Adjectives snapping, cracking, crackling, crackly, banging, crashing, bursting, exploding, explosive, blasting, knocking, tapping, thundering, thunderous, thundery, thunder-like, booming, pealing, roaring
Interjections bang!, boom!, wham!, whammo!, blam!, kerboom!, kerblam!
Sibilation
Sibilation means a hissing sound or to produce a hissing sound. Its Thesaurus entries include:
Nouns hiss, hissing, white noise, hush, hushing, shush, sizzle, fizzle, effervescing, shish, shoosh, whiz, buzz, zip, sniffle, whistle, sneeze, snort, snore, sniff, sniffle, spit, sputter, splutter, squish, squelch, lisp, frictional rustling
Verbs hiss, hush, shush, sizzle, fizzle, fizz, effervesce, whiz, buzz, zip, swish, sputter, sniffle, snore, splutter, squish, squelch, lisp
Adjectives hissing, hushing, sizzling, fizzling, effervescent, sniffing, sniffling, snoring, wheezing, wheezy
Stridency
Strident sounds are any sounds that are harsh, shrill, grating, have a shrill character, or have a high intensity. The Thesaurus lists the following synonyms:
Nouns stridency shrillness, sharpness, acuteness, screechiness, squeakiness, creakiness, harshness, coarseness, gruffness, raspiness, scratchiness, hoarseness, huskiness, gutturalness, throatiness, rasp, scratch, scrape, clash, jar, screech, shriek, scream, squeal, whine, wail, whistle, howl, yammer, ululation, yammer, caterwaul, cricking, creaking, chirping, soprano, mezzo-soprano, treble, tenor, alto, countertenor, falsetto
Verbs crick, creak, chirp, screech, shriek, scream, squawk, squeal, shrill, whistle, wolf-whistle, whine, wail, howl, yammer, ululate, caterwaul, jangle, clash, jar, blare, bray, croak, caw, cackle, belch, buzz, snore, growl, snarl, groan, clank, twang, grate, rasp, scratch, scrape, crunch, grate on, jar on, grate upon the ear, offend the ear, pierce the ears, set the teeth on edge, get on one’s nerves, make one’s skin crawl
Adjectives strident, high, high-pitched, falsetto, shrill, sharp, piercing, penetrating, ear-piercing, screechy, shrieking, squeaky, creaky, whistling, whining, wailing, howling, raucous, harsh, coarse, gruff, hoarse, husky, guttural, throaty, creaking, choked, strangled, squawking, brassy, tinny, metallic, grating, jarring, grinding, jangling, rasping, scratchy
Cry Or Call
To cry involves making a loud vocal utterance, such as a call for help, or to sob and shed tears. To call means to cry out in a loud voice, to shout, to command an animal or person to come, to summon, to ask or invite someone over, or to communicate by telephone. Words synonymous with these two words include:
Nouns cry, call, shout, yell, whoop, holler, cheer, hurrah, howl, scream, shriek, war cry, battle cry, exclamation, outcry, clamor, uproar, hue and cry, brouhaha
Verbs cry, call, shout, yell, holler, whop, cheer, howl, bawl, bellow, roar, scream, shriek, caterwaul, yelp, exclaim, cry out, sound-off, pipe up, raise a clamor, raise a hue and cry, lift up the voice, rend the air
Adjectives clamorous, blatant, noisy, yelling, hollering, bawling, screaming, yelling, exclamatory, blurting
Animal Sounds
Animal sounds are those sound we learned as toddlers and included in the song "Old MacDonald." They include the following:
Nouns call, cry, mating call, grunt, howl, bark, barking, birdcall
Verbs call, howl, yowl, wail, whine, squeal, screech, squeak, roar, bellow, bawl, moo, bleat, bray, whinny, neigh, bay, bark, yelp, yap, mew, meow, grunt, snort, oink, growl, snarl, warble, sing, trill, twitter, chirp, cheep, quack, honk, croak, squawk, crow, cock-a-doodle-doo, cackle, gaggle, cluck, gobble, hoot, hoo, coo, cuckoo
Adjectives howling, yowling, crying, wailing, whining, wauling, lowing
Discord
Sounds of discord are similar to strident words, and are defined as having inharmonious tones when played together. They are described as harsh or dissonant. The Thesaurus lists the following:
Nouns dissonance, cacophony, inharmoniousness, un-melodiousness, atonality, tunelessness, sourness, false note, sour note, clinker, clash, jangle, jar, noise, jarring sounds, witches’ chorus, devil’s chorus, grate
Verbs hit a sour note, hit a clinker, not carry a tune, clash, jar, jangle, grate
Adjectives dissonant, discordant, cacophanous, strident, shrill, harsh, grating, inharmonious, unmelodious, unmusical, out of tune, atonal, off-key, sour, clashing, jarring, warring, harsh, grating
Resources
Roget’s Thesaurus. Fifth Edition. Edited by Robert L. Chapman. New York, New York: Harper’s and Collins Publishers, 1992.
