Writing sounds

Joined
May 19, 2011
Posts
10,371
I often find myself scratching my head about writing out a particular sound. I know a few but was wondering if there are some standards followed in writing. Heh, of course there are, but rather than searching for them it's sooooo much easier for me to crowdsource from here. ;)

I'm particularly keen on finding out how would you write the sound of a phone ringing or a buzzer going off. I know you can just describe the action, but you needed to actually write out the sound, how would you.


So, I know a few,

Thinking- Hmmnn
Moaning- Mmmmm
yes- Mmhmm
say what?- huh?
hesitation- er/ um
stupid- d'uh! / d'oh!
relief- phew!
Disgusting- euuuugh/ ew
a squeaky mouse like scream- eek!
angry- argh!/ grrr
disgusted- ugh!
fapping- ungh ungh ungh
calling for attention- Oi!
incredulity- sheesh! (would jeez be acceptable as a sound, or is it a word?)
Eureka- Aha! (or should it be a ha! or aaah?)

Please add to this thread with any sounds you can think of. Thank you!
 
This is something that I've found in the Lit only.

Ohh gaaaawwwwdd! - Orgasmic noise (especially by females) where each successive 'a' and 'w' denote the substantial increase in pleasure for that person.
 
According to SerpentTongue an orgasm can sound like this:

"Yessss.. That's it, baby...yes, yess... yesss.s... aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I'm cummminnnnggg. Cummmminnggg for you Paul..... Cumminnngg onn yourrrr cock, baby,,,,,, cummming nowwwww.... oooohhhhh,.... aggaiiinnn... aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii."


... but I bet your neighbors would hate you for it. :rolleyes:
 
Oh, I forgot to add this one:

Pfffftt - A strange, spitting noise made in order to disapprove something in a dismissive way. Something like Scrooge going 'Bah! Humbug!'.
 
According to SerpentTongue an orgasm can sound like this:

[SIZE="-5"]"Yessss.. That's it, baby...yes, yess... yesss.s... aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I'm cummminnnnggg. Cummmminnggg for you Paul..... Cumminnngg onn yourrrr cock, baby,,,,,, cummming nowwwww.... oooohhhhh,.... aggaiiinnn... aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii."[/SIZE]


... but I bet your neighbors would hate you for it. :rolleyes:

I find those extra vowels added to text in stories annoying. It's okay if you're typing out sounds but when you have a string of words like your example above, it's annoying.

So, no ideas for phone ring yet?

And did Naoko cum in three strokes or was she humming that song from breaking bad?
 
So, no ideas for phone ring yet?


Sorry, I rarely write the sounds but rather prefer having the listener describe what he is hearing. So for me it would be like...

The shrill whine of Justin Bieber cut through the dark silence of my bedroom like a serrated knife through Jello. It was the ring-tone associated with Angelina Jolie. A request for phone-sex undoubtedly. But after a long hard day working a double shift at the tooth pick factory I simply couldn't mobilise adequate inner resources to ignite my libido, so I let the answering machine do its thing.

"Poor bitch will have to settle for Brad Pitt tonight", I mused to myself and drifted off to sleep.
 
Last edited:
According to SerpentTongue an orgasm can sound like this:

"Yessss.. That's it, baby...yes, yess... yesss.s... aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I'm cummminnnnggg. Cummmminnggg for you Paul..... Cumminnngg onn yourrrr cock, baby,,,,,, cummming nowwwww.... oooohhhhh,.... aggaiiinnn... aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii."

At best I find this sort of thing distracting. But mostly it is just laughable. Instead of erotic, it sounds stupid.

There are very few sounds that work when spelled out (onomatopedia). I try to avoid them and just describe the sound. Most people have enough common experience with sounds that they can easily relate.

