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Writing Nestling

How To Describe Rain In Writing (10 Important Steps)

Describing rain in writing is akin to capturing the essence of a timeless and ever-evocative phenomenon that has fascinated poets, novelists, and storytellers for centuries.

Rain, in its many forms and moods, can be a powerful narrative device, setting the stage, conveying emotions, and mirroring the complexities of human experience.

In this guide, we will explore the art of painting rain with words, delving into the sensory language that allows writers to immerse readers in the beauty and drama of a rain-soaked scene.

From sight and sound to touch, smell, and taste, we will dissect the many dimensions of rain’s sensory language and its capacity to create mood, atmosphere, and profound emotional resonance.

Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just beginning your literary journey, this exploration of how to describe rain in writing will equip you with the tools to harness the poetic potential of this natural phenomenon and infuse your stories with its captivating magic.

Table of Contents

How To Describe Rain In Writing

Describing rain in writing involves using vivid and evocative language to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. Here’s a step-by-step process to help you do just that:

Setting the Scene

Start by setting the scene and creating the right atmosphere. Describe the location and time of day. Is it a city street, a quiet forest, or a coastal town? Is it daytime or night? This contextual information helps the reader envision the rain more effectively.

Select the Right Words

Use descriptive adjectives, adverbs, and verbs to convey the characteristics of the rain. Choose words that evoke the senses. For instance, you can use words like “gentle,” “drizzling,” “torrential,” “pattering,” “incessant,” or “misty” to describe the rain.

Sensory Imagery

Engage the reader’s senses. Describe how the rain feels, sounds, smells, and looks. Does it feel cool and refreshing on the skin, or is it a chilling, biting rain? Does it create puddles and ripples? Can you hear it tapping on windows or the leaves of trees? What is the scent in the air during and after the rain?

Metaphors and Similes

Metaphors and similes can be powerful tools. Compare the rain to something else to create a more vivid image. For example, “The rain fell like a whisper from the heavens” or “The drops were as tiny as pearls.”

Emotions and Mood

Consider the emotional impact of the rain on the characters or the setting. Rain can evoke feelings of nostalgia, melancholy, or even joy. Describe how the characters react to the rain, which can help set the mood.

Focus on Details

Pay attention to the small details that make the scene come alive. Describe the way the raindrops bead on a window, how it slicks the streets, or how it makes the world glisten.

Show, Don’t Tell

Instead of telling the reader that it’s raining, show the effects of the rain. Let the reader infer the weather from the descriptions you provide.

Use Personification

Consider giving human attributes to the rain. This can add depth to your description. For example, “The rain wept from the sky,” or “The rain danced on the rooftop.”

Structure and Flow

Arrange your descriptions in a way that mimics the rhythm of the rain. You might start with a light drizzle and gradually build up to a heavy downpour, creating a sense of anticipation and climax.

Edit and Revise

After you’ve written your rain description, edit and revise to eliminate unnecessary words and ensure that your description flows smoothly.

Remember that the effectiveness of your rain description will also depend on the overall context of your writing , the characters involved, and the emotions you want to convey. By following these steps, you can create a captivating and immersive rain scene in your writing .

Understanding Rain

Rain, that ethereal veil woven from the heavens, defies our attempts to confine its essence within mere droplets. It is nature’s symphony, a celestial dance between Earth and sky, an invitation to reflect on the interconnectedness of all things.

The gentle kiss of a drizzle awakens memories of childhood laughter, while a torrential downpour offers a cleansing catharsis.

With every drop, it whispers tales of renewal and growth, a reminder that even the darkest storms yield to the brilliance of a new day.

To understand rain is to embrace the poetry of existence, where the tears of the sky become the tears of our own souls, falling, glistening, and ultimately nourishing the gardens of our hearts.

The emotional impact of rain

The emotional impact of rain is a symphony of feelings that flows within us as seamlessly as the raindrops descend from the sky.

Rain can evoke a profound sense of nostalgia, taking us back to cherished memories of dancing in puddles or seeking refuge from life’s storms.

It carries an inexplicable comfort in its steady pattering, offering solace to those in search of introspection. Yet, rain can also mirror our deepest sorrows, its tears mingling with our own.

It has a unique power to amplify our moods, whether it’s the serenity that follows a gentle shower or the restlessness that accompanies a thunderstorm.

In the realm of storytelling, rain is a powerful emotional conduit, capable of reflecting characters’ inner turmoil, sadness, or moments of profound revelation. Rain, in its ability to mirror and magnify our emotions, remains a symbol of the ever-changing human experience.

Why rain is a popular element in literature

Rain has emerged as a perennially popular element in literature, owing to its multifaceted symbolic significance and its capacity to elicit a rich tapestry of emotions. Its duality as both a life-giving force and a harbinger of melancholy makes it a versatile tool for authors.

Rain can symbolize renewal and cleansing, as seen in its ability to rejuvenate parched landscapes, while also conveying a sense of melancholy, reflecting the intricacies of human experiences.

It often serves as a narrative device, heightening tension, foreshadowing events, or mirroring characters’ internal turmoil.

From Shakespeare’s stormy tempests to the poignant rain-soaked scenes of modern literature, the rain transcends the physical world to become a vivid metaphorical language that resonates with readers on profound emotional and thematic levels.

Its role in literature is a testament to its timeless ability to captivate, challenge, and move both writers and readers.

Sensory Language

Sensory language is the poet’s palette, the novelist’s symphony, and the artist’s brush, allowing us to paint the world with words, evoke the symphony of senses, and ignite the imagination with a single sentence.

It transcends mere words, transforming writing into an immersive sensory experience. It’s the sultry scent of a tropical rainforest, the exhilarating taste of an adventure, the velvet touch of a lover’s hand, the symphony of colors in a bustling marketplace, and the resonating echoes of a forgotten memory.

Sensory language is a key that unlocks the door to vivid storytelling, where readers don’t just read the words; they taste, touch, hear, smell, and see the narrative come alive, engaging in a dance of imagination that leaves an indelible imprint on their souls.

It’s the secret elixir that makes literature not just something to read, but something to feel and savor.

Using sight to describe rain

Using sight to describe rain is an art of painting with words, capturing the visual poetry of nature’s tears falling from the sky.

Each raindrop, like a liquid jewel, glistens as it descends, creating a shimmering curtain that blurs the boundaries between heaven and earth.

The world transforms as rain showers down, whether it’s a soft drizzle that veils the landscape in delicate mist or a fierce downpour that blurs the horizon.

The sight of rain paints emotions on the canvas of our perception, from the gray melancholy of a stormy day to the joyful, bright hues of a rainbow arching over the horizon after a cleansing shower.

It’s a visual language that writers use to evoke moods, create atmosphere, and transport readers into the heart of a story’s sensory landscape, where every raindrop is a brushstroke in the masterpiece of storytelling.

Using sound to describe rain

Using sound to describe rain is like composing a symphony of nature’s rhythms. Raindrops are nature’s percussion instruments, playing a melodic and sometimes chaotic tune as they pitter-patter on various surfaces.

The soothing sound of a light drizzle creates a delicate lullaby, while a thunderous downpour is a crescendo of raw power, a thunderous applause from the heavens.

Rain’s symphony is not just the sound of droplets on rooftops and leaves; it’s the collective voice of a million tiny performers, resonating with the heartbeat of the earth.

The rustle of rain in a forest, the rhythmic tapping on a windowpane, or the playful splashes on puddles all speak of the rain’s emotional range, from peaceful serenity to turbulent intensity.

Writers use this auditory experience to immerse readers in the very heart of a scene, where the sound of rain becomes a character in its own right, narrating a story of nature’s grand drama.

Using touch to describe rain

Using touch to describe rain is to convey the sensation of nature’s caress or onslaught on the skin. Raindrops, like tender kisses from the heavens, can bring a refreshing coolness to a sweltering day, or they can prick your skin with a chill, making you shiver.

The texture of rain varies, from the gentle touch of mist in a drizzle to the sharp, stinging embrace of a heavy shower. Writers often describe rain as a tactile experience, whether it’s the way it makes your clothes cling, the feel of droplets on your face, or the softness of moist earth underfoot.

The sensation of rain is intimate and sensory, and it can evoke a spectrum of emotions, from comfort and rejuvenation to discomfort and vulnerability.

It’s this tactile connection that allows readers to not just see or hear the rain but to feel it, making it a powerful tool for authors to deepen the immersion of their audience in the story’s world.

Using smell to describe rain

Using smell to describe rain is to unlock the earth’s hidden perfumes, released with the first kiss of moisture after a dry spell.

The scent of rain is one of nature’s most enchanting aromas, a blend of petrichor, the earthy fragrance of soil awakening, and ozone, the electrifying aroma of the atmosphere refreshed.

This symphony of scents brings with it the promise of renewal, a reminder that life continues to thrive even in the midst of a storm. The smell of rain is evocative, transporting us to memories of childhood, when the world seemed pure and full of wonder after a shower.

For writers, it’s a sensory bridge that connects readers to the primal essence of the earth, awakening nostalgia, rejuvenation, and a sense of connection to the natural world.

It’s the scent of life itself, carried on the breeze, and it allows storytelling to transcend the visual and auditory realms into the olfactory, adding a layer of depth and richness to the narrative.

Metaphors and Symbols

Metaphors and symbols are the inkwells of imagination, the keys to unlocking hidden worlds within the written word.

They are the alchemical language of storytelling, where a rose becomes not just a flower but a symbol of love, and the ticking of a clock transforms into the heartbeat of suspense.

Metaphors paint vivid pictures in the mind, revealing hidden truths through comparison, while symbols carry the weight of ages, encapsulating entire ideologies in a single image.

They are the threads that weave the tapestry of literature, enriching narratives with layers of meaning and offering readers a kaleidoscope of interpretations.

In the hands of a skilled wordsmith, metaphors and symbols are the compass and the stars, guiding readers through uncharted territory and inviting them to embark on journeys where words are not just tools but magical gateways to understanding the profound mysteries of human experience.

Rain as a symbol

Rain, in the realm of literature and symbolism, is a versatile and evocative motif that carries a multitude of interpretations.

It often embodies the notion of renewal and rebirth, as it nourishes the earth and washes away the old, much like a cleansing baptism. Rain can symbolize growth and transformation, casting a hopeful light on new beginnings.

At the same time, it’s a symbol of melancholy, encapsulating the tears of sorrow, isolation, or the weight of unfulfilled desires.

In various narratives, rain can also serve as a metaphor for life’s unpredictability and the uncontrollable forces that shape our existence.

Whether it’s depicted as a harbinger of change or a reflection of human emotions, rain remains a powerful literary symbol that beautifully mirrors the complexity of the human condition, allowing readers to explore themes of life, death, and everything in between.

Rain’s role in character development

Rain, as a literary device, often plays a pivotal role in character development. It’s like a mirror reflecting the inner world of characters.

A protagonist caught in a sudden downpour may experience vulnerability and reveal a softer side, shedding their inhibitions or bravado.

For others, a storm can symbolize emotional turmoil, acting as a catalyst for self-discovery and growth. The way a character reacts to rain, whether seeking shelter, dancing in it, or cursing it, can reveal their temperament, desires, and fears.

Rain can also be a metaphorical cleansing, allowing characters to shed their past or old beliefs, paving the way for personal transformation.

In the hands of skilled writers, rain becomes a subtle but powerful tool to deepen character arcs, illuminating the multidimensional aspects of their personalities and serving as a conduit for empathy and connection with readers.

Setting the scene in a narrative is akin to the opening notes of a grand symphony, where every detail, every brushstroke, and every whispered word has the power to transport readers into the heart of a story’s universe.

It’s the alchemy of words and imagination, where the setting becomes more than mere backdrop; it becomes a living, breathing entity that influences characters, events, and emotions.

A vividly painted setting is not just a place; it’s a mood, an atmosphere, a character in its own right, with the power to set the stage for love, tragedy, adventure, or mystery.

It’s a doorway into worlds both real and fantastical, an invitation for readers to step into the shoes of the characters and feel the pulse of the story’s heart .

In the hands of a skilled storyteller, setting is the portal to the extraordinary, the touchstone of emotion, and the architect of immersion, where every word weaves a tapestry of sights, sounds, and sensations that lingers in the reader’s soul long after the final page is turned.

Emotions and Themes

Emotions and themes in literature are the twin constellations that guide readers through the vast universe of storytelling, offering a kaleidoscope of human experiences and profound insights.

Like a masterful piece of music, they orchestrate the symphony of words, each note resonating with joy, sorrow, love, or conflict.

They are the compass that navigates the complex terrain of narrative landscapes, shedding light on the profound questions that define our existence.

Emotions are the heartbeat of characters, the catalysts for empathy, and the glue that binds readers to the story’s soul. Themes, on the other hand, are the hidden gems, the golden threads that tie seemingly unrelated events into a rich tapestry of meaning.

They are the questions that stir the deepest contemplations, be it about love, morality, fate, or the very essence of humanity.

Together, they transform literature into more than just ink on paper; they make it a mirror to our souls, inviting us to explore the boundless complexity of the human condition and reminding us that, within the pages of a book, we may find the reflection of our own journeys.

Conveying emotions through rain

Conveying emotions through rain is like tapping into the heart of nature’s own poetry. Rain has an extraordinary ability to mirror and amplify the feelings of characters and the overarching mood of a story.

A gentle drizzle can evoke a sense of calm, serenity, and even romance, as it envelopes characters in a soft, comforting embrace. In contrast, a torrential downpour might signify chaos, turmoil, or despair, with its relentless onslaught reflecting the characters’ inner struggles.

Writers use rain to create emotional depth, where the weather becomes a silent yet powerful protagonist that shapes the narrative’s emotional landscape.

Rain, in its myriad forms and intensities, becomes a conduit for the raw, unspoken sentiments that swirl beneath the surface, inviting readers to connect with characters on a visceral level, as they too become drenched in the emotional downpour of the story.

Exploring common themes associated with rain

Exploring common themes associated with rain is like delving into a treasure trove of symbolism and emotion. Rain’s presence in literature often mirrors a spectrum of timeless themes.

Love and romance often find their muse in rain-soaked moments, where passionate encounters occur under the soft drizzle or in the midst of a tempestuous downpour. Rain also serves as a symbol of melancholy, capturing feelings of loss, loneliness, or unfulfilled desires.

Beyond that, it represents the idea of renewal and rebirth, akin to nature’s cleansing, washing away the old to make way for the new.

Rain can even foreshadow change, be it positive or negative, in a character’s journey. These common themes associated with rain create a rich tapestry of meaning in literature, allowing readers to connect with the human experience on a profound, emotional level, while offering writers a canvas on which to paint the essence of life’s complexities and subtleties.

Literary Techniques

Literary techniques are the kaleidoscope through which words become art, and storytelling transforms into an enchanting dance of language.

They are the secret pathways that lead readers into the hidden chambers of a writer’s imagination, offering experiences that transcend mere prose.

Metaphors and similes become the brushstrokes that paint vivid pictures, while personification breathes life into inanimate objects, making them whisper secrets in the reader’s ear.

Symbolism, like a secret code, adds layers of meaning that ripple beneath the surface, inviting readers to decode its mysteries. Foreshadowing, that subtle whisper of destiny, guides the narrative, and irony adds a tantalizing twist to the tale.

With these literary tools, writers become magicians, conjuring universes, emotions, and characters that live, breathe, and linger in the reader’s mind long after the final page is turned.

Literary techniques are the key to the door that opens into the enchanting realm of storytelling, where words are not just ink on paper but enchantments that weave a spell over the soul.

Personification of rain

Personification of rain is like granting nature its own voice and personality, turning a meteorological phenomenon into a living character in a story.

Rain, when personified, can take on qualities, desires, and emotions, transforming it into a mystical entity with intentions and whims of its own.

It becomes a silent yet powerful participant in the narrative, capable of comforting, cleansing, or causing chaos. Personified rain can express empathy for the characters, becoming a compassionate friend in their moments of solitude or a relentless adversary during their trials.

By imbuing rain with human-like attributes, writers bridge the gap between the natural world and the human experience, creating a deeper connection with the reader as they explore the complexities of this weather-wielding character.

Rain’s role in creating atmosphere and mood

Rain’s role in creating atmosphere and mood is nothing short of transformative. Whether it’s a gentle drizzle whispering in the hush of dawn or a tempestuous downpour raging against the world, rain is a maestro of ambiance.

It can cast a serene, melancholic, or foreboding aura over a scene, setting the emotional tone with a few drops or a deluge.

The sound of raindrops can serve as a lullaby, soothing the soul, or a cacophony, intensifying suspense. The glistening streets after a shower can evoke serenity, while the gray clouds of an impending storm can shroud a narrative in tension.

Rain’s ability to mirror and amplify emotions, to dance between the mundane and the extraordinary, makes it an invaluable tool for writers in shaping the mood of their stories, turning the weather itself into a silent, atmospheric character.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about How To Describe Rain In Writing

What’s the importance of effectively describing rain in writing.

Describing rain in writing is crucial for setting the mood, creating vivid imagery, and immersing readers in the story’s atmosphere. It can convey emotions, add depth to your narrative, and make your writing more engaging.

How can I make my rain description stand out from others?

To make your rain description unique, focus on sensory details, metaphors, and personification. Add elements that are specific to your story’s setting or characters to make the scene more memorable.

Can you provide some examples of metaphors for describing rain?

Certainly. You can describe rain as “teardrops from the sky,” “a silver curtain,” “a melody of droplets,” or “nature’s soothing lullaby.” Metaphors can evoke powerful images in the reader’s mind.

What are some words to avoid when describing rain?

It’s best to avoid clichés and overused words like “wet,” “dripping,” and “pouring.” Instead, opt for more creative and evocative terms that capture the rain’s unique qualities.

How can I evoke the sound of rain in my writing?

To evoke the sound of rain, use onomatopoeic words like “pattering,” “drumming,” “tapping,” or “whispering.” You can also describe how the rain sounds on different surfaces, such as leaves, roofs, or windows.

Are there any tips for describing the emotional impact of rain on characters?

To describe the emotional impact of rain, show how your characters react. Do they find solace in the rain, or does it bring them sorrow? Use their actions, thoughts, and dialogue to convey their emotions.

Should I use first-person or third-person perspective to describe rain effectively?

The choice of perspective depends on your writing style and the narrative voice. Both first-person and third-person perspectives can be effective. Consider which perspective best suits your story and characters .

How can I create a unique rain description for a specific genre, like fantasy or mystery?

Tailor your rain description to fit the genre. For a fantasy setting, you might incorporate magical elements, while a mystery could use rain to build suspense or reveal hidden clues. Let the genre guide your description.

Is it better to start or end a scene with a rain description?

There’s no strict rule, but you can experiment with both. Starting with a rain description can set the mood, while ending with it can leave a lasting impression. The choice depends on your narrative structure.

How can I avoid over-describing rain and bogging down my narrative?

Keep your descriptions concise and relevant to the story’s context. Focus on key moments and use rain descriptions strategically to enhance the narrative without overwhelming it. Less can often be more.

Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to describing rain in writing . Your approach should align with your story’s unique needs and your personal style as a writer.

In conclusion, the art of describing rain in writing is a window to the world of emotions, atmospheres, and sensory experiences that transcend mere words.

Rain, as both a natural phenomenon and a powerful literary device, has the capacity to enrich narratives, deepen characters, and connect with readers on profound levels.

As we’ve journeyed through this exploration of sensory language, metaphors, symbolism, and the intricate ways rain impacts storytelling, we’ve seen how the mere mention of rain can evoke a symphony of emotions, from joy to sorrow, and how it can add layers of meaning to the narrative.

Rain is more than just precipitation; it’s a vehicle for storytelling, a mirror reflecting our human condition.

By mastering the techniques of describing rain, writers can harness the evocative power of this natural element to create immersive, memorable, and emotionally resonant stories that leave an indelible mark on their readers’ hearts.

So, let the rain be your muse, and let your words dance with its beauty and complexity, inviting your readers to experience the magic of rain through your stories.

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Master List for Describing Weather

A lot of writers struggle with describing settings. I’ve written before about how to describe settings and why it matters , but a few people have told me they’d like me to do some of my master lists for writers to help them out!

I have a weird love for creating lists like this, so I’m happy to do it. “How to describe weather” seemed like a good place to start. This way, you won’t get stuck trying to figure out how to describe nice weather, or thinking up ways to describe rain. Hopefully, this will make your writing go faster.

I always include simple as well as more creative ways to describe or write about weather. Sometimes, the simple word is the one you want! I included dryness and humidity in a few of the categories because it felt weird for them to get their own.

As always, this is not a comprehensive list, and I might add to it. My list will probably make you think of other possibilities, too. Bookmark or pin it for future writing reference!

HOT WEATHER

blazing sunshine

glaring sun

baking in the sun

sun-drenched

scorching heat

extravagant heat

relentless sun

like a suana

dense tropical heat

radiating heat

blistering heat

oppressive heat

insufferable heat

suffocating heat

heat pressing down

searing sun

shimmering heat

like an oven

like a furnace

WARM / PLEASANT WEATHER

(“Pleasant” is a matter of opinion, of course.)

a beautiful day

a clear day

a temperate day

a golden day

a glorious day

heavenly weather

bright and sunny

a gorgeous spring day

a dazzling summer day

a brilliant autumn day

a vivid blue sky

a cloudless sky

fluffy white clouds

gentle sunshine

lazy sunshine

kind sunshine

filtered sunlight

dappled sunlight

welcome warmth

one of those rare, perfect days

the kind of day that made people forget to worry

the kind of day that lifted people’s moods

COOL WEATHER

refreshing air

stimulating cool air

invigorating cool air

bracing cool air

a nip in the air

a brisk day

a chilly day

weak sunshine

GRAY / OVERCAST WEATHER

(Most people don’t like gray days, so most of these descriptions are negative. I love them, so I had to add a few positive descriptions.)

colorless sky

a soft gray sky

a dove-gray sky

a gray day made for books and tea

steel-gray sky

granite sky

cement-gray sky

threatening clouds

foreboding clouds

COLD WEATHER

glacial air

bitter cold

brutal cold

bone-chilling cold

penetrating cold

devastating cold

numbing cold

punishing cold

dangerous cold

unforgiving cold

too cold to talk

so cold it burned one’s lungs

so cold it took one’s breath away

like a blast from a hair dryer

a gust of wind

insistent winds

heavy winds

strong winds

cutting wind

whipping winds

biting wind

wintry squall

violent gale

howling wind

shifting winds

restless wind

fresh breeze

soft breeze

balmy breeze

perfumed breeze

slight breeze

hint of a breeze

stirring breeze

wind rustling through the trees

fine drizzle

gray drizzle

pebbles of falling rain

spitting rain

stinging rain

steady rain

rain falling in torrents

cascades of rain

rain beating down

shower of rain

sheets of rain

hard-driving rain

pelting rain

lashing rain

slashing rain

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

rumbling in the distance

a roll of distant thunder

crash of thunder

crackle of thunder

crack of thunder

clap of thunder

bang of thunder

booming thunder

rattled with thunder

earth-shaking thunder

tempestuous

a furious storm

flash of lightning

streaks of lightning

SNOW AND ICE

flurries of snow

dancing flakes

snowflakes floating down

snowflakes wafting down

swirling snow

falling thick and fast

big flakes falling like petals

blinding snowstorm

raging blizzard

sparkling expanses

blankets of white

caked with snow

boulders of snow

branches coated in ice

glittering ice

crystallized by frost

silvered with frost

clouds of mist

swirling mist

billowing fog

cloaked in mist

cocooned in fog

shrouded in fog

enveloped by fog

smothered by fog

made mysterious by fog

the fog rolled in

the fog was burning off

the fog was lifting

the fog was clearing

the fog was dissipating

I have many lists like this in my book Master Lists for Writers: Thesauruses, Plots, Character Traits, Names, and More . Check it out!

Master Lists for Writers by Bryn Donovan

Do you describe weather conditions in your writing? Do you have a favorite example of a weather description? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading, and happy writing!

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How To Describe Settings – and Why It Matters #how to write more descriptively #how to describe scenery in writing #how to make a novel longer

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The Best Rain in Literature

Straight and silvery, big as buckshot, a thin knife of cool.

This morning, it is raining, and I am drinking tea. Whenever these two elements coincide, I always think of a poem I discovered and fell in love with as an irreverent literary teen: “It is raining. / I guess I’ll make / Some tea.” Yes, it’s a haiku, and sure, it’s by Gary Snyder, but what do you want from me, I was thirteen years old and still amazed at what counted as poetry. I inscribed this poem on my bedspread in fabric paint. I cannot pour tea in the rain without it bouncing through my head. I make this confession only to say that there is rain of all kinds in literature, and considering that it is April (month of showers) and it is a strange April because so many of us are spending it inside (which makes the rain much more appealing and romantic), I thought I would highlight some of my favorites. Maybe a phrase from the below will stick with you and torment you for years, who knows? One can only hope.

From Iris Murdoch’s The Sea, The Sea :

The rain came down, straight and silvery, like a punishment of steel rods. It clattered onto the house and onto the rocks and pitted the sea. The thunder made some sounds like grand pianos falling downstairs, then settled to a softer continuous rumble, which was almost drowned by the sound of the rain. The flashes of lightning joined into long illuminations which made the grass a lurid green, the rocks a blazing ochre yellow, as yellow as Gilbert’s car.

