Weather - A Recipe for Great Fiction

A shudder ran through the walls, and the beams in the ceiling creaked at the savage wind pummeling the corners of the small, wood-framed farmhouse.

Sadie swept aside the mulberry curtains and cast an anxious eye at the angry clouds twisting and assuming a pale green hue. She still clung to the anonymous note she'd received that morning. It had been specific in its instruction that she come here, but could its author have foreseen the tempestuous weather? Had they planned for her to be caught in the storm, or would her sudden demise be icing on the cake?

Her stomach churned at the inverted peak protruding from the raging sky, and she prayed it wasn't the beginning of a funnel. With her SUV's untimely breakdown, there would be nowhere to run.

She was trapped in this derelict farmhouse, miles from civilization, destined to wait and wonder who or what would find her first: the storm or the mastermind behind all that haunted her?

Weather may be a mundane subject, restricted merely to chitchat between acquaintances, but in a literary or cinematic setting, it can herald in a different aspect of tension - or element of interest, in the least.

A scene from a cherished fiction series I read too many years ago to count (I am sadly coming to grips with the fact I'm no spring chicken anymore) involved a misunderstanding between the hero and heroine, the one feeling betrayed by the other's inadvertent but well-meaning mistake that endangered their mission. Tension was high, fueled by the gray downpour enwrapping them, which also hindered the heroine's on-foot journey to rectify her error later on.

Another scene is called to mind, this from the movie Inception*. The first instance in the dream world lands the team in a metropolis where they must orient themselves to their new surroundings amid a raging deluge. Time is an essential component in the plot, but everything is pitted against the success of their job, including the weather, which soaks those on foot, obscures visibility, and impedes vehicular maneuverability as they must evade their pursuers.

The bottom drops out when the team discovers a fault in their carefully laid plans, heightening the stakes beyond that of an ordinary life or death scenario. A cheery, sunny day would not add to this conflict and resulting panic near so much as the ugly, inclement weather flooding the streets.

Varying weather sets the mood, and inserting this mundane subject into a story has the potential to change the scene from everyday standards to exciting.

Just as in my Safecracker, when Sidney plans to infiltrate the crime lord's house and do what law enforcement can't, I had to have a lightning storm for her scheme to work in disabling the security system. The lightning and frigid rain both posed hazards to her health, yet only proved her iron determination to achieve justice by any means, including her own death.

Since I set the suspense in Autumn and some time had passed since the first chapter, the weather should be getting on towards winter conditions. So it occurred to me that I should mold a wintry storm to follow in the days to come that would lower the temperatures and usher in snow and ice. I'll admit this was an afterthought, but it worked well in making Sidney's adopted brother's search for her more perilous as he risks the icy roads in his race against the storm and the hitman who is in hot pursuit of her as well.

Though I didn't plan on Safecracker being a seasonal novel, the story climaxes around Christmastime, making it only natural that the high society event Christian crashes be a Christmas party.

Perhaps not the cozy Christmas we all want, with Christian and Sidney trying to escape the crime lord's powerful fist in the midst of a surprise attack from an opposing force, but I like to think this enhances the tension when a festive event ends in terror and destruction. Will anything be normal again? The hero and heroine have to wonder with the trauma of it all.

So, weather isn't such a vapid element after all! If not causing more of the conflict that keeps us glued to the pages of our favorite novels, it hones the mood in a particular situation.

Or the atmospheric conditions may reveal more of the character when, by contrast, not even a perfect day of sunshine impacts the overwrought spirit of someone who has stumbled into the greatest trial of their life. Whereas the optimist might display an inner joy that makes them laugh and dance in the worst of a rainstorm, much like Gene Kelly in the classic Singin’ in the Rain.

Can you think of an instance in the books you’ve read where the weather made a difference in the plot? Tell me about it!

~Alissa

*I watch Inception with an app that filters profanity, et cetera.