American Heritage Dictionary
Dictionary.com
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Week of November 25, 2012 - Bram Stoker's "Dracula: - A Review
By Joan Whetzel
“Dracula” the Movie (1991), Starring Gary Oldman (Dracula), Keannu Reaves (Jonathan Harker), Winona Ryder (Mina Murray Harker), and Anthony Hopkins (Van Helsing).
The movie changed the order of many of the scenes, and even changed the plot line a bit, From Bram Stoker’s book. While I understand that these techniques are used regularly in the film industry to make it easier to tell the stories using a visual medium, in this case it changed the story line, but not as much as the Bela Lugosi Dracula films. This movie was a lot closer to the original story than the earlier versions I have seen, and doesn’t drastically change the true significance of the character’s actions or their motivations, except for Mina's motivations which only constituted a minor change. In fact it follows the book almost exactly in the beginning, diverging a bit in the middle, then coming back to a close version of the book’s story ending. This movie stays true the dark nature of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
The Book
Bram Stoker weaves a marvelous tale in Dracula. He tells the story from multiple angles, basically in first person, but changing the person telling the story, letting each character reveal what he or she knows and witnesses. Stoker makes use of newspaper articles as well as the letters and personal journals of the main characters – all except Dracula and Renfield - to develop the plot and characters. Throughout the story, it is evident that the characters telling the story are gaining bits and pieces of the developing intrigue, but none of them has the whole story until about two-thirds of the way through the book, when they all come together to compare notes. It’s an interesting method of storytelling, in that it truly lets the reader gain a perspective on each character’s motivation and thought process.
Jonathan Harker, a London lawyer, begins the story of Dracula as he travels to Romania to have the Count sign legal documents permitting him to take custody of a piece of property just outside of London. As it turns out, the property is neighbor’s with an asylum. The asylum plays home to two more of the characters, Renfield (who used to work for Jonathan Harker’s law firm until he went mad) and his psychiatrist, Dr. Seward. Once in England, Dracula first begins controlling Renfield’s mind, making him appear even more wildly insane.
Unbeknownst to the main characters, Dracula has bought other properties in London, which will allow him to move around freely, and feed off the city’s large population virtually unnoticed. While in London, he begins feeding off Lucy Westenra, and controlling her mind whenever he’s in the vicinity. Lucy is best friends with Wilomena (nicknamed Mina) Murray, who is engaged to Jonathan Harker. Lucy’s fiancee is friends with Dr. Seward (the psychiatrist) who, in turn, is acquainted with Dr. Van Helsing. Van Helsing is called in to help discover the cause of Lucy’s strange and sudden malady, which is weakening her daily and bringing her to the brink of death.
Van Helsink suspect’s what is going on, but needs to gather the evidence that will prove his suspicions. Drucula’s nightly visits to Lucy’s bedchamber eventually kills Lucy, an event that brings all the main characters together. From here on, they begin to see a pattern to the Count’s movements and soon figure out who he is – or rather what he is. They develop a plan as to how they will rid London, and the world, of Dracula and his brand of evil.
I found that this book started out a little slow for me, but soon picked up speed as the story progressed. Bram Stoker really draws the readers in to the story, though, hooking them early enough to make them want to keep reading. He doesn’t reveal Dracula’s true identity too early, only alludes to who he is and what he’s all about. If I had never read a vampire story or ever heard of vampires and Dracula, I would have really been wondering what the heck was going on and wanting to read more. It is definitely still a great read.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Smell Words for Writers
By Joan Whetzel
Fragrance
The sense of smell can add so much to a story, but how do you add the sense of smell in words in a way that triggers the reader's sense of smell? It helps to understand what smell is to begin with. Smell, as a verb, is to perceive a scent or odor with the nose, to test something using the sense of smell, to discover what something in by way of its odor or scent, or for an object or person to have a particular scent or odor. As a noun, smell is the sense itself, as perceived by the nose and olfactory nerves. It is the act of smelling or the quality of something as it perceived by the nose and olfactory nerves. In the Thesaurus, smell is broken down into four categories: odor, fragrance, stench and odorlessness.