From Clarie-Louise Bennet’s Pond :

Incredible, really. Or so it seemed to me as I went by and heard the thing play out. Further along there were those very small raindrops, droplets I suppose, which attach themselves with resolute but nonetheless ebullient regularity among the fronds of a beautiful type of delicate crass, appearing, for all the world, like a squandered chandelier dashing headlong down the hillside.

From Halldór Laxness’s Independent People :

Shortly afterwards it started raining, very innocently at first, but the sky was packed tight with cloud and gradually the drops grew bigger and heavier, until it was autumn’s dismal rain that was falling—rain that seemed to fill the entire world with its leaden beat, rain suggestive in its dreariness of everlasting waterfalls between the planets, rain that thatched the heavens with drabness and brooded oppressively over the whole countryside, like a disease, strong in the power of its flat, unvarying monotony, its smothering heaviness, its cold, unrelenting cruelty. Smoothly, smoothly it fell, over the whole shire, over the fallen marsh grass, over the troubled lake, the iron-grey gravel flats, the sombre mountain above the croft, smudging out every prospect. And the heavy, hopeless, interminable beat wormed its way into every crevice in the house, lay like a pad of cotton wool over the ears, and embraced everything, both near and far, in its compass, like an unromantic story from life itself that has no rhythm and no crescendo, no climax, but which is nevertheless overwhelming in its scope, terrifying in its significance. And at the bottom of this unfathomed ocean of teeming rain sat the little house and its one neurotic woman.

From Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore :

In the afternoon dark clouds suddenly color the sky a mysterious shade and it starts raining hard, pounding the roof and windows of the cabin. I strip naked and run outside, washing my face with soap and scrubbing myself all over. It feels wonderful. In my joy I shut my eyes and shout out meaningless words as the large raindrops strike me on the cheeks, the eyelids, chest, side, penis, legs, and butt—the stinging pain like a religious initiation or something. Along with the pain there’s a feeling of closeness, like for once in my life the world’s treating me fairly. I feel elated, as if all of a sudden I’ve been set free. I face the sky, hands held wide apart, open my mouth wide, and gulp down the falling rain.

From William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying :

It begins to rain. The first harsh, sparse, swift drops rush through the leaves and across the ground in a long sigh, as though of relief from intolerable suspense. They are as big as buckshot, warm as though fired from a gun; they sweep across the lantern in a vicious hissing. Pa lifts his face, slack-mouthed, the wet black rim of snuff plastered close along the base of his gums; from behind his slack-faced astonishment he muses as though from beyond time, upon the ultimate outrage. Cash looks once at the sky, then at the lantern. The saw has not faltered, the running gleam of its pistoning edge unbroken. “Get something to cover the lantern,” he says.

From NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names :

Then it starts raining, like maybe Godknows has made it rain by all his talking. It’s a light rain, the kind that just licks you. We sit in it and smell the delicious earth around us.

Me, I want my mother, Godknows says after a long while. His voice is choking in the rain and I look at his face and it’s wet and I don’t know which is the rain, which are the tears. I am thinking I want my mother too, we all want our mothers, even though when they are here we don’t really care about them. Then, after just a little while, even before we are proper wet, the rain stops and the sun comes out and pierces, like it wants to show the rain who is who. We sit there and get cooked in it.

From Virginia Woolf’s The Years :

It was raining. A fine rain, a gentle shower, was peppering the pavements and making them greasy. Was it worth while opening an umbrella, was it necessary to hail a hansom, people coming out from the theatres asked themselves, looking up at the mild, milky sky in which the stars were blunted. Where it fell on earth, on fields and gardens, it drew up the smell of earth. Here a drop poised on a grass-blade; there filled the cup of a wild flower, till the breeze stirred and the rain was spilt. Was it worth while to shelter under the hawthorn, under the hedge, the sheep seemed to question; and the cows, already turned out in the grey fields, under the dim hedges, munched on, sleepily chewing with raindrops on their hides. Down on the roofs it fell–here in Westminster, there in the Ladbroke Grove; on the wide sea a million points pricked the blue monster like an innumerable shower bath. Over the vast domes, the soaring spires of slumbering University cities, over the leaded libraries, and the museums, now shrouded in brown holland, the gentle rain slid down, till, reaching the mouths of those fantastic laughers, the many-clawed gargoyles, it splayed out in a thousand odd indentations. A drunken man slipping in a narrow passage outside the public house, cursed it. Women in childbirth heard the doctor say to the midwife, “It’s raining.” And the walloping Oxford bells, turning over and over like slow porpoises in a sea of oil, contemplatively intoned their musical incantation. The fine rain, the gentle rain, poured equally over the mitred and the bareheaded with an impartiality which suggested that the god of rain, if there were a god, was thinking Let it not be restricted to the very wise, the very great, but let all breathing kind, the munchers and chewers, the ignorant, the unhappy, those who toil in the furnace making innumerable copies of the same pot, those who bore red hot minds through contorted letters, and also Mrs Jones in the alley, share my bounty.

From James Joyce’s Dubliners :

It was a dark rainy evening and there was no sound in the house. Through one of the broken panes I heard the rain impinge upon the earth, the fine incessant needles of water playing in the sodden beds.

From Willie Perdomo’s “ We Used to Call it Puerto Rico Rain “:

The rain had just finished saying, This block is mine .

The kind of rain where you could sleep through two

breakthroughs, and still have enough left to belly-sing

the ambrosial hour.

Blood pellets in the dusk & dashes of hail were perfect for

finding new stashes; that is to say, visitations were never

From Lauren Groff’s “ The Midnight Zone “:

The rain increased until it was deafening and still my sweaty children slept. I thought of the waves of sleep rushing through their brains, washing out the tiny unimportant flotsam of today so that tomorrow’s heavier truths could wash in. There was a nice solidity to the rain’s pounding on the roof, as if the noise were a barrier that nothing could enter, a stay against the looming night.

I tried to bring back the poems of my youth, and could not remember more than a few floating lines, which I put together into a strange, sad poem, Blake and Dickinson and Frost and Milton and Sexton, a tag-sale poem in clammy meter that nonetheless came alive and held my hand for a little while.

Then the rain diminished until all that was left were scattered clicks from the drops falling from the pines

From Charles Dickens’ Bleak House :

The weather had been all the week extremely sultry, but the storm broke so suddenly—upon us, at least, in that sheltered spot—that before we reached the outskirts of the wood the thunder and lightning were frequent and the rain came plunging through the leaves as if every drop were a great leaden bead. As it was not a time for standing among trees, we ran out of the wood, and up and down the moss-grown steps which crossed the plantation-fence like two broad-staved ladders placed back to back, and made for a keeper’s lodge which was close at hand. We had often noticed the dark beauty of this lodge standing in a deep twilight of trees, and how the ivy clustered over it, and how there was a steep hollow near, where we had once seen the keeper’s dog dive down into the fern as if it were water.

The lodge was so dark within, now the sky was overcast, that we only clearly saw the man who came to the door when we took shelter there and put two chairs for Ada and me. The lattice-windows were all thrown open, and we sat just within the doorway watching the storm. It was grand to see how the wind awoke, and bent the trees, and drove the rain before it like a cloud of smoke; and to hear the solemn thunder and to see the lightning; and while thinking with awe of the tremendous powers by which our little lives are encompassed, to consider how beneficent they are and how upon the smallest flower and leaf there was already a freshness poured from all this seeming rage which seemed to make creation new again.

From Elizabeth Hardwick’s Sleepless Nights :

Sometimes the rain was beautiful. The lavender and silver streaks, gleaming in the mud, seek to be honored, to receive some word of gratitude. The kindness of damp afternoons, the solace of opening the door and finding everyone there.

What next? Where to? Even in the midst of it all, in the devoted warmth, the well-disposed threat of familiarity, the cemetery waits to be desecrated.

From Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon :

She was thoroughly soaked before she realized it was raining and then only because one of the shopping bags split. When she looked down, her Evan-Picone white-with-a-band-of-color skirt was lying in a neat half fold on the shoulder of the road, and she was far far from home. She put down both bags, picked the skirt up and brushed away the crumbs of gravel that stuck to it. Quickly she refolded it, but when she tried to tuck it back into the shopping bag, the bag collapsed altogether. Rain soaked her hair and poured down her neck as she stooped to repair the damage. She pulled out the box of Con Brios, a smaller package of Van Raalte gloves, and another containing her fawn-trimmed-in-sea-foam shortie nightgown. These she stuffed into the other bag. Retracing hers steps, she found herself unable to carry the heavier bag in one hand, so she hoisted it up to her stomach and hugged it with both arms. She had gone hardly ten yards when the bottom fell out of it. Hagar tripped on Jungle Red (Sculptura) and Youth Blend, and to her great dismay, saw her box of Sunny Glow toppling into a puddle. She collected Jungle Red and Youth Blend safely, but Sunny Glow, which had tipped completely over and lost its protective disk, exploded in light peach puffs under the weight of the raindrops. Hagar scraped up as much of it as she could and pressed the wilted cellophane disk back into the box.

Jack Gilbert’s “Rain”:

Suddenly this defeat. This rain. The blues gone gray And the browns gone gray And yellow A terrible amber. In the cold streets Your warm body. In whatever room Your warm body. Among all the people Your absence The people who are always Not you.

I have been easy with trees Too long. Too familiar with mountains. Joy has been a habit. Now Suddenly This rain.

From Kevin Barry’s “ Fjord of Killary “:

So I bought an old hotel on the fjord of Killary. It was set hard by the harbor wall, with Mweelrea Mountain across the water, and disgracefully gray skies above. It rained two hundred and eighty-seven days of the year, and the locals were given to magnificent mood swings. On the night in question, the rain was particularly violent—it came down like handfuls of nails flung hard and fast by a seriously riled sky god. I was at this point eight months in the place and about convinced that it would be the death of me.

“It’s end-of-the-fucking-world stuff out there,” I said.

From J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye :

Boy, it began to rain like a bastard. In buckets, I swear to God. All the parents and mothers and everybody went over and stood right under the roof of the carrousel, so they wouldn’t get soaked to the skin or anything, but I stuck around on the bench for quite a while. I got pretty soaking wet, especially my neck and my pants. My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way; but I got soaked anyway. I didn’t care, though. I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around. I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy, if you want to know the truth. I don’t know why. It was just that she looked so damn nice, the way she kept going around and around, in her blue coat and all. God, I wish you could’ve been there.

From Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing :

“A dollar thirty,” she says, and I have to lean toward her to hear because thunder booms, a great clacking split, and the sky dumps water on the tin roof of the building: a tumble of sound. I can’t see down her shirt but it’s what I think about when I’m standing out in the rain, the back of my shirt pulled over my head like it could protect me, but all of me wet, gas fumes thick with the smell of wet earth, rain running down to blind my eyes, to stream from my nose. It all makes me feel like I can’t breathe. I remember just in time and tilt my head back, hold my breath, and let rain trickle down my throat. A thin knife of cool when I swallow. Once. Twice. Three times because the pump is so slow. The rain presses my eyes closed, kneads them. I think I hear a whisper of something, a whoosh of a word, but then it’s gone and the nozzle goes slack. The care is close and warm, and Kayla is snoring.

From William Shakespeare’s King Lear :

Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage, blow! You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout Till you have drenched our steeples, drowned the cocks! You sulfurous and thought-executing fires, 5Vaunt-couriers of oak-cleaving thunderbolts, Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking thunder, Smite flat the thick rotundity o’ th’ world, Crack nature’s molds, all germens spill at once That make ingrateful man!

From Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd :

The air changed its temperature and stirred itself more vigorously. Cool breezes coursed in transparent eddies round Oak’s face. The wind shifted yet a point or two and blew stronger. In ten minutes every wind of heaven seemed to be roaming at large. Some of the thatching on the wheat-stacks was now whirled fantastically aloft, and had to be replaced and weighted with some rails that lay near at hand. This done, Oak slaved away again at the barley. A huge drop of rain smote his face, the wind snarled round every corner, the trees rocked to the bases of their trunks, and the twigs clashed in strife. Driving in spars at any point and on any system, inch by inch he covered more and more safely from ruin this distracting impersonation of seven hundred pounds. The rain came on in earnest, and Oak soon felt the water to be tracking cold and clammy routes down his back. Ultimately he was reduced well-nigh to a homogeneous sop, and the dyes of his clothes trickled down and stood in a pool at the foot of the ladder. The rain stretched obliquely through the dull atmosphere in liquid spines, unbroken in continuity between their beginnings in the clouds and their points in him.

Kay Ryan’s “Expectations”:

We expect rain to animate this creek: these rocks to harbor gurgles, these pebbles to creep downstream a little, those leaves to circle in the eddy, the stains and gloss of wet. The bed is ready but no rain yet.

From Colson Whitehead’s The Colossus of New York :

Out on the street they hardly notice the clouds before it starts raining. The rain comes down in sheets. Drenched all at once, not drop by drop. The first drop is the pistol at the start of the race and at that crack people move for shelter, any ragtag thing, they huddle under ripped awnings, the doorway of the diner, suddenly an appetite for coffee. Pressed up against buildings as if on the lam. Little sprints and dashes between horizontal cover. Dry here. Surely it will stop soon, they think. They can wait it out. It cannot last forever.

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How to describe rain: Descriptive words and adjectives for different types

There are many different types of rain, so it makes sense that we would have a lot of vocabulary to describe rain.

Here we’ll look at some wonderful descriptive words for rain, from adjectives to verbs to idioms. Get inspired to describe rain according to how it looks, sounds and smells, or just express in basic terms what the weather is like today.

Words to describe rain

You may wish to describe rain in a very practical way. For example, if you are going outside in this weather, you need to know whether to take an umbrella, or perhaps consider catching a bus instead of walking.

How to describe rain falling

The following descriptive words for rain are grouped according to the type of rain that they describe, from light to heavy.

Describing light rain

Drizzle is a steady but very light rain, almost mist-like. ‘Drizzle’ can be a noun or a verb, and you may use ‘drizzly’ as an adjective for rain like this.

When it is spitting, the rain is falling quite slowly and gently. Often it starts spitting and then turns into heavier rain.

A shower is a quick burst of fairly light rain. You might have heard of April showers, which are characteristic of spring weather. We have more idioms about spring here.

Describing heavy rain

Pouring (down).

You can say ‘it’s pouring’ or ‘it’s pouring down’ when the rain is steady and heavy. This description of rain is used in the nursery rhyme, It’s Raining, It’s Pouring .

Also featuring the word ‘pour’, a downpour is a short but sudden burst of heavy rain.

Bucketing down / raining buckets

‘Bucketing down’ and ‘raining buckets’ both describe heavy and persistent rain.

Tipping (it) down

This is a primarily British expression for heavy rain.

Chucking it down

Here’s another phrase to describe heavy rain, again usually heard in the UK.

Pissing (it) down

Why do the British have so many ways to talk about bad weather?! This one is rude slang, so be careful how you use it. You should be certain that the person you are speaking to is comfortable with this kind of language. ‘Pissing’ is an informal word for urinating.

Raining cats and dogs

This one is a fun idiom to describe rain ! Whoever thought to imagine cats and dogs falling from the sky? Anyway, it’s just another way to describe rain falling heavily.

A deluge of rain is a large amount that falls suddenly, possibly causing flooding.

Torrential rain is very heavy and lasts for a long time. This is the type of rain you may experience in countries with a monsoon season.

Driving rain is accompanied by strong wind that blows it into the sides of buildings (or straight in your face, if you’re caught out in it).

You could describe rain as ‘incessant’ if it has been going on for a long time and feels like it will never end.

Pelting rain seems to have particularly large raindrops that fall very hard.

If you do get caught in heavy rain you might end up ‘soaked through’ or ‘dripping wet’; these both mean that you and your clothes are very wet!

Example sentences to describe different types of rain

Let’s look at how some of these words can be used in sentences:

I don’t think I need an umbrella; it’s only spitting .
It’s drizzling at the moment but I wouldn’t be surprised if it starts chucking it down soon.
Unfortunately for Liz, it poured down all day on her wedding day.
It’s been bucketing down all afternoon but I hope it stops before the party.
Look at those clouds! Let’s get inside before it starts tipping down .
You’d better take your umbrella; it’s raining cats and dogs outside.
Let’s go home, it looks like it’s going to piss it down soon.
The village was hit by a deluge . Fortunately, there was no serious damage to any property.
I have had enough of this incessant rain!
We’ve had light showers all morning but it looks like the afternoon will be brighter.
Sorry I’m late; I got caught in a downpour and had to wait until it had passed.
You can expect torrential rain if you visit during November.

Words to describe how rain sounds

If you’re indoors, the first sign of rain may be the sound it makes. Here are some words that describe rain according to the sound it makes:

Pitter-patter

“She woke to the pitter-patter of rain falling outside.” “The rain was almost too gentle for me to hear.”

Moderate/heavy rain

Splattering

“I could hear the pounding rain approaching before I could see it.” “They lay listening to the rain drumming on their roof.”

What’s the word for the smell of rain?

Petrichor is the technical word for the smell of rain hitting dry ground. Many people consider this their favorite smell, but may not realize that there is a word for it!

Other words you could use to describe the smell of rain include:

Describing rainy weather

Finally, here are some words to describe the weather in general when it is rainy:

Many of the terms we have to describe rain are negative, as it’s usually an inconvenience for us. However, let’s not forget that rain is necessary for life to survive and for crops and plants to grow, so we shouldn’t always complain about it.

If you’re looking for more ways to describe different kinds of weather, some weather idioms could come in handy.

Have you heard any different ways to describe rain? If so, please leave a comment to share them.

Learn a new language from home - get Lifetime Access to Mondly with 95% OFF!

wonderful information it really helped me with my writing.

Really, thank you so much for your information

Loved the terms and explanation…it’s very helpful.

yes, its nice information.. Good Job… keep it up….thanks

On the first day of my tent camping vacation, we encountered ” blinding rain ” just as we reached the Black Hills. Literally, could not see 3 feet ahead of us!!! (On the interstate! OMG#/=@$×!!! Thought we would die)

Oh dear, what a disaster!

Writers in the Storm

A blog about writing.

Power Your Fiction: Using Weather To Create Mood, Not Clichés

Angela Ackerman

Are you afraid of using the weather in your writing? If so, you're not alone. After all, if not careful, weather description can be a minefield of clichés. The sunny, cloudless afternoon at the beach. The gloomy rainstorm at a funeral. Overdone setting and weather pairings can lie flat on the page.

Then there's the danger that comes with using weather to mirror a character’s inner emotional landscape. Mishandling this technique can quickly create melodrama. We've all read a battle scene where lightning crackles as our protagonist leaps forward to hack down his foe in desperation. And how about that turbulent teen breakup where the character's tears mix with falling rain? Unfortunately these have been used so much that most readers tilt their head and think, Really? when they read a description like this.

Wow, weather sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it? It’s no wonder that some writers are so nervous about using it they cut it from their manuscript. But here’s the thing… avoiding weather in fiction can be a fatal mistake.

Make Weather Your Friend

Weather is rich. Powerful. It is infused with symbolism and meaning. And most of all, weather is important to us as people. We interact with it each day. It affects us in many subtle ways. In fact, let’s test this by walking in a character’s shoes.

Think about walking down a street. It’s late afternoon, crystal bright, and a hot breeze blows against you. School’s out and kids run willy-nilly down the sidewalk, laughter ringing the air as they race to the corner store for a grape slush. Your sandals click against the pavement as you turn down between two brick buildings. The side door to an Italian restaurant is just past a rusty dumpster, and your fiancée’s shift is about to end. You smile, feeling light. You can’t wait to see him.

Now, let’s change the scene.

It’s sunset, and the weather has soured. Dark clouds pack the sky, creating a churning knot of cement above you. The sidewalk is deserted, and the wind is edged in cold, slapping your dress against your legs as you walk. You wish you’d worn pants, wish you’d brought a sweater. In the alley, garbage scrapes against the greasy pavement and the restaurant’s dumpster has been swallowed by thick shadow. The side door is only a few steps away. You can’t quite see it, and while all you have to do is cross the distance and knock, you hesitate, eyeing the darkness.

The same setting, the same event. Yet, the mood and tone shifted, all because of the weather I included in the backdrop. What was safe and bright and clean became dark and alien. This the power of weather--changing how people feel about their surroundings.

Steering Your Reader's Emotions

Readers bring the real world with them when they enter a story. Avoiding weather description will be noticed as it's such a natural part of the everyday, and it becomes a missed opportunity to steer how our readers feel.

Weather is a tool to evoke mood, guiding the character toward the emotions we want them to feel, and by extension, the reader as well. By tuning into specific weather conditions, a character may feel safe, or off balance. Weather can work for or against the character, creating conflict, tension, and be used to foreshadow, hinting that something is about to happen.

Because we have all experienced different types of weather ourselves, when we read about it within a scene, it reminds us of our own past, and the emotions we felt at the time. So, not only does weather add a large element of mood to the setting, it also encourages readers to identify with the character’s experience on a personal level.

So how do we write weather in a clear way, and stay away from the pitfalls?

Use Fresh, Sensory Images. In each passage, I utilized several senses to describe the effects of the weather. A hot breeze. Garbage scraping against the greasy pavement. A wind edged in cold, slapping against the legs. By describing weather by sound, touch and sight, I was able to make the scene feel real.

Avoid Direct Emotion-to-Weather Clichés. There are some pairings we should avoid as I mentioned above, and with so many different types of weather elements we really need to think past the usual ones. Avoid mirroring and instead show the character’s reaction to the weather. This is a stronger way to indicate their emotions without being too direct.

Choose Each Setting With Care. Setting and Weather should work together, either through contrast or comparison. In the first scene, we have beautiful weather and an alley as a final destination. These two are contrasts—one desirable, one not, but I chose to show enthusiasm and anticipation for the meeting to win out. In the second, the weather becomes a storm. Now we have two undesirable elements, and as such, they work together to build unease.

Weather can have a positive or negative effect on setting and change the character’s reaction to it, so don’t be afraid to use it! Just remember that with something this powerful, a light touch is all that is needed.

Fog Image: Pixabay

Do you use weather in your stories? How do you go about it?

15 comments on “Power Your Fiction: Using Weather To Create Mood, Not Clichés”

I love your books! Wonderful post- thank you for sharing!

Thank you Alan--you made my day! Season's Greetings!

Thank you so much for the post! I have all 3 of your books and love them. I'm working on a novella that involves weather, Snowbound with the Stork, but I'm using a little twist. I'm using the "snow" event that crippled Atlanta and several other cities in the South with 1 to 1.5 inches of snow.

Carrie, so very glad our books are helping you as you write. And that sounds great! It is funny--I live in Canada, and well, we get SNOW if you know what I mean. I knew someone who lives in Vegas and a few years back they got an inch of snow and it completely paralyzed the city. Schools were closed, the whole deal. Haha, an inch of snow! But, when you are expecting it and don't know how to deal with it as a city, I can imagine it would cause havoc!

Great post, Angela! My WIP is a quest story, so weather (and nature in general) was something I tried to keep in mind when I was writing the first draft. Not only can it enhance or (literally) dampen the mood, but it can be an obstacle to the character's physical journey. At one point I wondered, "Why don't many quest stories have a scene where it rains?" So, I picked a scene where rain would be appropriate, and wrote it that way.

Yes, weather is great at creating conflict, so glad to hear you're bringing it into your story for that reason. Weather is unpredictable, and because we humans like to be in control, it is the perfect way to remind our protagonist that he is not. There are so many deep ways weather can bring more texture to any scene, so i love reading stories where it is used well. 🙂

Hello Angela. Fellow writer, Cathy Orzech, wrote to me saying, "Thought you'd be interested in this take on "Using weather to create mood…." I enjoyed your use and detail of weather in Amanda's Room." Cathy was right. I enjoyed your article very much and, with your permission, would like to reprint it on my blog, "Something Significant." In "Amanda's Room," I wanted to use the weather in a unique way, so I went beyond using it as a backdrop and instead turned it into a central character in the book. Following Ken Follett's example in "Code to Zero," I also led each chapter with factual quotes about the weather which later became linked to what was happening in the story and the lives of the characters. If you are interested, let me know and I would be happy to send you a complimentary copy of the ebook. In the meantime, warmest wishes for a wonderful holiday season. Warmest Regards, Chuck Miceli

So glad you found this article helpful. It sounds like you really have a good handle on how to use weather, so good on you! Feel free to reprint, and if you could just link to this one here, people can follow it back to the original should they wish to (and discover a great blog while they are at it!).

Happy writing!

I do include weather. It's such an every day part of life, how can you not? But I try to remember that how I describe the weather needs to be through the prism of how my characters are feeling - a kid waking up on the first day of summer holidays is going to feel differently about a beautiful day than a kid being made to run laps in phys ed. The weather might be exactly the same but in one situation the sunshine is an invitation, in the other it's a merciless torturer.

This was a great post. Thanks for sharing it.

Yes, absolutely. All description should come through that emotional filter as it brings readers deeper into the mind and heart of the POV character. Glad you enjoyed the post!

[…] Ackerman discusses how to use weather to create mood, not clichés on Writers in the […]

Warmer weather and bright sunshine foreshadow the action in my YA winter adventure short story in this month's Cricket Magazine. Thank you for your insight on how to make weather integral to the plot and characterization.

Very happy to help, Victoria!

[…] Power Your Fiction: Using Weather To Create Mood, Not Clichés By Angela Ackerman […]

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Describe The Weather In Writing With Better Vocabulary

When you describe the weather in writing, you set the scene for your story or a part of your story.

It’s an opportunity to show readers the setting rather than tell them about the weather using a couple of quick adjectives.

