i've noticed that i tend to focus on character descriptions and interactions at the expense of the setting. sometimes it feels like they're just in an empty room until i suddenly mention one piece of furniture. is there a way to paint a livelier setting without sacrificing characters or drastically ballooning the wordcount?
(not the go-to blog for writing advice but i’ll try my best :D )
For me, setting descriptions are an awesome tool to set the mood for a scene or do some subtle characterization.
1. Scenery description as mood setting:
Describing the scenery is very useful for immersing the reader in situations and setting the mood for scenes. That goes especially for outdoor settings - landscapes reflecting the feelings of the characters is like, literature 101 (there’s also a word for it but i forgot it). The landscape/weather sharply contrasting with the character’s feelings can be very fun to play with too!
But even indoors, i love to be descriptive in regard to how a room feels. Key question is: what do you want your characters to feel like in that scene? and then build the scenery while keeping that in mind. Or go the opposite route and first ask yourself what the characters would feel in that room, and build the scene on that.
Is the room intimate or impersonal? Roomy or oppressive? Is the furniture cushy and inviting or impossible to sit comfortably on? Does it smell fresh or dusty? Too cold, too warm? What are the room’s main colors? What is the room’s “personality”?
Of course you don’t have to answer every of these questions. But answering some of them might help carry the scene and give it a distinct feeling.
Example from my own writing:
“He pushed open the bar’s clunky, ornate door. Inside was a mellow half-dark, foggy with cigarette smoke, and it took him a few seconds to spot his targets, lounging in a booth of plump green leather at the other end of the low-ceiled room. He deflected a waiter’s offer to seat him and walked over with purposeful strides, cringing as the acrid stench of burned tobacco assaulted his nostrils.“
=> i think i first described the bar, and then came to realize that my character would feel terribly uncomfortable in that slightly oppressive setting, that is very antithetical to his own personality. It helped build a tension and pressure on him that then shaped the rest of the scene
2. Scenery description as characterization:
This is especially true when we “visit” someone’s private space for the first time. It can give the reader so many interesting hints as to what the character is like, what they like, what they do, what their life is like.
Think about what you notice when you visit someone’s room for the first time. Does it fit your expectations? Is the room chaotic, orderly, smells good/bad, are there personal items or more stylish ones, does it feel homely or cold, does it feel true to the person or not?
When writing the POV of the person who “visits” you can also play with what the POV person notices/looks at. I like to do a sort of “look around and zoom” description - first you have a general description of the room, then little curious details thrown in that the POV person picks up upon as we “follow their gaze”.
“[… ] he entered what probably served as both living room and bedroom, if one was to go by the kitchenette and the broad mattress resting on pallets.
X was crouching in front of the mini fridge.
“Uh, I don’t drink,” Y said absently, reviewing the messy room.
There was a table covered in tools and tidbits of car parts, posters of punk bands plastered to the walls, and a battered laptop on the floor. T-shirts and socks were strewn all over the place like the trail to a nudist beach, one pair of briefs even hanging from the ceiling light. It faintly smelled of motor oil.”
=> this gives us some information on X (very chaotic), what they like (punk bands) and what their life is like (not a lot of money since no proper furniture, likes to tinker with car parts, etc) without needing to acknowledge it explicitly. Some of this is new to Y and the reader, some confirms what we already know. Boom!
For me these kind of description don’t feel like they’re ballooning the wordcount - they’re organic to the plot!
3. Throwaway scenery descriptions
When describing the scenery doesn’t help the story at all, e.g because it’s a workaday situation or/and a bland setting, you can limit descriptions to a throwaway sentence. Keeping it to a minimum means no distractions from the characters and situation, and you can expand as needed.
“They entered the crowded cafeteria and sat at one of the cleaner tables.”
“She padded back to her office, a room brightly lit by floor-to-ceiling windows.”
That’s more than enough to give the reader a grasp of the setting in my books!
That’s all folks - hope i could help you. Followers, how do you describe sceneries and settings? Any advice?
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