MISTY MONDAY

Today Dunedin has been plunged back into the depths of winter. The temperature has plummeted and snow is predicted above 500m. Rain has been falling since yesterday and there are no signs of it abating. The best thing about this change is the mist. It lends an eerie air to the world outside my window.

Weather can almost be a cliche when you match it to the events in a novel, but it really does add a layer of atmosphere. Or if the weather clashes with events, that too can add texture: A sinister event in a bright clear day with birdsong on the air; a happy ever after ending to a romance punctuated by a violent thunderstorm has possibilities too.

Mist or fog lends itself to mysteries, but it has a shut-in effect too, which could be translated into cosiness, or security - as long as the protagonist is safely inside or at least near a fire!

And that's where I am today. Inside with the fire roaring, feeling like the only person on earth. Outside everything is drenched in rain and mist and the hills have disappeared.

I need to write a romance for an upcoming competition. Today the weather has put me in just the right mood.

Does the weather effect your writing?

Here's a few photos I just snapped over our back fence.

   

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