Turn Up the Heat by Judy L Murray

Seriously? Do I want to turn up the heat? This impossibly hot weather seems relentless. It’s our first topic of the day around my house. Any day we get a drop in temperature, we’re grateful. Which causes me to think about the ‘heat’ in my stories. Is it reflected in my characters’ mental states, their physical actions, and my readers’ enjoyment. Heat in stories can refer to the weather. It often refers to the level of romance. I think of it as a contributor to the level of excitement and ebb and flow throughout my stories. I try to be conscious of how I turn up or lower the temperature level of tension, pacing, anguish or joy. In book one of my Chesapeake Bay Mystery Series, the weather introduces the little waterfront town of Port Anne, Maryland. Books Two and Three are set in summer and fall. Here’s an example from Murder in the Master. Notice how weather helps establish setting while enabling a place, Port Anne, to actually have feelings: …It was May and Port Anne, halfway between Philadelphia and Baltimore, was feeling the winter doldrums shift to bustling anticipation of the summer season. …Striped buoys and nautical flags flapped in the sunshine... Here is a sample of how the warmth of a summer night can turn up the heat between characters: Helen handed Joe the binoculars and covered his hands with hers. She directed his eyes toward a point beyond a nearby cover. ‘It’s a heron sitting at the end of the breakwater. He must be looking for a late-night snack,’ she whispered…Their faces were almost cheek to cheek as they passed the glasses back and forth. I am just a few chapters away from wrapping up the first draft of my fourth book, Villian in the Vineyard. This time, I chose the month of February. February doesn’t easily reflect the hopeful attitude inherent in other times of the year. My characters are not in the throes of summer fun or anticipating the cool, beautiful fall. It also is very different from the holiday cheer of a December story. February is often bleak, treeless, tiresome, sometimes even threatening. However, February provides my readers a new setting while remaining in their familiar, favorite place. Here’s a sample of how weather can affect your setting and characters’ actions: “Oscar? Hello? It’s Helen.” She stood at the tasting room door in the winter quiet and listened to the distant swash of water ebbing against the bay shoreline in the distance. The sky was grey, and a sense of approaching snow hung in the air. “Oscar?” Still nothing. She tugged at the wide door and stepped inside out of the wind… Can weather help reflect a character’s state of mind? Absolutely. Consider the utter gloom and swirling fog surrounding Manderley of Daphne du Maurier’s classic Rebecca that contributed to the young bride’s mental anguish. Would her story be as impactful and believable if set in the sunshine? Here’s a sample from my Villian in the Vineyard: …She turned to the sliders, placed her hands on the cold glass and stared at the dark water. The wind had picked up. It was keening around the edges of the house. “Do you know what Jane Marple would say? This is a wicked murderer and the wicked should not go unpunished.” She faced her children, her cheeks flushed. She dug her nails into her palms….“I am not hiding behind my desk waiting for the next hit.” As a writer, ask yourself, am I using weather to my stories’ best advantage? Perhaps you are a reader with examples from your favorite books? I’m looking forward to your replies. In the meantime, I’m returning back to my hermetically sealed, air-conditioned study to write. Stay cool as you turn up, or down, your book’s heat. Judy