Hey-o, Word-wielders,
Here in Canada we are in the heart of winter. Minus 30 (Celsius) days, blowing snow preventing me from going to work, and bundling up to go outside are some of what I experience. I know not all of you live in a climate as cold as mine, and today I'm going to be sharing with you tips on writing winter scenes.
1. Snow is not just fluffy
A lot of the time, snow depicted as fluffy mounds perfect for rolling into snowballs.
Let me say, there is more to the story.
There are different textures to snow. Yes, there is the fluffy snow, but snow can also be heavy and wet, sticking to branches and weighing them down. (That is good snowball snow.) It can have a crust on top (sometimes thick enough to walk on.) with snow more the consistency of salt beneath. It can be hard too. Snow is not a one-texture element. Be imaginative with your winter wonderland.
2. Little details on being cold
Some things I've noticed from being cold is that speaking becomes more difficult as my chin gets cold. Also, trying to play piano after having your fingers chilled is not the easiest of feats. Your lungs/throat can burn after running in the cold, and if you keep a scarf over your mouth for long enough it will get damp from your breath and eventually freeze.
3. Road conditions
If you want to give your characters a doozy of a time just send them on an emergency trip in a blizzard.
Wintertime can be a dangerous season for driving. Cars can slip around on ice and hit the ditch (especially if they have bald tires) or get stuck in a snowdrift, and blowing snow can block vision. Also note that if it's very cold where your characters are they should plug in their cars (not because they're electric. It helps them start) or they may not start.
At this point you might be thinking: Good grief, who's stupid enough to live there? Please note that up here we can also have days where the sky is sunny and clear, either frigid ones where sundogs adorn the sky (think mini rainbows on either side of the sun), or warm ones where melting snow drips off the eaves. Snow sticking to the branches
can create a beautiful snowy scene in the bush, and of course without the cold we can't have outdoor skating and hockey, no sledding, snowboarding or skiing. Your characters can enjoy living in the cold as well as be tossed into whatever heart-pounding scheme you've devised.
Below is a podcast that also talks about writing winter scenes. What tips do you have about writing about winter? Let me know in the comments below.
May you live for Christ and give Him praise!
~Claira
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Hey, I didn't know you played piano! And your comment about trying to plat piano with cold fingers, I know EXACTLY what you mean! I love the piano, and here is a funny story about that! two weeks ago we had a huge blizzard (i live in Kansas, so while blizzards aren't rare, they aren't common, either!) so me and my siblings went out and had a crazy time in the snow, almost four hours. When I came back inside, I thought i would practice some piano. But no. I was currently learning Franz List's Hungarian Rhapsody no.2 and boy was it a challenge! I ended up working on some of my slower songs to make my fingers pliable again!
By the way, I love your blog! Thank you so much for putting it out, I have learned so much, and been encouraged as well! I am definetly asking for a writers t-shirt for my birthday like in your post, those were so good!