Using highly descriptive or figurative language and a variety of grammar structures helps you paint the picture vividly in a reader’s mind.

In almost every story, both fiction and nonfiction, there is usually at least one reference to the weather.

In This Article

How to describe the weather in writing

We all know this famous opening line from Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s 1830 novel, Paul Clifford.

It was a dark and stormy night.

Many have criticized the phrase, and Writer’s Digest went as far as to call it the literary poster child for bad story starters.

The main issue is that it uses two very weak adjectives: dark and stormy. Neither of them is usefully descriptive.

The second problem with the phrase is that it starts with a grammatical expletive .

When writing about the weather, using it was, or there was is a common writing fault. It’s because we so often refer to the weather as it.

But few people take into account what follows Bulwer-Lytton’s famous clause. It’s a pity because the complete sentence is a wonderful example of how to describe the weather in writing.

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

He uses descriptive noun phrases , strong verbs, and powerful adjectives.

The combination of these three elements paints a vivid picture for readers.

Choosing your vocabulary

You can find many lists of common and unusual words to describe the weather, so you have plenty of choices.

But you should avoid words that are too simplistic. It was hot, cold, windy, or rainy are all very weak expressions.

But if you describe the heat, the cold, the wind, or the rain with noun phrases, you can improve these easily.

The sun started baking early across the plains, delivering a scorching promise for the day ahead.

The cruel icy wind cut like a knife across her cheeks.

Rain, as always, arrived too little, too late to save the crops.

Words that are not widely understood are also worth avoiding. While it’s interesting to find new words, not all of them are useful.

A good example is petrichor. It is the smell or scent of rain arriving after a period of dry weather.

But it is difficult to use, and it might send readers hunting for a dictionary.

The petrichor gave a hint of hope to the farmers.

It would be better to use a descriptive phrase.

The sweet far off scent of rain on dying grass gave hope to the farmers.

Brontide is another, meaning the sound of distant thunder or rumblings of an earth tremor. Again, it’s a great word to know, but with very limited use in writing.

Try this simple formula

Anytime you need to write about the weather, keep this little trick in mind.

Start with a noun phrase, use a strong verb , then add a descriptive clause .

You also need to describe the noun and verb with adjectives and adverbs.

Here’s a quick example.

The heavy dark clouds rolled slowly and low across the parched pastures, but they were heartbreakers, as not a drop of rain fell before the cruel wind carried them away.

It’s an easy way to make sure you avoid the grammatical expletive and weak adjectives.

You can also experiment with similes or metaphors . For example, raining cats and dogs.

Use verbs that sound like the weather

Onomatopoeic verbs and words are perfect for describing the weather because they make a sound.

Here are a few examples to illustrate sound words.

The pitter-patter of raindrops.

Thunder rumbled overhead.

Light hail pinged on the window pane.

With each step, the fresh snow crunched underfoot.

A bolt of lightning cracked across the night sky.

A cold north wind hissed through the trees.

A sudden boom of thunder forewarned us of the approaching storm.

Verbs and words like these are extremely useful because they are action words and highly descriptive.

This article is not a lesson or lecture on how to describe the weather in writing.

It’s purely a reminder that you can always improve.

I have listed a few ideas above, but there are many more ways you can make the weather more interesting.

All it takes is to remember that the setting for a scene or a story needs careful thought and imagination.

But if there are two key takeaways from my article, they are these.

1. Avoid using the grammatical expletive when referencing the weather.

2. Use noun phrases and strong verbs.

If you do those two things, the rest of your weather scene setting will come very easily.

Related reading: Words To Avoid In Writing That Say Nothing

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Rainy Day Writing Prompts: Embrace Indoor Creativity

My name is Debbie, and I am passionate about developing a love for the written word and planting a seed that will grow into a powerful voice that can inspire many.

Rainy Day Writing Prompts: Embrace Indoor Creativity

Making ‍the ⁣Most of Rainy⁣ Days: Embrace Indoor Creativity

1. rainy memories:, 2. metaphorical showers:, finding inspiration‌ indoors: ‌stimulating ideas for rainy day writing, unlocking ⁢your creativity:‍ engaging writing prompts for a⁣ rainy day, indoor adventures: ⁢rainy day writing prompts for ‍imaginative exploration, frequently ‌asked questions, in conclusion.

When the rain ⁣starts pouring outside, it’s the perfect opportunity to ‌embrace your⁣ indoor creativity and make the most of your time. Don’t let gloomy ‍weather dampen your spirits⁢ –⁣ instead,⁣ harness the power of imagination⁢ and turn those rainy days into memorable experiences.

Here are a few‌ fantastic ideas to ignite your creativity ‍and keep boredom at bay:

Get crafty: Set⁣ up a⁣ craft ‌station and let your creative side shine. ‌From painting and drawing to scrapbooking or knitting,‍ the possibilities are endless. Explore ⁢a new craft or dive into an ongoing project you’ve been meaning‌ to finish.
Indulge in culinary adventures: Rainy days are⁣ perfect⁤ for trying ⁢out ⁢new recipes or experimenting in⁢ the kitchen. Whip up a ‍batch of your favorite cookies, attempt a challenging dish, or organize a themed indoor picnic to tantalize your taste buds.
Create a cozy reading corner: Transform⁢ a corner of ‌your home ‌into a cozy⁤ oasis‍ where you can escape into another world through books. Build ⁢a fort of pillows and blankets, brew a cup⁤ of your favorite tea or hot cocoa, and lose yourself in ‍a captivating story.

Remember, rainy days are a blessing in ⁢disguise⁤ – they give us the chance to ⁣slow‌ down, reconnect⁢ with‍ ourselves, and‌ explore ‌the wonders‍ of our ⁣imagination. So, embrace ‌these indoor creativity‍ opportunities, and transform those seemingly gloomy‌ days into‌ moments ⁢of joy and inspiration.

Exploring the Beauty of Rain: Inspiring Rainy Day ‍Writing Prompts

When raindrops dance on your window pane,⁤ it’s the perfect time to tap into your creative side ⁣and let your thoughts ⁢flow like the gentle shower ⁤outside. Rainy days have a unique charm that‍ can bring out the⁤ poet,⁢ storyteller, or‍ philosopher in all of us. To help you harness the beauty of rain in your writing, here are ⁤some inspiring prompts ⁣that will spark your imagination:

Recall a vivid memory from a rainy day⁢ in your past. Let the⁢ raindrops ‌transport you‍ back in time, and describe⁢ the sights, sounds, and emotions that⁣ accompanied that unforgettable moment. Explore how the rain-shaped that experience and reflect‍ on⁢ its significance⁤ in ‌your ⁤life.

Imagine the rain as a ‍metaphor for something else in⁤ your⁣ life. It could represent⁢ change,‍ growth, or even a cleansing ⁣of the soul. Use this prompt to delve⁤ into deep‌ introspection or explore ⁣the impact of transformation ⁤in your⁢ writing.

These prompts ‍are merely a ‌starting point to fuel your ‌creativity ⁢on those lazy rainy afternoons. Let the pitter-patter of raindrops be your muse, as you⁣ easily get⁢ lost in a world⁤ of words⁣ and ‌imagination.

When the rain is pouring ⁣outside and you can’t venture outdoors ⁢for‍ inspiration, fear ⁣not! There⁣ are plenty of ways to spark your⁢ creativity and keep the ‌words⁢ flowing on those gloomy⁤ days. Here are some stimulating⁢ ideas⁤ to get your creative juices flowing while ⁣staying cozy indoors:

Indulge in a Good Book: Immerse yourself in ‌the ⁢world of‌ literature by picking⁣ up ‌a novel, a collection of short stories, or even a poetry anthology.‍ Reading the ‌work of others can help ignite your own imagination ⁣and introduce you to different writing ⁣styles and⁣ techniques.
Create‍ a ‍Writing ⁢Playlist: Music has a powerful ⁤impact ‍on ⁤our ⁢emotions and⁤ can ⁢transport us to different realms. Curate a playlist of songs that ‌align with the mood or⁤ theme of your writing‍ project. Whether it’s smooth jazz, ‌epic soundtracks, or energizing pop tunes, let the music set the⁣ tone and inspire your words.
Explore Writing Prompts: Writing⁢ prompts are⁢ exercises that provide a starting‍ point for your ⁣creative ideas. There⁣ are countless websites and books dedicated to offering thought-provoking prompts . ⁢Choose one that resonates with you or challenge yourself by attempting something outside your usual‌ writing style ⁤or genre.

Rainy days⁣ don’t have to dampen your writing ⁤spirit.‌ By immersing yourself⁣ in ‍literature, creating the‌ perfect writing playlist, or exploring writing prompts,⁢ you can ‍find inspiration even when⁣ the weather keeps you indoors.⁤ Embrace the cozy ambiance⁣ and let the ‍rain⁤ become the‌ backdrop to your creativity!

Unlocking Your⁣ Creativity: Engaging Writing Prompts for‌ a Rainy Day

If you‌ find yourself stuck indoors⁣ on‌ a ‍rainy⁢ day, there’s⁣ no better⁤ time to unleash your creativity ⁤and dive into the world of ⁣writing.⁢ Whether you’re a⁣ seasoned writer⁢ or just starting ⁤out, engaging⁣ writing prompts can spark your imagination and help you hone⁤ your craft. Here are ‍some ideas to‍ get ⁣those ⁣creative juices ⁤flowing:

Unleash ⁣the Power⁤ of Similes: Similes ⁣can add ‍depth⁢ and vividness to your writing. Choose a mundane ⁤object or experience, such as raindrops on a⁢ windowpane, and describe it ⁤using similes. For ⁣example, “The raindrops on the windowpane shimmered⁣ like a thousand ⁣silver coins,⁣ dancing in the‌ soft light.”
Create ⁣Your Own Mythology: ⁣Imagine a⁣ world where gods⁤ and goddesses reign⁣ supreme.⁢ Build a fictional mythology ⁢complete with deities, heroes, and⁢ epic quests. Let your imagination run wild as ⁣you‍ invent new‌ gods and weave intricate tales of their adventures and conflicts.
Write a Letter ⁢to Your Future Self: Take a moment to reflect ⁤on your ⁢goals, dreams, and ⁢aspirations. Pen a heartfelt letter ⁢to your future⁤ self, imagining where‍ you want to ⁢be in five, ten, or twenty years. Describe the person ‌you hope to ⁢become and the achievements you⁢ strive for. This ‌exercise not only sparks creativity⁤ but also helps you ⁤envision your future path.

Remember, there are⁣ no ⁣right ⁣or wrong ⁢answers when it comes to writing prompts. Let⁢ your imagination ‍guide you, ⁢embrace the ⁢unexpected, and ⁣have fun‌ exploring new ideas. So, when⁣ the rain is pouring outside, grab ‍a pen and paper, or‍ fire up ‍your computer, and immerse yourself⁢ in the⁤ wonderful world‍ of‌ words.

Indoor Adventures: Rainy ‍Day Writing Prompts for Imaginative Exploration

When ⁢rainy days⁣ keep ⁣you indoors, why not embark on ‌a creative ‍journey through the power of writing? Let your imagination run wild ⁢with⁤ these captivating⁣ writing prompts designed to‌ transport ‌you to intriguing worlds ⁢and⁢ experiences. Whether you’re a seasoned writer‍ or just starting‍ out, these prompts‌ will ignite ⁢your creativity and keep you entertained for hours on‌ end.

1. ⁢ Mystical Creatures: Imagine a world where mythical creatures exist. Describe a mythical creature of your own creation‍ and write about ⁤its appearance, abilities, and⁣ its role in‍ a fantastical ⁣adventure.

2. Time Travel: You discover ⁤a⁤ hidden time ‌machine in your basement that allows you to travel to any period in history. Write about⁣ the ⁣era you choose, ⁣the experiences you encounter, ⁤and the unexpected consequences ⁢of⁣ your journey.

3. Lost⁤ in ⁣Space: You wake up‍ aboard⁤ a space exploration‌ vessel, but you have no recollection of how you got ‍there or where you ⁢are heading. Create a thrilling space adventure narrative,⁤ including encounters with alien life forms and unexpected twists.

4. Haunted House: In a small, forgotten village lies a house that local stories claim ⁢is haunted. Describe⁣ the chilling atmosphere, the peculiar happenings, and the ‍courage ‌it takes for ‌you to⁢ explore⁣ its ghostly secrets.

5. Ancient⁢ Artifacts: While ‍exploring a hidden cave, you stumble upon ⁢a collection of ancient artifacts that possess mysterious powers.‍ Write about ⁤the artifact ‍you ‍choose, its origins, and⁣ the unexpected consequences that occur when it⁣ falls into the wrong hands.

Let your rainy days become opportunities ‌for imaginative exploration. Grab a pen, let your thoughts flow, and embark⁢ on thrilling adventures that exist ⁣solely‌ within the realms of ‌your imagination.

Q: How can ‍rainy⁣ days inspire creativity? A: Rainy days can serve ‌as the ‌perfect ⁤backdrop to ⁣unleash your creative ⁣imagination. Staying indoors provides a cozy⁤ environment that encourages⁤ contemplation and ⁣introspection, opening ⁢up a world ⁤of ⁤possibilities for⁤ creative expression.

Q: What ⁣are ⁢some enjoyable ⁢rainy day writing prompts for writers? A: There are numerous writing prompts that ⁢can help ⁢spark creativity on rainy days. For ‍starters,⁣ you can imagine yourself in a mysterious, rain-soaked ⁢forest and describe the enchanting sounds, smells, and ‍sights surrounding you. Alternatively, you‌ can ⁣write a short‌ story about a ⁤character who finds unexpected magic in ⁣puddles or create a poem evoking the⁤ soothing ‌rhythm ‍of raindrops ‍against your window. These prompts not only ⁤enable indoor ‍creativity but also transport your⁣ mind to imaginative realms.

Q: How do rainy day writing prompts benefit writers? A: Rainy day⁤ writing prompts⁣ offer a multitude of benefits to writers. They help develop your descriptive writing skills by ‌encouraging ‍you to paint vivid ⁣pictures with ⁤words, taking readers on ⁤a journey⁢ through your imagination. These prompts ‍also foster a⁢ deeper emotional connection with your writing, as you explore the feelings and thoughts evoked by the rain-soaked ⁣ambiance.⁢ Additionally, they allow you to‌ experiment with ⁢different writing styles and genres,⁤ leading to personal growth and honing your craft.

Q: ⁤Where can one find⁤ inspiration for ⁢rainy day writing prompts? A: Inspiration for rainy day writing prompts can ⁢be ‍found ⁣in everyday moments. Pay attention ⁣to the sounds, smells, and visuals surrounding rain showers, taking note of how they ‌make you‍ feel. Observe the people you encounter during these gloomy days ‍and imagine their stories. You ⁢can also draw inspiration ⁣from‍ literature, art, ⁣or movies that capture the essence of rainy days. Let‍ the world around you, both real and fictional, ‌become‌ your muse.

Q: ‌Can rainy day writing prompts ‌be used⁣ for group activities? A: Absolutely! Rainy day writing ‌prompts can serve as fun group activities,⁤ whether with friends, classmates, or⁣ even colleagues. Everyone can choose⁤ a prompt⁢ and write for a set amount ⁢of ⁤time, then share‌ their creations. ‍This‍ activity fosters a sense of community and encourages‍ participants to‌ appreciate different writing styles and perspectives. It can also lead to lively‌ discussions and inspire ‍future collaborations.

Q: Are⁤ there any⁤ additional tips⁤ to enhance⁤ creativity⁤ during‌ rainy days? A: ⁤Certainly! To enhance ⁤creativity on rainy days, ⁣try creating‌ a cozy writing corner⁢ in your home with soft lighting, a⁢ comfy chair, ‍and‌ some inspiring⁣ decorations. ⁣Engaging ⁤your senses ⁤with calming music or a scented candle can further enhance ‌your creative mindset. Additionally, consider experimenting with different⁢ writing tools, such as using ‌a pen and ⁤notebook instead of a computer, which can stimulate creativity in alternative ways.⁢ Finally, don’t⁣ be ⁣afraid to take breaks, enjoy a‌ warm‌ cup of⁣ tea,⁣ or ‌gaze out the ‌window—all⁤ these‍ moments can provide further creative inspiration.

In conclusion, rainy days provide the perfect⁢ opportunity‍ to unleash your creativity ⁤indoors. Embrace the⁣ coziness ⁢of writing⁣ and let your imagination run wild!‍

Mother’s Day Writing Prompts: Honor Moms with Stories

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19,890 quotes, descriptions and writing prompts, 4,964 themes

rain - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

a rainy day
driving in rain
end of the rainbow
first day of spring
heavy downpour
ideas to write a story
rain in the sea
rain soaked ground
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summer rain
Thunderstorm
walking in the rain
water cycle

At once there came a flash mob of rain, tap-dancing upon roof and concrete paths the same.

Rain took her flight from cloud to new foliage, forming upon them a flock of water-cloches.

The door stood as weathered shield, ever protecting from the seasonal storm-arrows.

Rain touched our skin as a mother's kisses, quenching and with the ever promise of more.

Rain be-speckled gems upon your skin bring your beauty into every clearer definition.

There is a light, a playful light that comes to heart of tiny rain kissed leaves and raises them far beyond the status of the cold cut gem.

The air was an anxious swirl of drops, wind-freed from gravity.

Honeyed rain before a golden sun promises new rainbows to the day.

The watery alphabet of the clouds comes to sing upon the roof.

And so the rain invites a street of colourful umbrellas to blossom.

I only realise the rain is cold because my skin carries the heat of my blood, because my inner fires burn strong. And as I stride onwards my eyes are always seeking the rainbows given by the light.

From blossomed clouds come water-petals into the fresh spring air.

Rain conjures a sweet pattern upon my skin, the thousands of liquid globes reflecting the greenery of nature. It is cooling on this warm day, a welcome shower to add to the senses.

Each raindrop is the drop that kissed your skin in those days that we were together, me and you, my baby boy. Each one is the same because they sing of these such treasured memories, of the comforting love that remains and the hopes I hold for your future. And so, I love the rain better than photographs, for each one is a perfect moment.

Give me the rain in those flashing sheets of cold droplets and I'll show you how the world breathes into those ready to live. Show me how the rain traces sweet paths on your skin and I'll give you a way to feel more alive than any manmade high ever could. So as the clouds gather I feel my soul stir, the air electrified as it anticipates the quenching storm.

Let the rain come, for I am safe and warm in my home. Let it come with its serenade on the roof and steady drumming on the windows. From this cozy place I watch it enrich the sweet brown soils and make glossy every leaf. It is the liquid goodness that goes to the roots and brings the world to such health.

Show me the rain and I will show you that which fills the holy grail, for without the cloud given water it is only a cup. Yet with these drops that come to greet the earth with the splendour of their music and the sensation of flow, is the feeling of joy - not the elevated and loud happiness of the rave, but the sweet serenity of a loving quiet purpose.

If the rain is one drop it is millions, cascading from a confident sky. It is the sort of weather that washes everything anew, bringing deep puddles into which children splash. And in that happy congregation of water and air, is the sense of being alive, that from such beautiful simplicity comes everything we love, the flora, the fauna, the very essence of nature.

Here come the drops steady and soft, falling from a sky of white velvet. They come altogether and yet as pioneers. And though I am soon quite wet, I have the joy of the leaves, of everything that makes the world so green.

In late summer the Earth is ready for the rains, for sweet drops to quench the soils. It is then that the pitter patter returns to the woodlands, simple water to bring nature's magic. The pathways strengthen from a dusty brown to deep mahogany, reviving a healthy glow I've longed to see return. Summer foliage has it's time, the green canopy to give shelter when it's needed, yet this is beauty also, the heaven-given promise seasonal changes fulfilled.

The rain brings a richness to each hue, the browns deepen in a way that soothes my heart, brings a steadiness to my soul. The grass becomes glossy, reflecting the light, a new bright shine to their wands, softly waving in the breeze. This rain brings a freshness, each drop a heaven-given gift for each part of creation. I raise up my hand, tilt my face toward the sky, feeling water and sunshine together. As I do, a song stirs within, one that feels as if it means "thank you" and "love" all at once. Perhaps this is joy, a happiness that feels pure.

We have these autopilot submarine tankers. They go to where the sea-storms are and collect the rain, a funnel filling the underwater tank. Then they go to where the fresh water is needed... and it's all done with clean technology. We still do desalination, but this is easy and there's no point in letting all that clean water just fall in the ocean.

The rain comes, oblivious to the life it gives. It washes the world, quenching soil and the life whom depend upon it. In either warmth or coldness, sunlight or moonlight, rain comes, humble to its role. In this almost-spring afternoon, it is the percussion to the birdsong and the bringer of brightness to every hue of bark and leaf.

Rain floats in gentle waves, as if gravity is a soft music from the Earth, a sweet beckoning serenade. Each drop bequeathes itself unto the cooling air - wet lifeboats in a dry sea. Together they paint a new picture around a glowing streetlamp. Light streams into the rich blue, as if seeking the sun, as if it is a song to the moon - and in those sacred drops it blooms into a star like those above. Sarah smiles, because in that moment, the water and the light have become a golden flower, an echo of life bursting into the night.

The rain has lost the ambient temperature of early fall, freezing and paling my skin on contact. The path through the park is muddy water in motion, filling deep puddles that hide the ruts of dryer weather. To feel it isn't enjoyment, not fun like the gentle sunshine of springtime, yet it is a part of life and I want to feel it just the same. I want to experience each drop, together and apart, same and different. I want to see the droplets soaking my eyelashes before they join their brethren on the ground like saltless tears. I need to be in this, chaotic and wild, just like my mind and soul - like nature looked right into me and pulled the weather out.

Rain falls like God's own poetry; each drop is a single letter in a song that takes eons to sing. It has always been music, always called to me in ways I cannot explain. When the patter of the drops tumbles from grey skies the melody brings serenity no matter the chaos in my life. Rain. Blessed rain.

Each drop sits on my skin like a puddle that will never leave, perfectly formed, perfectly cold. I feel the water steal my body heat just a tiny bit at a time. Perhaps once I would have sort shelter or warmth - but no longer. I have become accustomed to the elements, to the wind and chill. There is a coziness in my suffering, as if life has and will always be this way. There is comfort in predictability. I wonder though, what if the sun broke through? What if each drop sparkled with light? What then? Would the warmth seep through and bring a new reality? Would I shake off this rain as easily as a cat after a storm? Because... I think I'd like that. I'd like that a lot.

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Write With the Weather

by Birgitte Rasine | 47 comments

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Last week, half the U.S. was stuck in a polar vortex. Having worked in sustainability since 1998 and personally discussed climate change with some of the world’s top climate scientists, I’m severely tempted to go off on a tangent about how dangerously foolish all those “See? Global warming’s fake after all!” articles and comments spreading rampant on the Web are.

But I won’t.

Let’s talk about the weather. Most of us no doubt take it for granted… until it's in our face. The weather determines what we wear and how we drive, influences our experience of sporting events, field trips and beach picnics, and impacts an extraordinary number of insignificant aspects of life, such as crops and airline flights.

So what does weather have to do with writing? Nothing. And everything.

Photo by Luba Rasine-Ortoleva

Feel Nature in the Raw

Unlike much other data or information you might want in your narrative, weather is one thing you cannot simply research or vicariously live. Sure, you can watch a stormchaser video or your favorite weather channel, but if your work is going to express any climatic realism at all, you need to get out there and experience it.

Ever stood in the eye of a hurricane and watched the air turn green? Kayaked out on the open ocean only to have the benevolent heavens suddenly hurl hail at you? Watched horizontal lightning rip the skies open? Or sit on an Alpine peak watching the tops of clouds roll past you?

The next time you're caught by the weather, don't run for cover.* Stay put and feel. Feel it with your entire being.

I’m ridiculously, profoundly influenced by the weather around me, all the time. No matter what mood I’m in or the thoughts running through my mind, when I walk or drive through fog, my daily routine glazes over and I’m transported back to my homeland in Central Europe. Then there's Calle Luchana, the street of honey and gold that burned a permanent mark into my soul when I lived in Madrid. I've experienced other Calle Luchanas in other cities, but they're few: it has to be a certain wavelength of light and a certain gritty texture, a certain temperature and a certain humidity. It's not just any old afternoon on any old street. Then there's… just too much to expound upon here.

* Unless it really is a tornado.

Description of your protagonist's physical appearance? Check. Description of his/her car, house, garden, desk, other plot-relevant assets? Check. Description of background and other secondary scenery? Check. Characterization of the weather in your story? Uhmm…

Don't discount it. It might be the dullest possible way to start a conversation at a party, but weather can serve as a powerful element in your writing: it can be the atmospheric setting that gives a stretch of dialogue or an action scene that extra flavor; the catalyst for a plot point or conflict resolution; and yes, weather can even be the main character if you are so rained upon. Er, inclined .

Weather can also serve as simple inspiration, much like music whets your muse . I've written in all sorts of weather: in the sun, in the rain, foggy, clear, overcast, snow and storm.

Bottle up as many weather-related sensations as possible somewhere in your psyche for future creative use, especially those exceptional moments of nature's raw power. It's not every day you experience a hail storm, hurricane, or Arctic winds. As a self-respecting writer, you must be able to recall the bone-chilling details of a raging snowstorm while writing your next breakout novel in a hammock in the Caribbean. (Hopefully not the other way around.)

