First of all, I wanted to mention that Cleo’s interesting discussion on genre blending continued far into the comments section yesterday. She made some fascinating points about transitioning into a mainstream author if you’re starting out as a genre writer. And why is some genre fiction published as mainstream fiction (for example, Janet Evanovich)? Find out in the comments: Genre Blending and Your Character’s Love Life.
I have a feeling I’m not going to inspire pity in many of you when I say that it’s snowing here in Matthews, North Carolina. And we might even get five inches, y’all!
Snow here means an obligatory run to the store for bread and milk. My father says Southerners act like we’re preparing for the Siege of Leningrad when we get snow. I did make the pilgrimage to the store…but mainly because I was actually out of bread and milk and knew the shelves would be bare by 10 a.m. once news of the approaching snow leaked out.
Weather has just never been a focal point of my stories before. It’s always been a complement to the plot—I’m fond of hot, sticky, graveside funeral services in my books. Lots of people dressed up and sweating profusely, full of discomfort from the heat and humidity (and possibly because they murdered the dear deceased.)
This may have to change. Lately, I’ve felt assaulted by the weather. It hasn’t stayed in the background like it usually does. It’s been sassily sticking its tongue out at me. It’s making me pay attention.
So I’m mulling over my possibilities.
Weather could…
Cut people off from other people. Leave them stranded. This might be a good way to create some conflict. If you are stranded with people? They might get on your nerves.
Cause accidents and health issues (heat stroke and heat exhaustion occur here in the South.)
Change plans. The weather could provide an avenue for changing the course of a story—a canceled flight. An impassable roadway.
Affect pace. Wonder why people in the American South move and talk so slowly? It’s the heat and humidity. It’s honestly even hard to think down here when things really get heated up. Life moves at a slower pace.
Create power outages. Which can be a real bummer. I can think of all kinds of problems power outages could trigger. For my fellow crime writers, blackouts could create the right opportunity for a murder or other crime.
Affect characters’ moods. Too much rain can make you down. Heat spells can result in fights breaking out and tempers flaring.
Be symbolic. Well, we’ve all seen the huge storm that symbolizes a character’s inner turmoil. But there are ways to turn trite symbols on their heads. Maybe the weather is determinedly sunny—like the character determined to plaster a smile on his face during his personal tragedy.
Does weather play a major role in your books, or is it relegated to the background as it normally is in mine?
Elizabeth – I thoroughly enjoyed Cleo’s guest post, and I appreciate that you invited her. About weather? Oh, yeah, weather plays a role in my novels. In one of them, it helps to create a murder weapon. Even when it doesn’t play that major a role, weather is a part of life, and it’s a part of my characters’ lives. So I do mention it and integrate it. And yeah, maybe I won’t mention the weather we’re having where I live…
Enjoy the snow! Be careful, there may be a layer of ice underneath and whoops! you might slip and break something. Myrtle would have a hard time with snow, using her cane, I’d think. :)
Weather certainly affects mood. I’m fidgeting and color deprived…but we’ve had tons of snow here in the last two weeks, so the novelty has worn off. Don’t forget to make snow angels with the kiddos!
Weather does inspire our moods…ok my moods. So weather could impact where a body is buried, if it stays buried, evidence disappearing or the ability to escape in a story.
I’m trying to find a measure of pity for you…but it’s not coming. :)
P.S. Splits can occur if you don’t pay attention to where you are stepping. I’m just saying….
I love the idea that weather can cause people to be stranded together. That’s a great idea I’m taking into my novel rewrite. Thanks for the inspiration!
Weather comes into play in my writing when I am impacted by weather. I don’t make it stormy because a character is angry, that’s been so done. Right?
Weather has played a major role in my life this week. My hubby got stuck in Charlotte, NC because his flight to Dallas was delayed because of snow there. His sister lost power in Paris, Texas. Yup, weather certainly can and should play a role in novels. If I ever get around to writing again, I’ll remember this.
Karen
The manuscript I’m querying is set at the south Texas coast in the summer where thunderstorms move in from the Gulf on many afternoons. My protagonist gets caught in one, and so does her stalker. He has a much more difficult time with it.
