Weather As Character

by Janis Patterson

As you probably know, I'm out of the country now, enjoying my Very Big Trip, so I'm reprinting one of my more popular blog posts from not-too-long ago. I'll be back in October and remember, I'll be writing about the VBT in my newsletter, in case you want to subscribe! There's a sign-up box on my website. 

Picture a bright blue sky glowing with golden sunshine and dotted with friendly, fluffy clouds. Now picture dark grey looming clouds hanging so low you can almost grab a handful of them, while an icy wind scours the land with frigid teeth.

Which would you think of as setting for a lighthearted romantic comedy and which for an angst-filled mystery where terrible things lurk just under the next breeze?

Admittedly, those are two extreme examples, but weather does affect our perception of genre and tone. Now before you jump all over me crying that so-and-so did a terribly horrifying story set on a sunny beach or a rom-com in a storm-lashed castle, I will agree with you. There are always those writers who can take a trope and turn it on its head with great effectiveness. A truly skilled writer can do almost anything – as all of you skilled writers know – but the stormy rom-con and the sun-drenched murder have been done so often that they are almost tropes in themselves. 

It’s a lot harder to take a pleasant, sunny location and make it a place of crime, apprehension and horror. I say let your setting work for you – sometimes. Never do anything exactly the same way every time. Keep your reader on her mental toes. And let’s face it, it’s easier to ratchet up the tension in a dark and shadowy place where who knows what is lurking in that lightless corner we must traverse, just as it’s delightful to see the hero’s eyes crinkle in appreciation on a sunny beach. Proper use of the weather can almost turn it into a character in and of itself, and give both depth and foreshadowing to your story.

People have certain expectations and reactions to the weather. I say use them, or, if you use them in reverse, do it whole-heartedly. One of the most romantic scenes I’ve ever watched was the end of the old movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s, where George Peppard (a singularly interesting bit of casting) and Audrey Hepburn find the cat and declare their love in an ugly NYC alley in a pouring rain. Switch upon switch upon switch. 

On the other hand, most readers have certain expectations; I’m a firm believer that as writers, especially genre writers, we don’t have to re-invent the wheel. At least, not every time.

What Would Tiger Do?

Mystery writer, Rita Mae Brown, once said that character comes down to one thing: "Survival alters ideology." As life buffets your characters they change and grow. Character grows from within, forced from without.

I was reminded of this over the weekend as Tiger Woods won the Memorial Tournament with an amazing shot on the 16th. If you were to look for a living example of how fictional characters develop, look no further than Tiger Woods.

In the first act of the Woods saga we meet a likable character from an unusual background--African America and Asian parents. The hero possesses some unusual talents that people are beginning to recognize. In this case, he can swing a golf club like no one else. At the end of the first act, our hero sets off on a quest to capture the title of greatest golfer of all time. He has to win more tournaments than Jack Nicklaus to do it. The story question is, "Will Tiger Woods capture the golfing crown from Jack Nicklaus?"

In the first half of the second act, our hero wins tournaments, some of them with remarkable shots and spectacular play. This is the learning half of the second act when everything appears to be working according to hero's plan. He encounters obstacles of course, some of which have nothing to do with golf, but with race. He faces many opponents who try to stop his quest, but he defeats them all. He becomes stronger with each obstacle he overcomes. Along the way, he acquires supporters who provide him with the resources he needs to continue.

In the middle of the second act comes a high point and a crisis. He wins his greatest victory, the U.S. Open, while playing with a torn ACL and a broken leg. At this point, he appears unstoppable in pursuit of his goal.

Then comes the second half of the second act. The rug is pulled out from our hero. His fall is spectacular. The catastrophe is the result of his own making. Some of the things he did in the first half of the act, which everybody ignored, now come back to ruin his plan. He loses everything--his wife and children, his allies, his confidence, and his abilities in golf. At the end of the second act, our hero is down, his plan is in total disarray. He himself is in disgrace and the object of jokes by late-night comedians. At that point, when the curtain falls on the second act, the answer to the story question is "No."

All great stories have a third act. Now the hero must pull himself up and fight harder than before with fewer resources. The opponents are tougher because they have been strengthened in the previous fights. He has to relearn his skills and refashion them for the new circumstances. Tiger Woods struggles through some tournaments, coming close in some, not even making the cut in others. He suffers through the worst losing streak of his career. In the third act of a story, the hero must storm the castle to achieve the final victory, so it is highly symbolic that he goes to the Memorial, which is Jack Nicklaus's tournament on Jack Nicklaus's own course, and wins it in stunning fashion to tie Jack Nicklaus for the number of tournament victories.