Write Despite the Weather

Take everything you just read in the previous section, and flip it. Let's say cloudy days really get you depressed. So uninspired are you that you drag yourself around all day, barely existing. Forget high creativity.

Or how about heat. Try having a coherent thought—nevermind well-structured writing—in ninety degrees at ninety-five percent humidity.

Never fear, the literary weatherman is here! Now, you too can be your own climate generator. Use that bottling technique I mentioned above and draw on your most powerful experiences with the elements no matter where or when you are. Like any other emotion, sentiment, or experience, make the atmospheric forces other humans take for granted an essential tool in your wordshop.

Of course, in certain instances you might need a little technological help… like a fan when the heat starts to melt your brain.

(Now, if you happen to be under the weather , like I was over the holidays, you really need to push through that “local” weather. I wrote about my little personal war on my web site.)

Finally, leverage the power of Nature to barrel through writer's block. It's amazing what a change of weather (e.g., light, temperature, humidity, pressure, etc.) can do for a word-weary writer's brain. Especially effective is contrast. For example, if you live in a sunny climate, you may find that those few cloudy days are actually incredibly romantic. Make the most of them! (Writing wise I mean!)

How does the weather change the way you write?

Take one of your WIPs and review it from the point of view of the weather. Could your story use a little more atmosphere, a little more force of nature? See what happens when you introduce the weather to your narrative. Or, if you feel more like spinning an entirely new tale, write a scene with the weather as the centerpiece. Let your creative brilliance rain into the comments box below by sharing your practice with the community!

Birgitte Rasine

Birgitte Rasine is an author, publisher, and entrepreneur. Her published works include Tsunami: Images of Resilience , The Visionary , The Serpent and the Jaguar , Verse in Arabic , and various short stories including the inspiring The Seventh Crane . She has just finished her first novel for young readers. She also runs LUCITA , a design and communications firm with her own publishing imprint, LUCITA Publishing. You can follow Birgitte on Twitter (@birgitte_rasine), Facebook , Google Plus or Pinterest . Definitely sign up for her entertaining eLetter "The Muse" ! Or you can just become blissfully lost in her online ocean , er, web site.

47 Comments

Excellent article and a topic I’ve been thinking about lately for my current WIP. I’m guilty of too much ideal weather and have just now made a note to spruce things up in my next draft. Thanks for the inspiring post!

Excellent. Spruce it up! And do share when you’re ready!

Hi Birgitte! Great post! Weather seems to add a new depth to a story. Here is part of a current WIP about a lost dog. (Great photo attached to your post!) He glanced into the woods before beginning the hike to his car. Trying to make the most of his shortened visit, he breathed in the scent of sequoia trees and damp earth and watched gold aspen leaves swirl in the breeze across his path. An ominous dark cloud had moved quickly from the Western sky and urged him to quicken his pace. An hour’s hike brought him to the clearing where his SUV was parked. Cold daggers of rain pierced the canopy of trees and slapped his face while he raised the rear door, threw in his backpack and jacket and huddled inside to finish a bag of peanuts. His brief rest was interrupted by a short, familiar bark. Mark’s eyes traced the sound. On one side of the path the troubled dog sat on fallen pine needles, ears pointed in high alert, the wind driving a path through its long fur, the chain gone from around its neck. For several moments they simply stared at each other……..

I liked the part about the wind in the dog’s fur. Your piece makes me realise it will be hard for me to write about weather without breaking the rules of one of my other current challenges: to excise adjectives from my writing. Weather cries out to be described! Watch this space to see my attempt… and thansk for sharing. -Sef

It’s actually really quite simple (sorry couldn’t help all those helping words! 😉 ). Weather, REAL weather that is, scoffs at adjectives. Adjectives are for little drizzles and summer breezes. Let’s have some good strong verbs in your stories. The weather moves, girates, ruptures and razes, spins you blind, paints the world a different color. Get it out there!

Hi Ruth, Thanks for sharing this scene. Like “cold daggers of rain pierced the canopy of trees” although you don’t need “of trees” — given the context, “canopy” is pretty clear. Also not sure a dagger would slap a person’s face. Maybe sting?

Also like “the wind driving a path through its long fur”. But, rather than saying “the chain gone from around its neck” how about “the marks of a chain still lingering around its neck”.

I’d tighten up this piece in this way. Also, always look for the excessive words, the words you don’t need or that are repeating information. For example, you don’t need to tell us that the man glanced into the woods BEFORE the hike to his car. It’s stronger if your opening line focuses on that single action of looking. Establish that tension between this lone guy and the woods. The gathering storm that’s starting to mix in with the intense flavors of the earth and the trees. Never mind he’s about to get back to his car. Of course he will. Make the moment pop from the start.

Thanks Birgitte! So many good ideas! I never thought of including weather to compliment a story. Thanks for taking the time for so many excellent responses.

Thank you for your post. I had not thought of weather is such a way before now.

The thunder rolled in the distance building until it spilled across the sky. It gave a final explosive shudder before it settled into temporary silence. The rain fell on the pavement, each drop making its own individual note that blended into a whole that was the symphony of the storm. The storm roared its defiance. It could not be denied.

Storms provide such drama! It’s difficult to find appropriate words for thunder but I like “explosive shudder” and “roared its defiance”. I can appreciate that weather is the perfect backdrop for story, from softly falling snow, to screaming wind to benevolent sunbeams.

Tracey, a few suggestions to rephrase for greater impact:

In the distance, thunder rolled, billowing its wrath across the sky. An explosive shudder, then suspicious silence. Rain broke it, droplets bursting against the pavement with individual notes that coalesced into a deafening orchestra.

Something like that. Play with the phrasing, tempo, sentence structure, imagery.

“It could not be denied” just repeats “The storm roared its defiance”, so no need for it.

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback.

John Grisham’s books always let you know the weather as the characters move around. It struck me the first time I read them and every time I go back. For someone in the distant European north, hearing about the American South’s humidity and high temperatures makes the writing rather exotic.And Garrison Keillor talks evocatively about winter, and especially mud, in his Lake Wobegon series.

Thanks for the reminder that readers live in all parts of the world and explicit weather conditions tell the story as much as dialogue! Thanks for your input!

“It was a dark and stormy night.”

A classic! I always loved that one.

Haha! Good one! I was wondering when someone would post this.

In my current novel, an endless autumn season plays a metaphoric role: It’s warm for late October. Mother Nature herself would appear to be discombobulated in the face of Kathlynn’s death sentence. Unseasonable weather, however pleasant it may be, instills a dread in people as if Biblical events are about to be unleashed upon them. But Conrad isn’t paying attention to the Weather Lady, isn’t watching television at all, no, he’s down at the Community Centre, on the treadmill, running, running as fast as he can, sweating, and dreading something else, something even more immediately pending than the specter of life without Kate. The revenue audit.

Somehow, this piece is a little too short for me to grasp it, to really get into it. And yet there’s enough to spike interest in further reading.

One sentence however, deflates the power of the story – the second one. “Mother Nature” is a cliché phrase I’d stay away from, “would appear to be” is too weak and uncertain, “discombobulated” is one of those awful bland and altogether excessively long words, and “in the face of ” doesn’t tell me what I want to know.

I’d suggest a much stronger, disturbing opening to this. A warm late October isn’t disturbing enough for what’s about to follow. Think on it… let me know what you come up with!

Excellent post, Birgitte, and a wonderful essay in your blog today concerning climate change. It’s nice to witness both common sense and articulate intelligence for a (no pun intended) change!

I’ve been reading a lot of James Lee Burke lately, and I’m really impressed by how he makes the surroundings, including the weather, become a very real character in his stories.

Johnny Vance stared upward, amazed by how the skies could become dark so quickly. The sleek one-man sailboat he’d named Victory still lurched forward, but the top of the mast seemed embedded in the blackness above, and he knew the wind could shift at any moment.

And then it stopped.

He was but a mile off the coast, but it might as well have been ten. The mainsail drooped into itself, and the boat seemed mired in the quicksand of the ocean, neither proceeding or falling back; it just sat. “Dead in the water,” he muttered. It was a phrase most sailors hated to even think about – it meant he was on his own, just like that. He needed to devise a way to secure his and his vessel’s safety, for the ocean could be a vindictive mistress and a deadly lover, he knew. As the first peals of thunder echoed off the rising waves, the bow suddenly crested a swell and hung suspended in empty air for a moment before crashing into the trough. The barometer bottomed out just as quickly, and Johnny felt the air thicken as it seemed to be vacuumed upward into the heavens, replaced by the pelting rain. This was going to be a rough one, he knew.

I really like this piece! The weather and the tide can take twist a fun, day-sailing experience into a nightmare! You wrote of it very well.

As a long-time sail-boat sailor, both catamarans and a 27′ Catalina, I have first-hand experience with being caught ‘in irons’ (as you put it, dead in the water.) and it can be a pretty hairy experience in ANY weather, especially in heavy seas.

Something similar to being in irons happened once when we had sailed our 18′ Hobie Cat outside the Gate toward the Farallon Islands and played for hours in the rough waters out there( referred to as the ‘potato patch’) then once the sun began to sink in the fog bank that hangs around out there, we decided to head back for the Berkeley Marina (where we’d launched from.) We were *with* the tide but didn’t anticipate being *against* the wind (classic case of back and fill) UGH!

I’ll never forget the sickening feeling of being pushed back to sea underneath the Golden Gate bridge as inky darkness fell. We ended up having to dock at the Presidio Yacht club and catch a ride across to Berkeley to pick up our van and boat trailer. An “adventure” for sure. One I hope never to repeat, but may try to use in a story at some point. Thanks for the great piece!

You’ve got me itching to get back on a sailboat Mer! I used to live on one, in Los Angeles. That was back in my screenwriting days… ah the life… so you’re in the Bay Area? So am I! Let me know if you’re down in the peninsula some time, would be great to have a coffee.

I’d love that, Birgitte! What part of the peninsula do you hail from? Funny how sailing gets into blood, isn’t it? We’ve had eleven boats through the years, but our favorites were always the sailboats.

Once a sailor, always a sailor…. 🙂 Email me and we’ll make it happen! info (at) birgitterasine.com

Nice. Nautical scenes are hard to do – so much happens all the time that the focus can be lost. This is nice though and you captured your character’s determination to beat his opponent. I agree that in some books the weather becomes a character in its own right, and a setting where this seems natural – the sea, or somewhere with a wide range of ever changing weather (hmmm, UK…) makes that choice a strong one. Thanks for sharing, -Sef

Thank you “Word Smith” — wish I knew your name to call you by but respect privacy. I just replied to Mer, above, on the topic of climate change… I appreciate that my newsletter resonated.

I love storms at sea, being an ocean kayaker and having been caught in quite some rough weather myself. The power of the sea is unmatched, and has inspired and terrified humanity since we learned to speak.

So about your story: I like this scene, but would recommend tightening the ropes in a few places. Your second sentence, for example, has three parts, connected by “but” and “and”. Somehow, it doesn’t flow. See if you can rephrase it, and chip away at unnecessary words like “seemed”. If you’re painting an image, don’t tiptoe around it. Just paint it. “the top of the mast stuck in the blackness above” or something like that. Also no need to say “he knew”, all you need is “the wind could shift at any moment,” as that implies Johnny is aware of it.

In the third paragraph you’ve got too much repetition — “..the boat was mired (get rid of “seemed”)”, “neither proceeding nor falling back”, “it just sat”, and “dead in the water” all say the same thing. Pick one, the best one, and it’ll be stronger.

Take out the instance of “he knew”.

Try to stay away from the passive voice in passages like this that you really want taut with tension. “seemed to be vacuumed”, “replaced by”, etc.

Thank you so much, Birgitte, for the critique. I will definitely work on these issues in my next piece. ~Bruce

Sounds great, Bruce. (But work on them in all your stories! 😉 )

Hi Brigitte, really good points about the weather (and climate change skeptics). My current WIP could probably be classified as being set in ‘weather’. It starts in a storm in the Southern ocean and moves to Antarctica (the heroine is a climate scientist). The hero is currently out on the ice, trapped in a storm. I’m lucky to have assistance from a great friend who is an Antarctic geologist, she’s been to the ice a few times so is keeping me real.

Lily, your story sounds great, good luck with it! Excellent also that you’re reaching out to your geologist friend, critical to do that kind of research for your stories. I’d love to read a synopsis whenever you have one ready.

The water had a film of ice, shaped right into the lip of the jug, before Dora cracked it with flinching knuckles and poured it into the basin.

Today it would be a relief to work in the Hygienic Steam Laundry. The boilers kept the room hot, even if the steam turned to wintry drops on the girls’ cheeks the moment they stepped outside to hang up the laundered sheets.

The bedclothes would turn stiff out there today, Dora thought. Great flat boards of linen, to be wrestled with in the yard, her shoes slipping on frozen mud, her own breath getting in the way of the work. The sun was no brighter than the burnished copper boilers and neither gave off the warmth Dora had missed ever since Quinton went away.

Sefton, not bad — but the full impact of your story is still just below the ice, as it were. The first sentence, especially the “shaped right into the lip of the jug” is a little confusing, makes me read it a few times to get the image. How about: “A film of ice rimmed the lip of the jug, gasping its last few frozen breaths at Dora as she cracked it and poured its captive water into the basin.”

This gives the water and the ice more character, as if there’s a struggle going on between the two before your character cracks the ice. No need really for “flinching knuckles”.

You can do the same thing in the second paragraph…. “The boilers managed to keep the room hot, but the steam they churned out snapped into wintry drops on the girls’ cheeks the moment they stepped outside to hang the laundered sheets.”

See how that injects drama and conflict into the action?

Thanks Birgitte. I could picture exactly the image I want – the weird shape of the piece of ice fit into the top of the jug, then Dora having to punch through before she pours it out – but found it hard to express. I take your point about using verbs to make the inanimate objects actors as well as the humans and create conflict.

This is one of those times when what I can see so clearly in my head doesn’t want to be pinpointed on the page….

Right, that’s the craft of the writer. Doesn’t always come easy. Don’t give up. Work on it. Talk a walk and think about it. Sleep on it. Use phrases and visuals you may not normally associate with ice, water, and jugs.

I enjoyed this post immensely, Birgitte. Climate change has had a polarizing effect in my marriage for several years now (rolling my eyes) but all that is a completely different conversation! Thanks for the reminder to incorporate weather into our writing. James Lee Burke (as someone else pointed out) is a master at this, each word of his descriptions do double-even triple-duty to make the weather, the light, the temperature as vivid as any human character. I feel transported to Louisiana, Montana, Texas, Mexico. Thanks for the great post!

Mer, so glad to hear it resonated. I know what you mean… climate change polarizes (no pun intended!!) like almost no other issue. In fact, I’ve had one person unsubscribe from my author’s newsletter because of it this morning!! (here’s what I wrote: http://www.birgitterasine.com/newsletters/muse-issue-seventeen-january-2014 )

I had an email exchange with the person to find out what exactly about it caused them to unsubscribe; clearly it pushed a lot of buttons. It’s unfortunate because this isn’t a political issue, and shouldn’t be a reason to stop communicating (or receiving newsletters). It’s a little too easy to leave the room, as it were, or resort to insults when you encounter a challenging viewpoint.

Thanks for your thoughts and mentioning James Burke — any particular work of his you’d recommend?

He’s quite prolific! His early books were literary fiction, then he began a successful career as a genre writer with three series:Dave Robicheaux, Hackberry Holland, and Billy Bob Holland. I guess I should point out that I’m not much of a genre reader (or writer) but his writing is something very special. I have several favorites, but I think a recent one, Creole Belle, is especially good, in my opinion, though he was criticized for POV violations! =)

(The first line: ““For the rest of the world, the season was still fall, marked by cool nights and the gold-green remnants of summer. For me, down in South Louisiana, in the Garden District of New Orleans, the wetlands that lay far beyond my hospital window had turned to winter…”) illustrates his ability to always brings weather, season, and light into his stories.)

An interesting side note about his writing career: He began writing quite early (in college) and published 3-4 books right away. Then suddenly, he couldn’t publish anything. For thirteen years. One book, The Last Get Back Boogie, was submitted 111 times over a nine year period. (It still holds the NY publishing industry record for rejections!) Then, upon publication by Louisiana State University press, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, so go figure.

He may be an acquired taste for some, but he’s maintains his spot in my top ten favorites against stiff competition.

Thank you for the great writing post. I’m a newbie here; I’m not really sure if I did okay but here goes!

(This is just a fragment of my story)

I stood there, in the middle of the street, people going and coming, to and fro, walking and running and stopping and bicycling away and back, in perpetual motion even at pause. I reached my arms to the sky, the rain mercifully soaking my hair my face, my shirt, my hands, my shoulders, my eyebrows, my heart. The sky was swirling with different kinds of clouds, some light and wispy, others dark, heavy, threatening to burst like a water balloon. Flowers of black umbrellas twirled, all while I stood there, holding my hands up to the sky, begging for more water in a sea of rain. I must look like a mad man, I thought. I snorted, a thin, white stream of breath coming out of my nostrils. Of course. I was a mad man.

My fingers started tingling with the cold, but I didn’t stop stopping. No one stopped me from stopping, anyways; they were too busy coming and going to wherever they were coming and going to see a man standing still in the middle of the rain.

What a spectacular city this is, not one person caring that a shabby-looking man is holding up his hands like Moses and willingly getting drenched, while an ocean of umbrellas desperately tries to avoid all water.

Welcome! Nice to have you in our community.

I find this figment you’ve shared here poetic, fluid. It does need some massaging to make it into a work of art. Words are like paintbrushes: the stroke, the pressure, the color, the texture and thickness, all are qualities you can play with to create the image or emotion you seek.

See what happens when you take away some of the “crutch” words, repetitive words, and unnecessary punctuation: “I stood in the middle of the street, people coming and going, walking and running and skipping along with their children stopping to talk stopping to turn back or move out of another’s way, cycling in and out of their own standing obstacles weaving unsteady painting invisible paths on a pavement wiped smooth by the rain”

I took a few liberties here but see how that feels, play with it, give it more character, more life, don’t be afraid to get into the “people’s” heads and make the rain and the pavement more alive.

Then inject your protagonist into this rich soup of activity. But don’t say “the sky was swirling with different kinds of clouds.” Just take me immediately to the clouds, it’s obvious they’re different b/c you’re already describing them. Maybe whip up a mirror image of the heavens to what you just described below, on the street; “The sky swirled a million colors a million shades clouds heavy and dark light and airy moving circling and tumbling bubbling vaporous and streaking clear across, some stopping to puff smaller ones out of their way…”

One more thing. No matter who your protagonist is, give him/her dignity. Don’t have them “snort” unless there’s a very good and solid reason. That word instantly pulled me out of your story, and I was done. Broke the spell.

Also, since you’re new to the site, feel free to read through the others’ WIP posted here as well as my comments, since they tend to apply universally regardless of the story.

As I post this practice, I realize that I have only ONE line of dialogue! How’d I manage that?? But if I begin tinkering with it, it won’t be a practice, it will morph, right?

*** When Donnie’s friends asked her why she didn’t hunt/fish/sky-dive/mountain climb/”do” dirt bikes/snow-ski/scuba dive, Emily would look up from folding lawn-chair she sat in, placing a finger to mark her place in the inevitable book she was reading or notebook she was writing in, and smilingly point to her custom-printed tee-shirt: Professional Spectator. It worked for them: Donnie was a sporto– she watched. There had only ever been one exception to this arrangement.

Years before, sailing had been something that she enjoyed and enthusiastically participated in. Who’da thunk? She didn’t swim and knew nothing about the mechanics of it, but she loved the sea and that love had bolstered her determination to learn.

Emily enjoyed learning about tides and how to read the wind on the water, how to set the sails. She loved to play with high winds by sheeting in the sail tightly for maximum speed, leaning outward in the trapeze harness, the delicate balance of a catamaran flying across the water on one pontoon–there was nothing like it! Surely a cross between surfing and flying, she thought.

Donnie made sure they sailed with other Hobie people, and usually within the soothing crescent of Monterey Bay or the protection of San Francisco Bay, so Emily’s initial nervousness eventually disappeared and she gave herself completely over to the exhilarating sensations and stopped worrying. Donnie had never flipped the boat when she was crewing for him, though others in their fleet had done so.

Sometimes, just outside the Gate in San Francisco Bay, the water was so rough the swells as tall as their mast and inside the green water she glimpsed seaweed, fish, once even an octopus. The butterfly-wing colored sails of the other boats would disappear when they were in the troughs, then reappear as they scooted up and over top. It was easy to forget that winds and tides didn’t always consult on optimum safety conditions for sailors.

One golden late afternoon in October, everyone in their group beached their Cats and were peeling off their wet-suits, starting the process of unrigging their boats, having a beer, telling tales–when Donnie did a nose-count. John and Andrea Clevinger’s boat had not returned.

Anxiety rippled through their group like wind on the water’s surface, camaraderie being replaced with fear and worry. Several scanned the waters with binoculars, but the Clevinger’s distinctive Tequila Sunrise sails were nowhere to be seen. Donnie wasted no time in calling the Coast Guard. The sun slipped under the horizon, and from the beach, they could see the search lights of two vessels and a helicopter traversing the rough sea outside the Gate, another vessel searching the water inside the Bay. Hours went by and the fog turned into a chilled drizzle–some of them put their wetsuits back on for warmth, but nobody went home. Two junior officers had joined their group, asking questions: when and where were the couple last seen by members of their group? Outside the Gate? Inside the Bay? Had anyone noticed their boat tip over?

At that last question, Emily saw Donnie’s eyes flash. “Do you really think we’d have left them out there if we’d seen them go over?” he asked, voice flat with anger.

It was well after midnight, and some of them, mostly the ones with children, had been forced to go home. The Coast Guard made the decision to halt the search until daylight. Donnie refused to leave, he and Emily sleeping rough in the old van. One or two others stayed as well, sleeping in their cars. Emily tried not to think about the water temperature out there, but she couldn’t help it. It was never much more than 50° or so. The wetsuits would give them a few hours extra advantage, but could not prevent hypothermia.

The next morning, it didn’t take long for helicopter to spot the white pontoons of the turtled-Catamaran. The Clevinger’s Hobie was inside the Gate, but mast down in the water, the rough sea, fog and drizzle had made them impossible to spot at night. They found Andrea tied to the trampoline, dead from exposure and severe hypothermia. They never found John.

After that, Emily found that sailing’s shine dulled for her, the thrill had disappeared. She finally told Donnie that he would need to find someone else to crew for him, but it wasn’t long before he sold their Hobie Cat. His heart wasn’t in it anymore either. Donnie went on to other things, other hobbies and sports, but Emily didn’t. Now she wore her tee-shirt and watched.

Mer sorry for the delay in my comment on this, somehow I missed it. Strong scene here, enjoyed it. The one piece that rips me out of it is “Who’da thunk?”. Doesn’t match the voice of the piece.

You might want to play a little bit with the phrasing to avoid monotony. Sometimes, repetition creates symmetry but it can also create flatness. Most of your sentences start off with the main noun or an orienting phrase (where or when). Break it up. There are many ways to start a sentence. Keep in mind that just as in the overall narrative, the beginning and the end are powerful elements. The same goes for an individual sentence.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the critique, Birgitte. I almost deleted this practice because it was so badly done. (Written at work, a few moments at a time between numerous interruptions.) I’m an admin asst to the Admissions department at a private, not-for-profit college and multi-task all the time, but should’ve known better than to do so while trying to “practice” writing! I’ll definitely keep your advice in mind. 🙂

Oh good heavens, if you wrote this while doing something else, all editing gloves are off. And hat off to you for trying!

Derek sat in his attic study, frigid fingers clutching a blanket that covered his layers of winter clothes. At his feet a little gas fire hissed bravely. “Fat lot of use you are,” he muttered as he stared at its puny little flame. He wriggled himself tighter into his cocoon. It was midwinter. Outside, and inside. Looking at the wall mirror opposite he thought his face was turning darker. He fisted it a few times to keep the frostbite away. Why did I ever decide to move to this part of the world, he sighed, as his breath misted past his face. Suddenly a rent appeared in the grey shroud that hung just a few feet above the roof. A shaft of sunlight poured into the dingy room. Everything suddenly lit up, and took on colour – the brown ducks flew in formation on the wallpaper, the matte black of his laptop pulsed with warmth. He looked up at the transluscent blue patch of open sky. . Leaping up he Instinctively threw off the layers that had isolated him. He breathed deeply, two or three times, before sinking back onto his chair. His fingers flew over the keys. It wasn’t the cold that had induced writers block. It was the lack of light. Coming from a warm climate he’d always taken the sun for granted. He sat back for a minute, and opened his face to the golden orb that spun and pulsed in the little lake of blue. . .

Thank you for the post. I am new here and I would love to improve my writing. Here is a bit of a scene set in a world I am working on. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

She stared at the dust, avoiding the piercing gaze of the afternoon sun. Heat crawled up her skin in sickening waves and she wished the clamminess beneath her robes a slow and painful death.

Lethargy slowed her movements, but she forced onward. The bucket she carried toward her family’s goats sloshed uneasily, threatening to spill its wealth on the desert floor.

Hi there and welcome! This sounds like fantasy or sci-fi, since you mention ” a world” you’re working on, is that right? Without more context or background it’s not easy to give the proper feedback, but given what you’ve shared, I’d say:

– if this is another world, how do you define “afternoon” here? Does heat here feel different than on Earth?

– i think you’re defining the tension between the character and the heat well, keep going in that vein. But rather than “wealth”, you might think about another word that would evoke the emotional significance of what I assume is water on this world — or is it perhaps another liquid that the people here need?

