Weather and its Effects

The ground outside is currently covered in a blanket of pristine white snow. The light from the streetlights glow and reflect off the surface, bringing an extra brightness to the otherwise dark and moonless night. Christmas lights glitter on the branches of trees, their flickering color magnified by the snow and ice on the branches. This makes me sentimental and comfortable. The only thing missing is a nice blazing fire in a fireplace to sit in front of.I get poetic, reflective, and comfy in this weather.

Rain makes me solemn, and a little happy at the same time. Rain makes me feel cleansed, refreshed, yet it still has that depressing quality. Thunderstorms are my creative peak. The lightning crashes and the thunder booms; I feel it in my bones, and it only serves to boost the speed of my fingers tapping away at the keys. It may not necessarily be inspired writing, but its quick.

Sunny weather has several affects on me. In the springtime the sun makes me comfy warm, its the melting of the snow, the warming of the earth. In the summer its blazes on me, draining me of all energy, and only making me crave water, rather than the keys of my laptop. In the fall, as the weather cools, the sun makes me smile, and want to go walking in the forests. The colors of the changing leaves, the smells of autumn, the crisp yet comfortable cool air; the sun in fall inspires me. Many ideas have come from fall jaunts.

Fog has different effects depending on the structure of it. The fog that sits low to the ground, covering the ground up to your knees, makes me feel uneasy. Its a spooky feeling, and brings about flights of fancy in me. My ghosts and demons form in this weather, only to come to complete fruition on the screen as I type. The thin, all over fog, makes me think of mysteries and puzzles. I want to look around every corner, waiting for that mysterious stranger who wants to take me on some espionage trip, or some other grand adventure. Thick fog is where true horror lies. The fog where it is difficult to see past the hood of your car, or past your outstretched hand. I feel claustrophobic in that fog, cut off from society. My anxiety kicks in and I imagine all sorts of torture awaiting me the next few steps. Thick fog is the realm of serial killers and deformed redneck cannibals.

Blizzards make me feel trapped, tornadoes make me want to run and hide.

The point to all this is that every form of weather has a double edge to it. Weather inspires or drains a writer. It can also affect your characters, as well as your readers. One of the biggest influences on the feel of a scene is the environment around the characters. There is a reason that horror movies are normally set at night, or in foggy or dark places, and there is a reason many desperate battles are fought in the drenching rain. Each genre has its own cliches, but they are cliches because they just seem to work.

No, I’m not telling you to stick to the mold, I am just saying that there is a reason for the cliches. You may want to use them, or you may want to break them. I, personally, love to keep my reader guessing. I love mismatching the truly emotional scenes with their environments. Use the weather to the highest advantage that you can. Flavor your dialogue with it. “In the rain? But my hair will get all wet!” OK, so maybe not that obvious, but you can get the point there. The weather can give clues toward intention as well. The sun was rising behind them when the general launched their attack. Again, you have the idea. You can gather from that one sentence that the general wants to blind his enemy, giving him an advantage. Look at all the words you lose with the simple mentioning of the sunrise!

I’m going to go cuddle up with a good book and lull myself to sleep. Its cold outside, the snow has fallen, and I grow weary. I’m going to cuddle up in my fluffiest blanket and curl up for the night. My dreams? They’ll be filled with the comfort of my demons torturing me; and, perhaps, Santa Claus trying to cut my husband in half again. (Don’t ask.)

Happy writing!