SIGHTS
A coffee table covered with glossy magazines and travel books, cardboard holders with pamphlets covering topics that might interest the clientele, posters on the walls, framed artwork, advertisements for services or temporary specials, a water cooler on a stand, a receptionist’s desk, a sign-in sheet, clipboards with paperwork to be filled out, empty forms, a jar of pens, a machine dispensing numbers and an LED wall readout (if the business caters to walk-ins), rows of thin-padded seats, a toy corner for children (containing blocks, books, a coloring table, trucks, etc.), professionals in uniform (nurses in scrubs, bankers in suits), a business card holder with employees’ cards, people waiting (checking cell phones, watching TV, reading a magazine or book, bouncing a baby, wrangling children, staring into space), a wall-mounted TV tuned to a news network or soap opera, boxes of tissues on the tables, signs pointing to the restroom, a sign reminding people to take their valuables with them, fake plants in the corners or on an end table, a wastebasket, a complimentary coffee machine, a door and hallway leading to individual rooms
SOUNDS
Magazine pages being carefully turned, people clicking keys on their cell phones, sounds from a gaming device, low whispers, coughing, throat clearing, heavy breathing, the rustle of clothing, the office phone ringing or beeping, doors opening and closing, the receptionist calling out a name, staplers banging, cell phone ringtones going off, the scratch of a pen as a visitor fills out forms, complaints about the long wait, creaking chairs, heels clicking across the floor, a printer or fax machine spitting out paper, children asking questions or expressing boredom, the hiss of air conditioning or heat, a glass partition sliding open when the receptionist is ready to see the next visitor, TV sounds or piped-in music, chairs creaking and scraping on the floor, the staff discussing work or laughing in the break room
SMELLS
Cologne, perfume, dust, room deodorizers, cleaning products, hand sanitizer, a bouquet of flowers sitting at the reception desk, old carpet
TASTES
Water, candy, cough drops, medicine, gum, mints, complimentary coffee
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
A dry throat, crossing and uncrossing one’s legs, padded seat cushions against the back of one’s legs, shifting to get comfortable, a pen gripped in one’s hand, shaking a pen to get it to release ink, the dry feel of paperwork, warm paper fresh from the copy machine, a crinkly candy wrapper, rolling the neck to loosen a kink, bumping elbows with the person sitting in the next seat, heels tapping the metal chair legs, being nudged by purses or bags as someone walks past one’s chair in a tight space, running one’s hands impatiently through the hair, a cold brass door handle, shoes that scuff against the carpet or tile floor, nervous jitters in the belly as one waits to be called, checking one’s phone for the time or to surf the internet, the slipperiness of glossy magazines, gooseflesh if the air is uncomfortably cold, a warm cup of coffee in one’s hand
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
A long wait time
Showing up only to discover that there is no record of one’s appointment
An uncomfortably hot or cold waiting room
Kids running riot
Having nothing to do while one is waiting
Anticipating an unpleasant experience and taking one’s frustrations out on others in the waiting room
Having to wait with someone who is annoyingly talkative or nosy
Rude or inept receptionists
Guests gaining entry out of the order in which they arrived
Another guest talking loudly on a cell phone
Not being able to keep one’s appointment (due to an insurance or payment glitch, lost paperwork, or broken equipment that requires one to reschedule)
Waiting a long time and having to reschedule when the person one needs to see is called out on an emergency
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Couriers, delivery men and women, friends or family members who have come for moral support, receptionists and other office staff, visitors (clients, patients, customers, etc.)
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
Rural Volume: Principal’s office
Urban Volume: Bank, emergency room, hair salon, police station, therapist’s office
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
Waiting rooms vary according to type but most are fairly standard. The level of expense in a waiting room is often an indicator of the quality of the provider. But what if the quality of the waiting room meant something else entirely? A shabby doctor’s office waiting room might not indicate a shabby physician; it might be the sign of a medical professional who invests every possible penny into the welfare of his patients. On the other hand, an impressive waiting room at a law office may be the result of a talented interior decorator rather than a top-notch lawyer. Subtext can be just as useful for settings as it is for dialogue. Use it as a way to mix things up and say something extra about your characters.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
While Mother was in with the doctor, I selected a magazine from the wall rack near reception but quickly found I couldn’t concentrate. Who could in a place like this? I flipped pages to give my hands something to do, snatching glances at other patients occupying the blue plastic chairs. The woman with the headscarf and the man with the ball cap pulled low—it was obvious why they were waiting to see this particular doctor. Other patients broke my heart though, like the little girl whose hands were clenched around a glossy picture book, the cover unopened, and the teenage boy who looked lost and vulnerable in clothes that billowed around his shrunken body. I blinked back tears. Cancer had a lot to answer for.
Techniques and Devices Used: Symbolism
Resulting Effects: Characterization, reinforcing emotion