WOW – my husband will love you. He enjoys driving in blizzards, sitting outside while lightning comes perilously close to striking him and getting pelted by hails.

I urge him to drive me one block during mild rains in the winter because of my morbid fear of hydroplaning and/or sleety rains 😉

Guess I am in deep trouble, eh?

BRILLIANT post – out of curiosity, how long did it take for you to piece words together into a fun, flavorful and fabulous post *jealous* 😉 hehe

Much love Kitto

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The writings of a West Country Dapwearer

Creative Writing

What it feels like to me in the rain

The rain drops are not plump, there are just more of them. My mac is wet. My jeans are wet. My bag is wet. My hand that holds my bag is wet. There really is a lot of rain falling from the sky right now.

Sometimes when it rains, I want to strip naked and dance. Peel off my clothes, layer by layer, and just dance. I don’t know how the dance will go: I can’t visualise it. I know that it will be like no dance I have ever performed but when it happens it will be the right dance to dance.

I know that I will shout up at the clouds too. Incite them to do their worst. My nakedness does not care about how much rain falls upon it. My dance encourages it. The rain encourages it.

Other times, the rain makes me sad.

A nostalgic sadness emerges when I realise that I am a person with a past, a present and a future, and that I can never hope to embody the best bit of any of these states at the same time. It is this that makes me ache for it. I realise that I will never be this whole and it makes me sad.

Occasionally, rain makes me feel hopeful. It reminds me that there are beautiful things to see and feel as a human being. When the rain falls from the sky, it somehow passes through my clothes, my skin and connects with the water that makes up the most of me. Drops fall on ordinarily still and even stagnant pools, ripples expand within me and I feel an energy. Molecules shunt, and I know that I am alive.

This rain right now makes me feel nothing. It is rain and it is getting me wet. And I want to be away from it.

Like this, read about the freezing cold of Langmusi, China .

About the author

Tom spooner.

Ones to Watch
Photography
New Zealand
Flash Fiction
Short Story

1001 Writing Prompts About Rainy Days

March 17, 2021

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If you are familiar with anime, you’ve probably heard of Weathering with You—an animated film that tells the story of a high-school boy who ran away to Tokyo and befriended an orphan girl with the ability to manipulate the weather. It is set in a world wherein rain never stops, so the people have learned to accept the gloomy weather as a part of their everyday life.

The film was written and directed by the Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist Makoto Shinkai. According to an article published by Deadline, Shinkai was inspired to create the film because of his interest in climate change. In an interview, he said he wanted to make a story about young people dealing with the environmental issue because he had noticed that the world has changed so much because of climate change.

Isn’t it interesting how a person was able to create such a unique story because of the long-term changes in our weather patterns?

Maybe you could also do the same by challenging yourself to write stories inspired by your observations about the weather. Check out this list of writing prompts about rainy days for inspiration:

