How to create a sense of place from the other side of the world

As a writer, I’m big on creating a sense of place — using all the five senses, of course — and there is no better way to do that than to experience a place firsthand. Photos offer a great visual substitute if you can’t travel … but capturing the sounds of a place is far more challenging. So, if you can’t get to Stonehenge or Mexico or Arctic Norway, you just might be able to get a feel for the sounds of a place you’re writing about through Sound Transit.

On Sound Transit, you can search by sound and country (dozens are featured) to get a feel for what a Vietnamese market sounds like, or typhoon in Taipei, or a whale encounter in Greenland. It’s fascinating, addictive, and wonderful for capturing sounds that help evoke a sense of place. And even if you don’t have a place in mind, you might try hanging out on the site, listening to some of the soundtracks, and writing about what you hear — it’s a very cool experience to listen to the sounds of different parts of the world.

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