How To Avoid White Room Syndrome

How to avoid White Room Syndrome

by Writerthreads on Instagram

A common problem writers face is "white room syndrome"—when scenes feel like they’re happening in an empty white room. To avoid this, it's important to describe settings in a way that makes them feel real and alive, without overloading readers with too much detail. Here are a few tips below to help!

Focus on a few key details

You don’t need to describe everything in the scene—just pick a couple of specific, memorable details to bring the setting to life. Maybe it’s the creaky floorboards in an old house, the musty smell of a forgotten attic, or the soft hum of a refrigerator in a small kitchen. These little details help anchor the scene and give readers something to picture, without dragging the action with heaps of descriptions.

Engage the senses

Instead of just focusing on what characters can see, try to incorporate all five senses—what do they hear, smell, feel, or even taste? Describe the smell of fresh bread from a nearby bakery, or the damp chill of a foggy morning. This adds a lot of depth and make the location feel more real and imaginable.

Mix descriptions with actions

Have characters interact with the environment. How do your characters move through the space? Are they brushing their hands over a dusty bookshelf, shuffling through fallen leaves, or squeezing through a crowded subway car? Instead of dumping a paragraph of description, mix it in with the action or dialogue.

Use the setting to reflect a mood or theme

Sometimes, the setting can do more than just provide a backdrop—it can reinforce the mood of a scene or even reflect a theme in the story. A stormy night might enhance tension, while a warm, sunny day might highlight a moment of peace. The environment can add an extra layer to what’s happening symbolically.

Here's an example of writing a description that hopefully feels alive and realistic, without dragging the action:

The bookstore was tucked between two brick buildings, its faded sign creaking with every gust of wind. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of worn paper and dust, mingling with the faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee from a corner café down the street. The wooden floorboards groaned as Ella wandered between the shelves, her fingertips brushing the spines of forgotten novels. Somewhere in the back, the soft sound of jazz crackled from an ancient radio.

Hope these tips help in your writing!

Creepy things to add to settings

Just to make things a bit more interesting

—Water stains from flooding

—Withered down machinery resulting from weather

—Torn fabric caught on spikes

—Attempting to find a hiding spot, only to turn around and find the skeleton of the last person who tried to hide there

—Expecting to see spiders and other bugs, only for them all to scurry away as a new presence enters the room

—Fog slithering in through holes in the walls or open windows

—Stepping on the dead, crunchy leaves of plants that started growing inside

—The characters knowing the floorboards will creak, so they try really hard to keep quiet as they travel. Make them all freeze when they hear something else coming at them and decide if they should stand still to keep from attracting any more attention or if they run for their lives

—The wallpaper and paintings on the wall torn off and scattered against the floor, leaving the walls barren and lifeless

it’s all about how you describe it! Find things that get under people’s skin (bugs, snakes, certain sounds, etc) and connect them to whatever you’re trying to make creepy

“Masterlist !!”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

jjk smau’s !! —

╰┈➤ When you make a typo !!

╰┈➤ When you / he sleeps on the couch !!

╰┈➤ When you accidentally confess !!

╰┈➤ When you call him “bro” !!

╰┈➤ When he’s jealous !!

╰┈➤ When you’re jealous !!

╰┈➤ When he asks for a quickie at a party !!

╰┈➤ When you break the sex ban !!

╰┈➤ When he buys you flowers !!

╰┈➤ When you ask for hickeys !!

╰┈➤ When you fight !!

╰┈➤ When you fight pt. 2 !!

╰┈➤ When you make up !!

╰┈➤ When you make up pt. 2 !!

╰┈➤ When you accidentally eat an aphrodisiac !!

╰┈➤ When you don’t say “I love you” !!

╰┈➤ When you text “we need to talk” !!

╰┈➤ When you find an embarrassing picture !!

╰┈➤ When he gets hit on !!

╰┈➤ When he sees you with another man !!

╰┈➤ When he wants attention !!

╰┈➤ When you decline his kiss !!

╰┈➤ When you’re insecure about your body !!

╰┈➤ When you’re away and he misses you !!

╰┈➤ When you laugh off an injury !!

╰┈➤ When you slip up and call yourself his wife !!

╰┈➤ When you ask for a kiss !!

╰┈➤ When he’s clingy !!

╰┈➤ When you two gossip !!

╰┈➤ When you smell like another man !!

╰┈➤ When you go to the beach !!

╰┈➤ When he learns his contact name !!

╰┈➤ When a secret admirer sends you flowers !!

╰┈➤ When you say “I love you” first !!

╰┈➤ When you cheat !!

╰┈➤ When you become special grade !!

