Monday, February 20, 2012

What's the Weather Like?

Hurricane and Sun by Alexis Rockman, 2006

Perhaps it’s because I’ve lived the majority of my life in sunny, moderate climates without significant weather changes, but any kind of weather—particularly in the extremes—makes me cranky.  I detest snow.  It may look pretty, all white, fluffy and innocent on the ground, but I’m not fooled.  Snow is cold, wet, icy, and like to make one utterly miserable once it crusts up and turns to ice and sludge.  When it gets dirty, snow just looks tawdry and sad, like a hooker past her prime.  And it sneaks up on you.  I switched colleges simply because I could no longer tolerate the invisible black ice that coated the walkways and forced me to slide to my classes on my ass. 

Don’t get me started on rain, either.  A light mist frizzes my hair and makes me sticky; a downpour, as far as I’m concerned, is a fantastic reason to close schools and businesses and stay off the road, because nobody can drive in it anyway.  High winds?  Annoying, and there always seems to be one blowing on a rare good hair day.  Excessive heat?  Just fine, as long as I can stay indoors with the A/C.  Bitter cold (in Southern California, what I call any temp below 60 degrees)?  Give me a blanket, preferably heated, a fire, up the heater to at least 70, and pour me a hot chocolate.  Earthquakes I can handle; weather, of all but the pleasant, sunny-with-a-slight-breeze sort, I can’t.

Given my general attitude weather as a necessary evil, it’s no wonder that I tend to notice the weather (or lack thereof) in both the books I read and what I write.  And what I’ve found is that weather, in fantasy, seems to fall into one of three basic categories:

                1) Weather is present to characterize a place.
                2) Weather sets a mood.
                3) Weather is there to make the characters 
                     really uncomfortable.

Most authors who incorporate weather usually touch on at least one of the three.  On Anne McCaffrey’s Pern, dragons battle the thread that falls from the sky and burns like acid.  In my books, I tend to throw a rain or snow storm at my characters whenever I either want to make them miserable or slow them down.  George R. R. Martin probably makes the most effective use of weather, utilizing it for all three of the above purposes.  From the outset of Game of Thrones, the Stark words winter is coming prove foreboding and foreshadowing in a myriad of ways.  The winter is both an actual turning of the seasons and an indicator of trouble to come.  In contrast, the sunny, humid south feels just as unpleasant as the constant snows of the north.  I love how Eddard Stark is constantly changing his sweaty tunic for a fresh one.  He can’t stand the heat any more than some of the other characters can withstand his frozen north.  The weather impacts the characters emotionally and physically, and sets a tone for the series.

Fishermen upon a Lee Shore, in Squally Weather
by Joseph Mallord William
I have noticed, though, that Martin is singular in his use of weather.  Many of the novels I have read in the past year don’t really seem to have weather at all, particularly the YA dystopian novels I tend to favor of late.  Their characters must all live here in SoCal, where the occasional mild rain inspires the annual “StormWatch: 2012” and nobody seems able to drive the freeways safely.  Even though I’m generally pro-sun, the absence of weather in fiction bothers me.  It makes the worldbuilding less vivid, less realistic.  Because let’s face it: love it or hate it, weather happens.  And weather, as we have learned from the tragedies of the tsunami in Thailand and Hurricane Katrina, can be one of the most destructive forces on earth.  The wind alone can shape canyons over time, crumble ships like bath toys, level cities and decimate populations. 

So tell me: what’s the weather like in the books you’re reading or writing these days?  How is weather used (or not)?  Does it enhance or detract from the plot and worldbuilding of the novel?  What are some of your favorite uses of weather in fiction?


Karin Rita Gastreich said...

Hi Kim!

Thanks for another great post. :)

I really never thought much about weather as a reader, but it was a central concern when writing 'Eolyn'. Not sure if that shows at all in the story, but I tried to take into account seasonality and weather, both as an integral part of the world, and as a 'mood setter' -- which I think is fair, because weather sets my mood, so why shouldn't it set my characters'?

I've found the writing of "High Maga" a little more limiting in this sense, because the story takes place during a single spring/summer. So, I don't get the seasons of autumn or winter, or any of the great things you can do with them. Different regions of Eolyn's world have different climates, however, so I've tried to make use of that. Also, Eolyn's home province of Moehn is a very wet place, so they get their fair share of rain. Though they are accustomed to it, so while it may quiet the mood it doesn't slow them down all that much.

