Brrr!

I think it is finally winter here in the eastern US. Raise your hand if you agree. This week, it has been so darn cold! Highs about 25-30 degrees colder than average. I won't whine too much, since I'm in the "30 degree" weather (high temp), not the "5 degree" weather. Still, it is so cold.

So let's talk about weather in books. How much weather do you like to know about? For me, I think it is a great little detail (as long as the book isn't giving the play-by-play) to add a little more "world" to the world. Of course, the best use of weather in a book is to illuminate the plot, or mood ("It was a dark and stormy night", lol). Some say that these are the only reasons to have weather in a book.

Of course, if you have a hero outside, shirtless, in January, in the snow, that becomes a little ridiculous (unless it is one of those, you know the kind, THOSE books). This kind of thing always glares at me when I come across it in a book. Another thing that pulls me out of a book is when the weather changes. Like one minute, it is 80 and sunny, and the next, we have a chilly fog (unless it is zombies. yeah, there is always an exception). The best weather details, in my opinion, are those subtle touches that add another stroke to the world-building.

Why is weather a great tool? For one, as humans, we have some general reactions to weather. A warm sunny day usually makes us happy. A heavy thunderstorm? A snowstorm? A brisk day? All conjure feelings. Writers use these reactions. And then, we have the ironic weather--going to a funeral on a hot summer's day. That kind of thing.

So, do you notice weather when reading? Like? Dislike?

Okay, I am going to sit here and wait out the next few days of cold cold winter. It is supposed to be 65 next week--and *that* makes me happy.

Kerry