Using Weather to Tell a Story
Today’s post comes to you a bit late due to some electricity issues in my neighborhood. The strong wind, I’m sure, is the culprit. Anyhow… The inclusion of weather in your writing helps tell a story. The reader can better visualize the setting with details of the sun peaking through the lime green leafs of the maple tree. Let your reader know it just rained by showing your characters walking through puddles on the sidewalks. Using weather grabs the reader’s attention and brings them into a realistic story. Weather behaves as the antagonist in nature versus character stories. The weather, albeit hurricanes, tornados or snowstorms, acts as the conflict the character must overcome by the end of the story. You can also use weather as a literary technique. Kathy Temean (link below) talks about different ways weather symbolizes character feelings. In Shakespeare’s play King Lear, a storm begins as King Lear begins to lose his mind. The storm mirrors the intensity King Lear feels. Te...