Help Please

Hi

i hope someone here can help me.

I'm writing a short story but I can't think of anything to describe the sound of a bomb except Boom & Kaboom. I was wondering if anybody could come up with anything.

Thanks in advance

Instead of trying to describe the explosion itself, think of the things that happen when a bomb explodes. Describe, using your five senses, what the characters in the vicinity feel, smell, hear, etc. By doing so, you put the reader right in the action, instead of just saying "the grenade went kaboom!!!"

--D

You can also have a character blank out and then, when he gets up, notice that he's all cut and he's lying on the other side of the room in a bed of broken glass. That might be kind of thrilling!

Boom or Kaboom? Good Lord... Glad you asked for help.

Well, I've never been near a bomb when it's gone off and frankly, I'm not anticipating the sensation anytime soon, thank you very much.

I have been about thirty or so yards when cannons are fired and less than a foot when a line of muskets fire in a volley.

Uh.. loud isn't the word to describe, especially the cannons. I couldn't help it but the very first time (and this was a few years back before I decided to re-enact and find my own Unit), I heard a cannon, my eyes kept flinching. You've, I'm sure, heard fireworks? They are noisey, yes? Well, a the sound of a cannon is much more fierce - earth-shattering - if you will. The ground underneath quakes, you will feel the vibrations under the pads of your feet no matter if you're wearing shoes or are in bare feet. It echoes several feet from behind, and all around your body. The gunpowder isn't exactly a very pleasent smell. It's sour, potent and if you're not used to black powder, it might sting your nostrils or bother your eyes. Think about it. That cannon is firing about every five, ten minutes and with our muskets, (since I'm with the Crown, we fire rapidly; sometimes three times in little over just a minute in a volley) so the air is rank with powder, which with so much white smoke, it make it reasonbly difficult to see through that type of blanket when running towards the enemy, especially - I would think - with a bayonet charge.

As someone said, take into consideration of your five senses. I know you're referring to a bomb but I'm drawing from my own experiences with cannons and two-hundred year old (repros) firearms.

You could for grins try youtube to see what a bomb, depending on the exact variation, sounded like when it exploded. At least you'll have some idea for sight and hearing. The other senses you might have to experiment. If you're more curious about my "friend;y" cannons, I might be able to find a video or two of the Artillary in action of some Unit. Hehe...

Apologies for the rambling. Probably didn't help much.