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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Setting Thesaurus Entry: Space Ship

February 13, 2010 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

Content contributor: The fabulous Liana Brooks

Sight

Controls, bulk head, lights, doorways that seal, ladders, rivets, metal paneling, ridges, pock marks, fire dampening foam, emergency lighting, seats, galley, head, berth, space suits, uniforms, boots, rations, weapons, stars, port holes, viewing deck, safety webbing, robot, buttons, switches, cables, boxes, labels, wooden packing crates, sterile crates, plastic/metal crates, loading equipment, uniforms, ship’s patches/badges, planets with rings, asteroids, satellites, moons, space station, enemy vessel, cargo ship, solar flare, crew members, rank insignia, captain, admiral, ensign, pilot, navigator, weapons crew, refugees, alien, large kinetic weapon (rocks), laser array, hazard signs (explosive, flammable), power core, steam vents, walkways, grates, hoses, computer panels, hologram technology

Sounds

Engines humming, computer clicking, people talking, meteorites/weapons hitting the hull, bang, slap, crunch, boots on the deck plates, engines whining, hissing, lights buzzing, electronics chirping, paper rustling, waste disposal grinding, luggage dropping, cloth rubbing against cloth, air in mask, coughing, hiss of burning dust on the hull during reentry, weapons sizzling as they charge, whoomph of air as kinetic weapon recoils, crying, orders, intercom chatter, whir of computer fans, heart beating, orders relayed through intercom, automated warning system

Smells

“canned” air, recycling filters, mildew, body odors, stale smell, diesel, frying grease, burnt ozone, methane, dust, mildew, bleach, disinfectants, perfume, acid-sharp smell of hot metal, fear

Tastes

Blood, tin, citrus sanitizer, fresh oxygen from plants, chalky ration bars, mildew, salt, sweat, soap, grease, imported food, fresh vegetables from hydroponics, algae wafers, water, vitamin gels

Touch

light (low gravity), heavy chest (lift off and extra gravity), dimpled buttons, sharp metal edges on repairs, textured hand grips, weightless, squishy acceleration couches, rubbery, air on skin, hard, firm, bouncy, pliant, bones grinding/organs grinding, smooth metal surface, pocked surface from damage, cloth against skin, head craned up, rubbing at back of the neck while scanning content on monitors/displays, wires to make sure cargo is secure, bump, jerking as the ship lands, jostling, exhilaration, blood rushing, heart beating fast, calm

Helpful hints:

–The words you choose can convey atmosphere and mood.

Example 1:

Alone on the bridge, I settled into the captain’s chair for the first time. Hard metal ridges rubbed against my hips and dug into my shoulder blades. I nodded to myself. This was just how it should be, for the work done here would not be easy and each moment should be a reminder of the human cost behind my decisions. I took a breath of the slightly metallic air and smiled, imagining the starry view that would greet me tomorrow, when my new crew and I set off on our first mission.

Example 2:

My fingers flew across the keyboard, recoding an override before the security system locked out our eject pods. Chaos surrounded me, people running and screaming as consoles and overhead panels shook loose in the aftershocks of the kinetic blast. I didn’t know who had hit us or why, nor could I spare a thought to anything but my erratic tapping. Provided I did my part here and Devit ejected the toxin canisters in cargo before the seals broke and infected the crew, most of us would live to see the the suns rise over Omanna again.

–Similes and metaphors create strong imagery when used sparingly.

Example 1: (Simile)

As the missile approached, Captain Marcus clenched his chair rails like a minister clinging to his preach pad during a solar flare.

Example 2: (Metaphor)

As we hit warp, stars streamed past the view field, reminding me of lasers skinning against a class seven force field.

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ANGELA ACKERMAN
ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Liana Brooks says

    February 15, 2010 at 11:54 am

    Thanks!

    If you have requests for sci-fi settings let me know!

  2. Bish Denham says

    February 15, 2010 at 8:26 am

    Another excellent thesaurus entry!

  3. Lindsey Edwards says

    February 15, 2010 at 1:13 am

    Your posts are always so great, this is def a site I’ve bookmarked so I can stop by often. I might not leave a comment every visit, but rest assured, I’m here often!

  4. jdcoughlin says

    February 14, 2010 at 9:52 pm

    I’m also here for the first time. Never seen a post like this, and it’s really amazing. What a great tool to use when you’re blocked or just uninspired. Thanks!

  5. Anonymous says

    February 14, 2010 at 7:47 pm

    I’ve just discovered your blog, and WOW! what a find! This is great!!!!

  6. L.J. Boldyrev says

    February 14, 2010 at 6:22 pm

    Love it!

  7. propinquity says

    February 14, 2010 at 6:34 am

    This is exactly what I needed right now. I’m working through a scene on a space ship in my current WiP, and my Star Trek memories aren’t very dependable. Thanks so much for adding this!

  8. zaelyna says

    February 14, 2010 at 12:12 am

    Definitely coming back to this one when I finally get to work on my sci-fi story ideas. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

  9. Karen Lange says

    February 13, 2010 at 8:52 pm

    Your posts always bring such wonderful images to mind, beyond the ordinary, providing great ideas..Loved the simile/metaphor examples too.
    Happy weekend,
    Karen

Trackbacks

  1. Setting Thesaurus Entry Collection | WRITERS HELPING WRITERSWRITERS HELPING WRITERS says:
    December 12, 2013 at 7:25 pm

    […] Space Ship […]

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