Onomatopoeia poems are just
one way to incorporate sound
into your writing.

Remember that, in onomatopoeia poems and other such styles of writing, sound is related to the sense of hearing, and sensory details are greatly important.

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Why don't we start off simply, by considering just a few of the sounds that animals make?

Horse: neigh, whinny
Cow: moo
Frog: ribbit, croak
Fly: bzzzz
Cat: purr, meow
Dog: woof, ruff
Bird: chirp
Human: hiccup

Think about other animals that do not have set sounds that you know they make. How about ants? Squirrels? Skunks? What sounds would you have these creatures make based on what you know about them, what you like about them, or even what you hate about them? Just because you do not hear the sounds come out of them does not mean that there is not a sound to be made up, considered, and created within the context of an onomatopoeia poem, short story, etc. That is part of the fun of writing onomatopoeically. You can create the sounds and allow them to reverberate through your writing.

Also, consider what each of the above sounds conveys when animals or humans make them. Maybe a frog's "ribbit" is its means of relaying vital information to the frog on the next lilypad. Maybe a dog's "woof, woof" means it wants more water in its bowl. The chirp of a bird may signal to the rest of its flock how far it plans to travel that day and when it will fly back to its nest come nightfall. Humans have emotions, so why not allow these animals to come to life a bit more? Personify them all that much more with human characteristics, tendencies, and relationships. Allow the use of onomatopoeic words to transform these animals, and by extension your writing, into onomatopoeia poems, stories, and other fantastic writing. You might also consider how alliteration fits into onomatopoeic writing. It can add depth to the way that people hear what you are writing when they read it aloud, or even when they just hear it in their own minds.

How about we look at an onomatopoeia poem about a few of the animals listed above? Check this one out:

The "bzzzz" brought absolutely no kind of joy
Over the "shoo fly, shoo!" of the little boy.

"It's 'purrfect,' she said as she realized her feat
Of going to each house twice to say "trick or treat."

"Chirp, chirp" echoed round the aviary walls
While listening to the soft cascading of the waterfall.

The hiccup registered a tone of defeat
For the man knew the debate was not yet complete.

All of the words here, onomatopoeic or not
Deserve full attention - consider them food for thought.

Take heed of the words that relay sounds to hear detail
Then you will be able to write onomatopoeically without fail.

Notice how I used some other onomatopoeic words (besides the animal sounds) within this onomatopoeia poem to make it more sound-based. I also incorporated couplets to make the poem rhyme and create a semblance of organization that each couplet will be about a different animal and the sounds each makes. Do not just use the ordinary onomatopoeic words you always do. Think outside the box about words that can also work (for example, "shoo") and which lend themselves well to writing onomatopoeically.

You can also incorporate a sense of double entendres into your onomatopoeia poems. For example, when discussing the sound a horse makes, you might also choose to use the word "nay" to precipitate your disapproval with something that is being voted on in a meeting. This idea also lends itself well to the concept of similes and metaphors, as you might say something to the effect of, "The horse whinnied softly, before realizing her master had said nay to the prospect of taking her on a ride that day." In this sentence, we used one of the onomatopoeic words for horses in relation to the horse itself, but we used the word "nay" (albeit spelled differently), as a term of non-compliance.

This is part of why onomatopoeic words are fun - especially when used in onomatopoeia poems and other examples.

Now, think about your daily routine. What do you regularly do that could incorporate onomatopoeic words and allow for some more onomatopoeia poems and examples to help add style and verve to your writing? Here is a glance at a portion of a semi-standard daily routine that some people may follow and some onomatopoeia examples to show you how sounds are always around you:

Make breakfast - you might sizzle the bacon, crack the eggs, pop the toast, hear the ticking of the oven timer, listen to a drink being poured and the sound in your throat as you drink it, and so on...

Get dressed - hear the steam release from the iron, listen to the static as you turn on the light switch and get a shock, hear the soft humming of the lights, hear the hangers move back and forth as you choose what shirt to wear for the day, listen to the dresser drawers open and close, and so on...

Get into your car and drive - the opening of the door and the sound it makes as it closes, the radio station you choose to listen to, the honking of horns, the feeling of the bass in someone's car next to you when they pass, the sound of your tires on the road, and so on...

The workplace - the sound of your computer as it turns on, the typing of keys on the keyboard, the hints of sound your computer gives off to signal that it is working to save a file or do some other important task, the percolating coffee in the break room, the back and forth movement of your chair as you get comfortable and move around to complete various tasks, and so on...

Going out to lunch - the various types of orders heard at the fast food restaurant you choose to go to for lunch that day, the opening and closing of cash drawers, the obligatory "thank you's" and "your welcome's" that customers, waiters, and waitresses give, and so on...

What do all of these routines sound like, literally? Whether or not any or all of the above mentioned daily routines help you identify with a day in your own life, there are always, without fail, sounds around you. Notice them. Hear them. Remember them. Invest yourself in them. Find out why people are making certain sounds. Why are they happy, sad, annoyed, emotional, or some other feeling?

Allow these sounds to guide you to new and more expansive writing. You will be writing onomatopoeia poems and other onomatopoeia examples in no time at all. Find all the onomatopoeic words that you can and write them all down. Think about all of the sounds that you have never considered.

One final example comes from the comedian Dane Cook. In one of his comedy sketches, he makes the sound of growing up. It sounds a bit like a sound you might hear in one of Mario's Nintendo adventures. Check out this Dane Cook sound byte to hear him make the sound himself.

So, now that you have heard Dane Cook make up a sound that you may have never considered, I dare you to think about those abstract words and phrases from which you never believed sounds could issue forth. Come up with those sounds. This creativity will strengthen your writing ideas, and by extension, your writing practice. Good luck and have fun writing onomatopoeically!

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