Writing weather without the clichés

Weather is one of the most common openings in student stories, and one of the easiest to overdo. Used well, though, it builds atmosphere quickly.

Show what the weather does

Instead of “It was very windy”, show the effect: “The wind turned every umbrella on the high street inside out.”

Connect it to the character

“The rain didn’t bother Zara. She had already decided she wasn’t going home.” The weather reveals something about her mood.

Avoid the opening weather report

A paragraph of weather at the start delays the story. Mention it briefly, inside action: “By the time the coach broke down, the snow had already reached the wheels.”

Choose unusual details

Everyone writes about rain hitting windows. What about heat making the tarmac soft enough to hold footprints?

Try it: describe a heatwave in three sentences without using the words “hot”, “sun” or “sweat”.