Jun
Creating Tone Through Setting
Let’s try another writing exercise, shall we?
This one focuses on setting a scene, making it so vivid your reader can imagine being there thanks to the use of as many senses as possible (without going overboard)…
I’m going to start this off by naming a location. The first person to comment will use their senses (hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, smelling) to describe the location. Then they will throw in a monkey-wrench. Something that–should it happen in your location–might determine tone in conjunction with setting.
For example: Classroom.
See: Chalk dust, pencils, wall clock, kids hunched over their desks, etc.
Hear: The buzz of the overhead lights, coughing, pencils dropping, etc.
Smell: Spoiled milk, body odor, perfume from classmate next to you, etc.
Touch: Crinkled paper, smooth chalk, etc.
Taste: (sorry, drawing a blank at the moment)
Monkey wrench: thunderstorm.
See: Kids looking outside. Trees swaying. Concern in teacher’s eyes, etc.
Hear: K ids crying, screaming, teacher giving instructions, perhaps a siren in the background.
Smell: Smell of rain wafting through the windows, etc.
Not sure touch and taste would change…
Get it? Okay here’s the first setting: Major league baseball stadium.
~Elizabeth
June 24th, 2010 at 9:56 am
See: scoreboard, painted faces, the field, the seats, the vendors, the jumbotron, the skyline, the elevated train, the parking lot, the wave, 7th inning stretch, dugout
Hear: vendors shouting out their goodies, people chatting, people drinking, crunching on popcorn, yelling at the bad call, jumping for joy over a home run, the announcer, the team, taunting of the other team’s players, Pledge of Allegiance, God Bless America
Smell: stale beer, vomit, hot dogs, pretzels, hamburgers, the drunk person sitting next to me,
Touch: the railing, the poster, the flag, the seat, the bobble-head doll, the popcorn box, the wad of gum under the seat
Taste: the popcorn, cracker jacks, beer, hot dog, pretzels, cotton candy, hamburgers
Monkey wrench: fire
See: people scrambling to get to the walkway, people falling over one another, flames, smoke, fire trucks, ambulance
Hear: people screaming; the announcer telling us to move safely down the stairs,
Smell: the fire, burnt wood
Touch: the person in front of me as I’m being pushed
Taste: my fear
Next setting: city block
June 24th, 2010 at 11:43 am
City Block
See: Wide sidewalks filled with people, stopping and looking in windows, dress stores, ceramic store, jewelry stores, sidewalk resteraunts.
Hear: People talking, murmers, horns honking, cars driving by. Heat of the sun coming up from the sidewalk
Smell: Beef barbeque from resteraunts, car exhaust, flowers blooming in planters.
Touch: Brick buildings, cool steel on poles for stop lights and walk buttons, holding my sisters hand so we don’t get lost.
Taste: Creamy vanilla ice cream cones, coffee from the starbucks, fish tacos from the sidewalk cafe.
Monkey Wrench: Bars closing time.
See:Drunk people coming out of buildings, couples holding each other, gangs of guys barreling through the street, police cars driving by.
Hear:Fights starting over nothing, angry voices, calming voices, venders calling people to their hot dog stands. Cars peeling out from stop lights.
Smell: Grills going. Hotdogs, sauerkraut, grilled chicken, beef, philly cheesestakes, all mixed together. Men smelling like whiskey.
Touch: People pressed against me while they wait for their hotdog or plowing through the crowd to find their parked car.
Taste: Yeasty bread covering onions, mustard, ketchup and a too hot hotdog burning my mouth. Cool burn of a coke chaser. Sweet but not overpowering.
Next Setting: The Zoo!
June 24th, 2010 at 11:50 am
Nice job, Lynn and Dru!!!
The Zoo
See: Balloons, people leaning on railings around the animals, zoo keepers, pointing children.
Hear: The roar of a lion, the bark of a seal, the screech of a child.
Smell: The body odor of the gorillas, hot dogs, fish from the zoo keepers.
Touch: The railings, the feel of the goat’s fur at the petting zoo, the glass case.
Taste: Cotton candy!
Monkey Wrench: Budget crunch resulting in empty cages.
See: Disappointed children. Empty cages. Vacant pens.
Hear: Utter silence.
Smell: Perhaps the smell of cleaning products.
Touch: Railings. Doors. turnstiles.
Taste: Dry mouth.
Next setting: The beach.
June 24th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
See: people, sand chairs, umbrellas, kids making sand castles, kites
,
Hear: Ocean waves breaking and rolling in, kids squealing, ice cream truck music
Smell: salt water, coppertone
Touch: feel the breeze off the water, hot sand under your feet, wet sand squishing between your toes, sharp clam shell!
Taste: salt, sand on the PB&J, cherry ice, the wooden spoon stick
Monkey wrench: storm clouds
See: Dark fast clouds moving in, people running and packing up, waves criss-crossing, umbrella blowing down the beach, towels being shook out but flailing wildly
Hear: Lifeguard whistle, louder waves, muffled voices
Smell: rain overpowering the salt
Touch: strong winds blowing hair into your eyes, grains of sand whipping into legs, blowing into eyes
Next setting: on a train…