For February, the theme is setting. I am in the middle of reading an extremely helpful book on the subject, Description & Setting by Ron Rozelle. One piece of advice found in the book is to always carry a journal with you so that if you find an interesting setting or person, you can jot down all your impressions, then refer back to these impressions if you want to use that setting or person in a story.
For today’s prompt, I’m going to imagine that I’m sitting in this crowded room. What impression does it make on me? Here are my notes.
- Crowded, knees cramped under table
- Smell a very strong perfume, choking me
- Lots of rustling papers, creaking seats
- Smell something spicy. Lunch? Cologne?
- Speaker’s voice — very flat, uninteresting
- Heat from so many crammed in one room
- Take off jacket
- Warmth makes me want to find freedom
- Doodling. Several other people are too.
If I need a scene with a crowded meeting or classroom, and my main character is bored, I can draw on my notes from this setting. Here’s a possibility.
If the exalted bosses of CJ&M actually want us to get something out of this meeting, couldn’t they find a presenter who speaks in more than one tone?
Scooting back my seat to stretch my cramped legs, I bumped the table behind me. Murmuring an apology over my shoulder, I caught again the choking odor of lilacs. Who had decided that twenty dabs of perfume wasn’t enough? I coughed and peeled off my jacket, the back of my shirt damp.
What notes would you make about the setting?
That is such a great idea, to record the thoughts/feelings/sounds/etc of a setting to refer to later!
I also take pictures with my phone as a visual reminder of settings that have writing potential.