For a reader to relate to the current action, they need a physical anchor to tie the characters to. It can be difficult, finding the right words to convey a sense of place.
Settings come alive through description, and the right details can evoke emotion, drawing readers in. The following entry contains samples of the sights, smells, tastes, sounds, and textures associated with this location so you can weave them into your storytelling, thereby deepening the reader’s sensory experience.
Airplane
SIGHTS: Narrow aisle. stewards/stewardesses greeting you as you walk on, navy blue fabric seats, overhead compartments, armrests, seat belts, small porthole windows, some shutters open & others closed, people blocking the aisle putting carry on away or grabbing something out of the overhead compartments, emergency exit mid plane, fold down trays, in-flight magazine, safety instructions manual tucked in a slot in the seat back in front of you…
SOUNDS: Plane engines, a squeaky beverage cart, music/TV in headphones, laughter, people talking, laughing, snoring, babies crying, the swish of fabric as people readjust for comfort or remove a coat or sweater, zippers unzipping, rustling bags and backpacks, the clunk of a tray locking into position, the rustle of newspapers and magazines, crisp book pages turning, people typing on keyboards…
SMELLS: A person sitting close by wearing too much cologne or perfume, food being eaten, coffee, canned air, minty gum, bad breath, beer, a whiff of hand sanitizer, sweat, BO, old fabric, hair products, smelly feet if someone takes their shoes off, diapers that need changing…
TASTES: Water, coffee, pop, juice, tea, sugar, alcoholic drinks (wine, beer, spirits), plane food or food bought in airport (sandwiches, pizza, chocolate bars, chips, granola bars, bagels, muffins, wraps…
TEXTURES: Hard, too-narrow armrests, bumping/nudging/brushing against the passenger next to you, cramped, hunched back trying to get from window seat to aisle, sliding a bag out from seat in front, kinks in the neck, twisting and lifting to stretch back, slouching in seat, trying to make self small to get past passengers to the aisle, kid behind you kicking the seat, a tight seat belt…
Helpful Hints
The words you choose can convey atmosphere and mood.
Example 1: Donny had the worst luck on business trips. If the flight was a small, forty-five minute hop, he’d have the the row to himself and sometimes even be bumped to the front where he could take advantage of the ample leg room. But for the soul-crushing, eight hour flights to the UK, he’d always be stuck next to a shrieky toddler whose Mother hadn’t bothered to pack anything to entertain the kid with, or a grossly overweight guy creating seat spillover because he was too embarrassed or cheap to spring for a second seat…
Similes and metaphors create strong imagery when used sparingly.
Example 1: (Simile) The bitter, snarky stewardess who complained about keeping my guitar case in her galley was even scarier at the helm of a metal serving cart. The gleam in her eye and the cart’s sudden jerk forward as I rose from my seat said she was locked and loaded to mow me down like an evasive weed if I came within range…
Other Setting Thesaurus entries can be found here.
Think beyond what a character sees, and provide a sensory feast for readers
This sample, along with the rest of the setting entries, has been expanded into a 2-book set. Together, the bestselling URBAN SETTING THESAURUS and RURAL SETTING THESAURUS volumes contain over 200 settings for you to choose from when creating memorable, compelling characters.
Each entry contains multi-sensory cues associated with the location, conflict options commonly found in the environment, instructive information on how to avoid setting-related infodumps, and examples of well-written descriptions that can reinforce emotion, characterize, foreshadow future events, and more.
For more information on this bestselling set of books and where they can be found, please visit our bookstore.
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.
The smell I always find intriguing is that combination of toilet disinfectant, the stewardesses’ cologne, and vacuum cleaner.
Once again, I found your examples inspiring!
My favorites are claustrophobic, death trap, unstable, loss of control, bumpy, scary, need to escape…….
Do I have a fear of flying? Why yes. I do. But I will deal with it so I can make it to National. Hope to meet you there!
Ahhhh! I feel like I was on this very plane! Excellent post, as always.
Not forgetting that awful smell down the back of the plane when they open all the sealed meals. When we came to Australia as kids, it was that smell every few hours that made us all add to that other smell you mentioned. I can still remember it vividly!
Good list!