Life is not art, even though it seems to imitate it in this case. We don't know how Tiger's story will turn out, or whether there will be more acts in his story. I find Tiger's story inspiring, not for how to live my life, but for how to punish my own characters to make them come alive on the page. When I'm struggling with a sagging middle to my story, I ask myself "What would Tiger do?" When I'm pulling the rug out from under my characters, I ask, "How hard would Tiger fall?"

As Rita Mae Brown said, "Survival alters ideology." We writers have to force change on our characters by stressing them out. Tiger's story shows that the more we stress them, the greater the change.

Mark Troy
Hawaiian Eye Blog
Game Face, the collection of Val Lyon Mysteries, on Kindle and Nook.

What's in a Name? and other character building questions

by Austin S. Camacho

A while back I talked about character inventories - a list of traits and details that you could use as a fill-in-the-blank character starter. Each of those traits tells a bit more about your character and if you remain consistent with all of them you’ll have a great character who readers will take to their hearts because they will feel as if they really know this person.

Character inventories usually start with names and that’s not just for convenience. Superficial as we humans are, we draw a lot of meaning out of a person’s name. My detective Hannibal Jones has a very common last name, indicating an everyman. His father named him after the only African military conqueror he could name, the man who led elephants in his army and almost defeated the Roman legions. Who is your character named after? Who named him, mom or dad? Does she have a name that indicates parental personality expectations? Many common women’s names do: Chastity, Felicity, Hope, and Faith. Such characters often either grow into their names or they may take a stance in opposition to it like fictional adventurer Modesty Blaise?

Last names often indicate nationality with all the assumptions they bring. If you have a fellow named Patrick O’Connor in your cast and he ISN’T Irish, you’d better tell us quickly, because we’ve already slotted him. And in fact if he isn’t, there’s a great story there about how he got that name that will tell us a good deal about him.

Similarly, nicknames tell us a lot about your character, but we need to know if he took the name himself or if someone stuck him with it. If you introduce me to a character named Tiny I expect a giant. But if her pals call her Brain, she might be the one who always has a plan, OR she might be an idiot. Either way, the fact that she accepted that nickname tells us about her confidence level and self-image.

As for backgrounds, consider your own nationality. I think very few of you will say, “American.” We all come from somewhere, or our ancestors did. There are no generic people, and readers won’t care about your characters if they are too generic. Everyone has a race, a nationality and a religious background – even if the person doesn’t practice a religion. Consider how that affects your character’s personality.

Economic background affects personalities too, even if the character has moved on from that background. Habits learned during a poor childhood don’t vanish when your character strikes it rich, and vice versa. Know how she’ll behave in a store, in a restaurant, or in a bar. How much does money matter to her choices?

I’ve said all that before mentioning appearance because I think too many people think looks make a character. A description is NOT a character, friends. It’s probably the least important thing. However, it does matter for a few reasons. It indicates race and nationality, and whether the person is inclined to sports or not. It indicates how often others might be attracted to them.

When describing your characters don’t forget importance of clothing and jewelry. Beyond what we’re born with, consider what the character chooses to change. Has he had plastic surgery? Is she dieting? Do they wear a wig or toupee? All those tell us a lot about this person, just as being bald and proud of it does. How do they dress? How much makeup do they wear? These are all more clues to this personality.

Personally, I consider descriptions to be the most boring part of most books. So this is my personal plea for the use of simile and metaphor for description. He’s as tall as what? As fat as who? Her voice sounds like a… what, exactly? Pretend you’re describing your character to a friend who’s never seen him because that’s exactly what you’re doing.

And remember that, beyond description, characters are best revealed by what they say and what they do.

The mystery mystery by Chester Campbell

We write about it and talk about it all the time. It's part of the title of this blog. But just what is a "mystery?" My computer dictionary defines it as: "Something that is not fully understood or that baffles or eludes the understanding."

Does that mean we don't really know what we're writing or talking about? I sometimes think so. But to put a more kindly face on it, I'd say us writers don't expect our readers to understand what's going on until we explain it to them.

The explaining takes a lot of different twists and turns and involves many different people.

So what makes a good mystery? Plot is important, of course. Without it, there would be no mystery. But I think the most memorable mysteries are those featuring truly memorable characters.


Most familiar in the classic hardboiled ranks are guys like Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade, John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee, Ross Macdonald’s Lew Archer, and Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe. From a different perspective, there are Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, along with Dorothy L. Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane.

Coming down to the present, the list could go on and on. Fortunately, there are lots of contemporary authors creating memorable characters.

But the question remains, is plot more important in creating a memorable mystery, or is it character? What do you think?

Chester Campbell
Murder Mania