SETTING THESAURUS

OCEAN



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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:
Sand, gravel, rock, and sea glass
Rippled sand bars and sea grass waving in the current
Sand dollars and shells of different size and shape
Dark sea cucumber and colorful sponges
Anemones and spiky sea urchins
A patchwork of sunlight shadows sliding along the sandy floor
Caves and holes
Rocky outcroppings and caverns
Colorful knobby coral (brain, stag horn, lacy red and purple sea fans) clinging to the reef 
Jagged trenches and dark shadows
Tuna, cod, swordfish, clown fish, blowfish, sunfish, sailfish, marlin, grouper, and other fish in a variety of sizes and colors
Octopi unfurling sinuous legs
Crabs skimming across the ocean floor
Clams and conch shells
Darting sea horses with frilly gills
Miscellaneous sea life (plankton, eels, lobster, manta rays, sharks, prawns, algae, starfish, seaweed, sea snails and snakes, whales, dolphins, barracuda, squid, jellyfish)
Air bubbles that rise and burst
Boat wakes briefly scarring the water's surface
Ship hulls floating overhead
Scum and oil slicks
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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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