The only time I remember using one was in a story between a telemarketer and a guy who pranks her for calling at dinner. It consisted entirely of short telephone and voice mail exchanges and it was difficult to tell when one person hung up and the other dialed. I used [Ring] to start a new exchange and [Click] to show a hang up.

http://www.literotica.com/s/telemarketing

rj
 
I like mmpphh... for a kind of muffled ugh/moan.
Here's a sorta fun website on the topic... you authors might find useful: writtensound
 
The only time I remember using one was in a story between a telemarketer and a guy who pranks her for calling at dinner. It consisted entirely of short telephone and voice mail exchanges and it was difficult to tell when one person hung up and the other dialed. I used [Ring] to start a new exchange and [Click] to show a hang up.

http://www.literotica.com/s/telemarketing

And it is very funny!
[Click]
 
QUOTE=pfflyerhot;59103174]I like mmpphh... for a kind of muffled ugh/moan.
Here's a sorta fun website on the topic... you authors might find useful: writtensound[/QUOTE]

thanks for the link.

mmpphh- is this more gagging on cock sound or slobbering over it?


Sorry, I rarely write the sounds but rather prefer having the listener describe what he is hearing. So for me it would be like...
[/COLOR]

There are times when I don't want to use too many words because it dissipates the tension I'm trying to build.

In one of my stories I didn't know how to show the buzzing sound of the phone so I typed *buzz buzz buzz* because i wasn't sure how else.

In the link that pfflyerhot posted telephone ring has been written as bringg. How would that be written?

Bringg.

or

Bringg.
 
From the title of the thread I was expecting to see how writing sounds...

You know:

Keyboard: click, clack, click, click, clack

Pen and Paper: screech, scribble, "Damn", screech, scribble.

Dictation with a cheap recorder: mumble, burble, mumble, "Damn", grrrr, clicking noise
 
I recently posted this in another thread, and I think it's a good example of a written sound that serves to enhance the action... :rolleyes:


6070s_Hardcore000318.jpg



I didn't come up with it though. That honor belongs to CloseEncounters.
 
I recently posted this in another thread, and I think it's a good example of a written sound that serves to enhance the action... :rolleyes:


6070s_Hardcore000318.jpg



I didn't come up with it though. That honor belongs to CloseEncounters.

I can imagine him withdrawing from her anus with a kerplop but not the position described.

Wet pussy sliding down a pole would be more of a squishy sound. How do i write a squishy sound? *shakes head* This thread is raising more questions than answers so far.
 
In the link that pfflyerhot posted telephone ring has been written as bringg. How would that be written?

Bringg.

or

Bringg.

I think the italics are good. They distinguish the imitation of the sound from the rest of the story - it is a different kind of writing, imitative rather than descriptive.

I can imagine him withdrawing from her anus with a kerplop but not the position described.

Wet pussy sliding down a pole would be more of a squishy sound. How do i write a squishy sound? *shakes head* This thread is raising more questions than answers so far.

Schlrrrrprrp ?
 
Sorry, I rarely write the sounds but rather prefer having the listener describe what he is hearing.
Onomatopedia are necessary in comics, but rarely needed in prose. However, as far as the noises people make while fucking, I do like to vary sometimes from just throwing out verbs and nouns and put "Aaaahhhh" and the like into dialogue.

I find those extra vowels added to text in stories annoying. It's okay if you're typing out sounds but when you have a string of words like your example above, it's annoying.
It's overdone in your example. There's definitely a limit when you do that sort of thing. Should be used sparingly.
 
One of the best exponents of expressing sounds that I can recall was Anthony Burgess. And I seem to recall that one of his 'Enderby" novels was right up there. Unfortunately, I can't remember which one. Damn it, I'm going to have to read them all again. :)
 
Why fret about writing sounds? The pros I read don't force the sounds...they describe what happens and the reader fills in the blanks.
 
I was asked to edit a manuscript in which, each time someone felt intense sexual feelings they were written as "Ugh"
 
Sorry, I rarely write the sounds but rather prefer having the listener describe what he is hearing. So for me it would be like...

The shrill whine of Justin Bieber cut through the dark silence of my bedroom like a serrated knife through Jello. It was the ring-tone associated with Angelina Jolie. A request for phone-sex undoubtedly. But after a long hard day working a double shift at the tooth pick factory I simply couldn't mobilise adequate inner resources to ignite my libido, so I let the answering machine do its thing.

"Poor bitch will have to settle for Brad Pitt tonight", I mused to myself and drifted off to sleep.

Funnily enough, this happens to me ALL THE TIME.
 
Back
Top