Setting Sights: #Preptober, Day 16

This week, we’re shifting from talking about character development into creating your setting.

When choosing your settings, the goal is to put your characters into interesting situations, of course. But another good exercise to try is thinking about the five senses that will be stimulated in these environments.

So, today, let’s start with our most frequently used sense: SIGHT.

Thinking about your settings, what do your characters see there? What kinds of objects dominate the room, or what kind of landscape exists there? Are there other people in this setting? If so, what do they look like? Describe the look of the setting in as much detail as you can.

Think about the colors your character is seeing. Do they represent anything in particular?

Think about the meaning of any objects in this setting. Are they ordinary, everyday? Or do they also have additional, hidden meanings? Are some of them, perhaps, even physically hidden from casual observers – and only seen by those who know exactly where to look?

What kind of a view is available from this location? Is your character, perhaps, in a tall skyscraper or on top of a mountain, looking down at the world below? Or are they underground, in a place with very little light to make these kinds of visual observations?

Speaking of which, what’s the light like in this location? Bright fluorescents that make your eyes water? Sunshine streaming in through large windows? Difficult to see in the light of a candle, or even utterly dark without a headlamp to light the way?

What else can you see that might spark a reader’s interest? Are there any dangerous items in the room to keep an eye on? Perhaps there are animals, threatening to jostle things off a crowded shelf?

Give your reader as much info as you can, using just your sense of sight today. Tomorrow we’ll come back and address another sense!

Want to prep with me?

Fill in the same info for one of YOUR settings, post it on your blog, and be sure to use the hashtag #Preptober on social media so we can find each other.

Don’t forget to grab a free copy of my Preptober Prompts Printable, which you can print out for personal use.

See you tomorrow with a new prompt!