SETTING THESAURUS

SUBWAY TUNNEL



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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:
Dark shadows
Concrete walls covered in graffiti
A narrow ledge along one or both walls
Pipes running horizontally along the walls
Evenly-spaced lighting fixtures with cables in between
The lit end of the tunnel growing larger as a train approaches a station
Vents and grates
Locked metal maintenance doors
Train headlights glinting against the metal tracks
Paper bags, napkins, crushed plastic cups, straws, drug needles, and other debris along the tracks
Colored signal lights (red, yellow, and green)
Special items for employees to use such as a phone, a fire extinguisher, and an alarm box
A fork in the track that leads into another tunnel
Evidence of squatters in open areas (blankets, newspapers, flattened cardboard boxes, old clothing, empty alcohol bottles, drug paraphernalia)
Black mildew creeping along cracks in the walls
Water dripping from broken pipes or poor drainage above
The distant lights of an approaching train
The blur of a train speeding by
Rats and roaches
Trash and dust blowing in the wake of a passing train
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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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