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆ .　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Be sure to enjoy your stay my dear! — cherry !!

Writing References: Character Development

50 Questions ⚜ "Well-Rounded Character" Worksheet

Basics: How to Write a Character ⚜ A Story-Worthy Hero

Basics: Character-Building ⚜ Character Creation

Key Characters ⚜ Literary Characters ⚜ Morally Grey Characters

Personality Traits

5 Personality Traits (OCEAN) ⚜ 16 Personality Traits (16PF)

600+ Personality Traits

East vs. West Personalities ⚜ Trait Theories

Tips/Editing

Character Issues

Character Tropes for Inspiration

Tips from Rick Riordan

Writing Notes

Allegorical Characters

Binge ED

Childhood Bilingualism ⚜ Children's Dialogue ⚜ On Children

Culture ⚜ Culture: Two Views ⚜ Culture Shock

Emotional Intelligence ⚜ Genius (Giftedness)

Emotions ⚜ Anger ⚜ Fear ⚜ Happiness ⚜ Sadness

Facial Expressions

Fantasy Creatures

Happy/Excited Body Language ⚜ Laughter & Humor

Hate ⚜ Love

Health ⚜ Frameworks of Health

Identifying Character Descriptions

Jargon ⚜ Logical Fallacies ⚜ Memory

Mutism ⚜ Shyness

Parenting Styles

Psychological Reactions to Unfair Behavior

Rhetoric ⚜ The Rhetorical Triangle

Swearing & Taboo Expressions

Thinking ⚜ Thinking Styles ⚜ Thought Distortions

Uncommon Words: Body ⚜ Emotions

Voice & Accent

Writing References: Plot ⚜ World-building

Writing Trust Issues Tension

One keeps asking, “Are you sure?” and “What about…?” because they just can’t believe the other person.

Every little thing the other person says or does is met with suspicion, like, “Why are you really doing this?”

They start to open up, then stop, because they’re not sure if they can trust the other person yet.

One keeps asking for reassurance, like, “You wouldn’t lie to me, right?” but it’s clear they’re not convinced.

A tiny mistake or secret gets blown way out of proportion because the trust was already shaky.

the parent trap — levi ackerman x female reader — masterlist

people say that if one is fated to another, they would always reconnect no matter what lies between them. whether it be seas, a misunderstanding, parents who chose to go on different paths, or an unfortunate betrothal — they are merely obstacles that the pairing should tackle before finally having that happily ever after fairy tales depict for star-crossed soulmates. it's this belief that sparks hope for four hearts, all of which experience loneliness despite having the company of other people. thus, the conversations with the moon. years of talking to the ever-silver ruler of the night are not enough for four people who all wished for the same thing — to finally be in the arms of their other halves across the seas.

telling the moon their woes, two children thought they can solve their problem by switching places, determined to reunite their little family no matter what problems are thrown at them.

this is a story of two boys who discovered that they are connected in more ways than they expected.

contents:

part one ; two boys discovered that they are connected in more ways than they expected.

part two ; altair came home, only to find a thorn wedged in his little family.

part three ; caelum was too excited coming back home to london but found out that there was someone ruining their plan with their advances.

part four ; after assuming that everything was starting to shift further away from the plan, the people in the ackerman estate found out the identity of the boy mirroring the twin they know so well.

part five ; hours before caelum’s identity was revealed, altair was already found out by the one person he least expected would casually say his name, and the day just keeps getting worse from there.

part six ; it’s the most-awaited day of the meet-up, with levi thinking that meeting you will be just like what he imagined. when desperate times call for desperate measures, the two sides meet (minus you and hange) and added new agendas for the plan, and altair took it upon himself to save the day with another genius plot of his. here we go again.

part seven ; you four are together again.

part eight ; while levi is wooing you on your date, the twins find out that coincidences are laid out like playing cards in a game of poker when they followed lucas around california.

part nine ; it’s the camping trip but there’s a little change of plans, leaving you to stay in the house you once called your home.

part ten ; the last chapter before the epilogue. even though it’s quite unexpected but both levi and altair received quite a welcome from your family.

epilogue

bonus:

one-shots

on impulse

i wanna spend some time with you

somewhere (canonverse)

pleasant surprise (canonverse)

courtesy of the ackerman line (canonverse)

that's enough candy for the day (an au where it's the four of you since the beginning)

headcanons

reader and levi's past in university

altair ackerman headcanons

caelum ackerman headcanons

the twins making levi wear something of their choice

the twins giving a talk to their sister's prom date

hcs of al and cae with their little sister

tpt reader and the twins in s4

fanart:

the twins

the twins with levi

the twins with their little sister