SIGHTS
External: a vacancy sign that only partly lights up, a marquee advertising rooms for rent by the hour, a single- or double-story building, peeling paint on the exterior, windows with cloudy corners, lights that don’t work, external staircases, overgrown hedges and withered plants, uneven sidewalks with grass growing through the cracks, trash blown against the curb and littering the parking lot, seedy-looking characters coming and going at all hours, people sitting outside the rooms in plastic chairs
Internal: low ceilings, threadbare and stained carpets, doors that don’t open smoothly, multiple locks on the inside of the door, mismatched furniture, tables with water stains and cigarette burns, thin coverlets and lumpy pillows, walls with bubbling or peeling wallpaper, dim lighting, ash trays, air conditioning units that don’t work properly, a TV that’s secured to the wall, outdated lighting fixtures and décor, dripping faucets, discolored ceiling tiles from a past leak, a sink with rust stains in the basin, a warped or foggy mirror, exposed plumbing in the bathroom, cracked tiles with dirty grout lines, skimpy towels, a grungy shower curtain, a room lacking the usual hotel compliments (shampoo, lotion, a hair dryer, an iron, a remote control), a line of ants traveling up a wall, rat or mouse droppings
SOUNDS
The creak of a door as it opens, sounds coming through the thin walls (a neighbor’s television, voices, traffic), the ring of a telephone, people having sex, neighbors fighting, crying babies, barking dogs, traffic from the nearby highway or interstate, people knocking on doors, a squeaky bed, the constant drip of a leaky faucet, clanking pipes, a toilet that runs loudly, footsteps passing by outside, a rattling radiator or air conditioning unit, the hum of overhanging power lines, the intermittent buzz of a neon light that’s on the fritz, the whine of mosquitoes
SMELLS
Must, mold and mildew, dust, stale cigarette smoke, old carpet, takeout or delivery food smells (pizza, burgers and fries), animal fur
TASTES
Greasy takeout or delivery food, old musty air that tastes foul, junk food and snacks from a vending machine
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
A lukewarm or cold shower, a lumpy or hard mattress, scratchy bed linens, tossing and turning due to an inability to get comfortable or fall asleep, itchy bedbug bites, sweat dampening the hair due to a broken air conditioner, huddling or curling up to keep warm when the radiator stops working, rough towels, the bite of a mosquito, drafts blowing in through poorly sealed doors or windows, a carpet that feels greasy under one’s bare feet, knocking one’s head on a low-hanging light
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Being assaulted or spied on
Being a germaphobe
Discovering that one has no money after checking in
Being solicited by a prostitute
A door that won’t lock
Having to sneak one’s pet into a motel where animals aren’t allowed
Having loud neighbors
A room that’s uncomfortably hot or cold
Having to take cold showers
Difficulty falling asleep due to all the noises
Working at a motel where illegal activities are going on
Needing to protect one’s children from the seedy characters who frequent the motel
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Cleaning staff, desk clerks, drug dealers, loiterers, motel guests, pizza delivery people, prostitutes
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
Convenience store, fast food restaurant, old pick-up truck, truck stop
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
Motels differ from hotels in that motels were initially created to provide lodging to motorists, so they’re often found along highways and near tourist attractions. Hotels tend to be larger and offer more amenities and services, such as room service and a pool.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
John woke, skinned in sweat. The room was musty and warm—much warmer than the humid spring day outside. He clambered out of bed, wincing as the springs shrieked. The ancient dragon of an air conditioner squatted silently in the semi-dark. John approached it and punched a button. He turned knobs. Finally he kicked the side of it and while it didn’t turn on, an impressive plume of dust blasted out. He sneezed, loud enough to send a roach skittering up the wall and behind a loose heating vent. Clearly, he’d picked the Taj Mahal of motels.
Techniques and Devices Used: Contrast, metaphor, multisensory descriptions
Resulting Effects: Establishing mood