SETTING THESAURUS

RIVER



Never struggle with Show-and-Tell again. Activate your free trial or subscribe to view the Setting Thesaurus in its entirety, or visit the Table of Contents to explore unlocked entries.

CHOOSE MY PLAN

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:
A steady flowing current
Leaf-dappled sunlight at the edges
Murky water when levels run high (during spring runoff, flooding, heavy rainstorms, etc.)
Animal tracks in the silt and mud at the water's edge
Reeds that nod in the wind
Bowed willows
Eddies swirling along the bank and weaving through low-lying grass
Trees hanging out over the water
Ducks swimming in the shallows or nesting in the bushes
Bent grasses
Giant riverbed boulders that create dips or split the current
Twigs and leaves drifting downstream
Debris (paper cups, soda cans, plastic bags, fishing line and hooks) caught at the river's edge
Spiderwebs stretched between branches along the bank
Minnows darting between rocks
Smooth stones
Furry algae-stained rocks
Banks dotted with wildflowers
Floating petals and seed fluff
...

SOUNDS:
...

SMELLS:
...

TASTES:
...

TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS:
...

POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT:
...

PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND IN THIS SETTING:
...

SETTING NOTES AND TIPS:
...

...

SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE:
...

TECHNIQUES AND DEVICES USED:
...

DESCRIPTIVE EFFECTS:
...