SETTING THESAURUS

CHEAP MOTEL



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HELPFUL TIP:

Settings should always be chosen with care. Consider the emotion you want your viewpoint character to feel and how setting choices, weather elements, and symbolism might build a specific mood in the scene, create tension and conflict, or even raise the stakes.
SIGHTS:
External:
A neon vacancy sign with twitchy or burned-out letters
A marquis advertising rooms for rent by the hour
A single- or double-story building with dirty brick or peeling paint on the exterior
Windows with cloudy corners and edges
Lights that flicker or don't work
External staircases
Overgrown hedges, withered plants, and dead trees
Uneven sidewalks with grass growing through the cracks
Trash blown up against the curb and littering the parking lot
Seedy-looking characters coming and going at all hours
People sitting outside the rooms in plastic chairs

Internal:
Low ceilings
Threadbare or stained carpets
Doors that don't open smoothly
Multiple locks on the inside of the door
Mismatched furniture
Scratched tables with water stains or cigarette burns
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SOUNDS:
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SMELLS:
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TASTES:
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TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS:
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POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT:
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PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND IN THIS SETTING:
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SETTING NOTES AND TIPS:
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SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE:
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TECHNIQUES AND DEVICES USED:
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DESCRIPTIVE EFFECTS:
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