Sourced from The Rural Setting Thesaurus
SIGHTS
Wrought iron fences and gates, a paved driveway winding between the graves, a chapel, sun- blanched stone angels, carved headstones (marble, concrete, or granite in hues of white, black and gray), a mausoleum, cordoned-off family burial plots, well-tended lawns, decorative flower beds, benches, real and artificial flowers left on graves, dried flowers and wreaths, black-clad mourners standing around a grave, backhoe equipment (usually hidden from viewers and only brought out during non-visiting hours), stone carvings of religious figures or symbols, established trees with moss hanging from their branches, framed portraits or meaningful trinkets left on the headstones, a hearse followed by a line of cars, funerals in process (a priest holding a Bible, a casket, groups of mourners, fresh flowers, graveyard workers hovering nearby), plaques with prayers written on them, a memorial wall for urns, birds, squirrels, chipmunks, decorative rock and stone, candles, signs of neglect in older cemeteries (leaves or twigs on graves, patchy or overgrown grass, dead trees and greenery, crumbling or cracked headstones, vandalized masonry, discolored headstones, broken gates, cracked cement pathways with weeds poking through)
SOUNDS
Mourners crying or sniffing, people speaking in low voices, whispered prayers, the rustle of dead flowers being removed, the snip of shears, a broom rustling as a maintenance worker sweeps an area clean, lawn mowers, cars and hearses rolling to a stop at the curb, graves being dug (after hours), the motorized hum of a casket being lowered into the ground, a fistful of dirt clattering against the coffin, extreme verbalized grief (wailing, moaning, inconsolable sobbing), a priest conducting the funeral or offering words of comfort, gates that creak open or closed, the wind whistling through grass and trees, birds and small animals that squeak and chirp, the slow click of shoes along a path, distant church bells, the tick of dead leaves tumbling along stone pathways, a visitor at a grave speaking quietly to a deceased loved one
SMELLS
Fresh-cut grass, hot stone, newly turned earth, floral scents from flowers left on graves, perfume or aftershave, smells associated with the seasons (crisp air in the winter, rain and rot in early spring or late fall, the smell of new plant growth in the spring and summer)
TASTES
Some settings have no specific tastes associated with them beyond what the character might bring into the scene (chewing gum, mints, lipstick, cigarettes, etc.). For scenes like these, where specific tastes are sparse, it would be best to stick to descriptors from the other four senses.
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
A cold headstone, the thud of one’s shoes against the walkway, heels sinking into the grass, the numbness of grief, a rusty wrought-iron fencepost, chalky dust from a stone marker, dead flowers crinkling in the hand, tears on one’s cheeks, gripping a loved one’s hand, the prickle of cut grass as one kneels or sits, silky fresh flowers, dry dirt in one’s fist, prickling eyes, tears clogging one’s throat, a runny nose, a sweaty tissue in one’s hand, a damp handkerchief
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Graves that are vandalized
Feuding family members visiting a grave at the same time
Theft of objects left near graves (flowers, meaningful tokens and keepsakes, letters)
Aggressive paparazzi at a high-profile funeral
Feeling watched in a graveyard
Being an empath and having to attend a graveside funeral where emotions run high
Paranormal events
A flood or groundwater situation that causes coffins to surface
A groundskeeper with morbid fetishes
Grave robbers
An equipment malfunction as a casket is being lowered into a grave
Mourning relatives that create shrines around the gravesite or are there all the time, unable to let go
Someone at a funeral who reacts strangely to grief (laughing during the proceedings, for example)
A mourner showing up who reminds everyone of something best forgotten (an indiscretion with a hooker, an affair, an arrest, etc.)
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE: A graveyard custodian, clergy members, close family or friends, mourners, vandals, visitors or tourists to the graveyard (if it’s an historical site)
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
Rural Volume: Church, mausoleum, wake
Urban Volume: Funeral home
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
Different cultures and customs will often affect a gravesite. If it is important to the story, consider the ethnic background of the mourners and the departed, and decide if there are any special customs or beliefs surrounding death that might influence the look of the site, steer religious proceedings, or dictate the actions of those present.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
As the moon rose, the graveyard of my ancestors transformed. The translucent light breathed life into the worn, faceless statues of praying children and winged angels. It smoothed away fissures and softened broken edges. In the moonlight, the crooked headstones stood proud, keeping to their duty even as time wore away the messages they bore. I walked through the tangled weeds until I reached the back gate and an empty plot. This space, beneath the bower of an old oak, was my own. How odd to stand here in the dewy grass, knowing someday I would never leave it again.
Techniques and Devices Used: Contrast, light and shadow, personification
Resulting Effects: Establishing mood, reinforcing emotion
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