Yes, summer
is actually here. I’m in Washington and a few days ago the temperatures were in
the low sixties. Today we should get up to the eighties. Time to get out the
Tan in a Can (my name for a fake tan so I can wear shorter pants).
Awhile back I
wrote about the seasons and how they can pertain to a story. For instance,
imagine your character chasing a bad guy on foot in the snow, rain or heat.
They can slip in the rain or snow, and they can drop from heat exhaustion in
the heat.
However,
there’s more to it than just the logistics of chasing someone.
Heat can be
your enemy in more ways than one. Tempers can flare easily when the temps are
in the triple digit range. Heat-related health problems can play a large part
in a mystery. Think Arizona when you think of heat. Trouble on the horizon?
Very possibly.
Have you ever
thought about the idea that bugs can be an issue? Different seasons bring out
different critters. Mosquitos, flies, spiders and yellow jackets can be very
annoying.
When it
snows, people would often rather stay inside and snuggle up with a good book or
a cup of hot chocolate and a movie. Others want to be outside where they can
ski or ride on a snowmobile.
I live in
Washington, and some people here suffer from sun-deprived depression. Yes, the
stories about frequent rain in the western part of the state are true. We can
go for days without seeing blue sky or the sun.
Spring and
fall. What can I say about those seasons? Generally it’s not too hot nor is it
too cold. Those are seasons to look forward to with joy.
Dogs want to
be walked no matter what the weather has in store. Life has to go on despite
the seasons. Our characters have to adjust to the time of year when the story
takes place.
Often authors
will use the seasons in a book about a specific holiday. I have a book
(Mysteries of Holt House) which involves all
of the seasons and several holidays.
I’m starting a
new book this week, and right now both spring and summer are on my mind. The location
will be Battle Ground, Washington. It’s a small, quaint town and the perfect
place for a murder mystery. I haven’t decided if the weather will play a part
in the story or not.
The weather
can even send a nosey neighbor scurrying inside to get out of the
heat/rain/snow. It might block their view while a crime is being committed. The
neighbor might be sure a murder is
taking place, but that danged blizzard got in the way and her binoculars were
of no help.
The ideas
about the seasons being involved in a story are endless. Actually, so are the
ideas about what that nosey neighbor might see, but that’s off topic.
This week’s
post is shorter than usual because I want to go enjoy some of the sunshine. My
sun tea should be just about ready. My vegetable garden probably needs
watering, and so do the plants. Having moved here from Arizona where there are
really only two seasons (hot and hotter), the garden is fun and the growing
season is… I don’t know about that yet. Guess I’ll find out. I put up a
mini-greenhouse, so maybe that will lengthen the growing season. I hope so.
Until next
time, think about the things you like to do and don’t like to do depending on
the weather – then think about how your experiences might be used in a story.
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Your post reminded me of the expression, "Different strokes for different folks." Some people are "winter people" while others (like me) love the summer. I would much rather sweat than shiver. In my WIP, Marnie Malone feels the same way. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you and Marnie, Pat. I really don't care for the cold, but it can work to my advantage in a book. Thank you so much for stopping in!
ReplyDeleteHow exciting that you are starting a new book. Is it part of one of your series or another standalone? When I am writing a novel, I use old calendars to remind me of the seasonal setting. And speaking of yellow jackets, I found one on my windowsill this morning--very strange since my window cannot be opened. I wonder how it got inside....
ReplyDeleteThe new book is a Sandi Webster mystery, Pat, and thanks for asking. Old calendars are a good idea. The yellow jacket must have flown in when you opened the door, sneaky little devil. Thank you so much for commenting today!
DeleteI live in a suburb of Chicago, and the winters here can be brutal. I started my last novel on a day when we had a really bad snowstorm, and that's why I decided to make the setting winter so it was easy to describe the characters reacting in the cold and the snow. By the time I was at the end of my manuscript, it was summer, but I still had to think back to when it was winter. Of course being from the Midwest, that wasn't too hard. I just went to my photo gallery and gazed at the pictures I took during the winter. One year it snowed a tremendous amount and I thought they would close the Love Is Murder writer's conference. I wasn't going to go, but I finally talked my husband into driving me there. And that year the guest of honor was Rhys Bowen. During one of the classes she gave, she asked me to take a photo of her outside against a tall snowdrift so she could show it to her friends. It was the best writer's conference I've ever attended. Just goes to show you how resilient people can be, even in bad weather. Sorry, I've seemed to have gotten off the subject.
ReplyDeleteGreat story, Evelyn, and that's where I met you; at the Love is Murder Conference. I remember the snow drifts being soooo high. Yes, you do a good job with placing your setting during winter weather. Thank you so much for stopping in!
DeleteAnd meeting you at LIM that year was just icing on the cake. LOL!
DeleteWeather plays a role in most of my books. Because I live on a ranch at 7,000 feet, where the snow gets as deep as four feet, weather serves as an antagonist in many of my plots. I lived in Phoenix for awhile where 120+ degrees ruined the paint on my car, so between the two locations, if I had my druthers, I'd live and write about a climate that compares to my birthplace, Los Angeles (without so many the people). Maybe a desert island where I could write mysteries about denizens of the deep. : )
ReplyDeleteI've set my stories in different seasons, but the weather was only background to the story. I will think about making it a more important part. Donna Leon evokes weather to good effect in her Brunetti series.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, I can't reply to your comments, so I'll do it here.
ReplyDeleteJean, You make good use of the weather in your books, and it appears that the weather has inspired new ideas.
Maggie, I don't always let the weather play a big part in my stories -- only if it's pertinent to what's going on. I should take my own advice. LOL
Thank you both so much for commenting!
Weather is a HUGE component in my books. Here in the San Joaquin Valley of California, we rely on weather for our crops. The extreme heat pushes people to do things they wouldn't normally do; the fog creates a sense of claustrophobia. The cycle of the grapes is how we tell seasons. I use it all.
ReplyDeleteYou do, and you do it well, Sunny. I love fog because it adds an element of suspense as well as the claustrophobia. Thank you so much for stopping in!
DeleteWeather can make a difference in setting up scenes, and I know living in Washington will give you more. My new series takes place in Washington
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to get a look at your new series, Augie. What part of Washington? It's an interesting state. Thank you for stopping in today!
DeleteTriple digits give me extra reading time. Looking for your next Sandi Webster mystery but understand you want to enjoy gardening.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Jake! Even people who enjoy the heat are liable to take a book to the beach with them. Veggies are growing here. : ) Thank you so much for stopping in!
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