The Smells
Odor
Odor is defined as the property of an object or substance that triggers the sense of smell or the sensation perceived by the sense of smell. Odors are generally considered unpleasant. The Thesaurus lists the following nouns, verbs and adjectives as synonyms for odor.
Thesaurus:
Nouns
a) smell, scent, aroma, essence, emanation, fume, breath, whiff, trace, fragrance, stink stench
b) odorousness, smelliness, pungency
c) smelling, olfaction, scenting, sniffing, whiffing, odorizing
d) sense of smell, smelling, scent, olfactory sense
e) olfactory organ, olfactory cell, nose, nostrils, nares, olfactory nerves
Verbs
f) be aromatic, smell of, emit or emanate or give out a smell, reach one's nostrils, yield an odor or aroma, breathe, reek
g) odorize, scent, perfume
h) smell, scent, nose, sniff, inhale, breathe in, get a noseful, catch a smell of, take a whiff of
i)
Adjectives
j) odorous, odored, odorant, smelling, smell, aromatic, fragrant, stinking, malodorous
k) strong, strong smelling, pungent, penetrating, sharp, reeking, suffocating, stifling
l) smellable, sniffable
m) olfactory
n) sharp scented, sharp nosed, with a nose for
Fragrance is described as the quality of having a pleasant scent, or a sweat odor. Fragrances are generally considered agreeable or pleasurable. The Thesaurus lists several nouns, verbs and adjectives as fragrance synonyms.
Thesaurus:
Nouns
a) perfume, aroma, scent, balminess, incense, bouquet, sweet smell, spice, muskiness, fruitiness
b) perfumery, scent, essence, extract, aromatic, ambrosia, essential oil, balm of Gilead, myrrh,
c) toilet water, rose water, lavender water, cologne, lotion
d) incense, frankincense
e) perfumer, perfuming
f) fumigator, scenter, odorizer, atomizer, spray, incense burner
Verbs
g) be fragrant, smell sweet, smell good
h) perfume, scent, aromatize, odorize, fumigate
Adjectives
i) fragrant, aromatic, perfumy, perfumed, scented, sweet, sweet smelling, savory, sweet as a rose, fragrant as new mown hay, flowery, fruity, musky, spicy
Stench
Stench is considered a strong, foul smell or stink. Stench has an objectionable quality to it and so it is considered offensive in nature. The Thesaurus lists the following nouns, verbs, and adjectives as synonymous with the word "stench."
Thesaurus:
Nouns
a. stink, funk, malodor, fetidness, foul smell, offensive odor,, rottem smell, noxious stench, decay, reek, reeking, body odor, halitosis, bad breath
b. fetidness, smelliness, stinkiness, rankness, mustiness, moldiness, mildew, stuffiness, rancidity, rottenness
c. stinker, skunk, rotten egg, stink ball, stink bomb
Verbs
d. stink, smell, assail or offend the nostrils, smell to heaven or to high heaven, reek, stink up, stink out
Adjectives
e. malodorous, fetid, stinking, reeking, evil smelling, bad smelling, smelly, foul, vile, putrid, bad, excremental, offensive, repulsive, noxious, rotten, rank, strong, rancid, musty, funky, stuffy, moldy, mildew
Odorlessness
Odorlessness is described as the lack of smell, so that it is neither offensive or pleasant. The Urban Dictionary lists a invented word "nodor" which is defined as the property of odorlessness. Any substance, object, or person that is completely odorless is said to have nodor. The Thesaurus lists only a few nouns, verbs, and adjectives as synonyms for odorless.
Thesaurus:
Nouns
A. odorlessness, scentlessness, smell-lessness, inoffensiveness
B. deodorizing, dodorization, fumigation, ventilatin
C. deodorant, dodorizer, antiperspeirant, fumigant, fumigator
Verbs
D. deodorize, fumigate, ventilate, freshen the air
Adjectives
E. oldorless, nonodorous, scentless, unscented, neurtral smelling, inoffensive
F. deodorant, deodorizing
Resources
Roget’s Thesaurus. Fifth Edition. Edited by Robert L. Chapman. New York, New York: Harper’s and Collins Publishers, 1992.
American Heritage Dictionary
Urban Dictionary. Nodor.
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