Well, believe it or not, a blizzard plays a pivotal role in DIAMONDS. But after all the snow we’ve gotten this year, I never want to see the stuff, or write about it, ever again!!!
Elizabeth, I love your description of the grave-side scenes! I like weather in books, particularly when it’s unusual or foreboding. Anyone ever read the short story by Sinclair Ross, “The Painted Door”? In that story the weather is the fourth character, and a villainous character, at that.
Weather doesn’t often play a role in my writing – but every once in a while it surprises me by clamouring for a more important role!
I used a Colorado blizzard in my current manuscript to stop my characters in their tracks for a few hours. Wrote those scenes while we were getting a big snow…
Another time I want to write a tale about people trapped in a Florida storm shelter during a hurricane. Since I’ve been in those shelters a couple of times, I have a lot of great ideas for creepy happenings.
Weather definitely comes into mine. It makes me melancholy to the extreme, which I think is good for writing, except when I get so deep into it, I don’t get out of the house for day. Then, not so good.
Great blog!
Great ideas to use the weather. I sometimes do. But I don´t ´recommend combining a heatwave with a crime wave – that has been done quite often, perhaps especially in British fiction.
Weather plays a role in my novels very much so, depending on the day depends on my mood, and how I want to write, the more it rains the scarier and creepier I can incorporate into my books, if it’s sunny I tend to be more cheery!
Right now, weather doesn’t play much a roll other than on the moods of my characters (ie. depressed because of constant rain) but I would like to incorporate weather more into my stories.
Reading your book yesterday, I saw you opened up in a hot sticky climate. I felt the heat, even in the cold.
ann
Mine’s set in space, so weather really wasn’t a factor. Guess I could’ve had a meteor storm, but it really wouldn’t have added to the story.
Hey, there, E! I just wanted to thank you again for the opportunity to shoot my mouth off yesterday and chat with some of you wonderfully talented followers.
I also want to say for the record how amazing I think you are. Answering comments is such a challenge — and I only did it for one day! You do it every day here, and I take my authorial hat off to you for your wit, energy, and generosity of spirit.
As for weather, I am always appreciative of sequences in novels when the author takes the time to describe the weather. We’ve all heard about using the five senses to bring readers into the scene. I agree with you — weather is a great opportunity to do this.
Stay warm,
~Cleo (in snow-covered NYC – and you know what they say about New York snow. Eesh.)
Great examples of using weather in a creative way, rather than just for scene setting.
We got over five inches of snow here!
I don’t use weather often enough, although I did rely on it in Book IV of my series. (NM gets snow and ice often.) But the rest of the books should’ve have a few more weather-related scenes such as thunderstorms.
Margot–And a very creative murder weapon! I know in CA that you’ve usually got pretty nice weather, haven’t you? We *usually* do, too. This has been the craziest winter either. When I got my nearly $300 gas bill for last month I just couldn’t believe it…
Elizabeth–I’m with you on the cliches. Much better to go off in a fresh direction with the weather symbolism.
Stacy–My son made snow angels this morning! My daughter is kind of “over” the snow (as if we’ve had that much of it!) I think Myrtle would be really frustrated by icy conditions since she’d be trapped in, basically. Hmm. Poor Myrtle. She may have some icy adventures coming up soon.
Teresa–Good point! Bodies that were *supposed* to stay hidden can be revealed. Could be good for cold cases, too.
I’m selling Girl Scout cookies with my daughter this afternoon! Hope I won’t do any splits. :)
JD–There does come a point when we need to go out, definitely (and I’m a person to likes to stay in.) Whenever I go out, though, I get great character development ideas, setting details, imagery, etc.
Christi–I can think of lots of people I wouldn’t want to be stranded with! Great idea for conflict.
Jen–So it can even have an affect on your writing mood!
Karen–I think the flights in Charlotte are STILL delayed! Crazy weather…
Carol–Ooh! I like the idea of the stalker and the protagonist and the storm. Sounds very exciting!
Ann–Summer scenes are easy to write…from personal experience with neverending summers! I’m interested in doing a winter setting, though.
