No matter how long you’ve been blogging, there is always more to learn. As part of the Weekly Writing Challenges,…
By No matter how long you’ve been blogging, there is always more to learn. As part of the Weekly Writing Challenges, once a month, we’ll be highlighting a feature in the WordPress.com Dashboard and challenging you to incorporate it into your blog. We want to help you take full advantage of all the tools available on WordPress.com to make your blog the best it can be — and to make your friends jealous of your web wizardry.
To participate, tag your posts with “DPchallenge” or leave a link to your post in the comments. Please be sure your post has been specifically written in response to this challenge; obvious attempts to link-bait will be deleted. We’ll keep an eye on the tag and highlight the week’s best posts on Freshly Pressed each Friday.
Sound plays an important role in writing. Rhythm makes a story flow; alliteration and rhyme have long been used to add variation and interest to literature. Anyone who remembers their high school English class has had lessons about iambic and dactylic pentameter drilled into their writing repertoire.
For this week’s writing challenge, highlight the role of sound in your posts through writing about a sound that’s important to you, or by experimenting with different tones and styles. Want some ideas to get started?
- What was the best sound you ever heard? Are there any sounds that immediately stir up memories for you? If so, what is it? For example, I grew up near the beach, which means the piercing squeak of seagulls conjures both the joy of summertime and the tragedy of having endless snacks snatched by the overly aggressive birds during my childhood vacations.
- Remember this Freshly Pressed post about tone and text messages? Tone plays a significant part in any type of communication. After all, who hasn’t walked into work and wondered if the, “G’Morning” coming from your coworker was said in a sleepy haze, gruff anger, or sorrowful groan of a day pre-caffeine. What does tone mean to you, and how can a simple note in speech change the meaning of an exchange?
- Instead of adding sound, what about removing it? Some of the most challenging writing prompts involve limiting what you can and cannot use. Have you ever tried writing a sentence without the hard sound of T’s butting up against your teeth? Better yet, that should read, “Have you ever pursued scribbling sans the sound of one symbolic figure we call ‘T’?”
For an intermediate challenge, think of creative ways that you can incorporate sound to enhance your story, using this guide to embed audio files into your posts.
For an advanced challenge task, try WordPress.com’s Post by Voice, which allows you to literally phone in an audio post to your blog. The full instructions for setting up this feature are available here. If you’re not seeing the Post by Voice column on your My Blogs page, be sure to check that it’s been enabled in your Screen Options.
Do note that when you phone in an audio post through Post by Voice, it is published automatically, so you may consider using a private blog to store your audio file if you’re not ready for a full-fledged voice post. If you need help, let us know in the comments — we’ll be here to answer questions.
The ties between sounds, writing, memory, and tone are intricate. Whether writing while wrangling words with similar sounds, or describing a noise in such detail that it feels like your reader is there alongside you, the words we write will always be both read and heard by our readers. At the Daily Post, we can’t wait to see what you do with the musicality of your posts.
The Daily Post 
Last week, the sound of voice. This week, the sound of sounds. Another challenge that I will need to contemplate before sitting down to write.
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The piano sound,especially when it comes unexpected, takes me miles away from where I am…..It can be while walking in the street ,or it’s the new neighbour playing her Chopin etudes, or even a few notes before an ad….It brings me memories from the past……… Something I’m trying to recognize ……………… Long ago, when I was a little child, my mother was a pianist. She died when I was nine, now I’m nearly eighty………. Is it her music that still touches that chord inside me?
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This is going to take some work… All I can think of right now is : What was the best sound you ever heard? 🙂
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Same here. 🙂
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umm interesting! something to think about ! somtimes good to think about overnight and come back to as long as dont leave it to long also can feel blood sugar dropping so will deffo have to come back to this umm heading off to kitchen for food
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The best sound I can think of right now is the tap-tap-tapping of my keyboard in action: proof I have something to write about….better go put my thinking cap on for this challenge!
