How to Write a Scene

Maybe your characters spend a lot of time in one room, or one specific place needs fleshing out for the sake of the plot. Here are some questions to consider while creating your room to help readers visualize where they are. 

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1. What kind of room is it? Classroom, bathroom, library, greenhouse, elevator?

2. How big is the room? How does it compare to a bathroom, a hotel room, or the first floor of a building?

3. Where is the door?

4. When you walk in the door, how close is the wall on your left? On your right? How high is the ceiling?

5. What color are the walls? Is there anything hanging on them, or written on them? How do these set the mood of the room?

6. What is the floor made of? Wood, carpet, tile, soil?

7. Is the room in good condition? How often would your character assume it is cleaned up?

8. Is there air conditioning/heating? If so, where are the vents? Is the air humid, dry, or the perfect density?

9. What kind of lighting is there, if any?

10. Are there any windows? What does the view look like?

11. Is there a certain smell associated with the room? A certain aura it gives off? How does the room affect your character?

12. Would someone be able to guess what happens in the room based on how it looks? Should they be able to? How does this affect the plot?

13. What furniture is in the room? Where is each piece of furniture relative to the walls, floor, ceiling, and each other?

14. What is the first thing someone would notice about the room?