SETTING THESAURUS

URBAN ROOFTOP



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:
Painted metal rooftop air conditioning units/HVAC system
Ducts and vents (weather worn, dull, rusty at the edges)
A heavy, self-sealing door leading into the building
Pebbled gravel or cement with tufts of weeds growing in clumps
Water pools after a rainfall
Exhaust blooms from roof vents
Roof railings or a cement ledge
Exterior ladder that leads to a higher rooftop or lower level
Stained, cracked concrete
Mold blooms
Dirt and dust
Bird poop
Crumbling chimneys
A rooftop water tower
Generator
Rusted pipes, cords, and hoses
Solar panels
Small communal space if accessed by residents (possibly a rooftop patio area with loungers and chairs, a BBQ area, potted plants, strung patio lights, raised communal garden beds, watering can, laundry lines)
Birds perching on posts, stacks, or a railing
A locked storage shed
...

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:
...