Seasons and Settings
That's me. Happy FALL!
I recently relocated from sunny South Florida to the seasonal wonders of Virginia. I couldn't be happier to see fall leaves, pumpkins, and my breath curl around me in water vapor on cold mornings.
Which got me thinking. (Doesn't everything?) How do I use weather and other settings to establish mood in my books. Because, without even thinking, I ALWAYS do. In Trace of Innocence, the entire book is set in a brutal patch of winter--and it impacts the storyline when, at one point, my heroine is plunged into an icy lake. The cold reflects how bleak the case looks. In Trace of Doubt, the sequel . . . months have passed and it is the hottest June on record in New York. And it shows in how utterly steamy the subway is (God, do I hate the subway in summer), and in how the oppressive heat matches what's going on. Relentless and awful.
I set a lot of my books in the extremes of season. And like most people, I choose my settings carefully. In my new paranormal, the hero lives by the water, which plays into a vision the heroine has. But for him, the water is black . . . and it's a cold snap in November. The cold is isolating.
I'm working on a dark book about a man who plans to commit suicide--winter again. And he's in a part of New York that becomes isolated by the snow.
So . . . how do seasons--or parts of the country or settings--play into your storylines?
posted by Erica Orloff at 8:37 AM
19 Comments:
Erica, my stories take place in small southern towns. For me, I love lake settings, country roads, cafes, town squares...well you get the picture. These towns feel like a character to me. lol.
Nice place, my first visit to your blog!
Hi ladonna:
Welcome . . . and thanks!
I set my first book on Sanibel Island, this little place on the West Coast of Florida. Classic "fish out of water" tale of a NY, driven editor sent to work with a recluse-writer/J.D. Salinger-type. The juxtaposition of her need for speed, so to speak, with the beaches and dunes . . . was really important to the story.
I try, but I've a feeling that sometimes it does happen, except that I'm so deeply inside it that I don't notice it until later. Much later.
I'm quite sure my story is set in summer turning into autumn and ends in spring, symbolizing the beginning of my character's new life.
Also, you've just used my favorite word: juxtaposition.
North Florida, 60 miles inland, in the middle of August. It just doesn't get much hotter or steamier than that. :)
I grew up in Kentucky, so I really do miss the change of seasons. I can't say I miss the harsh winters much, but the Fall is just glorious. I envy you up there this time of year, Erica.
Hi Ladonna! I checked out your blog. Very nice, and very well-written. Hope to see you here often.
Somehow, all my wips gravitate toward the warm climes of the beaches of the Philippines. I have such fond childhood memories there.
Which doesn't explain why in one of my wips, I destroy an entire beachside town with a well-placed tsunami. :-)
May:
I used to do it on a subconscious level, I think. Now, I pick the extremes. Either REALLY hot or REALLY cold. It just adds something more for my characters to deal with.
E
Jude:
That is something I do NOT miss. I was such a SLUG in Florida. I rarely did stuff in the summers--or the hot spring and fall either. Now, every single weekend, I am out in nature. And after Florida, even the summer didn't seem bad.
And I can't wait for SNOW!
E
Karm:
The classic bombshell. Of COURSE you'd send a tsunami!
E
I don't pick extremes because I live in tropical southeast Asia.
It's simply hot here all year round, and I've never lived in a place with 4 seasons--though I've visited.
4 seasons, for me, is a concept, not something I live with.
I do think that as you mature as a writer, you also become more self-aware as a writer. I only just realised that I can divide my ideas and WIPs into two distinct groups by theme and feel, for instance.
Erica, oh, to have seasons! Southern California just isn't cutting it. Sigh. I can hear the East Coast calling me as I write this... :-)
The story I'm working on now is set in New England.
Love the picture!
M.
Hey Erica. My novel takes place in a horrible winter storm. I never realize it before but the storm has become its own character in the book. We all are looking forward to spring.
may:
Absolutely! I see so much more now, with 20ish books under my belt. I see the themes I gravitate toward, I see the atory arcs I choose.
E
Michele:
Didn't you blog about New England one time a while ago? You have to move East!
E
la:
A great way to describe it! Think of The Shining. The storm was a character of sorts. The maze was. The inn was.
When I think of my Diary of a Blues Goddess, New Orleans was so much a part of it--and the Heartbreak Hotel (Nan's house in the book) WAS a character--complete with her own ghost!
E
Alright E this is Mr. P with his tail between his legs!! The big bad Giants laid as butt wupping on my pour Falcons. I think a Cheesecake is in line for you!! I think Dana has your address!!
Beaten and humbled
Mr. P
Mr. P:
I COULD, if I WANTED TO, just utterly STOMP you over the infamous Cheesecake Bowl of 2006 . . . but I think I will wait until I am EATING cheesecake. And YOU are eating CROW.
:-)
E
LOL
:) d
Love the picture. I just moved from Arlington, VA a few years ago. The thing I miss the most is the changing of the leaves in the fall.
Hi Ewoh:
I literally cherish the weather every day! I can't believe how crisp the air is!
E
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