Weather and Earthly Phenomenon: SNOW

SNOW

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HELPFUL TIP:

Don’t be afraid to pair weather conditions with your setting choice to contrast or reinforce a character’s emotions. Hopelessness might be mirrored in the relentless drizzle of rain and the resulting heavy drag of one’s clothes; alternatively, this feeling can stand out in stark contrast to sunlight dancing over fresh snow. Can weather also provide symbolism, thereby enriching the reader’s experience? Think about your goal for the scene and the mood you are trying to create, and then layer your description with meaningful choices.

Lacy flakes drifting out of the sky and slowly turning the landscape white
Snow threading through the trees to frost branches and bushes
Thick layers of white accumulating on roofs, cars, and walkways
Cold winds forcing the snow into drifts
Footprints making paths in fresh snow as people walk to the bus or take their dogs out
Small, meandering tracks (from mice, chipmunks, and birds) that are barely visible on the snow crust
Animal prints making trails in the woods (deer, rabbits, coyotes)
Discolored pine needles dusting an older blanket of snow
Tufts of dead grass poking up through the white
Sunlight sparkling off snow in a glittering display
Gusting wind that causes branches to shift and snow to cascade down in a drift
People shoveling sidewalks and driveways
Road salt melting the ice at bus stops
Shovels leaning against a porch railing
Children building snowmen and forts
Bright sleds being ridden down a steep hill

SNOW

HELPFUL TIP:

SIGHTS:

SMELLS:

TASTES:

TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS:

SOUNDS:

REINFORCING A MOOD:

SYMBOLISM:

COMMON CLICHÉS:

WEATHER NOTES:

SCENARIOS FOR ADDING CONFLICT OR TENSION: