A writing exercise

In a paragraph or two, describe the setting of somewhere you know well using the language and tone of someone who is happy, depressed, puzzled, and scared. Here are happy and depressed. The others will come later. I went back to my living room again.


Happy
I opened my front door and entered the living room, cheeks all aglow. I felt inspired. I glanced around at the room where I had come up with the story idea. It’s a great room, full of color and cheer. In the beginning the idea of so many bright colors had scared me but I’m glad my best friend had talked me into it. At first when I had started to paint the walls bright yellow, I cringed inwardly. But when finished painting, I could almost feel the warmth of the sun and I loved it. Now, I sit down in my big yellow story chair and put my feet up on the multi-colored ottoman with a modernistic design. Matching pillows are scattered throughout the room on all the couches. Here I have spent many happy hours reading to my boys and survey the cheerful room. Directly across from me, contrasting the yellow walls, is an electric blue couch that invites you to jump into the tropical scene that hangs above it. I often imagine myself stepping onto that island to frolic on its beaches. To the right of this couch on the wall perpendicular is a red loveseat that matches the red in the roof of the tropical vacation house in the painting above it. It too, brings back fond memories and aspirations of future sojourns in places just like it. Directly opposite, a treasured table sits under the picture window. Growing up, I spent many hours around this table with my family. On top are displayed my three golden yellow ceramic Koi fish. Looking at them always brings out my good spirits. In the center of the room is my coffee table with its many drawers on the sides and family pictures on top, along with an array of my toddler’s picture books.

Depressed
I open my door a trudge in the front door, dropping my bags near the big chair with its tacky ottoman. What was I thinking when I picked out this furniture grouping? A red couch, a blue couch, and the big yellow chair with its multi-colored ottoman and matching pillows that are thrown around the room. The colors assault my eyes, grating my nerves. I can’t even think about relaxing in a room like this. Under the window is the old dingy table that we used to eat dinner on while I was growing up. Some would call it a family heirloom. I see it for what it is: a poor excuse for an inheritance. On top sit the fish sculptures I bought on clearance at some store at the beach. I liked them then; now they just remind me of how unfulfilled my life feels with their big gaping mouths always hungering for more. In the middle of the room sits a big coffee table filled with small drawers on two sides…great places to hide a bunch of useless crap. My sons love to hide their little treasures in them and then find them again as if they were uncovering some sort of hidden treasure. Sigh. I wish I had a tenth of their enthusiasm. I wasn’t always this cranky and miserable; after all somewhere inside is the person who thought all these colors were tasteful.