Alex–Cool! No, I guess weather wouldn’t be a factor there.
Alan–Tell me about it! The craziest winter…
Bobbi–I HAVE read that story and enjoyed it–but read it ages ago. I’ll look it up online…thanks for the tip!
Cleo–We all loved having you shoot your mouth off! It’s a fascinating subject and you know it really well, so it was a treat, believe me.
I have such a great time with everybody here on my blog and have made a lot of friends. The comments always make me think!
Good point about weather providing an opportunity to write using all the senses!
Hope y’all get a break from the snow! Guess you’ve maybe gotten more than 5 inches? :)
I know what you mean! I have seen more snow this year. I haven’t seen this much since 1993! We received 4″ here at my house yesterday, Birmingham, Alabama! Of course, it’s just about all melted! I’m kinda tired of snow!
You know this article brings up a good point – well several, around this issue. I’ve read books shere weather played major roles in the plot elements, but really haven’t incorporated that aspect much into my own books. It could be used with a great deal of power. Thanks for this feature!
Marvin D Wilson
I think perhaps weather, especially for those living in the South where it doesn’t seem to change much except for hot-to-hotter, it tends to not come into play in our books. If a book is set in Texas, for example, it’s gonna be hot, then the next day, hot, then the …. except when the author wants to throw in something like a thunderstorm for some reason.
Helen
Straight From Hel
Livia–Thanks!
Diane–That’s crazy! Well, it seems to be melted here now…hope it’s the same for you. I like the idea of stormy scenes in novels.
Jemi–It’s not something I think a lot about either, until the weather gets right in my face–like it is now!
Marvin–I think you’re right. Weather plays a big role in many books and movies, too. I think of “The Shining” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”
Helen–You’re so right! It’s not very interesting weather (except for, maybe, the last year.) Usually there’s a drought. And it’s hot. And dry. And humid. Not much change in the summer except for days where you feel you CAN breathe outside and days when you feel like there’s so much humidity that it’s stifling.
I’m trying to think about my various books in their various states in terms of weather. Definitely my first one – it starts out with a weather induced thought (the lack of spring in Nova Scotia) and it arises in the protagonist’s trip to Ireland and the amazing sweeping squalls they have there. It arises in True because there is a lot of landscape – here in Nova Scotia, the Canadian Rockies and the foothills so weather comes into it. The Rock Walker talks more about land and seascape than weather per se AND I really pay attention to the phases of the moon in that one which is fun. It is fun to research what the weather was like in the time I’m talking about in the two mysteries so yep, I guess weather is important. Here in Nova Scotia we say ‘if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute!’ and when I get my series up to when we had Hurricaine Juan here in Nova Scotia – I totally intend to make that a major part of the plot.
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Jan–I just think you live in a gorgeous place and any bit of setting and weather you work in is going to make it richer because it’s exotic to someone like me.
I’m starting to think we need to adopt that saying down here, too! And our weather isn’t usually that dynamic this time of year. It’s ordinarily in the 50s. I’ve dug out old wool sweaters that I haven’t worn in years.
Patricia–I love the idea of immobilizing characters that way. And a hurricane shelter would really make an interesting setting, too.
Dorte–VERY good point…that’s definitely cliched. Actually, I think it’s cliched because it’s what happens! When we have a heat wave here, people seem to get agitated and the murder rate goes up. Honestly, I don’t know where they get the energy.
Judy–My husband’s family lives in Birmingham (we lived there 7 years, too.) I remember how RARE snow was! This is just bizarre…
Anon–Well…good! Hope it helped.
This is one of the most original takes on the recent weather woes…how to incorporate it into a novel! You are creative!
I just want to say that I’m currently pouting, here in Evergreen, Colorado, we haven’t had snow to speak of since earlier this week when it did snow but the very next day it was so sunny it all melted! This Florida girl wants a blizzard!
I do have a novel outlined and portions written where the main focus is the weather — it’s almost a character in a way. I’ve been doodling with this novel for about 35 years. One day I really need to sit down with it and see it through.
Lee