Write about a spooky night scene with a mysterious atmosphere.
Escape from the rainy circumstance. Write about it.
Write about the love for rainy days.
Write about a night of dreams that rain was inside of you rather than outside.
A family reunion on a rainy day goes awry.
Write about how you feel when you hear heavy rain on the roof.
Write about the feelings of rain.
Write about an endless rain ruining a beautiful moment.
I wrote a poem about these prompts.
Write about a dark and stormy night that you lived through.
An umbrella won’t protect you, it’s way too late for you to be walking the streets, don’t you know?
Someone hides inside your home.
Write about your character chasing down a raindrop, or rather, not being able to catch one.
Find beauty in the little things.
Write about the absurdity of the phrase “the pot calling the kettle black”.
Write about a rainy day from your future.
Write a letter to a loved one who has disappeared.
You have died from a terrible drowning accident…
There’s an off-limits area at the end of my street.
A normal day in the rain is like any other.
Write about the awkward weather.
Includes writing prompts about snow days as well…
He tells you three stories that change you forever.
The spider is happily spinning its web in the center of the room.
Rain falls on the window like teardrops from a princess.
Write a letter from a collector to a person who owes money. Write the first page.
Write a story about a rain dance.
People fear the rain, but it is necessary for us.
Write about a time in your life when it rained.
For every paragraph of flippant fiction, write one paragraph of more serious fiction. Don’t reveal what’s been written, instead have others guess between authoring flippant or serious fiction.
The sun has finally come out after a hard summer of storms.
An angel must choose between the golden light of Heaven and the sunset of Town.
Write about a day spent hiking in the rain.
Write about your least happy memory about rainy days.
Home videos tell the tale of a family lost to the rain.
Write using one or more of your senses.
It’s a love story that begins with 4 letter words. Everyone is asking them how, but nothing is coming from you.
Sometimes, you have to get hurt before you can heal.
You survived the flood but now you must live in the sewers.
Write about the bratty kids who are always violently fighting in the house. Bonus points if they’re siblings.
Then make your day with a simple gesture.
Shipwreck! Be a castaway on an island. Write about your description of the island, your survival skills, etc. You are there for as long as you want to be. You know it will rain every day, and you know that you may never get rescued. What is your life like? Are you agreeable? Does the island get on your nerves? You are not sure when you eat, when you sleep, when you do anything. It is not important, the only thing that matters is that every day, the rain rains down on you.
Tropical rainforests don’t always enjoy sunshine, but are rather full of rains and storms during some times of year.
Write about the worst rain storms you’ve been in.
Write a fictional story about a rainy day.
Write a story about the greatest festival in the world. It always rains on that day.
The sky turns dark outside just as you’re about to give up on your homework.
You wake up from a vivid dream, only to find that the weather outside is exactly like the dream.
Write about a rainy walk home from work.
Write a poem about the rain and the power it holds over the plants.
Describe the beauty of falling rain, the smell of the wet ground.
Write a poem about rain.
Write about your day when it rains.
Write about making the best of a rainy day. Pick one rainy day based on place, time, or topic, and write about it.
Write a short story featuring a truck driving through the rain.
Write about dark rainy nights.
A raindrop falls from the sky, and promptly dissolves into your tears.
Yesterday was sunny and calm. Today is the opposite. Write about how this change affects your day.
Describe what life was like before it rained.
Write about your favorite rainy day rituals.
Write a love letter to rain.
Write about what it is like to experience a rain storm.
You sit on your porch for hours, observing the rain fall.
Write about a food you’d like to be served while it rains outside.
Clear stormy skies reveal a meteor shower overhead.
Write about your first unpleasant experience with the rain.
Write about finding shelter in the rain.
You wake up to the sound of pouring rain outside.
Write about your worst rainy day experience.
Your main character can’t stop thinking about the dark and stormy night.
Name 3 things you enjoy most about rainy days.
Understandably, the liquid freezes on solid surfaces, yet here you are. Fire lingers within the unlit fireplace.
Write about the cloud seeding going on in another part of the country.
You’re stuck inside, sick with the flu.
Create a food that brings thoughts of rainy days.
A boy and his mother hide together from the pouring rain in their fort made of sheets.
Start with a title and no ending.
You step outside to admire the rain, forgetting that your umbrella is broken.
Write about a game of hide and seek in the rain.
A standing puddle on a rainy day.
What beauty lies on a cloud-covered night?
The sun doesn’t come out until…
The dark man with the yellow umbrella shared some secrets with me.
I hope you enjoyed this list of writing prompts using the theme of rainy days. Leave me a comment before you head off and please share. If you need more prompts, check out my posts on going on a trip , visiting the city , and going to school . And, if you haven’t yet, don’t forget to sign up for my free newsletter to get more writing prompts, news about my books, and exclusive short stories not published anywhere else!
Inside a giant, pumpkin patch with no face.
Write about a rainy day you remember with a friend. Tell me about a rainy day when you were in high school. Tell me about a rainy day when you were in college. What is the significance of a rainy day? What do you do when it rains? What do you make of this list of photography ideas for rainy days? Aren’t they amazing? Which one is your favorite rainy day idea? Feel free to write us a comment.
Write a love poem about your significant other when one of you stays home sick while the other goes to work.
Rain drops become tears. Write about your life.
Write about your day soaking in the rain.
A homeless man begs for change from you, as he’s patiently standing in the pouring rain.
Write about the memory you would have from a rainy day.
Write about the weirdest thing you discovered on a rainy day.
Write about a lost person in the rain.
The pavement glistened in the shining streetlight. Its’ reflection flickered in the puddles, like the stars in the night sky.
Write about a rainy day that was from your childhood.
A plane crashes into the side of a building
Build a comical conversation between two characters who have to walk home in a rainstorm.
Are rainy days your favorite of all the days? Explain your answer.
Write about rainy days when you were a child.
Write about your thoughts on rainy days.
Rainy day gum
Write about a message sent with a carrier pigeon.
Write about what you are doing when the rain begins to pour.
Write about a dramatic rainy day.
Be careful driving, don’t hit anyone.
The world dries up and the dead rise.
Write about the hospitality of a stranger in your neighborhood.
Four grandparents are sitting around a table, bragging about their grandkids.
You open the door to see a person, who looks… you can’t quite tell.
You’re eating at a restaurant and it’s raining outside.
There is a sense of melancholy in the rain.
A raindrop is about to drop from the sky when…
On a rainy day, you look up at the sky and see a rainbow.
Write about this day in the life of a stormtrooper.
Colour outside the lines.
Write about things you remember about rainy days.
They say they have been walking through the rain for twice as long as you’ve been alive, and demanded to come in to do the final thing on their list. What did they say?
Describe the quiet of the day after the rain has stopped.
The next day, the rain never stops.
The first time you met your lover on a rainy day.
You walk outside to contemplate life and find yourself under a tree as it is raining cats and dogs. Write about that interaction.
Write about having to hide when it rains.
Your car has broken down and you’re trapped inside, write about what happens next.
Write a short story in a rainy setting.
You tell me that you are crying because no one understands you.
Keep the forces of nature grounded!
Stop staring at the ceiling and listen to words of a man soaked in rain.
Shout your favourite colour. Write down that word on a piece of paper. Tear it to pieces, and hide it. Write down a sentence that describes the colour.
Write about your neighbor, the crazy alchemist.
Write about a rain filled bird bath.
The rain drummed against the windows of the house.
You are trapped in a maze and it’s raining.
It’s still raining. The crops we worked so hard to grow withered overnight into nothingness.
Write about the last time you cried.
Rainy day writing prompts that trigger memories
The old man wore a hat and carried a newspaper.
Write a letter home to your parents about the day’s weather.
List five of those days where your family was stuck cooped up inside.
Write a poem about rainy days.
Write about a rainy day that you regret.
Write about a rainy day when your past is catching up to you.
What do a pirate and a rainy day have in common?
Write about life in a heaven of peace and rain.
A memory from a rainy day.
You try to read, but you can’t focus. The pounding of the rain on the roof drowns out all other sounds.
A girl cries as she sits on a bench in a public park, watching the rain.
Write about a person going through a bad storm.
Why does the rain seem to pause between the buildings but cascade so rapidly from the heavens when it’s over them?
Use your knowledge of beauty products and write a satirical column called “Help for Hags” about their usage on rainy days when one looks tired.
You walk into a room to find your husband lying dead on the floor. The windows are wide open. Snow drifts in from the storm. The curtains whip in the wind. In disbelief, you fall to your knees as rain mists your eyes.
Write about the sound of rain against the walls of your house at night.
It began when they entered high school. Nobody ever thought that it would happen to them. Now they have experienced it first-hand.
Write about a rainy day that changed you forever.
Rain taps upon my nose.
A girl walks alone in the rain.
A loved one has left you to wander in the rain, for an entire week.
Your mother says it’s time for school, but you don’t want to go. The sky is bright white. Write about it.
Write about a person you admire from a distance.
There’s no place to run from this downpour.
Write a story about a girl, boy, man, or woman who isn’t afraid to get their shoes wet.
You wake up to the sound of howling wind and the patter of rain on your bedroom window. You get up and look out, but can only see the grayness of an oncoming storm. You try to go back to sleep, but fear that later the storm will turn into a hurricane. You can’t eat to calm your nerves. The winds howl like a wolf’s baying howl.
It was a hot muggy summer’s night when it began to rain.
Write about your grandmother’s cookie recipe.
It was sunny and warm outside. Sprinkles of rain now began to fall.
He wears a black hat.
A mad scientist sewn together animals into monstrosities made to destroy the world, and only you can stop him.
Discuss your rainy day wishes.
The rain won’t stop. You know what it means. You must get out and stop them.
Tie a shawl around her shoulders and pull down your window shades.
Write about running the first red traffic light.
Write about an outing that gets out of hand in the rain.
Write about the effect of raining on someone.
Write about being stuck in the house with a foul smell coming from your kitchen or bathroom.
Write a story about a rainy day
The world gets flooded, except for a little bit of dry space, and it rains, and rains, and rains.
Write a letter to someone stating why they are wrong.
Write about two people caught in a storm.
List 5 ways to fit in when there is no sun!
Do you invite her in?
The rain gets worse at night.
Write about the horror of rainy days.
A treasure is hidden beneath the broken corner of this wall.
After the storm comes the quiet. The feeling of peace.
Write about why running makes you feel better.
Write about the misty landscape before the rain.
The weather outside is frightful…
Write about your favourite rainy day.
Describe what happens after a big storm.
An immense noise shatters the fragile silence.
It’s not safe to be outside, not when rain falls from the sky like this.
The end of the world happened when it was raining out.
The sky is dark and nothing but the crackling of thunder can be heard in the distance .
Rain taught me a valuable lesson about forgetting to take the trash out.
The pitter patter of rain shivers my window sill.
Write a story about a girl whose cat disappears during a storm.
She claims she can speak to the dead.
Blood Curdling screams echo through the woods.
Write about everyday life on rainy days.
The sky glows in the dark night.
You wake up to the sound of the rain steadily tapping against your window.
A shelter is what you need. Seek refuge.
Write about insomnia and the unreal feeling of nighttime when there is no light.
Write about a time when you were stuck indoors by the rain.
Your character has no umbrella, and now he is wet to the skin. Write from his perspective.
You arrive home after the rain has finally stopped.
People long for sunny days.
Write in the frame of mind of someone who has a lifetime flashing before their eyes.
The leaves crunch and soak up the puddle underneath them. Impossible to avoid.
Water is the blood of the Earth Mother. As we bleed, she bleeds.
Write about your neighborhood on a rainy day.
Write a poem in the style of your favorite artist.
Write about a rainy day when you did something totally unlike yourself.
It was a miserable evening because of the rain. The movie had to be canceled. Your favorite sports team lost in the rain. It’s been ages since you’ve gone outside, and you’re all cooped up in the house. There’s nothing to do but write about the storm.
The stench of salt, the burning sun. Two things which do not go very well with each other.
Did you know that some scientists for nefarious purposes. Many governments. And scientists say. Those days of rain. Might not be that bad.
I see stormy skies, leading my eyes to the walls of grey.
It’s your favorite weather. Write about why.
A glimpse of hope appears when the rain finally stops.
Write about the worst rainy day you’ve ever lived through.
Write about your struggle with chronic illness.
Find beauty in rainy days through art.
The grey clouds part, and you see the sun.
Write what you would do if it were your last rainy day on earth.
Write about what you do during the rainy days of summer.
Write about a day from your past that you would like to go back to.
The rain falls softly without water.
Write about what happens to the world when it rains. What are the consequences? What are some of the great trials caused by a single raindrop?
Write about your most awesome rainy day experience.
Explain why you don’t like rainy weather.
We call them haunted clouds.
The storm raged on for days. No end in sight.
Your prince has taken your apologies and still gone away. You will beg the rain to stop…if you can.
Village of Ravens was a dark fantasy story of betrayal. It was only available as an eBook and was included in the Dark Wings anthology by Ink Smith Publishing in December 2016. In February 2017 it will be included in the anthology Space Pirates by Unwholly Books.
Write about a rainy day that you would rather forget.
It’s been 6 days and it still won’t stop raining.
Explain how a rainy day affects you.
Write about how you became a writer.
Write about the worst rainy day of your life.
You fall down in your coffin-like bed, bringing the soft sheets in with you. “Lovely, drenching rain.”
Write about a rainy day.
Write about the struggle of survival in order to escape a storm.
Write about how you felt about a rainy day.
Does the rain cure or cause a sickness?
This is the first day of summer vacation when you realize it’s going to be raining for days.
Shine your driving lights.
A rainy afternoon makes you realize how grateful you really are.
The trees at the end of your street are yearning to be saved.
The rain is getting heavier and is penetrating your home.
It’s coming down… show me your silliness!
Some pillows, soft from being blown dry in the dryer, a good book, a gust of wind causing a tree …
The rain is blocking your view of the city, but you can still hear it.
Giant trees scattered all around torn apart by lightning strikes.
A small drop of water on a rain free day.
Walk outside in the pouring rain and go somewhere.
Write about the end of a relationship.
Tell how you spent your day.
Your partner ordered you to write. You attempted to write and failed miserably.
Use a coin to decide your fate. Will it be heads or tails?
Write about the moment you receive a letter from your secret lover, who is in another kingdom.
You stepped out into the garden when the downpour began. Having been unaware of this, you realize that you cannot see the light of your own home. You keep walking, trying to find your way home.
Try to cheer up a friend by reminding them of the beauty of those rainy days.
Rain drops trickle down your window.
They want to stay in for the night.
Something vital is hidden in the rain.
A window in a rainstorm.
You can write historical fiction scenarios with this dark and dreary setting. You can also write a suspense or mystery story.
A chance encounter on a rainy day.
Write as if you’ve been living in a world without rain. Your roof sprung a leak and it began to rain inside your house for the first time.
You wake and hear the rain pattering against your window.
Write about a rainy day that becomes clear of the clouds only to reveal the destruction caused by the flood.
After the downpour in the woods, a fairy appears.
A car crash results in your retirement, but it’s OK because it’s raining! Narrate it.
It’s always raining in Summerfield. No one seems to mind, though.
Write about a rainy day and the impact it has on a particular place. Where?
It is a rainy day, and you are excited to finally write your book.
Everybody has to avoid those dark clouds…
Write about a memory of ghostly rainy days.
Write about trying to survive a storm.
Write about the beauty of rainy-afternoons.
Leave the house on a rainy day on impulse. Describe where you end up.
After being caught outside in the stormy weather, you find a friend in someone you least expect. What happens?
Create a dramatic setting where it is always raining.
Write from the point of view of the rain.
Your car breaks down and you’re stranded in the middle of a rainstorm.
Someone has found a scroll with strange text on it. They ask you to copy it for them.
When a rainy day goes bad.
When it rains, the drain always seems to get clogged up.
Write about your reaction.
Write about the mysterious man who visits you on rainy days.
It’s cold and soggy outside.
A rainy night at the beach.
Write about yourself on a rainy day.
The darkness seems menacing as the dark clouds roll in
Write a letter. To the sun.
What does the rain sound like to you?
You wake up and discover the world is flooded.
Give a character weather-based superpowers.
Write about a rainy day from your childhood.
Write about the moment that rains stop.
The moment before the storm hits.
The night where you tried to wait up for the sunrise.
Write about the song the rain sings.
Write about your surroundings. What do you see, hear, and smell?
What are you doing inside the house? Don’t have the urge to play in the rain?
A conversation between two girls meeting for the first time in a crowded waiting room…
Why do we love the rain so much? Give a detailed list of your favorites.
7. Love and Emotions
The rain falls unusually hard for this time of year.
Speak to your inner child. How do rainy days make you feel?
An unexpected storm covers the town in darkness.
Write about a day that seems so much like any other that it doesn’t seem like anything at all.
Write about your house on a rainy day.
Write about a love story that is hopeless.
She hands you an olive branch.
Write about being caught in a torrential downpour.
Envision you are a stone lying on your bed. Using five senses, describe your experience and feelings about the rain.
The sky is dark and grey. There is a rhythm in the raindrops.
Describe a rainbow. In as much detail as possible, you describe the arc of the rainbow, the colors of the rainbow, and the environment at the origin of the rainbow.
Write about the first time you went to the beach, or an important beach memory.
Write a dream sequence about an unsettling rainy day.
Venus comes out from behind the clouds.
Describe how the monotonous, steady sound of the rain really relaxes you.
The rain is a great tapestry upon which my thoughts and feelings are woven…
You just bought a new umbrella and are excited to show it off.
Someone has begun to heavily stalk you.
Step outside on a rainy day. Notice how the rain takes on a particular scent.
You always wished to write like the world is ending. Why not try that thought to fit on a rainy day?
This could be a horror story or a fantastical one full of wonderful creatures.
Revel in the wonder of a boring and rainy day.
A character receives a message that changes their perception of the world.
When it rains, your mind goes into overdrive.
Write about a rainy day from a parent’s point of view.
Write about a rainy day that takes a tragic turn.
Write a story about a rainy day gone terribly wrong.
It was a dry, dry day… an inhospitable day to be outside so the air conditioner was running full blast… which, unfortunately, wafted a putrid odor throughout the house… which, unfortunately, caused your mood to drop like a rock. You banished everyone outside to play. After an hour, they started knocking on the back door.
Write about your favorite rainy day memories.
A drop of rain begins to write a letter.
You’re walking in the forest, watching the rain drip down from the leaves and branches.
Rain does crazy, unpredictable things.
What happens when the constant rains flood so far it covers the earth’s mountains? Who is that strange creature that appears in the waters?
A lightning bolt strikes you, transfiguring you into a vampire.
Icy tendrils twine around the bare trees and tug them as hard as the wind.
Write about a rainy night that was so deadly.
You’re watching the world through a rain-soaked window.
Write about a magical land where water is precious.
There’s nothing to be said when your child co
Spend an afternoon in the woods with a forgotten chest from a shipwreck.
Memories are worth cherishing during rainy days.
Write about falling under the spell of the rain.
What if we lived on a planet where it never rained?
How would you describe this rainy season?
Write about a dog or cat that looks like rain.
Write about a rainy day that changed your life.
I went to a carnival once and they had terrifying nightmare machines.
Write a poem about riding in a hot air balloon over the rainforest and watching the trees sway through a foggy dome of ominous darkness.
Shoes are rarely worn these days, since the good weather disappeared.
A grieving widow, standing alone next to her boyfriend on his open grave.
Write a time-travel romance where the only way she can go back is by flying to the tropics, just after a hurricane.
A boy on the beach, alone, wishing the rain would leave him alone.
It had not rained since Yk’thulghk, which was rumored to be the end of all planetary water, and now all that rain is back.
Write about a monster lurking under bed with the sole purpose of getting wet and spooking the reader with children.
Someone’s life is flashing before her eyes while floating in a lake of rain water.
Write about a moment of peace.
Write about the last time it rained on you.
Addressing a feline that has always been in the house…
It’s far too cold and wet today for anyone to be in a good mood.
Write about a rainy morning. A rainy high noon. A rainy sunset. A rainy midnight.
Write about the loss of faith in one rainy day.
The smell of mushrooms in the air is more potent today because of the rain.
You have the day off work, but because of the weather, there won’t be much to do.
“Ah, nothing like a good old storm to make your point.” He pulled out a knife, ready to fight.
Remember a rainy day long ago.
Write about what you can learn from rainy days.
It was a cold, rainy day when he found the Golden Snitch
Write about a rainy day in a foreign land.
What would you do if you woke up and the clouds were gone?
A rainstorm is making it impossible to sleep because it’s so loud outside.
A girl is walking down the sidewalk, her head tied with her raincoat. She looks very upset. Write a poem about what she had been through.
People get upset when they realize that they will never see the sun again. What are their reactions?
Drive home in a storm and write about it.
Write about the first time you defeated the Ultimate Ninja.
You’re sitting in your bedroom, enjoying the sound of the rain hitting your roof.
You’ve been forced to work outside in the storm.
On rainy days, the smaller things are more beautiful. Describe one of them.
She takes off her raincoat and reveals a soaked dress.
Write about the worst time you’d ever spent on a rainy day. What happened?
Write your own old-fashioned weather advertisement.
It may be considered bad luck, but it’s a rainy night and your date is late.
The scent of fresh rain invades your room and you can’t sleep.
Your dog disappears, it turns out to be a full moon.
Write about your first memory of the rain.
What would you do if you couldn’t go outside anymore?
People have discovered a water source in the barren desert. All of the sudden, everyone is trying to get to this new oasis. You’re trying to find out why, too.
It hasn’t rained for years.
A sunrise in a dark and dreary city.
A novel made up of short stories, one for each day of the week, with each story having something to do with rain.
Write a poem that describes the feeling of rain hitting the ground.
Have each character be affected by inclement weather.
5. We write to tell stories. Why tell what they think they know?
Write about the first time it rained? What surprised or scared you the most about it?
It is a story-telling website, and many seasons and weather are available. Famous authors and individuals have written stories using these prompts, to find them all,
Write about a character who’s always weathering the storm, no matter where they are.
Write about your own experience of a rainy day.
The dirty snow melted, leaving behind a shiny layer of black ice.
Write about someone who embraces rainy days.
From the lips of a rain spout, to the blue ink on your notebook’s pages, all will be washed away when the sun finally shines once again…
Tell your readers your name.
The world begins to fall apart through rain.
Describe what you do when it rains.
Our inner child catches a cold from the dripping rain.
A wild forest fire sweeps through a jungle, leaving the wildlife wet from all the water. Write from an animal’s perspective.
Write about a place that hasn’t seen rain in years.
The world went black, along with all the lights, and the rain continued to pour down.
Write about the end of a rainy day.
Write about a rainy day that changed your life forever.
Describe your favorite rainy day.
Remember the good times from when you first started dating.
Write about winter by describing rain.
You get a call from someone who’s trapped in an alley during a downpour.
What if the earth had no rain?
The night sky is full of water. So beautiful.
Explain how you feel about gloomy weather.
I stare out the window at the rain, watching the birds flee the skies for shelter.
It’s pouring rain. You open your window to let the fresh air in.
Describe a rainy day in your childhood.
Your pet is caught in the rain. Write a poem about this.
I hate rainy days!
Write about a time you experienced bad weather.
Write about your favorite shady spot.
A mysterious man is standing in the shadows. What are his intentions?
Write about a rainy heist.
Write a piece about a missing person or someone you miss on rainy days.
Describe the first time you saw the rain.
The better thou knowest thyself, the more pain thou canst Lake.
Write about the end of the world.
You’re walking through the park, and you discover an unexpected boy.
Write about how rain can relate to crime.
Most people love rainy days. You do not. Write about your experience.
Write about two people going through a divorce or a separation. One of them cheated on the other. Both of them are fighting for everything they have. Rain is trying to stop them, but they remain stubborn to find each other.
Head out and write about a rainy day.
An unidentifiable object lands in your yard and you smash it open with a shovel.
Write about the nastiness of rainy days.
Imagine a rainy urban fantasy.
A young man walks up to you, extending his hand, he proclaims with a grin to share his umbrella with you.
Avoid trying too hard to be fancy. It’s bad enough that it’s raining.
Write about the strangest sound you’ve heard on a rainy day.
Memories from the past…
Write about life before the rains.
Write about exciting things that happen when it rains.
A person sits in the rain staring at a wall.
Write a self-reflective, sad and mostly short haiku poem about how ugly rain and violence make you feel.
Write about how the rain drowned the world.
Write the first thing on your mind when you wake up on a rainy day.
Write about a first love that goes sour.
A petty thief tries to break into your house in the middle of the night, but the weather opposes it.
It is raining so hard, you can’t see the sidewalk.
A conversation on a melancholy, rainy day.
You find yourself trapped inside the house because of the rain.
A father tells his son a story on a rainy day.
Write about your first kiss, when it was raining.
The death of someone you loved was caused by the rain.
Write a short monologue about your disappointment about the weather.
Whether it be fictional or realistic, write about a rainy day.
Write about a rainy day that’s happening in the middle of summer.
It is stopped by a mysterious man who appears just outside your door and instantly says he knows everything about everyone.
Write about the first time you and your best friend met.
Signs of life in the city.
You wake up to the sound of a leaky roof. You are grateful it’s just a little leak, and not water pouring in.
How did you spend your rainy day?
Write about a rainy day when you were a child.
You’ve lost everything to the floods.
For your own safety, you must escape now, and survive the cruel weather.
Something weird happened while the sun was out.
Write about the rain.
Is it ever okay to cheat on your spouse?
How many days until it stops?
Write about a time when you were caught in a rain shower with a loved one.
Enjoy the rain while it’s outside of your window.
A child walks home through the downpour carrying a broken umbrella on a school day.
She is bleeding from her hand.
Write about a troubled, rainy relationship.
Write about the sad feeling of not being understood.
Write about a rainy day from the point of view of your favorite water drop.
Reality and fiction mixes together in today’s world.
Joseph lives for rainy days. There’s a smell in the air that only comes around on rainy days.
You are trapped, unable to get from inside to out.
Write what you would do, if you were in such a situation.
Something miraculous happened the other day, because of that wonderful rain storm.
The sky reminds me of angels.
A lone ship sails on a stormy sea, searching for home.
A flash of lightning lights up the sky.
Write about the true power of rain.
The rainbow was placed in the sky the moment you were born.
For the remainder of today, it will never stop raining.
You answered the door, to see a stranger. Wet from head to toe, with nothing but a flower.
It starts to rain a few days before they arrive.
Write about sharing a rainy day with a pet.
Write about the sounds of the rain.
The reader is only shown things from the second person.
Write about a rainy day when chores need to be finished.
A child opens the door.
Write about a person you miss on rainy days.
Write a diary entry about the day when it rained forever.
You are riding in your car, when all of a sudden it starts to rain.
The End of the Dwarves
Write a story about a person who is afraid of rain.
The road between your town and someone’s golden graves.
Write about the struggles of a lone survivor trapped by the rain.
The sound of raindrops creates an unnatural silence.
Rain soaks humans, but blesses the ground.
“I’ve come for your children,” he says. You look up, surprised, and say, “Well, they aren’t home.”
Write a story about the mysteries of the rain.
You and your significant other bring an umbrella on a date for an evening walk so you can spend time together. The two of you are opposites. While you are dressed in warm coats, he is wearing shorts and a vest. He has the umbrella and insists that you hold an end of the umbrella without saying a word. The two of you walk along, sharing a quiet intimacy.
Your husband comes home soaking wet.
She says her name is Jane Smith. There’s a flash of lightning outside your window.
It’s raining and snowing. The strange dichotomy of the two is soothing.
The sun is beginning to shine again, but the rain keeps falling.
Someone you love is going away and won’t be back for a long time.
At the very top of the tallest hill it tends to cancel the rain.
Write a short story from the perspective of the rain.
Write about a rainy, storm night.
A mail letter delivers a harsh message when you thought nothing could be worse.
Write the story that happens on a rainy day.
Have you ever had someone abandon you in the rain?
An old remembrance…
You have 24 hours to write a masterpiece.
What’s the meaning of rain?
There is no better day for a nap.
Professor Smith was your English teacher in college, and upon graduation, you moved to the other side of town. You haven’t seen each other in over a decade.
You are sitting in your house on a rainy day. It has been days since you’ve seen another human.
A backpacker pacing around at a bus and train station in the rain.
The only thing you can see through the torrential downpour is smoke rising from the top of the hill.
The sun is gone and winter will last for eternity.
Write about the unfortunate people working on rainy days.
Write about a bad day, turned upside down.
It’s starting to rain, and you were just about to leave on an adventure.
Springtime rain is refreshing and clean.
What little good thing is your character seeing in the rain?
Write about confining rain.
Write about umbrellas.
Are you somebody who loves rainy days?
Never leave the house on a rainy morning.
Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Imagine the smell of rain.
What did she want? What did she bring with her?
It is raining…
Write about an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time, and what happened when they just dropped by.
Write about a living’s quest to finish his painting.
You’re stuck outside because of the storm and need ideas for songs.
Someone tells you, “I hate rainy days.” Write what they are like.
Gary Carter left one last message for me…
Flashes of light streak across the sky. You run for cover. Avoiding those hot burning rays that singe skin with each touch.
Do you let the stranger in?
The first few drops of rain feel so good on your face.
They’re looking for a place to stay because the weather has become hostile and their shack has just blown away.
Write about what you’re supposed to do because of rainy days.
It was a dark and stormy night…
Rain drops pushed against your window. It’s a rainy day. Is it okay?
Write about something magical occurring during a rainy day.
Write about how your family spends rainy days.
Whoa, we fell through a black hole into Seattle.
Write about how a rainy day changed something for the better.
Write from the perspective of a rainy-day-loving serial killer.
The rain drops on your face.
Take your most valuable possession outside and let it be soaked with rain.
Invent a weather system and write a brief description of the rain it delivers.
Write about the spookiest thing you’ve ever heard while it was raining.
You wake up on a rainy day to two figures standing at the foot of your bed.
The sun is about to shine through the clouds.
It is raining cats and dogs.
Write about the things you remember about rainy days.
Write about how you stew over your problems during rainy days.
A child secretly hides in a closet as she hears her parents fighting above the rain.
The world is flooded, and your family floats in a makeshift raft.
Write about a lonely person on a rainy day.
Write a story about how fun rainy days can be.
It is a rainy day, and you decide to go swimming in the lake/river to relieve stress.
Write about storm season from the perspective of someone who has apocalypse level…
The rain is a blessing.
The rain always stopped by noon.
Why do birds suddenly sing in the night
The last time George needed to mow the lawn he shivered through raindrops.
It’s such a gloomy rainy day that no one has the courage to go outside.
The rain falls ceaselessly as you fall asleep.
Write about the fun you have when it rains.
A man suddenly jumps from behind your door. He has been sneaking in your house for a few days, eating your food, and taking a shower with your rain. He proposes that you are less sane than he is, and demands that you make soup.
Write about rain from the point of view of a sad, depressed person.
The most important setting, event, tool, or other element in the story begins to rain, as if on cue.
Write about someone who prefers the colors of raindrops.
Write a short description of the streets after a lengthy storm.
What do you do when it rains?
Lightning illuminates the dark forest.
The buzzer rings in the middle of your favorite TV show.
The rain is kissing my forehead gently. It’s dancing on my skin.
Write about your feelings on rainy days.
There was once a child who lived on a reservation… A psychiatrist tries to decipher the man who tried to kill her child…
Write about the sounds of rain.
They answer the door and are startled by what they see.
You unlock your deadbolt to see a friend standing at your doorway feeling sorry for yourself.
A hostile child locks you in a crumbling building with no escape.
It doesn’t matter to me that you live because of rain.
The rain falls to the ground in heavy droplets, clinging to your boots, forming a small pool that’s the color of dull silver.
Write about the reasons you like to sit out in the rain for long periods of time, and why you don’t mind getting soaked when it rains.
What did you do on this rainy day?
Turning away from the rain Leaning against the window Pause and stare outside Where darkness meets the downpour
A rainy day means you’re stuck indoors with someone you hate.
Write about the exquisite torment of the loved one who doesn’t remember you.
Your umbrella is useless.
Rain is a writer’s best friend.
Write about an exciting time that happened during stormy weather.
Thunder – The explosion of lightning strikes the sky and shakes the earth.
Write about a rainy day in the dungeon scene.
Write about a rainy morning.
Write a story featuring a rainy day or week that changes your protagonist’s life.
The sun comes out as soon as your umbrella opens.
The Queen walked slowly through the rain, her heels clicking on the floor as she went. Prince Charming struggled to stay upright in the mud, but he was determined nonetheless.
A “rainy day” is the background to a romantic story. Person A and person B meet on a rainy, stormy day. What happens next?
The rain never stops. Flowers begin to wilt and grow moldy.
Rain. It’s a real bummer.
A hot bath.
Tell a story about a somber, rainy day in prose.
Write a poem about a rainy day.
Why is he or she on your doorsteps so late at night in the rain?
Write about an afternoon you spent watching the rain.
After a particularly miserable rainy day, the sun finally comes back out!
Rain or shine, every day’s the same.
Teach your reader some survival advice for rainy days.
She is sent from the heavens to tell us something.
Write about the memory of a stormy night.
Describe the hardest thing about rainy days.
Write about the decision to stay in bed all day during spring showers.
The night that the rain landed.
Write about your first summer with your family.
You run for shelter from a super-powerful raindrop.
Write about your experiences on a rainy day.
Write about a time you were caught doing something illegal during a rainstorm.
Write about vacations covered in rain.
Write about the effects of rainy days on your self-confidence.
Write about your worst day during the rain.
Describe a normal, everyday rain part of your daily life.
Write a story about a man/woman moving to a new town entirely due to the weather.
The life of a castaway, stranded on a tropical island.
Write everything that happened on the worst rainy day.
Write about having the perfect day.
I open the door, not knowing why this stranger came here at this time of night.
How does it affect your daily routine?
Write a monologue about your relationship with rain.
A time machine fell from the sky, bringing with it an old family photo.
A bird catches the rain in its tail feathers and drinks it.
Write about a memory of a first love.
The war between humans and bad weather has begun.
A vampire story, about the trouble caused by flooding.
You feel angry at the rain?
There’s a flash of light through the thick clouds. Thunder rumbles. Write about a first kiss in the rain.
A deserted street during a thunderstorm.
You’re all tucked in your bed, but can’t sleep because of the constant rain tapping on your window.
Write about the lives of raindrops.
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It was an overcast day and you caught the raindrops on your fingers and licked them.
The man was lying in the ditch. He wasn’t dead…
Write about a day where it just rains, rains, rains.
Write a story within a story. Write about a storyteller telling a story to a group of friends. Write about the story being told. Write about the friends’ reaction. Write about what the friends do after the story is over.
Write a message in a bottle to a distant relative or close friend.
You discover that your city is run by intelligent reptiles.
What good can come out of such a horrible day like this one?
Write an exotic, tropical location, complete with a storm.
You are the last human on Earth, living deep underground.
You’ve just had a baby, and it’s been raining for a month. He’s sick and needs someone to talk to.
Write a scene wherein a sad rainy day gives way to a happy rainy day.
For the list of writing prompts for other seasons, go The Great Pumpkin Posts or to the Schoolhouse at the End of the Universe.
Write a short letter to nature or God.
A newly discovered planet orbits this dim red star.
Ask someone out for a walk in the rain.
Write about your emotional state during a rainy day.
Write a eulogy for a character whose life was defined by the rain.
Write an epic poem about sunny days.
The rains have stopped. How has the quarreling in your home stopped?
One day after the apocalypse, the sun refuses to shine again.
The world ends on a rainy day.
Do not like cauliflower.
A pleasant journey through rainy places.
There’s a magical power in the rain.
She tells you that there is a curse upon the town – that it rains and rains and rains forevermore.
Write a scene about swimming in the rain.
Write about the weather, good or bad!
The thunder keeps shouting.
Write about the creepy mystery about a rainy and gloomy night.
Write about a goblin who dances in the rain for villagers.
Write about your most vivid memory of a rainy day. Was there a child or pet lost, a fight, a lover? Did anyone save the day?
Write about the dreaming child, sad that it won’t be sunny.
The weather isn’t so bad out, you could go for a walk, or do some reading.
Write a poem about your home’s leaky roof.
Write about Christmas during a rainy day.
You have just received a box containing all your wishes. What did you wish for?
Write about playing in the rain on a hot summer day.
It was a dark and stormy night.
A confession during a rainy day
The fear of being a vampire or werewolf.
A sunny yellow raincoat flies through the sky.
The old man’s grandfather once fought a sea monster.
Have you ever danced in the rain? Written a song about it?
Write about a breakthrough you had on a rainy day.
Rainy season comes earlier every year, and we never know when it will end.
Describe a manifestation of misery during rainy days.
Jealous of the sun, the rain lies there… falling.
You turn your back on the world and turn to painting- perhaps a painting of a rainy day. You must use vivid words to describe the painting in your story. You can add things like symbolism, metaphor and simile but avoid any symbolism, metaphors or similes that reference rainy days. Only use vigorous language expressively
Revenge comes to those who are gracious enough to forgive.
Write about a rainy day when something strange happens.
The sun has submerged itself too long under water. It is time for it to rise.
How does the weather affect your romance life?
Write a story centered around a bad storm.
Write about your day. It can be whatever day.
Investigate the mysterious affair of x and y.
Ten rules for rainy days.
The sky is dark and the clouds are fat. It looks like it might rain.
Write about your first axe murder.
Find a rainy day simile.
A penny for your thoughts, they say…
The dark puddles of rainwater cling to your rain boots. You look down at them and a gnawing, seemingly endless hunger starts to stir inside you.
A screaming woman rushes by you. Eyes hungry and clothes stained red.
Are you a fan of rainy days?
It’s been so hot. Really, really hot. It’s made you feel sick.
Write 2-3 page stories about the apocalypse caused by the rain.
It’s too gray. Too feeble. Too inhuman. It’s not my kind of weather.
Write about a rainy day that turns into a sunny day.
Write about the goodness of rainy days.
A day without rain feels pointless. Sketch a busy city on your rainy day.
You’ve never enjoyed the rain more.
The sun glared through the window, lighting my hotel room.
Rain is a natural form of euthanasia.
You are the rain. Describe your day.
The sky is crying today for a loved one we have lost.
Write about the tension between raindrops and the flower covered ground.
Young boy goes into the woods to find a way to escape forever the rain
A little girl finds a kitten in the rain. Write about how she takes care of it in the dark, rainy woods.
I wonder if too much sunshine is just as damaging as too much rain.
Who is your very own character who would benefit from the gift of rain?
Write about how rain changes your day — or how it changes what you’d normally be doing.
Write about your character’s first memory.
Discuss the benefits of rainy days.
Write about a typical day for a character like Skeletor. Write from his point of view.
When it starts to rain I…
It was a rain so thick and a day so bright, that we could no longer see.
Write about a rainy day camping.
Write about your routine while it’s raining.
Direct the rain to tell a story.
In the middle of the rain, talk to yourself about how happy you are that you’re inside.
Write about a rainy day that ruined your life.
It’s been raining for weeks. Read a book. Develop a short film. Draw.
The rain beats down against the windows. Everyone cowers in their homes, except you. You take off your sweater and you go outside with only a towel around you.
You are driving your car home from a payday. The rain tears down your cheeks causing you to have blurry vision.
Write about a rainy night in a city.
Everyone goes outside to dance in the rain.
The heroes question, what about all of the people that got addicted to the rain?
Looking out your window and you can barely see your reflection.
Go back to the past, to the tale of the little girl, and the rain.
Write about a character-building rainy day.
Write about childhood memories of rainy days.
Write about a crazy person on a rainy day.
A good flood from the skies is always a cause for celebration!
You’re the parent of a very sick child on a rainy day.
Write a letter or a note to someone through raindrops.
Write about a rainy day you’d like to live over.
Write about your pet on a rainy day.
For someone who hates rainy days, you sure do write about them a lot. Why do you do this?
Ask your character why they love rainy days.
Describe the first moment when the rain stops.
How did he get caught in the downpour?
Write about what the storm sounds like, feel like.
On the first day of spring the rain suddenly begins falling. What will become of the budding away from your window?
If your character is a superhero, what does her costume look like in a rainstorm?
Write about how this stranger came into your life today.
A taxi cab driver talks to you about his life.
Write about a rainy day setting that will carry the story.
Write about the advantages of wearing raincoats.
Dreaming of the sound of rain…
The rain was the only reminder of what life used to be in this small village.
Write about your dreams while sitting on a park bench in the rain.
What happens when a meteorologist sees a “wanted dead or alive” poster?
Describe a cup of hot chocolate and an electronic device. Describe why they’re both life-changing.
A demon hunched over a desk in its lair, writing down a story while listening to soft rainfall outside.
Write about the darkness of a rainy day.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.
There’s no place like a…
You have been stuck outside your home for days. How are you doing with actual supplies?
It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck the ground right in front of you. You look up and what do you see? The rain never stops anymore. It’s been so long since we’ve seen the sun. Rainy days make everything seem so much better. The fog blankets the sky. The walls of rain hit the ground. You show the beauty of rain. Bring out the sunshine on rainy days by writing a poem that shows it’s beauty!
Write about an inmate in a long-term prison, undergoing mental torture. Another inmate reveals that beauty is accessed through pain. Write the process of beauty.
His shop flooded, he only had a few moments to grab his most valuable possessions. What catches his eye?
Talk about your favorite rainy night.
The house on ninety-five Hemlock Lane was full of mold due to years of hard rains and neglect. All are gone, now, except for a group of teenage squatters in the basement. And Steve has been hearing a strange laugh in the attic.
Write about today’s rainy day.
Write about memories of rainy days from your childhood. Imagine the smells and sounds of rain.
Write about a character who has a pet raincloud sucking up the sunshine.
Write about a rainy day from the perspective of the rain.
The sun comes out. The world is so, so bright.
I dreamed about a rainy day…
Looks like rain today.
Write about the last storm you experienced. How did you spend your time avoiding the storm?
The poem that sprang to life, a loony palindrome
Open the window and let the rain in.
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You are stuck home all day on a rainy day.
You’re sick and need some medicine.
Lights flick on in a house across the street.
Inside your pockets, you felt something squishy. When you pulled out your hands, it was a tiny sea creature with golden eyes.
Believe it or not, this person used to be your spouse. Be specific.
Write about the memories of rainy days.
Pumpkins are pulled out of the ground after long cold days.
Nothing could save you from this storm.
Write about a lost soul.
Last night, it began to rain blood.
You know your life is about to change forever.
Write about what happens if there is a long or permanent rainy day streak in an otherwise sunny region.
A letter to the universe.
There’s too much water in the world today.
Walking home in the rain, you suddenly realize you don’t know where you are.
Your sibling was just run over by a truck in the middle of a rainy street.
In a world where rain never stopped on a nice day, write about everything that is wrong with this wonderful world.
A snapshot from a rainy day. A mother sends her child out into the downpour.
On rainy days, deep dark secrets unfold within us.
Who were you sitting with under the portico?
Write about time that’s been missing.
Write about your life in 3rd person. Write your way into and out of character.
Write a poem or a story about a rainy day.
Wet pavement, wet windshields, wet hair.
Pretend you are a flame, and write about the heat of the people surrounding you.
In your opinion, what’s the best thing about rainy days?
Write about the unfriendly town you live in.
Write about how to create a rainy atmosphere.
What do you say when the clouds collide with your heart?
The view from the helicopter is dreary. Desolate houses and towns are seen everywhere.
Write about the last day of a sunny season.
Write a story of a person whose special day turns out to be terrible.
Repetitive thud of rain on the window as we huddled around the fireplace trying to forget…
Write about a rainy day that brings you something special.
Write about your travels through a rainy landscape.
Write about the aspects of rainy days you enjoy…
Go on a walk to find a lone fellow, just like you, sitting on a bench covered in rain.
Write about the first day of summer.
The world is ending. What do you do?
Write about an umbrella that defies the prediction of a businessman that selling umbrellas will never fail.
On the day you graduated from the Summer Solstice School of Art, it rained continuously, forcing you to move the ceremony indoors … Write about what you did with your one free Saturday.
Answer a letter about a rainy day in the Middle Ages.
It has been 3 days since the last rain and the clothes outside the window are sopping wet. The inhabitants are mad with anger.
Remember the days when you didn’t have to hide inside the house all day.
Rain can be taken for granted only until it becomes a rare commodity.
It began as a typical day during a downpour and ended up…
Imagine a rainy day where you run into the one who got away.
Write about the rain’s effect on a relationship.
Describe a most memorable rainy day in your life.
Write about a family eating a meal on a rainy night.
Someone you never want to see again comes to a reunion on a rainy day.
Write about your dream, arranging the details in the order in which they appear in your brain.
Dodging the raindrops can be difficult.
A gloomy rainy day cuts shorter.
The sun is out, birds are chirping, we’re perfect for another date in the park.
They tell you they just needed a place to stay while waiting out the rain.
Who is this mysterious mystery person?
Write about the worst storm you have ever experienced.
Between the sheets, it’s a rainy day.
Life has always seemed so easy. Now it feels like it’s become so hard.
Write about the worst rainy day on record.
Is your dog afraid of the rain?
Write about a time you fell from grace.
Partake in the life of a raindrop.
Bath time. A child is splashing and playing in the water.
Write about the break-up letter.
The skies are dark and gray, making everyone on campus gloomy and worrisome.
Write about a stranger you’ve never seen before.
Write about a character who dreads rainy days.
Write about trying to spend the last of your days on earth as you leave it.
Write about the shortest, longest, deepest, widest, or kindest rainy day.
Life would be better without feelings.’ Was it true for you?
Rain trickles down your face, your neck.
Rain on your wedding day.
Describe rain in a disapproving manner.
The rain has washed away all of the beloved memories that you and your love shared.
Write a story about your turn to a zombie when the rain kicks in.
What is your rainy day routine?
Write about a rainy day in your life.
French cigarette commercials will always use dark and raining weather for a moody atmosphere.
The heavens open and your street becomes a river.
Before the rain came.
Write about the coming of a momentous event. The person in this story doesn’t know it yet, but the momentous event is about to happen very soon.
Another refugee from the rain rushes into your safe house. It turns out he’s your long-lost brother…and the key to the cure.
On a rainy night, you hear thunder and the sound of weeping.
One winter afternoon… Write the story.
How does the rain make you feel?
Free write about the positives of being drenched in water.
It was cold and rainy, a night like tonight.
Write about the past–father and son go on a long hunting trip.
Make a list of the litter that commonly gets found in puddles, as if you spotted it from an airplane.
A vacationing couple comes to a rainy island in mid-summer.
Write about a rainy day gone wrong.
Remember a rainy day from your childhood.
The road ahead of you is a stormy one…mine are.
Write a scene about a fabulous rain that suddenly transforms into an ominous storm.
Write a poem celebrating rainy days.
It’s raining cats and dogs outside. Put them in your story.
Your first kiss, in the rain. Write about it.
Write a poem about the rain.
Blood is scattered all across the entrance way.
A pristine rainbow appears and calls you to come outside & bow.
Write about…
Write a composition about your day. Remember to write about your experiences.
Write a story about the most important rainy-day moment in your life. A story about a rainy day you will never forget.
On a rainy day, after spending the day cooped up in the house, your children ask you to play outside. What do you do?
The smell of the ozone lingers in your home for the first time in weeks.
The rain can always be heard, but never seen.
Write about a rainy day in the life of a kept woman.
Write about the perfect rainy day.
Write about the time you lost your umbrella during a rainstorm.
The clouds are black and orange, a real setting for Halloween.
Darkness doesn’t bother you anymore. Rainy days are the only way to describe your night.
How would your life have been different if you’d found your one true love ten years earlier. Write about it.
A penguin walks through a field of daisies while sad, rainy piano music plays in the background.
A storm’s coming. Beware.
Mr Gloom invites your muse for a cup of tea.
Write a grocery list if you were only allowed to buy items found on rainy days.
The poem did not rhyme well. Everyone thought it was a poor attempt at poetry. It stopped you from going outside on a rainy day.
Write about the water cycle – rains down, rose up, floats away – and blessed be.
Write about how the rain is a blessing in disguise.
A writer laps up rainy days.
A tragic incident happens on a rainy day. The protagonist of the story tries to cope.
Do rainy days make you crave chocolate, or something else?
Write about a sad rainy day.
Write about a rainy day on the Job.
Write about two strangers who meet the day after a large storm.
Describe the strange creatures that run wild in the rain.
They come seeking a place to stay and are willing to give up anything.
Taking shelter in a nearby shop from the onslaught of rain, you believe you’ve met the man of your dreams.
Perspective is easy to lose when it’s been nothing but rainy days.
There is a storm outside, and it comes bearing fear.
Write about a meaningful symbol of yours being washed away.
Write about the scariest thing that’s ever happened to you.
It has been 100 years since it rained and left the city barren and empty. Write a story about it.
You could tell something was wrong, but you let him inside anyway.
Everything is gloomy.
Write about what you dream about on rainy days.
Write about your favorite rainy day memory. Is the memory from childhood?
Write about how an even stranger saves you on a rainy day.
Write something about a partner who wants to spend time with you, but you’re too busy staring out the window, refusing to be engaged with your world…
Write a letter to your partner about a time you got caught in rain together.
You hear the distant thunder.
Write about a memory you have that is rainy.
Write about a dream you had about rain. Were you walking on water? Did it feel like raindrops?
Write about two people who are stuck on a rainy day.
Write about the first time you saw rain fall from the sky.
Make a list of items you find scattered on rainy days.
The rain is so heavy. You can’t see out the window, and you can’t see in the mirror.
Write about a fleeting moment of love, lost in all of the rain.
Write about a rainy day from the viewpoint of a dog’s paw.
In between flashes of lightning, see what you can paint with your mind.
Describe the sound of rain.
A wayward soul, seeking refuge in your house.
Drunk with sadness, the rain reveals everything.
Take a photo of the sky full of rain clouds and turn it into a story.
Have you ever thought the rain to be a blessing or a curse?
My friend always tells me his favorite memory of rain was when we were kids.
I wish it would soak into my soul.
Trees sway in the rain, and small animals scurry about. Trees drop things from their branches — squishy things.
What is it about rainy days that make you want to curl up in a cocoon?
You hear the rain, see the rain, but you can’t feel it on your face.
The rain is so lovely today.
A gust of wind blows all your papers into the garden.
A child’s funeral- all their toys and books are placed in a cardboard box.
Rain, rain…all day long. It was the perfect weather for a picnic!
An unexpected surprise befalls you on a rainy day.
A bike ride through the neighborhood on a rainy day.
The only eye witness to a murder is hiding inside a secret room. Listen.
The rain has caused floods all over. Your town is slowly crumbling.
The showers were coming close together, and it wasn’t long before the weather cleared up.
Write about rainy days from your childhood.
A child crosses your path, running barefoot in the rain.
Your best friend died a few days ago. Write about their funeral.
It is so cold and wet outside that he begs to come in and dry off.
Write about an adventure where you clutch the crumbling, mold covered cover of your favorite book.
Your child wants to go outside and play in the rain.
Rain. Write a poem based on the sound of rain hitting windows.
You have to go outside on a rainy day.
Write about a rainy afternoon.
Write about a climatic event that turned out not as disastrous as it could have been.
A reddish dawn pokes through dark clouds.
A new meteorologist brings exciting forecasts including snow in the summer and year round sunny days.
The clouds were a flock of grouse huddled together in anticipation of their flight to warmer climates.
The murky, black rain clouds are much too thick for the sun and the moon to shine through.
The town clock tower chimes on the hour as a child wanders alone in a rainstorm.
Write about a rainy day injury. Who was involved and what happened?
It’s raining outside. You wake up to the sound of crashing waves.
Write about a rainy day you’ve had. Write about the worst rainy day that you’ve ever had.
It’s the first day of summer. Stare out the window. Write about summer.
Write about the nightmares that come during a rainy night.
Although your world is falling apart, you found something to live for.

