Marketing for Romance Writers Magazine October, 2023, Volume # 6, Issue # 10 | Page 14

WORLD-BUILDING : LET ’ S DIG A LITTLE DEEPER By : Barbara Donlon Bradley

WORLD-BUILDING : LET ’ S DIG A LITTLE DEEPER By : Barbara Donlon Bradley

To continue with my worldbuilding let ' s work a little more on the shop since it will be where a lot of scenes will happen . I did describe the bakery a little when I wrote the opening scene last month so I know she has one of those glass displays against the front window where her patrons could see what she had baked from the sidewalk . Now I need to describe the inside of the shop to help flesh out the room .
My thoughts are she has a chalkboard on the wall behind her counter where she writes her daily specials and another more permanent sign with the list of her regular pastries . That second sign is chalkboard as well . She has one of those old-fashioned registers but it ’ s
there more for looks . The counter was long enough to have two people behind it so when the shop got busy there was room for one to put the pastries in boxes while the other could take the money . The walls are a light turquoise color . Maybeth picked it out because it reminded her of frosting . The counter is black granite .
The kitchen is in the back , with several racks for Maybeth ’ s rising dough as well as her baked items as they cool . They can be seen through the doorway if a patron stands in just the right place . Wonderful scents of decadent desserts fill the air drawing people in . Once inside they have a choice of ordering everything to go or to sit at one of the two tables to enjoy their pastry .
Okay so now I can see the bakery . It ’ s still a little vague but as I write I ’ ll flesh it out more as I need to .
Time for another scene . This will help me pull my plot together .
Brian sat at one of the two small tables nursing a cup of coffee . He couldn ’ t handle his mom and her sad eyes anymore . Not knowing what he should do with his life made it worse . His mom kept trying to help . Something he didn ’ t need .
“ Maybeth , Mrs . Brock is coming for her weekly pastries . You need to ask her to pay her tab ,” Maybeth ’ s assistant said .
“ I know . If she could just pay half it would really help right now .”
Brian tried not to eavesdrop but the place was too small for him to ignore them . He remembered Mrs . Brock . She used to chase him and Maybeth out of her yard when she caught them climbing in her tree .
“ Maybeth ! Everything smells delicious as usual . Do you have my pastries ?”
Continued on Page 15
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