Words and the weather

Ever the most British of fascinations, the weather is even more so at the moment.  I suspect it's because Autumn turned up so tardily that when it finally arrived it came as a shock.

I was thinking a little about the part the weather plays in the tvdetective books, and the world of words in general.  I defy just about any English author not to mention the weather on repeated occasions - we're programmed to do so! - but equally you've got to be careful not to let it become a cliche.

How many times is the denouement of a work set against a storm... how many times must a chase scene take place through the pouring rain... and a happy ending against a sunset?

Ah, some of it is unavoidable.  It's hard to write realistic misery when the sun is blazing down upon the characters.  It's just the way of sunshine, it magics up smiles.  And it's hard to be cheery when caught amidst a monsoon, unless you're one of those doommongers, the modern day Horsemen of the Apocalypse, known (with no obvious sense of due irony) as weather "forecasters".

(Quick aside - I use the quotes because if you look at most of what they say, they're telling you what's already happened - and even I could get that right! - and when it comes to the "forecasting", they always couch their visions in the most esoteric of caveats and provisos.)

However, as I was saying, the weather is so influential in our lives, I suppose it's inevitably going to play a big part in our literature.  I however, having thought about it, and being the contrary type I am (rules were made to be broken etc.) am now going to try to set some scene counterwise to the weather in a future book - perhaps a jolly wedding in the rain type thing - and see if my editors let me get away with it.

All this because some of my shoes are still drying on the radiator after they, and I, got a good soaking earlier in the week...

And at my window comes a rattling reminder of the presence of Autumn, and the fact that I now have to venture out into it again. 

Final thought for this ramble - if you are up to braving the weather, and you're in the Weymouth area tonight, I'm doing a talk about the tvdetective books at the town's library and you'd be very welcome along.  There are more details on the News and Events page - www.thetvdetective.com/news.html

And if you do make it, I promise not to go on too much about the weather... unless I get really wet today...