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Genious! Thank you 🙂
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That’s a good idea. Thanks WordPress. Alright guyzz, my article is ready here http://crackedjassim.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/the-call-of-prayer/
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Great suggestion! I love the sound my kayak paddle makes dipping in and out of the water. Peace itself.
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Neat challenge. I’m 60% deaf so my post is a bit different…
http://dutchtreat64.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/to-hear-myself-think/
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With a recent diagnosis of hearing loss, this was interesting to consider. http://rochellekarina.com/2012/08/27/the-sound-of-silence/
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An interesting challenge, but I think I survived. I have another idea too, so I may tackle it again this week. Thanks for the suggestions.
http://anecdotaltales.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/projecting-sound/
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Well, I wrote this article from a naturalist’s point of view, but it still incorporates the key ideas you would like.
Here is my sound: http://soundcloud.com/basketcase-2/tree-frog-thunder the sound of tree frogs, an introduced amphibian whose cries deafen Bermuda’s shores every night.
Here is my article: http://bermudabiology.wordpress.com/category/species-of-the-week/
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Hey, thanks for this one, will check out this site now that I have tried it.
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Although I will probably submit a new post for the challenge I recently posted this and have tagged it for this week http://wp.me/s2AtOu-listen , without doubt the best sound in the world
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Here you go! It’s a repost, due to our upcoming wedding, but it had sounds in it the first time around and everyone loves it — my gramma doing laundry on the back porch!
http://katharinetrauger.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/ode-to-a-wringer-washer/
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First time I’ve had a go at one of these challenges. Definitely one sound that is easily the best I’ve ever heard, at least when I’m on duty anyway…
http://wp.me/pIYDe-gP
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Reblogged this on Emotfit's Blog and commented:
A Sound Challenge From Word Press. Thought I would comment a bit about the loss of sound. I am totally deaf in one ear and slowly losing the hearing in the other one. Definitely, changes one’s appreciation of sound. and as I tell my critical husband, it is nice to turn off my hearing aid when he goes on and on.
Will work on telephone in a post. Watch for it.
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A fabulous book & my first lipogrammatic foray: http://wp.me/p2mGVe-7s
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Woohoo!! An excuse to blog about music and complain about my kids!! Doesn’t get much better! 🙂
http://penhappyhippie.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/the-sound-of-blogging-and-the-cry-of-the-climber/
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The power of words= the power of sound! http://cyclingrandma.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/the-power-of-words-sendak-bradbury-churchill/
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I often write about sound and memory. Here’s a recent post:
http://janetsunderland.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/a-summer-morning/
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Much easier than last weeks so I gave this weeks writing challenge a try also. http://rejoicefortheday.com/2012/08/27/sounds-of-the-morning-daily-post-challenge/
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I’m doing a giveaway for a free slow cooker! http://therealsharon.com/2012/08/27/start-of-week-6-plus-a-giveaway/
Easy to enter…just leave a 2-3 sentence suggestion about a fun/creative fitness or diet challenge! 🙂
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Wow! Wondering why we wait without working? Living life looks lonely, unless light lits up the whole place… Laughs!
I’m just trying out some sounds. That’s aliteration right? Just hope I find the drive to take on this challenge. By the way, I love the beautiful aliteration used through out your post. Good work; welldone!
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This is a really intriguing topic! Here’s my post: http://theteentheme.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/beautiful-music-doesnt-just-happen/
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Great idea, but I do not understand how to participate. Please explain. Thank you, MP
Sent from my iPhone
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Hi Molly! To participate in the challenge, you will want to take your post with “DPChallenge.” If you haven’t added tags to a post before, this guide will walk you through it.
Let me know if you have other questions 🙂
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the sound of blogging. the rythem, beat, whisper. the buzz of thoughts. the silences of thoughts….
what a great topic! Cant wait to submit
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What is the sound of gift of the gods? this is my entry http://diaryofacomapatient.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/and-the-sea-breathes-his-name/
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This certainly takes writing to a new level. WOW!
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I sat down at the computer to write about my favorite noise and other noise interrupted me.
http://wp.me/pvxC1-2oC
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If they post a dating blog then i’ll have a chance
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