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Setting Thesaurus Entry: Medieval Markets

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Sight

Cramped wooden stalls, sweaty vendors, bright fabric roofing or simple framing to hang merchandise from, wares laid out on cloth or leaves (food, vegetables, jewelry, weaponry, books, bright bolts of cloth and silk, spices, fruit, alcohol/ale, clothing & shoes, elixirs &…

Sounds

Haggling, bartering, sellers hawking wares, people calling out to friends, laughter, animals braying/barking/clucking, creaking wagons as they pass, the clop of horses’ hooves, mugs hitting the tabletop, people calling for service in eating areas or outdoor drinking…

Smells

Spices, grilling meats, yeast from baked bread, sweat, rot from alleyway middens, dust, char, smoke, over-ripe fruit, manure, oils, leather, perfume, ale

Tastes

Ale, beer/wine, fresh juices, spicy meats, bread & rolls, sweet rolls, candied fruit, roasted nuts, kabobs

Touch

Cobbles underfoot, stepping to avoid refuse, manure or muddy patches, tripping on loose clay, stroking fabric for quality, testing buckles, ties and straps for durability, hefting the weight of something (a knife blade, pot, etc), fingering a handful of coin as you decide…

Helpful hints:

–The words you choose can convey atmosphere and mood.

Example 1: Whenever possible, Marcel would fetch water early, crossing Market Square at dawn as the vendors arrived to set up their booths. The sunlight fell gentle on his shoulders and the air still held that crisp, dewy smell. Sometimes he would linger a moment or two, admiring bead work on a festival shirt or the sheen of a dagger’s blade, dreaming of the day that he could afford such things…

–Similes and metaphors create strong imagery when used sparingly.

Example 1: (Simile) Inside the ring of brightly decorated booths, villagers packed the grassy common like a corral of sheep waiting to be fleeced…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Raisa says

    dont want to sound annoying but i have a request……your setting thesaurus is SUPERB so i was wondering if you could write one entry on the REGENCY ERA….PLEEEEEAAAASSSEEE….

  2. Medeia Sharif says

    I’m fascinated with medieval times. But listening to teachers and professors when I was younger, I began to think of it as a smelly, unwashed era.

  13. Jeff King says

    Since I write medieval fantasy, your examples hit home. I love visiting your blog; I always learn something vital, something that makes my writing stronger.

    Your writing examples are strong and easy to understand, and that helps me put them into practice.

    Thx for all you do…