SIGHTS
Black or gray pavement with the occasional pothole, yellow parking blocks, white lines to mark the spaces, blue paint to designate handicapped spots, parked cars and trucks, vehicles pulling up to the curb to let people out, lights, trees and greenery framing the lot, signs (handicapped parking, stop signs, 30-minute parking, loading area signs), arrows painted on the asphalt to indicate traffic flow, sidewalks littered with fallen leaves, mulch and twigs blown up against the curb, trash (wadded papers, crushed soda cans, Styrofoam cups, cigarette butts), fire hydrants in the grassy areas, in-ground sprinklers, neon signs in the windows of nearby stores, garbage cans on the sidewalks chained to a light post, speed bumps, shopping carts, security cars or golf carts paroling the area, people walking to and from nearby stores, groups standing on the sidewalk or gathered near cars, parents holding their children’s hands as they walk, customers putting bags in their trunks, a car with its blinker on to claim a spot, kids walking the curbs like balance beams, people placing flyers under windshield wipers, seasonal vendors offering fresh produce or local goods out of the back of a truck at harvest time (corn, apples, cherries, honey, etc.), an awning set up to do windshield repairs on the spot
SOUNDS
Birds chattering, traffic, people talking, the beep of a car door being locked or unlocked with a remote, car doors slamming, vehicles idling, screeching tires as cars turn corners, horns honking, the clacking sound of heels on asphalt, a child’s running footsteps and a parent yelling at her to wait, brakes squealing, a bus beeping as it backs up, the rattle of a shopping cart over the asphalt, music from outdoor speakers attached to a store
SMELLS
Pavement, wet asphalt, food from nearby restaurants, grass, exhaust, rain, cigarette smoke
TASTES
Some settings have no specific tastes associated with them beyond what the character might bring into the scene (chewing gum, mints, lipstick, cigarettes, etc.). For scenes like these, where specific tastes are sparse, it would be best to stick to descriptors from the other four senses.
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
The wind tugging at one’s clothing and hair, the wet pelt of rain, hard concrete underfoot, heat rising from the asphalt making the air unbearably hot to breathe, the shock of moving from a cool car to a hot parking lot (or vice versa), the weight of a cumbersome key ring in one’s hand, juggling many things while crossing the parking lot (a purse, shopping bags, keys), the vibration of a shopping cart handle when pushing it across uneven ground, having to squeeze out of the car to avoid too-close vehicles, the resistant pull of gum that has been stepped in
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Getting into a car accident or having one’s car door dinged
Difficulty finding a spot
Waiting for a spot only to have someone else take it
Forgetting where one’s car is parked
Being hit by a car as it’s backing out
Someone driving the wrong way down the one-way lane
Children running and not paying attention
Being mugged or attacked at night
Road rage
Needing a handicapped spot and finding them occupied by non-handicapped drivers
Drivers texting or talking on the phone and not paying attention
Stepping in gum or a sticky patch of unidentifiable dried liquid
Dropping one’s purchases in the street
Carts that have been left out instead of taken to the designated drop-off spots
Leaving one’s purse or phone in a shopping cart by accident
Having one’s car stolen or vandalized
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Consumers, employees, parents and children, parking lot maintenance workers, police officers, residents (if the parking lot is connected to residential building), seasonal vendors, security guards, teenagers
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
Airport, grocery store, parking garage, shopping mall
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
Parking lots are often overlooked as a potential setting because they’re so ordinary. But they can be very convenient, since they’re found in so many places. People often become less observant in parking lots because they’re intent on one thing: getting to the car or store. This lack of attention means that people are more easily targeted and are less likely to notice private things that may be going down, like clandestine meetings, teenage make-out sessions, abductions, or quiet vandalism, making a parking lot an ideal spot for all kinds of conflict.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
The automatic doors swooshed open, and the heat from the parking lot hit me with a heavy, wet slap. My hair immediately frizzed and I scraped it into a pony, blowing the stinging smell of new tar out of my nose. Heat waves shimmered over the newly paved lot, one that seemed so much bigger in the afternoon heat at the end of my shift. Shoppers were everywhere, pushing their grocery carts to their cars, loading up bags and corralling kids into vans. The loud clash of metal on metal as carts were rammed into the collection wicket clawed at my ears. I picked up speed, thinking of that glorious blast of air conditioning waiting for me in my car, of the soft music ready to flow from the speakers, helping to shut the rest of the world out.
Techniques and Devices Used: Multisensory descriptions, weather
Resulting Effects: Characterization, reinforcing emotion