Writing Weather

A day off in the middle of the week is always nice. I got one today – as did many people.

The fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. It usually means a day of family, grilling, boating, and lounging by the pool.

Today it rained, but we still tried to include most of the above list in our day.
It didn’t rain all day, but the sun never came out – except during my run this morning.

Figures.

I like rainy, cloudy days, but I like them better when my husband’s family isn’t hanging out all day. Rainy, cloudy days are perfect when you need some alone time or maybe some spouse time, but big group time is a no go.

Without the sun, all those water sports appealed less to me. It simply seemed like down time. Still time -- still time that would have been perfect for delving into some new and some old characters for my MIPs.

I feel very inspired by storms and rain and cloudy days. Evening storms are my favorite, but a good rainy Saturday morning is almost just as good.

Having to share my most inspirational weather with a boisterous holiday and a house full of kids – well, let’s just say that it was a bit less inspiring. At best today, I only got to wonder off for a while to think.

I’ve been thinking about black and white and gray lately and how all my heroes and heroines have these very gray shades in their personalities. They tend to be really good people, but….
They have these white souls with dark blemishes – not your typical romance star fare. But they are real, as real as living, breathing people. I like them a lot. They have rough edges and depth of character.

They remind me of a storm.

Day and night have always been symbolic of good and evil. The heavenly gates never open at midnight, and creatures of the night never wonder around at noon.

It’s almost always light during the day. It’s always dark at night.

But storms can change that. Steel blue tempestuous clouds can roll in anytime. They can’t change the day to night, but they can hide the sun and cast the afternoon in an all-encompassing shadow. The thunder can crack in a distance and the lightening can dance. The wind can whip up waves on a lake and swirl leaves in an omen-filled pattern.

The rain can beat a once sun-kissed patch with rapid vengeance.

Such storms are like my characters. The darkness of the storm invades the day and darkens the sky, blocking the sun in its power. Many times the darkness in my characters invades the soul and blocks the potential for good in its consumption. But just as with a storm and even a dark night, the light eventually emerges and the sun returns. The mark of the storm may remain, but the sun comes back out.

The storm is real, and powerful, and emotional. It begs you to stop what your doing and watch. I hope my characters will beg readers to stop the mundane in everyday life and delve into my stories because they, too, are so very real.

Ah well, maybe tomorrow it will storm, too.

Happy writing, Macy.