Mark and Alice can't stand each other, and they should have heeded the evacuation warning sooner. The storm hit harder and faster than anticipated. Their street is now a river. The wind has blown trees over. If they are to survive this, they'll have to hunker down and wait it out in their abandoned apartment complex - and rely on each other ...
(Note - I drafted this last week before any indication of Hurricane Sandy heading toward the East Coast - odd coincidence, no? My thoughts and well wishes are with you, my friends, along the EC)
Hostile Weather - a meteorologic event where the characters' goal is delayed or made more difficult to accomplish because of dangerous weather, forcing them to either evacuate the area or find a safe place close by to stand their ground. This trope serves as a good backdrop for several stories (including scary ones) and the plot may even be centered around it. Hostile Weather is often foreshadowed by the subtrope A Storm Is Coming and is made creepier with The Lightning Reveal.Weather can be scary, what with all the noise it makes, and what's a good Halloween story without a storm? This trope stretches well beyond the October holiday, however, but weather has it's place, be it contemporary fiction or epic fantasy.
Tomorrow: Rain over Helm's Deep with a chance of Uruk-Hai!
Fowl weather can make for a good heist, but one word of advice: I wouldn't use a seadoo inside a flooded high school, if I were you ...
1: Dodge a Seadoo. 2: Grab a Pepsi - good plan!
Truth be told, this is an all-too-real trope because of it's historical and real life implications. It was Hostile Weather that halted Napoleon's momentum during his campaign to Russia, in case you didn't know.
Looks like the General's keeping his hand warm ...
Be it rain, snow, or hail (and when I say hail, it sounds too much like h-e-double hockey sticks), severe or even Hostile Weather, natural or man/creature-made, can lead your story into a memorable one with plenty of obstacles and challenges, humorous, romantic, or dramatic. See what role weather can play in your next or current project, as it's a great way to mess with your characters or, in some instances, bring them closer together. It's only fitting, since we still tend to huddle close to each other as the encroaching storm approaches.
Ever used weather in your story? Was it mild, hostile, or something in between? Would your characters embrace it or flee the scene?
I'm David, and it could be worse - it could be raining ...
I did use a thunderstorm in my second book. Since the third is called CassaStorm, you can well imagine storms will play a key role!
ReplyDeleteStorms are a great way to trap characters together, especially if one of them is a murderer! I seem to remember Agatha Christie used this trope in her mysteries quite often.
ReplyDeleteI'm writing a storm even as we speak. They make for great drama!
ReplyDeleteStorms, timely subject and a tad too real! OK this trope is less icky than your last several have been. Storms are great for conveying mood, a tense situation, or even symbolic meaning. This one I may employ!
ReplyDeleteStorms can be atmospheric and I have used them in stories. My thoughts are with those who are suffering for real at the moment. Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteGood topic! I wrote my first (and only) "storm" at my book's climax, a sandstorm, (hopefully) complete with tension building parallels.
ReplyDeleteOdd coincidence, indeed!
ReplyDeleteThe issue I have with weather is how over used it is. Someone's lost? Let's have a storm to complicate it. Every single time.
ReplyDeleteNeed to have a battle? Let's have some rain. Every single time.
The bad weather was Napoleon's own fault. That's what you get for attacking Russia in the winter. Now, if it had been summer and there had still been a snow storm... well, you would know that it was just a writing cliche going to work.
My own opinion is that if you want to use weather, you need to use it in unexpected or completely natural ways.
Oh...no mention of the Andrea Gale that was lost at sea to the "Perfect Storm." Gloucester fisherman are disappoint.
ReplyDeleteI have a storm that causes a death in mine but I'm trying to decide whether or not to leave it...
ReplyDeleteI use climates, geological events and some weather in my various novels.
ReplyDeleteSandy only got us a little.
You made a Young Frankenstein reference. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteI've used a snow storm as a technique in foreshadowing. Because I'm all about technique *cough, cough* Not sure if it was effective, but oh well, it's in there. :P
ReplyDeleteI've used weather in one novel--but two others I wrote took place in space onboard ships, so there really wasn't much in the way of weather.
ReplyDeleteHey,
ReplyDeleteIf you want to avoid a storm of witty comments tomorrow, don't be like me mentioning "Stripper" and "Blogfest" in the same post :)
I've never used this exact trope, but in my latest flash fiction story on my blog the characters use weather for combat (or rather discuss doing so).
ReplyDeleteHuh, now I'm trying to imagine what would happen if I threw a storm into any of my stories. It might fit well in my NaNo, actually. Well, I guess if all goes off track. . . mine as well make it worse and throw a storm in. ;)
ReplyDeleteBad weather at sea plays a huge role in one of my novels. I always like books that combine the man vs. man conflict with man vs. nature.
ReplyDelete