• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

Help with deciding on a sound effect

Shreddies

Troubadour
I am writing a scene where a wizard (of the classic variety) teaches someone a spell, and the whole scene is intended to be a combination of surreal and comical. So I figured I may as well make it a parody of Zelda 2. When Link is taught spells, the wizard in question waves his staff, light flashes, a sound plays, and 'Tadaah!' our hero knows a new spell.

The event in question.

But I can't figure out how that sound would look like on paper. I wanted it as close to the sound in the game as possible. Any suggestions?

Also, do you think it is better to just describe the sound or type it out? (ie. 'Bingly-bingly-bing' or 'A chime rang somewhere in the room')
 

Legendary Sidekick

The HAM'ster
Moderator
There's no way the reader will hear the exact sound you're thinking of. (I can't even head the one you linked because I'm in a Starbucks…uh………working. Oops.)

But anyway, you can hint at it and let the reader's imagination hear it as Zelda-like or not Zelda-like.

One suggestion: if the sound only works if it is Zelda-like, best drop the gag. If the scene works simply because there's a fanfare or chime, and the hero is bewildered by the sound, then go for it.

I've written my share of scenes with music (like this one), and I found those that work best (or that I'm most proud of, anyway) are the ones where I don't define the sounds, but use other parts of the scene to support them. For example, words sung have rhyme or at least rhythm. Actions that accompany percussion may be narrated in a repetitive pattern, such as a few short sentences or a string of action verbs. I know that the reader and I will hear two different tunes, but I'm confident that I can conjure some sort of sound with minimal description, so I don't worry about what, exactly, the reader hears.
 

Svrtnsse

Staff
Article Team
I know that the reader and I will hear two different tunes, but I'm confident that I can conjure some sort of sound with minimal description, so I don't worry about what, exactly, the reader hears.

This is central.
Another way of tackling it is to let your words conjure up the feeling of the sound instead of writing out the actual description. I find that in many ways this works really well for any kind of description. Instead of describing how something looks or sounds or smells, use words the conjure up the feeling of the look/sound/smell and let the reader's association do the rest of the work.

EDIT:
I wrote a guide (two actually) about writing descriptions and I'll quote a part of it here:
Any impression that your reader creates on their own (with your help) will be stronger and more real to them than any impression you create for the them without their input. When your reader gets to create their own impressions, they put more of themselves into it, making the story more their own, and increasing their attachment to it.
The full article it's from is here: A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Descriptions – Part 2
 
Last edited:
Top