SIGHTS
Shoulder-high bookshelves on the floor and walls, round tables holding books on display, corner and end displays holding popular books, posters displaying bestselling book covers or announcing an author signing event, signs for different book categories, ads for store loyalty cards, an author at a table doing a book signing, an in-store coffeehouse with tables and chairs, a collection of reading chairs and couches, windows letting light in, colorful book spines, novelty gifts (cards, mini-books, bookmarks, CDs, DVDs, chocolates, pens, candy, seasonal gift items), a massive wall displaying bestsellers with discount stickers, employees at a front desk ringing up purchases for customers, computers and registers, a colorful children’s section filled with novelty books, a selection of board games and puzzles and plush toys, a section devoted to staff picks, gift cards on a turnstile, calendars, storefront displays, magazine racks, customers (scanning shelves, standing in line to pay, tugging a book off the shelf to read the back or fan the pages, standing still with heads bent as they read an opening page, relaxing in cushioned reading chairs, wandering the aisles, stalking the discount tables, sitting at a table enjoying a coffee and a scone), a pair of teens sharing a magazine and discussing the contents, a lone reader sitting on the floor with her back to a shelf, employees aiding customers and making reading recommendations
SOUNDS
Customers (talking, murmuring, asking employees questions), the crisp ruffle of pages being turned or fanned, the slick slide of magazine pages, coffeehouse noises (blending, grinding, foaming, gurgling, tapping, steaming), people blowing on or slurping coffee, the low-level musical spillover from a book-browser’s earbuds, shoes clicking or tapping against the floor, the click of keys on a keyboard as someone writes or studies, scanner beeps, till tape spitting out, the slide of a bank card, slapping another book onto one’s pile, the sigh of regret as one puts a book back on the shelf, an excited intake of breath at finding exactly the right book, easy-listening music playing from store speakers, knees cracking when one rises after sitting or squatting too long, cardboard boxes being cut open as an employee stocks the shelves, kids’ voices coming from the children’s section
SMELLS
The dry scent of paper and cardboard, coffee and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa) from an internal coffee bar, old carpet, hair products, cologne or perfume, magazine ink, the ozone-like tang of air conditioning, outdoor scents drifting through an open door (grass, cigarette smoke, car exhaust), pine shelving, cleaning products (lemon, ammonia, pine)
TASTES
Hot coffee or tea sipped from a cardboard to-go cup, fruit or coffee smoothies sucked through a straw, nibbling on a treat (giant cookie, muffin, scone, roll, or biscotti) while paging through a book, sugary icing, water, gum, mints, cinnamon-flavored foam from a specialty coffee
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
A leathery or paper book spine, tugging the top of the book spine to pull it off the shelf, squatting to read titles on a low shelf, sinking into a soft reading chair, paging through a book or magazine, running fingers over the raised bumps on a book cover, tilting the book to see a hologram or iridescent image on the cover, juggling a stack of books, a heavy basket of books digging into one’s arm, bumping into or squeezing past another customer to get to a shelf, breaking off tidbits of a treat and popping them into one’s mouth, a coffee cup warming one’s hand, a paper napkin used to wipe one’s lips, brushing crumbs from a table and into an empty bag, reaching for one’s wallet to pay
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Impatient or demanding customers
Running out of a popular book
Accidentally spilling one’s drink in the store
A needy or entitled author at a book signing
Being short-staffed during the holidays
Customers who don’t pick up on the subtle hints that the store is now closed
Catching a shoplifter
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Authors signing books, book reps, customers, delivery people, janitorial staff (if the store has hired a service to maintain the store rather than its own employees), store management and employees
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
Chain bookstores will have a very similar look and feel. On the other hand, indie stores will be typically smaller but have details that add more personality, such as a store cat, a display of steampunk devices, or a collection of healing crystals, Celtic symbols, and incense. These are examples of how the owner might fill the store with personalized items to give it a specific feel. Think about the type of vibe you're going for and how symbolism in the store's décor could bring about a specific mood or feeling for scenes in this location.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
With the excitement of a six-year-old discovering one last present under the Christmas tree, I scampered over to the empty armchair in the reading nook and sunk into its soft, plush folds. Across from me, an elderly woman glanced over the cover of a shockingly steamy romance novel and took in my bulging bookstore bag. She nudged her own, nestled at the foot of her chair, and we shared a secret smile. After settling in, I took a sip of my London Fog and pulled out my newest purchase, a gothic mystery. I peeled back the cover and inhaled its dusty scent before losing myself in the pages.
Techniques and Devices Used: Contrast, multisensory descriptions
Resulting Effects: Characterization, establishing mood, reinforcing emotion