"It's starting to rain,These words, they made me realize something. Weather should be a part of our character development.
The neighbors complain,
But to me it's champagne pouring out of the clouds."
Crazy? Perhaps.
We know what our character looks like, how they were raised, and what their favorite color is. But do we know how the weather affects them?
For me, I often see rain and think of depression, but what about my MC? Does she like the rain? What memories are contrived? What about snow or extreme heat?
To really reach our readers, we need to rip at their heart strings, and weather is something everyone can relate too.
Listen to this song and see if you don't look at the weather differently.
What is your favorite weather? Season? What else do you do to bring depth to your characters?
22 comments:
<3 those lyrics. Makes me think of "Champagne" by Sugarcult. LOVE that song. I'll have to make it my blog song soon. Thanks for the reminder and good points!
I love drizzles when I'm ouside and full blown storms when I'm outside. Also a strong wing stirs up my imagintion for some reason.
I love sunlight as well, but if it's too bright I get a migrane. Once in arts class I got such a bad migrane from a strong smell and the sunlight that I had run out of class.
Outside the sun was worse and I broke down crying on the school steps covering my eyes because the pain was unbearable.
Mum bought me sunglasses with my prescription after that.
Thanks, I just realized I have a character who is on the run from the antagonist. He's from way up north so when he sees snow, he'd probably cry tears of joy.
Have to keep your post in mind when writing.
I love stormy weather when I'm on my way home. There's nothing better than looking forward to snuggling on the sofa in your jammies :)
I should use weather more in my work, it's such a great way of creating atmosphere, and exploring an MC's personality. Thanks for the reminder.
You know, I never thought about how weather affects my characters before. I've always been cautious to use rain or anything else to avoid the pathetic fallacy, but come to think of it, I love the rain (and thunderstorms) and my characters might react differently to different weather situations too.
Hmm. Something else to think about. Thanks!
There's nothing like a good rain for a dramatic scene! I always find it interesting to consider these sorts of questions for characters. Even if it never comes into play in the narrative, knowing what they like and don't like makes them all the more real.
I have to say that I love writing scenes when it rains. There's something about it that just makes it more real to me. My main character likes the rain too, which fits. I admit I rarely write about it snowing. I don't like snow very much.
There is nothing better than watching a Texas thunderstorm roll in off the horizon. My favorite part is all of the fuss the storm make before it reaches me. It puts me in the best mood.
Thinking about how the weather affects your character will only deepen your understanding of them, add another layer to them and might help you figure out how they might react to certain situations.
I had a boss who found anything but hot sunshine to be depressing. It depressed me because she sucked all the joy out of fun and interesting weather. And just like real people our characters wouldn't necessarily react the same to weather.
I find the how I write my characters very much depends on the weather. For some reason, I get my best stuff done during rough storms or 100 degree heat.
As for my characters, I have a tendancy to use weather to describe their emotions...it doesn't always come out the way I hope though
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My current WIP takes place in Oregon (where I live) so weather is huge. I love your idea of it being part of their development. Hmm...something to add to my list of things to look at when I revise :0)
I love storms. They make me happy for some strange reason. One of my MC's hates the rain. And for good reason, but I won't go into that. ;) Great post!
What a great idea. I often think about weather when creating settings as that will certainly have an effect of the people and the environment, but I've thought about it in respect to my characters that much.
Thanks for sharing this. :D
Autumn is def my favorite season, although there's something good in all of them. I think people talk about the weather so often (even to strangers) because it so effects our moods:)
Holy smokin' hot man candy! Does he come in my age?? I love, love, LOVE the rain! Haha ( :
My favorite season is autumn. I love the crisp fall air, the colors... AND... of course, football!
I like this idea. It isn't something I had thought about before and I'm so glad you shared. I hate the winter. Total depression time for me. I love the rain as long as it isn't constant. Too much puts me in a bad mood, but lightning storms at night are my favorite! I also think fall is the best season EVER! My fave!
I love gentle breezes, gusty storms, and crisp, cool autumn days. I dislike cold, rainy drizzles and grey skies that last for weeks (it leaves me feeling exhausted).
I think you're right on about weather being part of character development...it is something everyone can relate to and it keeps your character in touch with our world - experiencing all the things we do. Weather affects our everyday.
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What a great post! In the first novel I ever wrote (yeah, that one that sits under my bed caring for the dust bunnies) my heroine was terrified of winter. It had to do w/the way her mother died, and then her father too a few winters later.
This is brilliant and another fantastic way to dig deep into our characters. I love it. x
Nice song. Sounds good. My favourite whether would be winter when it snows. Why? Because I've never seen snow. I live in India you see.
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