How To Write Sound Effects Novels & Stories

Sound effects in audiobooks always pull me right out of the story. It's a weird disconnect—your brain is picturing the world through the narrator's voice, and then suddenly there's a stock 'door creak' sound effect that sounds nothing like your mental image. It's jarring. I think it works better when the narrator themselves creates the effect vocally. A sharp intake of breath for surprise, a whispered word for secrecy, even a gentle 'click' made with their tongue for a door latch. That stays within the immersive bubble of performance.

Some genres might be the exception, I guess. Full-cast productions or maybe kids' stuff where it's more like a radio play. But for a straight single-voice narration of a novel? Keep the Foley artist out of it. The human voice is plenty powerful enough to suggest everything you need if the writing and performance are solid. That fake sword clang never lands right.

I'll be the weirdo who says sometimes the best sound effect is none at all. So many indie creators cram panels full of 'SKREEEECH' and 'KABOOM' when the art is already doing the heavy lifting. If a character slams a door, the slamming line work tells us everything. Adding a 'BAM' just clutters it. I focus on sounds that add info the visuals can't convey—a distant 'whisper' of wind, a 'tick, tick, tick' from an unseen clock to build tension. The classic Marvel style of sound effects as part of the action works for bombastic stuff, but for quiet moments? Let the silence speak.

My biggest gripe is inconsistent fonts. Pick one or two type families for your sounds and stick with them. A scratchy handwritten 'growl' for a monster, a clean mechanical 'CLICK' for a gun. It's subtle world-building. I sketch the sound effect into the thumbnail stage, treating it as a visual element, not an afterthought. If it doesn't fit the composition, it gets rewritten or cut. Sometimes a small, trembling 'crunch' in the corner is creepier than a giant, bold one.