The other day I was flipping through Eolyn looking for quotes for my FB page, and came across the following from my protagonist:

"I do not fear winter. I love its crystal breath and the starkness of its colors."

Written long before I read GoT, but still an interesting coincidence. Winter, I think, has been the face of death for much of human history; and with good reason.

Right now I'm reading Dorothy Hearst's "Secrets of the Wolves". This story again takes place during a single season, so fluctuations in weather don't play much of a role. I don't think this detracts from the story at all; though I do agree with your point that incorporating weather in a realistic fashion can add a very important dimension to our fantasy worlds.

Terri-Lynne said...

First, Kim--you beautiful instigator! As I edit BTG, I'm keeping notes for another idea that hit me, and one of the big things I needed to come up with was the protag's reason for leaving where he is in search of something else. Without going into great detail, I just didn't want it to be about a girl or a misunderstanding with his parents. Now I KNOW! He lives on an island. It was hit by a HUGE hurricane that devastated not only his island, but the whole archipelago realm. There is nothing left for him, and he has a way out. I freaking LOVE you! And now, I'm starting the story with the hurricane. Talk about POW!

But weather, yes--I tend to use it when it will somehow impact the character. Otherwise, for my purposes in the latest stories, weather has been like having to pee or those other mundanities we know exist but don't otherwise need including--they aren't.

My absolute favorite use of weather in fiction is Terri Pratchett's Nation. A tsumani hits an island and wipes out a whole civilization except for a single boy. On an ocean-going vessel, a single girl survives the wave. The tsunami is both literal and figurative, and masterfully used. You'd never expect anything so emotional and DEEP from a Pratchett book, but wow. One of my all time favorite reads.

Karin Rita Gastreich said...

Hey Terri --

Not to be a purist, but I'd say you drifted off topic just a bit with Pratchett's tsunami (pun intended). Weather is an atmospheric phenomenon; tsunamis result from interactions between the ocean and its underlying tectonic plates...

Not that we can't talk about natural disasters of all kinds; I'm just sayin'...

I'm looking forward to reading about your hurricane. ;)

Mark Nelson/ Pevanapoet1 said...

One of the reasons why I think I have loved wandering in Middle Earth and Earthsea is because of the atmosphere the weather creates. LeGuin knows rain. Heck yeah. Tolkien took great pains to account for the temperature and position of the moon. We smell the Shire in Fall, freeze on Caradhras and cherish water during Frodo and Sam's stagger toward Mt Doom. To me, for Tolkien, weather seemed like a sensual experience (think Treebeards laughter in the rain)organically tied to the essence of history that permeates Middle Earth. I get some of the same sense in Earthsea where it concerns wind and wave. Those early chapters where Ged doesn't get it when Ogion allows the rain to drench him or the image of the mage 'listening' to the rumblings of the island. Weather is worked, allowed to happen, dealt with or run from according to one's power or inclination. It becomes part of Ged's growth process for me.

In my own writing, weather serves an understated purpose. Poets takes place over three very hot, sultry days ending beneath a canopy of clouds that figure hugely in the revelation of character and purpose. Never discount the value of a good lightning strike and a rainstorm! (especially if you can avoid sounding trite or contrived!). In King's Gambit (spoiler!), the seasonal drenching that accompanies winter on the peninsula creates the space and time for skulduggery, buggery, and transition as the folks wait for the hills to dry enough to allow passage of arms.

So much depends upon a little water on a cobblestone (homage to William Carlos Williams!)

In a secondary sense, weather and climate figure into the politics of the various factions at odds in my stories. The north is mountainous, colder, rougher. The south is more temperate and in part reflects the easy tolerance of the Old Ways faith. The former reinforces the restless desire for action that feeds ambition; the latter resists such things.

It is no accident that Pevana is set midway between these extremes. And somewhere in that mix of weather and warrent, a way must be found to bridge the gap.

And his name is Donari Avedun...

So, for me weather is a subconscious presence in the tales I write, and yet I live in a place where I get to watch weather trammel up its power and express itself as it rolls over the hills and ridges (gotta love having a 60 mile, 220 degree view. Love eastern washington!). I like it when weather HAPPENS in stories; I like it LESS when it is USED for some other purpose.

I think weather can give a sense of place and help create TIME. It can help validate the truth in a story regardless of how outrageous the plot or characters.

Oh, just checked outside, eagle gliding through a snow flurry. Perfect. :)

Karin Rita Gastreich said...

