Chype, you ask? I’ll explain. The BF made up that word. It’s the sound of typing and chatting at the same time. I chype quite often while I’m typing a story/email/a bunch of random letters for no reason and tell him all about something that seems important but probably isn’t at the same time. I’m chyping. I’m an extreme multi-tasker.

So anyway, you know that children’s book called Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin? It’s an adorable book with a lot of sound words in it. I love sound words. I use them often in my writing. They’re good for characterization, like if someone has a pink tafetta dress on, and they swish every time they move. All the swishing drives the main character crazy, then before you know it, pink tafetta dress girl is dead. No more swishing. This does not happen in Click, Clack, Moo, by the way.

Sound words can also add tension. If the main character hears a strange sound, like a rustling in the dark garage for example, all sorts of creepy things will run through the reader’s head of what it could be. I love that!

Yep, I like sound words. Tap, whisper, clank, jangle. Moan, hiss, rustle, sigh. Even swish. What are some of your favorite sound words?