Sassafras, Boysenberries and the Sound of Words

Do you like the sound of your voice? It's funny, but somehow when we're speaking, we don't hear our voice the same as when we hear it recorded. I remember the first time I heard a recording of my voice. I was in high school and somebody had brought in a tape recorder. None of us had recorded our voices before and so we were playing with it. I remember my shock when I heard my voice. It was so awful I decided I'd never speak aloud again. Of course, that lasted about two minutes. It's too much fun to talk.

The reason I'm remembering all this is that not long ago somebody told me I should make some videos. He's been trying to help me improve my use of media and after he met me face to face and witnessed firsthand how much I like to talk, he told me I was a storyteller. He thought I should try videoing some of my Facebook posts. So I've been playing around with the video on my iPhone. And you know what? I'm still not crazy about the sound of my voice, but I am more used to it now. Anyway, I decided to test out my very first live video on you sweet people. It's about picking boysenberries and is less than a minute long. 

If you listen to it, you can tell me what you think. Stupid? Wait, you wouldn't tell me that. You're too nice, aren't you? Silly? You might tell me that. Boring? You'll probably tell me that. Just keep in mind - this is a test. This is only a test. If it were a real video, I would have hired a voice-over actress and maybe a script writer too. LOL. 

But back to boysenberries and sassafras. I posted a photo of sassafras leaves on my Facebook page and asked how many people had tried sassafras tea. You'd be surprised how many. I'm not sure if I have or not. I think Dad brought in roots and Mom made it once, but I can't positively remember tasting it. But whether you've tasted it or not, you know the word. 

One of my Facebook friends said she loved the word - sassafras. Doesn't it roll off your tongue just the way you think it should? And boysenberry is the same. A treat for the tongue - both the berry and the word. 

I love words that glide through your ears and look good on paper too. I like fun words that sound what they mean. Like nincompoop. Or rain. If you draw that word rain out with a bit of southern drawl, you can hear drops sliding down your window. Or fever. Or hash. Add an 'r' and you have harsh. It sounds just that. But then think willow or whisper. 

So even though I don't particularly like the sound of my voice, I do like the sound of words. And somehow just seeing those words written down plays the sounds in our heads as we're reading. As you're reading, you might not even notice the words. That's the way a story is supposed to read, but if the writer has chosen the right words, the best words, then those words can add so much to the story.  So maybe I need to add a few boysenberries and some sassafras tea to my next story or have a willow tree whispering in the breeze. 

Oh yeah, and there's that word "ow" or "ouch" I said you would hear a lot if you were here picking boysenberries with me. Maybe it will be better if we just sit in the glider and sip some of that sassafras tea. Or eat a piece of that boysenberry cobbler.

Thanks for reading. What words can you think of that are a treat to the ears or that sound exactly as they should?

Hearing Voices

I did a live internet radio show last Thursday night on Amish Wisdom with host Suzanne Woods Fisher. Suzanne is the talented and popular author of Amish fiction and non-fiction including the best selling novel, The Choice. On her show that airs every Thursday at 5 p.m. EST she interviews authors of Amish fiction, Bed & Breakfast owners, and others who have a connection to the Plain life or are striving to live simple. I don't write about the Amish or have a Bed & Breakfast or make quilts, but the Shakers did have a song "Tis a Gift to Be Simple." They aimed for simplicity and plainness in all they did. Their furniture had no decorative swirls and designs. Their clothes were basic attire with no lace or fancy trimmings. Their houses and buildings were sturdy but lacked porches or fancy woodworking. And in their pursuit of the simple, plain designs they found beauty.

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So Suzanne asked me to be a guest on her show to talk about the simple ways of the Shakers. I'd not done a live radio show before and as it turns out, I still haven't - exactly. Oh, we were live (and maybe even lively) talking about the Shakers, but the internet station had server outages and nobody in my part of the country was able to get the show to come up. But you can listen to the archived program now at www.toginet.com/shows/amishwisdom. I even got brave enough to listen myself. I thought I'd better do that before I posted the link out there on Facebook or mentioned it to anybody in case I was glad the server was out and nobody heard me!!

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And while I wondered for a few minutes if that was really me talking, the interview didn't sound too bad. Isn't it odd how our voices never sound the way we think they will when we hear them recorded? I hear one tone of voice in my head and everybody else hears me another way. I remember the first time I heard my voice recorded. I was in high school and I vowed never to speak again. Of course that lasted all of five minutes. A friend sent a link, www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-does-my-voice-sound-different, explaining the scientific reason for this for those of you out there with inquiring minds who want to know. You can find an answer to almost anything out on the net somewhere.

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But voices are important. I used to have a part time job where I scheduled substitutes for the school system and I could usually tell on the first call if the person was going to be a good substitute or not. And not always by what they said, but by their voice. That's why they tell you to smile while you're talking on the phone if you want to make a good impression. I smiled some of the time while I was talking to Suzanne last week. I'm sure I did.

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Voices are important in fiction too. Dialogue is such a vital part of fiction these days. People like to listen in on your characters talking. At Bible study tonight, I got a really nice compliment from one of my church friends who's reading my new book, The Seeker. She said she just loved "hearing" Mellie (one of my characters) talk. And that's what I want readers to do. To hear my characters talking in their heads. Just the way I do. Just the way I hope you do if you read one of my stories.

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Hope all the voices you're hearing are saying good things!