Mark --

I really like so much of what you just said, especially about Tolkien and the role of weather in stories in general. (Though I would like to point out that phases of the moon, like tsunamis, don't fit my definition of weather...still, I really like to see stories where the changeable character of the moon is properly incorporated, and I have great respect for Tolkien and other authors who pay attention to this.)

I have also long been of the conviction that climate and culture are intimately related, and I do think a lot of fantasy authors manage to incorporate this in their stories without necessarily thinking about it conscientiously. (Or maybe they do think about it, but I bet they don't always have to...)

On getting drenched in the rain: I think the discomfort of being exposed to rain is often overrated. It's really not that bad an experience; it can be fun and refreshing actually. Except when it's also very cold, and your knees start to go numb. Then it's not fun at all. Until you're back in front of the fire with hot chocolate in your hands, laughing about it while your knees tingle back to life...

But on a warm day a heavy rain can be quite welcome, and will often lift people's spirits, rather than dampen them.

Mark Nelson/ Pevanapoet1 said...


Yes! "drenched" is such a great term. I still remember chucking the frisbee during a monsoon episode in Korea when I was a kid. Warm, soaked, and shoeless. At night, under the streetlights, we could see the water spinning off the disk. FUN.

Terri-Lynne said...

Karin--it looks like my computer powers are restored. For now. I picked up a bug someplace.

Ah, I suppose I did confuse the geological with the atmospheric--probably because the weather chanel is where I saw most of the tsunami coverage I watched.

Terri-Lynne said...

Mark--I did see the time of year/heat being an integral part of the story, but I didn't realize (until seeing the map of Pevana) that the city itself lies halfway between the north and the south. Nor did I make the connections you've obviously put in place. Nicely done, sir!

I don't like using weather as melodramatic setting. I suppose it can be used effectively, and maybe because I've too often seen that thunder crash at just the right moment, but I haven't seen it done that I don't think--meh.

Karin Rita Gastreich said...

Thunder ALWAYS crashes at just the right moment for me.


Terri-Lynne said...

Was that a thunderclap I just heard??? :-P

Pongo Pygmaeus said...

I have sometimes seen people bemoan what they disparagingly refer to as 'the weather report' at the start of a chapter or a change of scene in a novel. Presumably because what is going on in the world around the character is deemed somehow less important that whatever inane drivel currently occupies the character's mind... (I exaggerate here slightly for effect).

This has always perplexed me because we are almost always aware of the weather when outside, and much more so if it is inclement. Given weather has an effect on mood and on interactions (people don't stop and chat much in the street when it's pouring with rain, on a sunny day they are far more likely to, a guard at his post is likely to skulk in shelter if he can if it's teeming with rain and is much less likely to closely observe those who pass him by, if the weather is excessively hot, people will be snappier with each other than they would be otherwise), it's strange that weather-disparagers don't consider it of consequence.

Of course if the setting is such that the weather is pretty settled then it doesn't need labouring. But in many climes weather can chage considerably within a few hours and I think a realistic depiction of background is as important as attention to details of character.

The earliest weather scene I can recall is the bit where it rains in The Misty Mountains in The Hobbit and everything gets soaked and Oin and Gloin begin to fight because they can't get the fire lit (perfect example of weather affecting character). But the best use of weather I've read doesn't come from fantasy but from O'Brian's historical fiction: weather was of extreme importance to sailors in the age of sail and it's given due prominence.

Wellington said that all battles were fought 'on the side of a hill in the pouring rain at the place where two maps join'. As a practical man he well understood the importance of weather. Authors should too, unless they are writing a story set wholly indoors.

batgirl said...

Something I like about using inclement weather is that it emphasises the difficult situation of the characters - whatever the reason that they can't say 'screw it' and go inside for some hot chocolate.
Another aspect to consider is that in a pre-industrial society, or in many societies today, people are close enough to the starvation line that weather (lack of rain for the crops, or rain falling to soak and rot the mown crops before they can be stored) really is a matter of life and death. Wars were put off or put on hiatus for the sake of harvests - otherwise both sides might starve.
The trick for writers is to make that edge of necessity tangible for a reader who may not have been more than a mile from shelter and comfort for most of his/her adult life.

Kim Vandervort said...

