Friday, April 8, 2016

So That’s What it’s Like by Warren Bull



So That’s What it’s Like by Warren Bull

I had a cold.  That’s not what this blog is about.  Because of the cold my ears were clogged.  That is what this blog is about.  I could not hear soft noises.  Everything I heard from the outside environment sounded like I was at the bottom of a barrel.  On the other hand, the noises from my interior environment sounded amplified.  When I chewed, it sounded like an army of locusts devouring the crops. 

Even when I managed to hear, I often got scrambled messages. My wife, Judy, asked me to bring her a coke.  I asked her which of her coats she wanted.  She commented on the weather, I thought she was speaking about November. 

We attended a wonderful event . Bill Moyers interviewed Doris Kearns Goodwin. The topic was characteristics of successful presidents. I enjoyed the 75% of the interview I could hear. My wife, who was sitting next to me, told me what I missed. Moyer gave every punch line and aside in a low voice. I didn’t catch any of them. Goodwin was easier to hear although I don’t know what to attribute that to.  Both of them put their hands up closed to their faces, which made their speech harder to understand.  Judy is a retired audiologist. I now understand more fully the off the cuff remarks she makes about people making announcements who unwittingly decrease the understandability of their messages by their behavior.   

When Judy wanted me to listen she touched me.  That got my attention. Other people might not like to be touched, but when conveying information to someone with limited hearing, getting attention is crucial. Then she stood in front of me where light fell on her face so I could see her clearly.   Face to face she spoke in a normal voice with a tiny increase in volume and a slightly slower voice.  She also turned off any background noise such as the television or running water, which could interfere with my ability to hear.  Unlike the speakers I described above, she kept her hands away from her face.

To minimize my hearing loss, I tried opening my mouth as wide as possible.  I also closed my mouth, pinched my nostrils and gently acted as though I was sneezing..  Chewing gum, inhaling steam or using a Neti Pot might have helped.

Time cured my hearing loss, but it was interesting being hard of hearing for a while.  Sooner or later this experience will show up in my writing.


What personal experiences have you used in your writing? 

6 comments:

  1. Warren, I hope you fully recover soon.

    Two areas quickly come to mind for my protagonist: some of the soccer experiences he has shared have come from my own history, and what he sees and hears when outdoors often mirrors my own experiences in the same settings.

    There is nothing like personal experience to allow you to nail the details. Of course, then we need to make sure we don't overwhelm the reader with our knowledge when it isn't necessary for the story.

    ~ Jim

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  2. I recently wrote a story about an event I hadn't attended, but in a familiar place. Not knowing every single sensory detail about the event bugged me, though I could ask my daughter. Only a fraction of the information makes it into the story, but I need to have all the facts anyway.

    Feel better!

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  3. Warren, that must have been frustrating. Glad you were able to use the experience to further your writing.

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  4. Warren, my son is losing his hearing, and he's much younger than you.It's probably from listening to rock music blasting when he was younger, or playing the drums in high school,
    or more than likely working in a factory or maybe riding a motorcycle. He has trouble hearing me sometimes because I guess I don't speak loud enough. I don't think he's ready for a hearing aid, and he doesn't want to consider that, either. Some years ago, I realized I wasn't hearing
    as well out of my left year and at night I could hear the sound of crickets in that ear. I
    went to an audiologist and found out I was losing my hearing in that ear, and the sound I
    was hearing is from tinnitus. It could be worse. Crickets in a field isn't so bad at night which is the only time I hear them.

    I wish I could have gone to that lecture you'd gone to. I love Doris Kearns Goodwin's books.

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  5. When you do write a character who has hearing difficulty, you'll have personal experience to draw on, which always helps.

    I worked in factories for a while, in the days before hearing protection was common. Electro-platers, heavy presses, glass spinners--I think they all took a toll on my hearing.

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  6. Oh Warren, glad you are on the mend, that your wife knew just how to best help you, and that you were willing to accept the help!

    My diving experiences show up in the Hayden Kent books, and some of my experiences working with police show up in my Catherine Swope books.

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