Use Weather in Your Writing

 

Here in north central Kansas, we have a winter weather warning. A snow storm is smashing its way across the plains and farther. The snow is to begin late this afternoon or evening, continue overnight and into late morning tomorrow. Amount? How about a prediction of 3-8 inches? That is the prediction offered by our local radio station. There is a lot of difference between those two numbers. We can manage three inches, but eight will bring things to a standstill with lots of closings. We've had very few snowstorms this winter, and what we did get have been very small amounts. 

Today's photo is a happy reminder that spring is just around the corner. Well, almost. Thoughts of spring often help us through the cold, sometimes dreary, occasionally snowy winter. With spring, we'll have a few thunderstorms or soft rain that brings us green grass and the earliest flowers of the year.

Weather can play a factor in our writing. A story about a storm at sea can almost count the storm as another character. Think about the stories you've read that deal with blizzrds, tornados, hurricanes, torrential downpours and flooding. Weather offers a writer a lot to work with. 

When writing about weather, we can have a lot of fun using very descriptive words. Instead of saying 'It was windy' we could write 'The wind roared.' Why write 'It snowed a lot.' when you could write 'The snow fell softly all night and left fluffy piles on the deck and lawn furniture, 

For an exercise today, choose one or more from the list below and write a descriptive paragraph.

A. a hurricane on an island

B. a tornado in Oklahoma

C. a summer thunderstorm

D. a blizzard in the Rocky Mountains

E. a dust storm in western Kansas

F. a clear, sunny summer day

G. a river flooding the surrounding area

H. a day with high winds

I. sleet

J. a hailstorm

Or pick any other weather-related topic. 

For a second exercise, select one from the list above and write a paragraph that involves a person, or people, experiencing that kind of weather. 

Adding weather to your stories and poems can bring life to your writing. 

I'll finish today with a haiku that won first place in a contest. The sound of thunder as I woke up one spring morning prompted me to write it in my head, then put it in print as soon as I got up. 

rolling thunder hums

within dark, ominous clouds

melody of spring

(c)

Good Writing Takes Practice

 

Today's photos speak to us of autumn, or fall, whichever word you prefer. Personally, I tend to autumn. It seems a much nicer word. Maybe I prefer it as fall has more than one meaning. Autumn is its own word. Say the two words aloud. Which one do you prefer?

The two autumn photos are perfect to inspire a freewrite exercise. They give you the opportunity to practice writing description. Each one can inspire a story or poem. Three possibilities.

When you describe the color in each photo, try not to use 'red' or 'yellow.' Instead, use words that bring the thought of red or yellow to mind but are more poetic, more descriptive. If you want your writing to sing, then you must use words that will help you write beautiful prose. 

When using photo prompts, consider the sensory details. What do you see, hear, smell, touch, or taste? Including some of those senses will bring the scene alive for your readers. 

Can a writing exercise evolve into a full story, essay, or poem? Absolutely! I've done it, and so have many of the members of my online writing group. You can, too.

Use either one or both of the photos to for a writing exercise today. Make one a freewrite where you write without thinking, without stopping, or simply as a prompt to write a descriptive paragraph, or even as inspiration to write a full story, essay, or poem. Your choice.

Good writing takes practice. So, go for it!

Keep Perspective in Mind When You Write

I'm not asking you to hang upside down like this cat but the photo did prompt me to think about  perspective in writing. 

When we write, we are looking from our point of view. We're pulling up memories and experiences that help us write whatever it happens to be--fiction, essays, articles, poems and more. Those memories and experiences belong to us as individuals. 

When I write a scene about the downtown shopping area of a large city, I dig deep into my memory bank and relive those many times when my mother and I took the 'el' train to downtown Chicago. I remember the sights, the smells, the sounds--oh yes, the sounds. There were horns honking, trains roaring across tracks above us, whistles blown by policemen, the click of  shoes on pavement, the flapping of pigeons' wings--all of those things are part of my perspective of the downtown of a large city. Moments of Christmas magic return to me when I think about the wonderful animated holiday windows at Marshall Field's. Even now, thinking about them, I can feel my mother's hand holding firmly onto my much smaller one. That, too, is Chicago to me. 

What about a writer who grew up in a small rural community? Can they give the reader the same perspective in a scene in downtown Chicago as I, who lived there, can? A few might but not all. Conversely, I could probably not write nearly as well about a rural scene since I don't have those sounds, smells and more locked into my memory bank. I might make them up but they might not come across as well to the reader. 

Write what you know. How many times have you heard that? I think we can write about things we don't know but we will probably write better about things we do know. Our perspective, or our attitude, will change with the topic. 

Should writers give thought to the way their readers will look at what they've written? Yes, I think we must step back every now and then and try to place our self in the reader's place. Try to figure out how they area going to see what you wrote. Not so easy since we have so many different readers, all individuals. Still, you can do this in a general way. Open the gate and step through the fence from the writer's side to the place where the reader resides. Try to see your own writing through their eyes. 

As an exercise for today, choose a character and take them to a place you know. Describe what they see, hear, feel, smell in this place. If it is familiar to them, let your reader know. If it is a strange new place, specify that, as well. Try writing the scene from two different perspectives. It's not as easy as you think.