Terri-- I'm thrilled that my little post gave you a breakthrough! So exciting! :)

Pongo-- your post reminds me of the Battle of Agincourt. Historians attribute the English victory to many things-- the English archers, the heavy plate armor of the French that limited mobility and visibility-- but one of the chief contributors was the rain that turned the entire battlefield into a bloody bog.

Karin-- I respectfully disagree with your assertion that standing in the rain can be nice. I dislike rain in all of its forms, particularly when it is touching me. :)


Karin Rita Gastreich said...

Pongo - Your comment reminds me of a critique I had once of a chapter I was working on. The reviewer asked me, somewhat scornfully, "What do you want your readers to relate to, the weather?"

To which my immediate, instinctive response was, "Well, yes."

I'm glad I followed my instincts.

Kim -- I will say that the actual "getting" of getting wet is not all that fun. Something about when those first drops begin to fall always makes me go, "Ah, man!" But once you're soaked, which doesn't take long in a good deluge, it's okay.

Batgirl -- Great points! Thanks for stopping by.

...I also been meaning to mention the most famous fantasy weather event of all time: The tornado that swept Dorothy off the plains of Kansas. :)

Terri-Lynne said...

I recently read "To Say Nothing of the Dog" by Connie Willis. The author makes a huge point of proving just how weather can and did change the course of history. Decisive battles that might have gone differently if it hadn't rained, or if it had. All kinds of really neat reminders that we humans can only do as much as Mother Nature allows.

Batgirl--I do believe that those who depended upon rain for their crops/survival were infinitely more agreeable about the weather than we spoiled "modern" people are. Pouring rain on your wedding day? "Ah, Bless the Lord! Now I can spend my first night of wedded bliss NOT WORRYING about my crops shriveling in the fields."

Terri-Lynne said...

Karin! Hahaha! How did we all miss THAT one? I love it.

Not that anyone needs reminding of my odd-duckery, but I love being in the rain, at least on warm days. My kids and I used to "frollick" in the yard. They thought it was great fun. They'd scamper about singing "frollick! frollick!" I'm pretty sure they knew what the word meant!

(not that it's weather, but my captcha words are "confirmed wildfire.")

Clint Harris said...

Yet again, this site proves synchronicity exists. Just the other day, I was reading Elmore Leonard's ten rules for writing. #1 was "Never start a story with weather."

My family and I have decided to move out of Colorado, and in my search for a new place to go, I will invariably ask, "How's the weather?"

I don't know about Elmore, but where I come from, the weather is important, and as a cultural aspect it means more than "is it rainy today?" or "Is it a dry heat?" It has so much to do with everything around us. When you live somewhere very isolated, weather is two things. It's a companion (since there isn't anyone else around), and its a nemisis (since there is plenty of weather you don't want to be stuck in). Places with minimal changes to the weather, such as SoCal bore me, whereas places with horrible weather like Kansas (where you can literally see a supercell roll up on a town like some hungry elder god), and places I tend to avoid. Hail that kills gardens, droughts, flooding, just flat out hot and muggy, really really cold temps and lingering winters (I've had my fill of those). Weather isn't just a setting, it's a character. It's the neighbor you'll be forced to live next door to, it's the a-hole kids who won't stay off your lawn. It's a soothing voice in the night, and a friend that keeps you company while you are digging in the garden.

I start the majority of my stories off with weather, because to know the weather is to know more about a place and the people that live there. Are they desert people? Swamp people? Mountain folk? Flatlanders? Riverpeople? Seafarers? Islanders? Do they fight long winter months holed up inside? Do they walk around half naked on beaches all day?

So much can be learned just from the weather.

Terri-Lynne said...

"It's the neighbor you'll be forced to live next door to..."

I love this! And it's very true. Few of us (or our characters) can up and move away from a place notorious for bad weather, or boring weather.

In Finder, the weather was pretty much dictated by the locations. A desert clime is a desert clime. I did use a storm in ATNL as a catalyst (and symbolically) of things to come. I hadn't really THOUGHT about it consciously until this conversation here in HoF.

I love this blog!
(Except the new Captcha...I can never read the letters properly!)

J.A. Campbell said...

Especially since we have 40 mph winds with 50 mph gusts outside right now... I'm contemplating weather very much. I usually try and add in at least a mention of things like humidity, or sunny skies or something to set the scene. I do enjoy throwing it in to make characters miserable too :) My MC's are about to embark on an long journey and you'd better believe it's gonna rain, snow, sleet, and get a little windy :)

Thanks for sharing!


Terri-Lynne said...

You're getting these high winds too?