Just Another Word Podcast

X is for Xylophone


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In this episode, ground ourselves in the words that try to capture the sound of the world’s bones. 

In this episode, we discuss:

  • The Skeletal Soundscape: Why the xylophone is the ultimate literary shorthand for the macabre, using its "rib-like" keys to evoke the rattling of bones and Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre.

  • Phonetic Contrast: How to use the rare, hard "X" sound to "poke" the reader’s attention and build rhythmic, staccato prose that mirrors the striking of wood.

    Are you settling for the "lightning bug" of a generic description, or are you finding the "lightning" in the sharp, wooden clack of a xylophonic metaphor?

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    Just Another Word PodcastBy Timothy Vigil