This week was a bit up and down. I have been working on a non-writing related project that has taken a fair bit of time, and has led to the rediscovery of a great artistic activity – but more on that next week (I hope). Although I haven’t written anywhere near as much as I’d wanted, I have got another section of the novel done, plus spent some time on other pieces. I am also starting to look through ongoing poetry pieces to see which to work on for a competition.
And this weekend has given me snow. Although I am well aware that too much can be a problem, I do love snow – the silence of the skies, the undulations of the ground where previously there were pots and paths, walking through snowy fields. So I thought this would be a good example of how inspiration hits me.
As someone who loves writing nature poetry, the outside world is full of fascination and beauty. It could be a brown leaf against a grey tree trunk or a colourful butterfly, or a flower: these are the things that make the world remarkable. But weather takes it to the next level – it can be used as a metaphor for things that are powerful, divisive, cruel, invidious, glorious. From blackness through to miles of white, the weather can cover every emotion, situation, strength and weakness. To give two extreme examples: a scene can be set in baking sunshine, and you can feel the heat in the air as well as between the characters. Or, it can be based in fields of ice, and you feel the urge to wrap up warm because of the coldness of the characters’ interactions.
In other words, weather gives a writer some fancy tools. The writer just has to learn to use them.
What I really want to do is put on a fleece and sit outside, writing about how the snow feels, the way it changes the world. But it’s the middle of the night and very cold, so instead, I will look out the window, and try to describe it as it falls.
So this week, I have to remind you that just looking out of your window can give rise to a scene, or an emotion you want to capture. Let the weather focus your mind and allow you to write how it makes you feel.
Happy writing,
EJ
🙂
Becoming a writer 
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