Whatever The Weather
Over in the UK, September has brought us weather that is reminiscent of Noah's ark-building days. There have been floods galore. The town I grew up in, York, has been especially affected.
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I use this feeling of rain chasing us away home, causing us to look down and inwards, in the first chapter of the novel that I'm writing to create a sense of people apart from the crowds that surround them, caught in their own thoughts, which is a major characteristic of my main character, Steve Haven.
In The Mist, a story by Stephen King, the fog lends a similar quality of being disconnected but in this case, the disconnected are in groups who ultimately turn to each other. The main character David Drayton is trapped in a supermarket with several other people. The fog is mysterious, restrictive and claustrophobic. It is as much a character in the story as the people in the supermarket.
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis, the snow represents the hold of the Snow Queen. Like her, it is cold, numbing and unfeeling.
Setting the mood of a piece of writing by using the device of weather is an old trick and yet it is one that still works well. How do you use the weather in your writing? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
In one of my pieces a storm and lightning increases the intensity of a climax.
ReplyDeleteHugs and chocolate,
Shelly
Brilliant use, Shelly.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny because in my WIP it's not weather but temperature that plays a huge role. It's fun to have weather or even temperature become like a character in itself. :)
ReplyDeleteAnother great element to bring a mood to writing.
ReplyDeleteI used it as a sort of "foil"; as the weather warms up in my WIP, one of the characters grows increasingly cold and bitter.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea, Quanie.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Anything you can do to engage the senses helps to bring people into the story. I use weather, food, sounds ... anything I can. Apparently, I'm skilled at writing food descriptions that cause people to break their diets. I've received many emails and messages to that effect.
ReplyDeleteFood isn't one I've mastered yet but there's always the next book.
ReplyDeleteHello Fi, Interesting! I'm learning about the different ways to use our surroundings to influence writing and the way it's presented.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Monna
I suspect winter will be flooded again here in Ceredigion. I'm planning on getting some waterproof boots for the first time and I've live in Wales for years My writing will be similarly damp for a while.
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