Weather, often in books, creates a feeling or a background that adds to the art of pulling readers into your work. It can be mysterious and deadly, quiet and comforting, or balls-out extreme when it comes to high-octane thrillers. In films, more often than not, it’s the main star where the key players are forced to interact with their surroundings in order to survive. Both work exceptionally well, but when it comes to novels, a little goes a long way.
Throughout my life as a reader, I have noticed that weather seems to denote where the story is leading and if good or bad was in my favorite character’s future. A creepy fog rolling in usually meant danger was afoot, an increasing rain or wind meant the environment was about to challenge those within the pages to survive. It added so much to the works I dove into, the people and places I so enjoyed reading.
In Florida, probably more so than anywhere else, the weather brings with a spirit, a sense of change. One minute angry, the next nothing more than a whisper. Cold snaps last a day maybe three during which we experience extreme rain, gusty winds, bitter wet cold, then rocket back into the high 70s within a day. Beyond all of that, the summer storms are the worst, the loudest, the most violent, the most extreme and I wouldn’t change locations for the world. There’s magic in those chubby clouds just waiting to inspire, just waiting to scare the holy living crap out of tourists, I’m ok with both. 😉
These posts will be about showcasing a random picture I find in the hopes of inspiring others to create ideas for their writing. I have found that generating a quick 1-3 sentence scenario, a blurb, a scene, or a full novel concept based on a random picture has worked wonders in opening up the floodgates to new ideas and enjoyment in the world of fiction. It is my hope that others will find these images and possibly be inspired to jump into the wild world of writing and become the author they always wanted to be.
Without further ado, our 18th entry!-
Photo Credit- “Lightning3” by Sam Wolfe August 23, 2009
Do you have any memories of weather in one of your favorite books? Leave a comment below or just air wave from a distance and get to reading or writing! 😉
The Bearded Scribbler 