I left Mississippi a day early. I thought I could get ahead of the approaching monster storm, but instead I found myself driving through Alabama between tornadoes. I knew the road well; my book tours had taken me along this route at least twice a year. But the road became unrecognizable as the sky turned black in the middle of the day and the rain pelted my windows in a sideways stream that screamed of the high and dangerous winds. The light poles that had illuminated the Interstate on past trips now collapsed like wet spaghetti, their warped bodies turning the right lane into an obstacle course.
My desperation propelled me forward, just like the characters in my books. I knew if I stopped, the next tornado approaching from behind would find me there, alone and vulnerable along the highway. My only hope was to drive faster than it was travelling, to come out on the other side, where I knew the sun was still shining and the roads were passable.
The weather had become an antagonist, just like it had in my books.
Weather can set the stage for any emotion. A snowstorm can isolate the characters from the outside world, making them prime for a romance—or a murder. A hurricane can be the catalyst for an adventure: a ship blown off course, a protagonist fighting to survive and even triumph, a family forced to overcome their personal grievances and help one another. Even a driving rainstorm can interrupt telephones and electricity, plunging the characters into darkness and a suspense-filled black hole. Nose-diving temperatures can turn a stroll through a park into a nightmare survival story; heat and humidity can become a metaphor for a stifling existence.
Writing is part creative and part technical know-how. As a former computer analyst, I found myself analyzing those books that terrified me, those movies that gave me nightmares. I dissected the scenes right down to the sentences and use of descriptors; I watched movies sometimes frame by frame to analyze the atmosphere.
Mysteries and suspense are made more effective by the darkness. Like the road I knew so well in the bright sunshine, weather—darkening skies, wind and rain—turned it into something I had to fight against.
In contrast, comedies more often occur in the daylight. Romances, while they might occur because of bad weather, often involve scenes that are light. It makes the heart lighter and happier to picture a field of wildflowers in the spring sunshine, two lovers strolling hand-in-hand as the butterflies flit around them and the birds sing their greetings.
Now picture the same field at the tail end of winter, when the fields are still yellowed and dormant. Before the butterflies have a chance to emerge, before the birds begin to lay their eggs, a tornado is spotted on the far horizon, darkening the sky, moving directly toward the two lovers. The wind has become a deadly force, hurling debris in all directions; a driving rain is threatening to turn the field into a lethal bog.
The weather has the power and ability to change the imagery against which your characters appear. It is more potent than wallpaper or a room’s surroundings because the weather is alive.
After your climactic scene, the weather can set the stage for what lies ahead: the sun rising over the field, the warmth of the summer, the chirping of the birds, ushering in a new beginning. The character has made it through to the other side.
p.m.terrell is the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of twelve books, including contemporary suspense/thrillers and historical adventure/suspense. You can learn more about her at www.pmterrell.com and the true stories behind her historical work at www.maryneely.com. She has joined the City of Lumberton to host Book ‘Em North Carolina, an innovative Writers Conference and Book Fair, on February 25, 2012. Learn more about it and how you can participate at www.bookemnc.org.
Thanks so much for coming by today, Trish! I’m looking forward to attending Book ‘Em in February. And what do y’all think about weather and what it adds to a setting and a story?
Wonderful post. I wish I shared her analytic ability. Thank goodness one of my CP’s does :)
Excellent points, Trish! And I’ve journeyed through many bad storms, too. Now we understand “It was a dark and stormy night.”
Book ‘Em NC is going to be great – can’t wait!
Good points. And in a related measure, climate can be a driving force to the plot. One of my favorite fantasy series, Dragon Jousters, uses the Egypt-like climate to affect the conflict between two countries and the life of a single serf.
Elizabeth, thank you so much for hosting my blog today. I thoroughly enjoy Mystery Writing is Murder!
Diane, I’ve thought of that phrase many times! And I’m looking forward to seeing you and Elizabeth at Book ‘Em North Carolina.
Jaleh, my husband is in Afghanistan and when you mentioned Egypt, the first image that came to mind was the driving sandstorms. It’s grounded him on many a flight (he’s a pilot) and I can definitely see the weather there becoming a strong force in the plot.
Thanks for stopping by!
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Thanks again for such a great guest post, Trish! I love including weather in my stories. I think you’ve inspired me to add a little more to my current wip, too. :)
Hey, I know Patricia! Weather didn’t account into my first book (spaceships are climate controlled!) but I used a storm for a tense scene in the second one, since most of it is set on a planet.
That had to be terrifying! But leave it to us writers to apply such a situation to our writing. LOL! That’s part of the beauty of being a writer, for sure!
Mr. Lonely, thanks for stopping by!
Carol, I think my analytic mind comes from decades of programming. I’m also finding quite a few programmers have been making the leap from writing programs to writing fiction, which I’m finding fascinating.
Elizabeth, I also love weather in books, too. I think it makes the scene really jump off the page.
Alex, I’d find weather on other planets extremely interesting; I imagine you could do a whole lot with that!
Heather, you’re absolutely right. I find myself taking all my experiences and filing them away for possible future use.
Thanks, everybody, for stopping by!
Ooh! Ooh! GREAT advice! Although I’m working on a sci-fi set on a space station, I could get creative with the “weather”. A space-dust shower? A power-outage (which would be especially scary on a space station.)? *trotting off to write some more*
Great post and a great reminder. Since my current WIP is set in central Texas, I need to go back and take a look at it. The weather here changes so little that I’m not even sure I mentioned the weather through the entire manuscript! I could make it rain one day. Hmm. Texan readers might think the book was a fantasy.
Betty, I love the idea of space-dust showers and power outages! Either one can really ramp up the suspense!
And Helen, I think it would be totally believable for you to go the other direction – use a drought and perhaps a wildfire approaching the protagonist’s location? Whatever is at stake in the plot would certainly be more suspenseful if a wildfire was determining the timetable!
Thanks for stopping by!
Great post! I so agree that weather is hugely important in helping to illustrate emotion, setting, change … any number of things in fiction. One of my writing teachers calls it ”subtext,” which I don’t understand (I’m just a simple former journalist turned author of funny mysteries). Intuitively, though, it’s always made sense to use the weather to set a mood. Thanks for reminding me.
Weather catastrophes are great for propelling the action just one “nth” further! Nice to see you here, p.m.!
Wonderful points and imagery! Weather is a powerful aspect of setting that many people forget. Imagine an old run-down mansion in the spring daylight. Now imagine it again in the grey overcast of winter. The mansion alone is just a building but add weather and now we have gained a powerful image.
Thanks for the excellent reminder!
Karen, you more than anyone can appreciate-or curse-weather these days! I’ve thought of you often in Minot! My prayers are with you!
Deborah, interesting your instructor calls it “subtext” but it makes sense. I have always considered it another layer. In analyzing the best books that stand up over time, I’ve come to the realization that they use layer upon layer. They do it so subtly we may not even recognize it, but it’s there, helping to create that image and flirt with our emotions…
I have the building of a storm working through the story I’m working on. I tend to fit the weather into my work instinctively. Whether it works or not, we have yet to see:0)
Genelempp, I love the way you mentioned the mansion in the daylight versus against the grey overcast of winter. It reminds me of the scene in Hell House when they see the mansion for the first time. You’re right – it’s powerful!
Cinette, I love that you’re instinctively weaving weather through the book you’re writing now. I love the richness of layers. Best of luck!
Thanks for stopping by!