SIGHTS
An assortment of damaged cars in the parking lot, open bays with vehicles on lifts and ramps, employees (wearing boots and oil-stained coveralls, with black-rimmed fingernails from grease and oil), lifts and hydraulic equipment, stacks of tires and rims, hoses dangling from the ceiling, workbenches along the walls, water hoses wound around wall spigots, tools (wrenches, screwdrivers, socket sets, drills, etc.), engine hoists, plastic envelopes containing keys and work orders, idling cars, stacked-up construction cones, large drums, oscillating fans on the walls, oil and gas cans, safety signs, garbage bins, crumpled up paper towels, grease cloths thrown onto nearby work surfaces, spare auto parts, tool chests and rolling tool carts, cars with their hoods up, mechanics on rolling creepers under cars, oil-stained concrete floors, a waiting room with chairs, a television and a coffee machine
SOUNDS
The deafening sound of electric drills and other equipment, music playing on a radio, employees whistling, car hoods creaking open and slamming shut, engines idling, mechanics yelling to be heard over the noise, customers being called on an intercom system, car engines that aren’t running smoothly (clanking, revving, stalling, choking), the click of an engine that won’t turn over, shrieking belts, soda cans being cracked open, heavy objects dropping into garbage cans, hydraulic ramps going up and coming down, rubber-treaded footsteps, the drip and splash of automotive liquids hitting the ground (water, oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid), the whir of heavy-duty oscillating fans, creepers rolling under cars, water dripping from hoses, keys jangling
SMELLS
Motor oil, grease, gasoline, sweat, metal, paint, rust
TASTES
Foul air laden with gas or oil, food and drink from the waiting room vending machine (candy bars, chips, gum, water, soda, coffee)
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
The rattle and jerk of a dying car as it rolls into the parking lot, sweat gathering on the skin as one waits for a car to be ready, a cool breeze from the oscillating fans, slipping on grease or oil that has gathered on the ground, stumbling over potholes in the parking lot, cold metal tools in one’s grip, rubbing at calloused hands with towels to smear away the grease or oil, accidentally banging one’s head or knee while underneath a vehicle, cuts and bashed knuckles from trying to force stuck bolts to loosen
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Being crushed by a car
Obtaining burns and serious injuries from a running engine
Hurting one’s back when picking up heavy objects
Being attacked by someone wielding tools or dangerous machinery
Getting caught stealing items from a customer’s car
Accidentally scratching or damaging a car and then trying to cover it up
Dealing with a dishonest mechanic
Sabotage by a jealous or angry mechanic
Having one’s car fixed by an incompetent mechanic
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Customers, managers, mechanics, office staff, vendors delivering supplies
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
Rural Volume: Garage, salvage yard
Urban Volume: Car accident, car wash, gas station, used car dealership
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
The inner workings of a mechanic’s shop will vary depending on what kind of work the establishment does. Besides a general mechanic’s shop, which has been described here, there are also auto-body shops, tire shops, and oil change and general maintenance shops. Owners of new or high-end automobiles might choose to take their cars to the dealership instead of to a mechanic when work needs to be done, especially if the car is still under warranty.
As authors, it’s our job to make things difficult for our characters; once we’ve stressed them out, we need to stress them some more. A car breakdown in the heat of summer is a great way to start. Maybe with two small kids in the backseat in a remote location. Then a smelly cross-town drive in a tow truck to a waiting room with no air conditioning. Top it off by revealing that the work involved is more extensive and expensive than originally planned, and you’ve got a character with volatile emotions who is primed for explosive responses and poor decisions.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
His dad was saying bad words under his breath and sweating like a gorilla, but Joey smiled as he clung to the back of the plastic chair, his breath fogging the glass. The huge tires looked heavy, but the guy in the blue uniform picked them up and tossed them around like they were nothing. Another guy was using a drill that made an awesome screeching sound while his partner banged on something under the hood of a rusty old truck. Joey bounced on his knees and wondered if maybe he could work here someday.
Techniques and Devices Used: Multisensory descriptions, simile
Resulting Effects: Characterization, reinforcing emotion