Writing Tip — Writing in Time: Winter Weather as Writing Inspiration

The weather is the villain any writer can take advantage of. It’s even better than a human one. It doesn’t have to have a logical motivation for its nastiness. It can betray a hero at any time, and the author doesn’t have to devise an explanation. If the hero can survive or outwit the weather, he looks even more heroic. Here this puny human has triumphed over all the power nature itself could dish out.

Winter conditions bring their own unique stamp to villainous weather. I am writing from my experience of living through winters in the Buckeye State. If you decided to write about winters based on your location, be sure to take advantage of any features peculiar to your area.

Treacherous driving conditions — It doesn’t have to be a blizzard to be dangerous. A storm that dumps a lot more snow than predicted can catch your protagonist off guard, challenging her nerves and skills. When my husband and I were dating, he was driving home from a date and got caught on the highway after a layer of ice coated the road. As car after car spun out around him, he realized if he kept a slow pace, 25 mph, and didn’t touch his brakes, he would make it.

That setting would be ideal for a character wrestling with some problem. The experience of driving under those difficult conditions and getting home safely makes her see that she can overcome the problem with steady persistence. In such a story the weather is both a villain and if not a friend, at least an assistant.

Snowstorms —  Stranding a character in a storm can lead to revelations about himself, like the treacherous driving conditions, but how about snowstorm as a humorous villain?

A few weeks before Christmas, my family attended a party hosted by a good friend. It was so icy when we left that night that I told my friend she might have to let people stay over if they didn’t leave soon. What if that happened?

A couple host a business Christmas party at their house in the country. Some colleagues they like, and others they cannot stand. When icy road conditions force everyone to stay the night, everyone in attendance must learn to tolerate each other. Or not, depending on what humor the author wants to use.

Snow days — This is another situation in which the weather is both villain and friend. As a parent, I love days off from school as much as my kids. That’s one less day to race around. Since I work from home, it’s not as stressful as for two parents who both work outside the home. A humorous story could be written about the juggling the parents have to do to get to work and take care of their kids on a snow day.

A snow day is a wonderful setting for a middle grade mystery. Because both parents work, the oldest child, a teen, is responsible for watching her siblings on a snow day. The younger brother and sister meet with friends in the neighborhood and solve a mystery by the end of the day.

What other stories have you read or would like to write using winter weather as writing inspiration?