Write authentic fear-driven choices and behavior with The Fear Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to What Holds Characters Back. (Latest Release)
The Fear Thesaurus

Setting Thesaurus Entry: Medieval Markets

Reading time:

Writing Help

Sight

Cramped wooden stalls, sweaty vendors, bright fabric roofing or simple framing to hang merchandise from, wares laid out on cloth or leaves (food, vegetables, jewelry, weaponry, books, bright bolts of cloth and silk, spices, fruit, alcohol/ale, clothing & shoes, elixirs &…

Sounds

Haggling, bartering, sellers hawking wares, people calling out to friends, laughter, animals braying/barking/clucking, creaking wagons as they pass, the clop of horses’ hooves, mugs hitting the tabletop, people calling for service in eating areas or outdoor drinking…

Smells

Spices, grilling meats, yeast from baked bread, sweat, rot from alleyway middens, dust, char, smoke, over-ripe fruit, manure, oils, leather, perfume, ale

Tastes

Ale, beer/wine, fresh juices, spicy meats, bread & rolls, sweet rolls, candied fruit, roasted nuts, kabobs

Touch

Cobbles underfoot, stepping to avoid refuse, manure or muddy patches, tripping on loose clay, stroking fabric for quality, testing buckles, ties and straps for durability, hefting the weight of something (a knife blade, pot, etc), fingering a handful of coin as you decide…

Helpful hints:

–The words you choose can convey atmosphere and mood.

Example 1: Whenever possible, Marcel would fetch water early, crossing Market Square at dawn as the vendors arrived to set up their booths. The sunlight fell gentle on his shoulders and the air still held that crisp, dewy smell. Sometimes he would linger a moment or two, admiring bead work on a festival shirt or the sheen of a dagger’s blade, dreaming of the day that he could afford such things…

–Similes and metaphors create strong imagery when used sparingly.

Example 1: (Simile) Inside the ring of brightly decorated booths, villagers packed the grassy common like a corral of sheep waiting to be fleeced…

Becca Puglisi

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

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