Since I don’t have a lot of time to write, let alone research, I’ve come to rely on using settings I live in for stories. But sometime, we’re so used to our surroundings that we overlook them. So the next three writing prompts are to encourage you to open your eyes, perhaps literally, to your everyday surroundings, starting with asking you to use all five senses to describe your road. Or street. Or avenue. Or alley, as the case may be.
Sit in your yard, on your porch, on your doorstep, or stand on your sidewalk and take the time to let all five of your sense absorb the setting. Jot down what you perceive. Here’s the list for my road.
- Sight: White bright sunlight. Dark shadows. Pure blue sky. White puffy clouds. Sunlight darkens as thick white clouds pass over it.
- Sound: Bird calls. Passing cars. Distant traffic. Swish of river. Wind in tree leaves.
- Touch: Leaves dry from morning rain. Wind on the back of my neck.
- Taste: Nothing
- Smell: Dirt. Grass. Thick, lily-like smell of honeysuckle blossoms.
Not use the above perceptions to write a paragraph or paragraphs about this scene. If you know what mood you want this setting to create, then choose the words that will accomplish that. If you’re not sure of the setting’s mood, write the description and see how it makes you feel. I’m going to go for a hint of foreboding, foreshadowing a coming conflict.
The morning was everything you’d want in May–bright sunlight, crystal clear blue skies, white puffy clouds sailing across it like fluffy schooners. The breeze ruffled the ends of my hair as I walked down our gravel drive to get the mail, the deep shadows of the budding rosebud trees tracing wild patterns on the fresh grass. As I reached the mailbox, the shadows melted into each other as a huge cloud blocked the sun. The wind chilled the back of my neck. I opened the back of the mailbox, and an envelope, written in cursive, stood out from the ads and bills.
I’d love to know how you use all five senses to describe your road.
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