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9 Writing Prompts about Rain

The rain was heavier now, drumming on the roof, as darkness crept across the room. The embers of the fire were a dull glow as the rain drops pelted against the glass of the window.

I bet I’m not the only one who enjoys a good rain storm… when I’m inside and dry that is.

It’s one of those innate reactions to a primal force perhaps, that we’ve been dealing with for as long as humans have existed.

So what better a force to inspire a creative story, or help us think about how a force of nature impacts us in a whole range of different ways.

I’ve written a collection of prompts all about the rain, to share with you today, and if you haven’t tried them already you should also check out our winter writing prompts too. Enjoy!

How to use these prompts:

Read through the list until one immediately triggers a thought or emotion in response – grab that one and run with it! Write as much as you can on the topic without stopping to correct punctuation or anything else!

Take a prompt at random, and write 300 words on it. Swap with a buddy who has written their own 300 words on a different prompt, and complete each others piece of writing with an additional 300 words. Something different to try.

Pick a random number – that’s your prompt from the list. Write a page on the topic.

You may well have other different ways of using the prompts to inspire discussion and/or writing – and that is ok!

9 Writing Prompts about Rain:

Heavy rain is often said to help people sleep. Why do you think this is? Have you experienced this?
If you didn’t have running water in your home, think about how you could collect rain water, and make sure it was safe to drink.
Think back to a time when you were warm, cosy and dry while the rain poured down outside. Describe it in as much detail as you can.
While often people like to complain about rainy weather, it can be extremely important to get regular rainfall. When do you think rain is most welcome?
Imagine you’re an animal in a desert, and have been waiting many months for a single drop of rain. What is it like when you see dark clouds rolling in finally, and the rain starts pouring down?
If you got lost in the forest while out hiking, how would you build a shelter to keep dry as the rain started?
What is the best thing about rain, and why?
Think of how your pets have reacted to rain, and write about it using as much detail as you can.
Have you ever been swimming in the rain? Write about your experience, or what you imagine it would be like.

Looking for more free printables and prompts?

I’ve got some good news, and some even better news.

The good news is that we have literally thousands of writing prompts for you to use to inspire either your own writing, or that of your students.

The even better news is that we are constantly adding to our prompts, as well as our multitude of other free tools for teachers and printable resources.

Tell your friends about the site, it really helps us out 🙂

Thanks, Matt & Hayley

Writing prompts for rainy days

by Kim Kautzer | Jan 13, 2016 | Writing & Journal Prompts

Whatever the weather today, kids will love dipping their toes into these fun writing prompts for rainy days. After all, rain can happen at any time of year! There’s something for everyone, including The Planner (planning rainy day activities), The Persuader (convincing a friend to like drizzly days), The Pretender (pretending to be a raindrop), and The Poet (writing poems using onomatopoeia ).

1. Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella

When the rain starts falling, you’re the happiest person in the world! Unfortunately, your best friend doesn’t feel the same way. Write a paragraph or two in which you try to convince your friend to appreciate rainy days . Include at least three good reasons why stormy, wet, or drizzly weather can be as much fun as sunny days.

2. Cloudy with a Chance of … Marshmallows?

A strange storm just swept through your town , but instead of rain, something else has dropped from the clouds and covered the ground. What is blanketing the streets and lawns of your community? Marshmallows? Ping pong balls? Pennies? Something else? Write a paragraph explaining how you will lead the clean-up efforts.

3. Rainy Days and Mondays

It’s raining and pouring, and everyone at your house is getting grumpy! Make a list of 20 ways you and your family can have fun on a rainy day.

4. A Drop in the Bucket

Imagine that you are a raindrop who’s making a long journey from the clouds to the earth below. Write a story about your adventures. Where do you first land? What happens to you? Where do you finally end up? Use strong verbs and adjectives to describe what you see, hear, feel, and experience.

5. Sounds Like Rain

When a bee flies by or a window shatters, we can write words such as buzz or crash to imitate their sounds. This is called onomatopoeia . Make a list of words that imitate the sounds of rain, hail, sleet, or thunder. Then write a poem using several of these words. Your poem does not need to rhyme.

Need extra help? Explore these examples.

Examples of Onomatopoeia in Nature
“ Onomatopoeia ” – poem by Jonathan Goldman
“ Gentle Sound of Rain ” – poem by Lee Emmett

If you enjoyed these writing prompts for rainy days, be sure to check back each week for more Writing Prompt Wednesdays !

Photo Credit: Marc Samsom , courtesy of Creative Commons 2.0 .

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How to Describe a Storm in Writing

Whether they're ruthless tornadoes or torrential hurricanes, storms can add atmosphere and conflict to a personal narrative or story. The use of vivid description is a crucial tool for bringing these weather phenomena to life on paper and moving your plot forward. Using figurative language and active verbs can help you place readers right in the middle of the rain, wind and thunder.

Mighty Metaphors and Storm Similes

A simile is a type of description that makes an explicit comparison between two things using the words "like" or "as." A metaphor, by contrast, is a direct comparison that does not use these words. You can use these devices to create surprising descriptions of your storm. If you're describing a hailstorm, for example, you might use a simile to write, "The hailstones clattered to the ground like marbles spilled from a box." To use a metaphor, you might write, "An avalanche of hailstones fell from the sky."

The Sound of Storms

In real life, the sounds of nature are often key indicators of approaching storms. You can bring these sound effects to your descriptions by using onomatopoeia, a device where words mimic the sounds of their meaning. For example, if a thunderstorm figures prominently in your story, the thunder could "rumble" or "boom," rain could "patter" against the windows" and wind could "rush" across a field. Try making a list of all the sounds the storm in your narrative might involve and brainstorm onomatopoeic words to describe them.

The Character of Storms

If a storm is central to your story's conflict, you might consider having the weather literally take on a life of its own. Personification occurs when a writer gives human characteristics, such as actions and emotions, to an inanimate object. If your characters are trapped in open water during a hurricane, you might write, "The angry waves smacked against the side of the boat." Although water can't feel anger, the description of the waves as "angry" adds emotional texture and characterization to the storm.

Vivid Verbs

Because bad weather can often get out of control, describing a storm is not the time to skimp on verb usage. Weak verbs, such as "was" or "were," drain your descriptions of energy rather than infuse them with detail. Using specific, active verbs for the storm's motion gives readers a more detailed image of the story's events. For example, the sentence, "The dark sky was lit up by lightning," is a good start, but revising it to include an active verb can make the description even more forceful: "Lightning flashed across the sky."

Western Michigan University: Basics of Metaphor and Simile
Read Write Think: Onomatopoeia
Universal Design for Learning: Literary Devices: Personification
Writing Commons: Avoid Unnecessary "To Be" Verbs"

Kori Morgan holds a Bachelor of Arts in professional writing and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and has been crafting online and print educational materials since 2006. She taught creative writing and composition at West Virginia University and the University of Akron and her fiction, poetry and essays have appeared in numerous literary journals.

How to Describe the Wind in Writing (100 Words + Examples)

It can be a bit tricky to find the right words or phrases to make your readers see and feel the wind.

Here is how to describe the wind in writing:

Describe the wind in writing by using sensory language to evoke its force, sound, temperature, effect, direction, time of day, and personified traits. Each description should enhance the narrative, helping to set the scene, build atmosphere, and engage the reader.

In this guide, we’ll discuss all the different ways to describe wind based on its force, sound, speed, and more.

Describing Wind by Its Force

Cartoon sun and wind - How to describe the wind in writing

Table of Contents

The force of the wind can dramatically change the perception of a scene.

The contrast between a gentle breeze and a violent gale is not just a measure of intensity.

But can also signify changing moods, symbolize emotional shifts, or foreshadow significant events.

Here is how to do it:

Gentle : A gentle wind softly touches, a delicate interaction with the environment. Example: “The gentle wind caressed the petals of the blooming flowers, their fragrance subtly wafting in the air.”
Light : A light breeze is almost playful, just strong enough to stir the leaves. Example: “A light wind tugged at her hair as she sat by the river, the tranquil scene filling her with peace.”
Calm : A calm wind denotes tranquility and serenity, ideal for peaceful settings. Example: “The calm wind moved lazily through the tall grass, making it sway like waves in a calm sea.”
Whispering : A whispering wind is quiet, giving a sense of intimacy and closeness. Example: “The whispering wind carried the melody of the distant lullaby, lulling the town to sleep.”
Soothing : A soothing wind provides relief or comfort. Example: “The soothing wind was a balm against the harsh summer heat, its gentle caress reviving his spirits.”
Blustery : A blustery wind is strong and cold, often associated with the autumn and winter months. Example: “The blustery wind cut through his jacket, making him shiver as he trod the leaf-strewn path.”
Howling : A howling wind is fierce, invoking images of storms or tempests. Example: “The howling wind made the old house creak ominously, its eerie tune setting the mood for the night.”
Fierce : A fierce wind indicates a wild and uncontrolled force. Example: “The fierce wind shook the window panes, a testament to the storm’s power.”
Wild : Wild wind suggests a sense of chaos and lack of control. Example: “The wild wind tossed the ship like a toy, waves crashing over the deck.”
Gusty : Gusty winds are strong and sudden, capable of causing brief moments of disarray. Example: “The gusty wind snatched the papers from his hands, scattering them in every direction.”

Describing Wind by Its Sound

The sound of the wind is often used to set the atmosphere of a scene.

From the silent rustling of leaves to the ominous howling in a storm, the sonic quality of wind can bring your writing to life.

Soft : A soft wind might be barely audible, adding a sense of tranquility. Example: “The soft rustle of the wind through the trees was a soothing backdrop to their quiet conversation.”
Hushed : A hushed wind is a secret whisper, barely noticeable. Example: “A hushed breeze stirred the silent forest, the only sign of life in the deep wilderness.”
Silent : A silent wind might not make any sound, but its effects can be seen or felt. Example: “The silent wind danced with the dunes, shifting the desert landscape as if alive.”
Quiet : A quiet wind does not overpower other sounds, acting as a subtle background note. Example: “The quiet wind murmured through the leaves, a soft accompaniment to the chorus of singing birds.”
Noisy : A noisy wind is boisterous, drawing attention to its presence. Example: “The noisy wind rustled the newspapers, alerting the alley cat of someone’s approach.”
Roaring : A roaring wind has a deep, loud sound, often associated with storms or extreme weather. Example: “The roaring wind was deafening, drowning out all other sounds.”
Screaming : A screaming wind gives the impression of high intensity or danger. Example: “The wind screamed around them, a chilling prelude to the approaching hurricane.”
Howling : A howling wind is loud and sorrowful, invoking a sense of loneliness or fear. Example: “The howling wind seemed to voice the loneliness of the old mansion, its chilling song echoing in the empty rooms.”
Whistling : A whistling wind creates high-pitched sounds as it passes through narrow spaces. Example: “The wind whistled through the bare branches, a lonely melody in the frigid winter air.”
Moaning : A moaning wind can suggest discomfort or eeriness. Example: “The wind moaned through the ruined tower, its ghostly sighs stirring tales of lost battles and ancient sorrows.”

Describing Wind by Its Speed

The speed of the wind can influence the rhythm and pacing of your writing.

Slow winds might suggest a leisurely pace, while fast winds can bring energy and excitement.

Slow : A slow wind suggests a relaxed or languid mood. Example: “The slow wind moved lazily across the field, the daisies bending and swaying in a slow dance.”
Lazy : A lazy wind has a lackadaisical quality, perfect for a calm, sunny afternoon. Example: “A lazy wind drifted through the orchard, the scent of ripe apples carried in its wake.”
Languid : A languid wind is slow and relaxed, hinting at tranquility and leisure. Example: “The languid breeze that wafted from the sea brought a sense of calm and serenity.”
Meandering : A meandering wind takes its time, as though it’s enjoying the journey rather than rushing towards a destination. Example: “The meandering wind played amidst the autumn leaves, carrying them on a leisurely dance.”
Drifting : A drifting wind is unhurried and aimless, adding a dreamlike quality to the scene. Example: “The drifting wind carried the scent of lilacs, its sweet perfume invoking memories of past summers.”
Fast : A fast wind is full of energy, ideal for scenes of action or urgency. Example: “The fast wind whipped her hair around her face as she raced down the hill.”
Quick : A quick wind might signal an abrupt change or a breathless moment. Example: “The quick wind brought the first hint of the storm, the air suddenly heavy with tension.”
Swift : A swift wind brings movement and flow to the scene, emphasizing speed and motion. Example: “The swift wind carried the fallen petals, creating a blizzard of cherry blossoms.”
Rushing : A rushing wind suggests urgency or turmoil. Example: “The rushing wind tore through the narrow streets, a harbinger of the tempest to come.”
Speeding : A speeding wind signifies rapid movement and can be used to convey a sense of excitement or danger. Example: “The speeding wind roared in his ears as he plummeted towards the ground, his parachute trailing behind him.”

Describing Wind by Its Temperature

The temperature of the wind can greatly influence the overall feeling of a scene.

Whether a warm summer breeze or a frigid winter gust, the wind’s temperature can evoke a range of emotions and sensations in the reader.

Warm : A warm wind suggests comfort and the promise of balmy weather. Example: “The warm wind, heavy with the scent of blooming jasmine, hinted at the approaching summer.”
Hot : A hot wind can be oppressive, often associated with desert or drought conditions. Example: “The hot wind carried the sting of the sand, searing any exposed skin.”
Cool : A cool wind is often refreshing, a welcome relief from the heat. Example: “The cool wind that rustled the palm leaves brought momentary relief from the tropical heat.”
Cold : A cold wind might suggest discomfort or harsh weather conditions. Example: “The cold wind gnawed at their cheeks, turning them a rosy pink.”
Chilling : A chilling wind often connotes something ominous or foreboding. Example: “The chilling wind blew through the graveyard, making the mourners shiver uncontrollably.”
Icy : An icy wind is not only cold but also piercing, cutting through layers of clothing. Example: “The icy wind cut through her coat like a knife, making her shudder with cold.”
Frigid : A frigid wind can suggest extreme cold, often associated with winter or high-altitude settings. Example: “The frigid wind howled across the snow-covered mountains, stinging any exposed skin.”
Scorching : A scorching wind is intensely hot, like being in an oven or near a fire. Example: “The scorching wind was like a wall of heat, making the mere act of breathing a challenge.”
Refreshing : A refreshing wind is cool and invigorating, often associated with spring or morning breezes. Example: “The refreshing wind stirred the wildflowers, carrying their sweet scent across the meadow.”
Biting : A biting wind is harsh and painful, carrying an insinuation of discomfort or hostility. Example: “The biting wind whipped around them, making every step a battle against the elements.”

Describing Wind by Its Effects

Another way to describe the wind is by the impact it has on the surrounding environment.

This can provide a vivid, indirect way of conveying the strength or character of the wind.

Rustling : A rustling wind gently stirs leaves and grass. Example: “The rustling wind stirred up the autumn leaves, creating a colorful whirlwind.”
Whipping : A whipping wind moves with force, capable of causing disarray. Example: “The whipping wind tore at their clothes, making it hard to move forward.”
Caressing : A caressing wind moves gently, like a lover’s touch. Example: “The caressing wind played with her hair, sending shivers down her spine.”
Tugging : A tugging wind pulls at things, providing a sense of its strength. Example: “The tugging wind pulled at his hat, threatening to send it flying.”
Stirring : A stirring wind causes slight movement, especially in water or loose particles like sand or dust. Example: “The stirring wind created tiny ripples across the pond, disturbing the otherwise mirror-like surface.”
Sweeping : A sweeping wind suggests broad, fast movement over a large area. Example: “The sweeping wind cleared the fog, revealing the breathtaking vista of the valley below.”
Roaring : A roaring wind gives an impression of intensity and might. Example: “The roaring wind stripped the trees of their autumn leaves, leaving the branches bare and exposed.”
Dancing : A dancing wind moves unpredictably, swirling and changing direction. Example: “The dancing wind swirled the snowflakes into intricate patterns, as if orchestrating a ballet of the elements.”
Carrying : A carrying wind can transport scents, sounds, or smaller objects over distances. Example: “The carrying wind brought the distant sound of church bells, drifting on the air like a sacred melody.”
Buffeting : A buffeting wind strikes repeatedly and forcefully, causing everything in its path to shake or rattle. Example: “The buffeting wind rattled the old window frames, their constant clattering a testament to the storm’s fury.”

Describing Wind by Its Direction

The direction of the wind can have significant implications for your narrative, from determining the movement of clouds to hinting at changes in weather or seasons.

Here is how to describe the wind by its direction:

North : A north wind, often cold, can signify the arrival of winter or a cooling trend. Example: “The north wind carried the scent of snow, a chilling harbinger of the approaching winter.”
South : A south wind is typically warm, often suggesting the onset of spring or summer. Example: “The south wind, laden with the heady fragrance of blooming roses, heralded the arrival of a sultry summer.”
East : An east wind can be seen as bringing change or new beginnings. Example: “The east wind brought the first light of dawn, casting long shadows on the silent town.”
West : A west wind often carries the connotation of ending or closure. Example: “The west wind carried the last notes of the song, echoing the sun’s farewell as it dipped below the horizon.”
Upland : An upland wind moves uphill, suggesting effort or challenge. Example: “The upland wind whispered encouraging words in her ear as she climbed the steep hill.”
Downland : A downland wind moves downhill, hinting at ease or relaxation. Example: “The downland wind guided the fallen leaves on their journey to the valley.”
Seaward : A seaward wind moves towards the sea, often evoking a sense of longing or adventure. Example: “The seaward wind filled their sails, drawing them towards the vast, unexplored ocean.”
Landward : A landward wind moves towards land, typically associated with feelings of safety or return. Example: “The landward wind carried the familiar scent of pine and woodsmoke, a promise of home.”
Incoming : An incoming wind moves towards the observer, indicating the approach of something. Example: “The incoming wind carried the distant rumble of thunder, a stark warning of the storm’s approach.”
Outgoing : An outgoing wind moves away from the observer, often signaling departure or relief. Example: “The outgoing wind took the last traces of the forest fire, the air finally clear and breathable.”

Describing Wind by Its Time of Day

The time of day can also influence how the wind is perceived, adding an additional layer of nuance to your descriptions.

Morning : A morning wind suggests freshness and the beginning of a new day. Example: “The morning wind, cool and crisp, breathed life into the sleepy town.”
Noon : A noon wind often conveys the intensity of the midday sun. Example: “The noon wind, hot and dry, made the mirages dance on the distant horizon.”
Afternoon : An afternoon wind can signal a gradual easing of the day’s heat. Example: “The afternoon wind brought welcome relief, stirring the lethargic summer air.”
Evening : An evening wind often indicates the transition from day to night. Example: “The evening wind carried the twilight song of the birds, an enchanting serenade as day gave way to night.”
Night : A night wind is typically associated with mystery, calm, or the unknown. Example: “The night wind whispered tales of forgotten times, its hushed voice blending with the rustle of the ancient trees.”
Dawn : A dawn wind implies new beginnings or hope. Example: “The dawn wind stirred the sea into a shimmering canvas, painting the first light of day in vibrant hues of orange and gold.”
Dusk : A dusk wind carries the end of the day and the onset of the evening. Example: “The dusk wind rustled the falling leaves, echoing the sun’s farewell as it dipped below the horizon.”
Midnight : A midnight wind can evoke the depth of the night and the mysteries it holds. Example: “The midnight wind carried the eerie howls from the distance, its chilling message clear in the silent night.”
Daybreak : A daybreak wind suggests renewal or a fresh start. Example: “The daybreak wind carried the scent of dew-kissed grass, a subtle hint of the world awakening to a new day.”
Twilight : A twilight wind signifies transition or change, often bringing a sense of calm. Example: “The twilight wind stirred the lavender fields, their soothing scent bringing a serene end to the day.”

Describing Wind by Its Smell

Scents carried by the wind can help set the scene and evoke strong emotions and memories in your readers.

Here are a few ways you can describe wind by its smell:

Salt-tinged : A wind that carries the smell of the sea. Example: “A salt-tinged wind swept across the deck, instantly transporting him back to his childhood summers by the ocean.”
Pine-scented : A wind carrying the aroma of pine forests. Example: “The pine-scented wind was a refreshing balm, cleaning the city smog from her lungs.”
Smoky : A wind that carries the smell of smoke, indicating a fire. Example: “The smoky wind stung their eyes and throats, a cruel herald of the approaching wildfire.”
Floral : A wind filled with the scent of flowers. Example: “A floral wind drifted through the open window, the intoxicating perfume of the garden mingling with the crisp linen sheets.”
Dusty : A wind that carries the smell of dust or dry earth. Example: “The dusty wind was a tangible reminder of the long, parched summer.”
Rain-soaked : A wind carrying the fresh smell of rain or an approaching storm. Example: “The rain-soaked wind promised a respite from the relentless heat.”
Herb-laden : A wind filled with the smell of herbs, indicating a nearby garden or meadow. Example: “The herb-laden wind carried notes of lavender and rosemary, a comforting reminder of home.”
Citrusy : A wind carrying the zesty aroma of citrus fruits. Example: “A citrusy wind drifted from the orange groves, filling the afternoon with a tangy sweetness.”
Decaying : A wind that carries the smell of decay, indicating rot or death. Example: “The decaying wind held the grim scent of the battlefield, a chilling testament to the day’s losses.”
Spicy : A wind filled with the scent of spices, indicating a nearby marketplace or kitchen. Example: “The spicy wind was thick with the promise of delicious meals, making her stomach growl in anticipation.”

