1. MarchOfMephisto

    MarchOfMephisto New Member

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    Voices?

    Discussion in 'Character Development' started by MarchOfMephisto, May 27, 2009.

    Hey.

    In my book, I have this one guy who needs to sing a lot. But I have no idea how to describe his voice.
    Does anyone know of any words or techniques I can use to describe his voice?
     
  2. Hindumaliman

    Hindumaliman New Member

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    Simple similes such as,

    His voice trilled like the playful doves of spring

    or perhaps more solid metaphor,

    His voice was a stone wall of sound, blotting out all other noises

    Those kind of things
     
  3. Gallowglass

    Gallowglass Contributor Contributor

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    Voices should reflect the song they're singing - ceremonial is a good example. The connotations of the word do the description for you.
     
  4. ManhattanMss

    ManhattanMss New Member

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    Google "singing voice" and read up on descriptions and such that may give you additional language to use in writing about the particular sound of your character's singing.
     
  5. arron89

    arron89 Banned

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    I'd definitely at least grab a few of the technical terms that describe how singers sing, but beyond that, I wouldn't worry too much....if the readers know he has a good singingvoice, we don't need to be retold every time he opens his mouth.
     
  6. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Instead of trying to describe the voice itself, describe how people react to it. If you have seen Susan Boyle's performance (who hasn't by now), pay attention to the reactions of the judges and the audience - that's where the real story is.
     
    1 person likes this.
  7. starseed

    starseed New Member

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    Good post. This is what I was going to say.
     
  8. MarchOfMephisto

    MarchOfMephisto New Member

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    Okay, thank you everybody ^^


    @Arron89 - I'm not going to describe it everytime he opens his mouth, it's just for the first time ^^
     
  9. g1ng3rsnap9ed

    g1ng3rsnap9ed New Member

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    I dunno, man. Maybe try one of these words to describe a voice:
    Strong,
    weak,
    nasally,
    unfaltering,
    deep,
    etc.

    Hope that helps some. :)
     
  10. architectus

    architectus Banned

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    You could compare him to famous singers.
     
  11. MarchOfMephisto

    MarchOfMephisto New Member

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    Thanks :) I'll give all the suggestions a go.

    Also, theres a couple of noises I want in the book (if that makes sense). I need to describe them, but I'm not sure how.

    The noise of the force field impact. At 2.39/2.40 <youtube link removed>

    Also, the noise something makes when it powers up. Like, something absorbing energy. (As you can tell, I can't describe it very well). I'd give another link, but I can't find what I'm looking for. Just in case, if anyone has by any chance seen Ben 10, the noise that is created in the episode "Kevin 11" when Kevin absorbs electricity.
     
  12. architectus

    architectus Banned

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    Here is a list of sound effects I've been working on. You can also try explaining the sound effect or using comparisons. There is nothing wrong with saying it hummed to life like a machine powering up.

    banged barked beeped blast blasted bombed bopped bubbled burst buzzed chirp chirped clanged clanked clapped clashed clicked clinked cracked crackled cranked crashed creaked croaked crumbled crunched dinged dripped drummed echoed exploded foil frizzled gargled gnarled grated grinded groaned growled grunted high pitched hiss honked hooted horse howled hummed laser plunked popped purred rang rapped rat-a-tat-tat reverberated roared rumbled rustled saran scraped scratched screeched seared shattered singed sizzled slammed sloshed snapped snarled sparked splashed splat sputtered squeaked squealed squished swatted swooshed tapped thudded thumped thunderclap thundered thwacked tin trumpeted tweet vibrated whacked whirred whining whistled whooped wrap yell yelped zapped zoomed
     
  13. MarchOfMephisto

    MarchOfMephisto New Member

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    Thank you!! :love:
     

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