rose_hart31•1mo agoMost Upvoted

Overheard a couple at the coffee shop talking about a 'haunted' apartment building

They were describing the way the light hit the hallway at 3 PM, making it look like someone was there. It made me realize how a simple detail can build a whole world. What's the best 'small detail' you've used to set a scene?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowan6661mo ago

Yeah, that wet plaster smell really does paint a picture.

uma_lopez1mo ago

Wait, the light at 3 PM? That's the spooky part? Okay, I get using details, but that's just... normal. Sunlight makes long shadows, it happens in every building with a west-facing window. The best small detail I ever heard was from my friend who said her old place always smelled like wet plaster and old roses, no matter what. Now that sets a scene. It's specific and weird and tells you the building is falling apart but someone once tried to make it nice. A time of day is just a time of day.