Describing Wind by Its Feeling

Describing the wind by its physical sensation on a character’s skin can help immerse the reader in the scene.

Stinging : A wind that is harsh and biting. Example: “The stinging wind battered his face, each gust like a slap of cold, wet canvas.”
Tickling : A light wind that playfully brushes against the skin. Example: “The tickling wind teased her bare arms, leaving goosebumps in its wake.”
Caressing : A gentle wind that softly touches the skin. Example: “The caressing wind was a tender lover, its soft touch bringing comfort to her weary body.”
Slapping : A strong, abrupt wind. Example: “The slapping wind caught her off guard, its sudden force nearly knocking her off her feet.”
Grazing : A gentle wind barely noticeable on the skin. Example: “The grazing wind was a soft sigh against her cheek, a barely-there touch that hinted at the storm’s retreat.”
Biting : A cold, harsh wind that feels as though it’s biting into the skin. Example: “The biting wind gnawed at his fingertips, the relentless cold seeping through his gloves.”
Scratching : A wind carrying sand or tiny debris that feels abrasive on the skin. Example: “The scratching wind was a desert beast, its sandy claws scraping against his exposed skin.”
Soothing : A wind that brings relief or comfort. Example: “The soothing wind was a welcome respite from the stifling heat, its gentle caress cooling her sunburnt skin.”
Clammy : A wind that is damp and cold. Example: “The clammy wind clung to her clothes, the damp chill seeping into her bones.”
Prickling : A wind that makes the skin tingle, often due to cold or static. Example: “The prickling wind was a ghost’s touch, its chilling caress raising goosebumps on her skin.”

Here is a video on how to describe a windy day:

How Do You Personify Wind?

Personification is a powerful literary device that gives human characteristics to non-human entities.

When it comes to the wind, personification can be an excellent tool to create vivid imagery, build atmosphere, and engage readers on a deeper level.

Consider these techniques to personify the wind:

Whispering : Giving the wind the ability to whisper can make it seem secretive or intimate. Example: “The wind whispered through the treetops, carrying secrets from one part of the forest to another.”
Laughing : A laughing wind can express joy, freedom, or mischief. Example: “The wind laughed in the open fields, playfully rustling the wildflowers as it passed.”
Singing : When the wind sings, it creates a sense of harmony or melody. Example: “The wind sang a lullaby, its soothing hum gently lulling the world to sleep.”
Mourning : A mourning wind carries an impression of sadness or loss. Example: “The wind mourned through the empty streets, a sorrowful echo of the town’s former life.”
Dancing : A dancing wind implies movement, celebration, or unpredictability. Example: “The wind danced through the autumn leaves, twirling them in a whirl of gold and red.”
Roaring : A roaring wind can depict anger, might, or wildness. Example: “The wind roared across the desolate plains, venting its fury on the barren landscape.”
Caressing : If the wind is caressing something, it gives a sense of gentleness or affection. Example: “The wind caressed the waves, leaving a trail of shimmering ripples in its wake.”
Teasing : A teasing wind suggests playfulness and lightness. Example: “The wind teased her hair, tossing it this way and that in a playful game.”
Sighing : A sighing wind can convey disappointment, relief, or resignation. Example: “The wind sighed through the abandoned corridors, echoing the despair left behind.”
Chasing : A chasing wind implies speed, pursuit, or play. Example: “The wind chased the fallen leaves, their rustling flight a merry chase across the park.”

Final Thoughts: How to Describe the Wind in Writing

When you describe wind in your story, try to link your description to the plot, theme, characters, and specific scene.

Everything should tie into the same knotted storyline.

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Last updated on Feb 14, 2023

10 Types of Creative Writing (with Examples You’ll Love)

A lot falls under the term ‘creative writing’: poetry, short fiction, plays, novels, personal essays, and songs, to name just a few. By virtue of the creativity that characterizes it, creative writing is an extremely versatile art. So instead of defining what creative writing is , it may be easier to understand what it does by looking at examples that demonstrate the sheer range of styles and genres under its vast umbrella.

To that end, we’ve collected a non-exhaustive list of works across multiple formats that have inspired the writers here at Reedsy. With 20 different works to explore, we hope they will inspire you, too.

People have been writing creatively for almost as long as we have been able to hold pens. Just think of long-form epic poems like The Odyssey or, later, the Cantar de Mio Cid — some of the earliest recorded writings of their kind.

Poetry is also a great place to start if you want to dip your own pen into the inkwell of creative writing. It can be as short or long as you want (you don’t have to write an epic of Homeric proportions), encourages you to build your observation skills, and often speaks from a single point of view .

Here are a few examples:

“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.

The ruins of pillars and walls with the broken statue of a man in the center set against a bright blue sky.

This classic poem by Romantic poet Percy Shelley (also known as Mary Shelley’s husband) is all about legacy. What do we leave behind? How will we be remembered? The great king Ozymandias built himself a massive statue, proclaiming his might, but the irony is that his statue doesn’t survive the ravages of time. By framing this poem as told to him by a “traveller from an antique land,” Shelley effectively turns this into a story. Along with the careful use of juxtaposition to create irony, this poem accomplishes a lot in just a few lines.

“Trying to Raise the Dead” by Dorianne Laux

A direction. An object. My love, it needs a place to rest. Say anything. I’m listening. I’m ready to believe. Even lies, I don’t care.

Poetry is cherished for its ability to evoke strong emotions from the reader using very few words which is exactly what Dorianne Laux does in “ Trying to Raise the Dead .” With vivid imagery that underscores the painful yearning of the narrator, she transports us to a private nighttime scene as the narrator sneaks away from a party to pray to someone they’ve lost. We ache for their loss and how badly they want their lost loved one to acknowledge them in some way. It’s truly a masterclass on how writing can be used to portray emotions.

If you find yourself inspired to try out some poetry — and maybe even get it published — check out these poetry layouts that can elevate your verse!

Song Lyrics

Poetry’s closely related cousin, song lyrics are another great way to flex your creative writing muscles. You not only have to find the perfect rhyme scheme but also match it to the rhythm of the music. This can be a great challenge for an experienced poet or the musically inclined.

To see how music can add something extra to your poetry, check out these two examples:

“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen

You say I took the name in vain I don't even know the name But if I did, well, really, what's it to ya? There's a blaze of light in every word It doesn't matter which you heard The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Metaphors are commonplace in almost every kind of creative writing, but will often take center stage in shorter works like poetry and songs. At the slightest mention, they invite the listener to bring their emotional or cultural experience to the piece, allowing the writer to express more with fewer words while also giving it a deeper meaning. If a whole song is couched in metaphor, you might even be able to find multiple meanings to it, like in Leonard Cohen’s “ Hallelujah .” While Cohen’s Biblical references create a song that, on the surface, seems like it’s about a struggle with religion, the ambiguity of the lyrics has allowed it to be seen as a song about a complicated romantic relationship.

“I Will Follow You into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie

If Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks Then I'll follow you into the dark

You can think of song lyrics as poetry set to music. They manage to do many of the same things their literary counterparts do — including tugging on your heartstrings. Death Cab for Cutie’s incredibly popular indie rock ballad is about the singer’s deep devotion to his lover. While some might find the song a bit too dark and macabre, its melancholy tune and poignant lyrics remind us that love can endure beyond death.

Plays and Screenplays

From the short form of poetry, we move into the world of drama — also known as the play. This form is as old as the poem, stretching back to the works of ancient Greek playwrights like Sophocles, who adapted the myths of their day into dramatic form. The stage play (and the more modern screenplay) gives the words on the page a literal human voice, bringing life to a story and its characters entirely through dialogue.

Interested to see what that looks like? Take a look at these examples:

All My Sons by Arthur Miller

“I know you're no worse than most men but I thought you were better. I never saw you as a man. I saw you as my father.”

Arthur Miller acts as a bridge between the classic and the new, creating 20th century tragedies that take place in living rooms and backyard instead of royal courts, so we had to include his breakout hit on this list. Set in the backyard of an all-American family in the summer of 1946, this tragedy manages to communicate family tensions in an unimaginable scale, building up to an intense climax reminiscent of classical drama.

💡 Read more about Arthur Miller and classical influences in our breakdown of Freytag’s pyramid .

“Everything is Fine” by Michael Schur ( The Good Place )

“Well, then this system sucks. What...one in a million gets to live in paradise and everyone else is tortured for eternity? Come on! I mean, I wasn't freaking Gandhi, but I was okay. I was a medium person. I should get to spend eternity in a medium place! Like Cincinnati. Everyone who wasn't perfect but wasn't terrible should get to spend eternity in Cincinnati.”

A screenplay, especially a TV pilot, is like a mini-play, but with the extra job of convincing an audience that they want to watch a hundred more episodes of the show. Blending moral philosophy with comedy, The Good Place is a fun hang-out show set in the afterlife that asks some big questions about what it means to be good.

It follows Eleanor Shellstrop, an incredibly imperfect woman from Arizona who wakes up in ‘The Good Place’ and realizes that there’s been a cosmic mixup. Determined not to lose her place in paradise, she recruits her “soulmate,” a former ethics professor, to teach her philosophy with the hope that she can learn to be a good person and keep up her charade of being an upstanding citizen. The pilot does a superb job of setting up the stakes, the story, and the characters, while smuggling in deep philosophical ideas.

Personal essays

Our first foray into nonfiction on this list is the personal essay. As its name suggests, these stories are in some way autobiographical — concerned with the author’s life and experiences. But don’t be fooled by the realistic component. These essays can take any shape or form, from comics to diary entries to recipes and anything else you can imagine. Typically zeroing in on a single issue, they allow you to explore your life and prove that the personal can be universal.

Here are a couple of fantastic examples:

“On Selling Your First Novel After 11 Years” by Min Jin Lee (Literary Hub)

There was so much to learn and practice, but I began to see the prose in verse and the verse in prose. Patterns surfaced in poems, stories, and plays. There was music in sentences and paragraphs. I could hear the silences in a sentence. All this schooling was like getting x-ray vision and animal-like hearing.

This deeply honest personal essay by Pachinko author Min Jin Lee is an account of her eleven-year struggle to publish her first novel . Like all good writing, it is intensely focused on personal emotional details. While grounded in the specifics of the author's personal journey, it embodies an experience that is absolutely universal: that of difficulty and adversity met by eventual success.

“A Cyclist on the English Landscape” by Roff Smith (New York Times)

These images, though, aren’t meant to be about me. They’re meant to represent a cyclist on the landscape, anybody — you, perhaps.

Roff Smith’s gorgeous photo essay for the NYT is a testament to the power of creatively combining visuals with text. Here, photographs of Smith atop a bike are far from simply ornamental. They’re integral to the ruminative mood of the essay, as essential as the writing. Though Smith places his work at the crosscurrents of various aesthetic influences (such as the painter Edward Hopper), what stands out the most in this taciturn, thoughtful piece of writing is his use of the second person to address the reader directly. Suddenly, the writer steps out of the body of the essay and makes eye contact with the reader. The reader is now part of the story as a second character, finally entering the picture.

Short Fiction

The short story is the happy medium of fiction writing. These bite-sized narratives can be devoured in a single sitting and still leave you reeling. Sometimes viewed as a stepping stone to novel writing, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Short story writing is an art all its own. The limited length means every word counts and there’s no better way to see that than with these two examples:

“An MFA Story” by Paul Dalla Rosa (Electric Literature)

At Starbucks, I remembered a reading Zhen had given, a reading organized by the program’s faculty. I had not wanted to go but did. In the bar, he read, "I wrote this in a Starbucks in Shanghai. On the bank of the Huangpu." It wasn’t an aside or introduction. It was two lines of the poem. I was in a Starbucks and I wasn’t writing any poems. I wasn’t writing anything.

Creative Writing Examples | Photograph of New York City street.

This short story is a delightfully metafictional tale about the struggles of being a writer in New York. From paying the bills to facing criticism in a writing workshop and envying more productive writers, Paul Dalla Rosa’s story is a clever satire of the tribulations involved in the writing profession, and all the contradictions embodied by systemic creativity (as famously laid out in Mark McGurl’s The Program Era ). What’s more, this story is an excellent example of something that often happens in creative writing: a writer casting light on the private thoughts or moments of doubt we don’t admit to or openly talk about.

“Flowering Walrus” by Scott Skinner (Reedsy)

I tell him they’d been there a month at least, and he looks concerned. He has my tongue on a tissue paper and is gripping its sides with his pointer and thumb. My tongue has never spent much time outside of my mouth, and I imagine it as a walrus basking in the rays of the dental light. My walrus is not well.

A winner of Reedsy’s weekly Prompts writing contest, ‘ Flowering Walrus ’ is a story that balances the trivial and the serious well. In the pauses between its excellent, natural dialogue , the story manages to scatter the fear and sadness of bad medical news, as the protagonist hides his worries from his wife and daughter. Rich in subtext, these silences grow and resonate with the readers.

Want to give short story writing a go? Give our free course a go!

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How to Craft a Killer Short Story

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Perhaps the thing that first comes to mind when talking about creative writing, novels are a form of fiction that many people know and love but writers sometimes find intimidating. The good news is that novels are nothing but one word put after another, like any other piece of writing, but expanded and put into a flowing narrative. Piece of cake, right?

To get an idea of the format’s breadth of scope, take a look at these two (very different) satirical novels:

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

I wished I was back in the convenience store where I was valued as a working member of staff and things weren’t as complicated as this. Once we donned our uniforms, we were all equals regardless of gender, age, or nationality — all simply store workers.

Creative Writing Examples | Book cover of Convenience Store Woman

Keiko, a thirty-six-year-old convenience store employee, finds comfort and happiness in the strict, uneventful routine of the shop’s daily operations. A funny, satirical, but simultaneously unnerving examination of the social structures we take for granted, Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman is deeply original and lingers with the reader long after they’ve put it down.

Erasure by Percival Everett

The hard, gritty truth of the matter is that I hardly ever think about race. Those times when I did think about it a lot I did so because of my guilt for not thinking about it.

Erasure is a truly accomplished satire of the publishing industry’s tendency to essentialize African American authors and their writing. Everett’s protagonist is a writer whose work doesn’t fit with what publishers expect from him — work that describes the “African American experience” — so he writes a parody novel about life in the ghetto. The publishers go crazy for it and, to the protagonist’s horror, it becomes the next big thing. This sophisticated novel is both ironic and tender, leaving its readers with much food for thought.

Creative Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction is pretty broad: it applies to anything that does not claim to be fictional (although the rise of autofiction has definitely blurred the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction). It encompasses everything from personal essays and memoirs to humor writing, and they range in length from blog posts to full-length books. The defining characteristic of this massive genre is that it takes the world or the author’s experience and turns it into a narrative that a reader can follow along with.

Here, we want to focus on novel-length works that dig deep into their respective topics. While very different, these two examples truly show the breadth and depth of possibility of creative nonfiction:

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

Men’s bodies litter my family history. The pain of the women they left behind pulls them from the beyond, makes them appear as ghosts. In death, they transcend the circumstances of this place that I love and hate all at once and become supernatural.

Writer Jesmyn Ward recounts the deaths of five men from her rural Mississippi community in as many years. In her award-winning memoir , she delves into the lives of the friends and family she lost and tries to find some sense among the tragedy. Working backwards across five years, she questions why this had to happen over and over again, and slowly unveils the long history of racism and poverty that rules rural Black communities. Moving and emotionally raw, Men We Reaped is an indictment of a cruel system and the story of a woman's grief and rage as she tries to navigate it.

Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker

He believed that wine could reshape someone’s life. That’s why he preferred buying bottles to splurging on sweaters. Sweaters were things. Bottles of wine, said Morgan, “are ways that my humanity will be changed.”

In this work of immersive journalism , Bianca Bosker leaves behind her life as a tech journalist to explore the world of wine. Becoming a “cork dork” takes her everywhere from New York’s most refined restaurants to science labs while she learns what it takes to be a sommelier and a true wine obsessive. This funny and entertaining trip through the past and present of wine-making and tasting is sure to leave you better informed and wishing you, too, could leave your life behind for one devoted to wine.

Illustrated Narratives (Comics, graphic novels)

Once relegated to the “funny pages”, the past forty years of comics history have proven it to be a serious medium. Comics have transformed from the early days of Jack Kirby’s superheroes into a medium where almost every genre is represented. Humorous one-shots in the Sunday papers stand alongside illustrated memoirs, horror, fantasy, and just about anything else you can imagine. This type of visual storytelling lets the writer and artist get creative with perspective, tone, and so much more. For two very different, though equally entertaining, examples, check these out:

Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson

"Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success, flat stretches of boring routine and valleys of frustration and failure."

A Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. A little blond boy Calvin makes multiple silly faces in school photos. In the last panel, his father says, "That's our son. *Sigh*" His mother then says, "The pictures will remind of more than we want to remember."

This beloved comic strip follows Calvin, a rambunctious six-year-old boy, and his stuffed tiger/imaginary friend, Hobbes. They get into all kinds of hijinks at school and at home, and muse on the world in the way only a six-year-old and an anthropomorphic tiger can. As laugh-out-loud funny as it is, Calvin & Hobbes ’ popularity persists as much for its whimsy as its use of humor to comment on life, childhood, adulthood, and everything in between.

From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell

"I shall tell you where we are. We're in the most extreme and utter region of the human mind. A dim, subconscious underworld. A radiant abyss where men meet themselves. Hell, Netley. We're in Hell."

Comics aren't just the realm of superheroes and one-joke strips, as Alan Moore proves in this serialized graphic novel released between 1989 and 1998. A meticulously researched alternative history of Victorian London’s Ripper killings, this macabre story pulls no punches. Fact and fiction blend into a world where the Royal Family is involved in a dark conspiracy and Freemasons lurk on the sidelines. It’s a surreal mad-cap adventure that’s unsettling in the best way possible.

Video Games and RPGs

Probably the least expected entry on this list, we thought that video games and RPGs also deserved a mention — and some well-earned recognition for the intricate storytelling that goes into creating them.

Essentially gamified adventure stories, without attention to plot, characters, and a narrative arc, these games would lose a lot of their charm, so let’s look at two examples where the creative writing really shines through:

80 Days by inkle studios

"It was a triumph of invention over nature, and will almost certainly disappear into the dust once more in the next fifty years."

Named Time Magazine ’s game of the year in 2014, this narrative adventure is based on Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. The player is cast as the novel’s narrator, Passpartout, and tasked with circumnavigating the globe in service of their employer, Phileas Fogg. Set in an alternate steampunk Victorian era, the game uses its globe-trotting to comment on the colonialist fantasies inherent in the original novel and its time period. On a storytelling level, the choose-your-own-adventure style means no two players’ journeys will be the same. This innovative approach to a classic novel shows the potential of video games as a storytelling medium, truly making the player part of the story.

What Remains of Edith Finch by Giant Sparrow

"If we lived forever, maybe we'd have time to understand things. But as it is, I think the best we can do is try to open our eyes, and appreciate how strange and brief all of this is."

This video game casts the player as 17-year-old Edith Finch. Returning to her family’s home on an island in the Pacific northwest, Edith explores the vast house and tries to figure out why she’s the only one of her family left alive. The story of each family member is revealed as you make your way through the house, slowly unpacking the tragic fate of the Finches. Eerie and immersive, this first-person exploration game uses the medium to tell a series of truly unique tales.

Fun and breezy on the surface, humor is often recognized as one of the trickiest forms of creative writing. After all, while you can see the artistic value in a piece of prose that you don’t necessarily enjoy, if a joke isn’t funny, you could say that it’s objectively failed.

With that said, it’s far from an impossible task, and many have succeeded in bringing smiles to their readers’ faces through their writing. Here are two examples:

‘How You Hope Your Extended Family Will React When You Explain Your Job to Them’ by Mike Lacher (McSweeney’s Internet Tendency)

“Is it true you don’t have desks?” your grandmother will ask. You will nod again and crack open a can of Country Time Lemonade. “My stars,” she will say, “it must be so wonderful to not have a traditional office and instead share a bistro-esque coworking space.”

An open plan office seen from a bird's eye view. There are multiple strands of Edison lights hanging from the ceiling. At long light wooden tables multiple people sit working at computers, many of them wearing headphones.

Satire and parody make up a whole subgenre of creative writing, and websites like McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and The Onion consistently hit the mark with their parodies of magazine publishing and news media. This particular example finds humor in the divide between traditional family expectations and contemporary, ‘trendy’ work cultures. Playing on the inherent silliness of today’s tech-forward middle-class jobs, this witty piece imagines a scenario where the writer’s family fully understands what they do — and are enthralled to hear more. “‘Now is it true,’ your uncle will whisper, ‘that you’ve got a potential investment from one of the founders of I Can Haz Cheezburger?’”

‘Not a Foodie’ by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell (Electric Literature)

I’m not a foodie, I never have been, and I know, in my heart, I never will be.

Highlighting what she sees as an unbearable social obsession with food , in this comic Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell takes a hilarious stand against the importance of food. From the writer’s courageous thesis (“I think there are more exciting things to talk about, and focus on in life, than what’s for dinner”) to the amusing appearance of family members and the narrator’s partner, ‘Not a Foodie’ demonstrates that even a seemingly mundane pet peeve can be approached creatively — and even reveal something profound about life.

We hope this list inspires you with your own writing. If there’s one thing you take away from this post, let it be that there is no limit to what you can write about or how you can write about it.

In the next part of this guide, we'll drill down into the fascinating world of creative nonfiction.

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GCSE Descriptive Writing Example: A High-Scoring Model Answer

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How To Describe Rain In Writing (10 Important Steps)
Select the Right Words. Use descriptive adjectives, adverbs, and verbs to convey the characteristics of the rain. Choose words that evoke the senses. For instance, you can use words like "gentle," "drizzling," "torrential," "pattering," "incessant," or "misty" to describe the rain.
How to Write the Rain: Quick Tips for Creative Writers
Rain can bring a sense of renewal, growth, and life to the world. There is a cosy feeling of being inside looking out at the rain, safe and warm. Rain can make everything glisten and gleam in the light, looking fresh and new. Show the soothing, hypnotic quality of the rhythmic patter of raindrops. Rain can be invigorating, energising, and joyful.
PDF DESCRIBING THE RAIN
DESCRIBING THE RAIN ... A simple example might look like the paragraphs on the next page. LEVEL 1 I looked out the window. The sky was tar-black and the large clouds were moving towards ... The metaphors should be more creative and the turn of phrase made more enriching. LEVEL 4 'The sun enables life. The rain grants it safe passage'.
Master List for Describing Weather
"How to describe weather" seemed like a good place to start. This way, you won't get stuck trying to figure out how to describe nice weather, or thinking up ways to describe rain. Hopefully, this will make your writing go faster. I always include simple as well as more creative ways to describe or write about weather.
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From William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: It begins to rain. The first harsh, sparse, swift drops rush through the leaves and across the ground in a long sigh, as though of relief from intolerable suspense. They are as big as buckshot, warm as though fired from a gun; they sweep across the lantern in a vicious hissing.
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For example, if you are going outside in this weather, you need to know whether to take an umbrella, or perhaps consider catching a bus instead of walking. See also: Whether vs if However, there are other situations when you may need a more poetic way to describe rain, focusing not just on how much of it there is, but how it looks, smells or ...
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Yes, here is a wonderful list of creative writing prompts for describing rainy days. Write a funny story about losing your umbrella on a rainy day. Center a story outdoors on a rainy day. Begin a story with the following sentence: raindrops splattered on the windowsill like teardrops from a princess.
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Rain: Rain can represent renewal, washing away‌ burdens, or ⁢creating a somber atmosphere. ... Here‍ are a few examples ⁤of weather writing prompts: ... At Creative Writing Prompts, we believe in the power of words to shape worlds. Our platform is a sanctuary for aspiring writers, seasoned wordsmiths, and everyone.
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A good example is petrichor. It is the smell or scent of rain arriving after a period of dry weather. But it is difficult to use, and it might send readers hunting for a dictionary. The petrichor gave a hint of hope to the farmers. It would be better to use a descriptive phrase. The sweet far off scent of rain on dying grass gave hope to the ...
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A character can cleanse himself by walking or standing in the rain. Contrarily, the character can fall in the mud and get dirty. The restorative nature of rain is also strongly connected with the previous points. For example, in the first part of The Lion King, when Simba defeats Scar, rain washes down the fire and signals the birth of the new ...
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To help you harness the beauty of rain in your writing, here are ⁤some inspiring prompts ⁣that will spark your imagination: 1. Rainy Memories: ... For ⁣example, "The raindrops on the windowpane shimmered⁣ like a thousand ⁣silver coins,⁣ dancing in the‌ soft light." ... At Creative Writing Prompts, we believe in the power of ...
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Write a daily weather report. Students need to have a diverse vocabulary to describe the weather. If your teacher gives you instructions to write about the weather, you'll need to have some weather words ready to describe it accurately. Our 25 weather writing prompts will help you create word banks for describing it that you can use in future ...
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rain. - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing. At once there came a flash mob of rain, tap-dancing upon roof and concrete paths the same. By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, May 26, 2023 . Rain took her flight from cloud to new foliage, forming upon them a flock of water-cloches.
Write With the Weather
Weather can also serve as simple inspiration, much like music whets your muse. I've written in all sorts of weather: in the sun, in the rain, foggy, clear, overcast, snow and storm. Bottle up as many weather-related sensations as possible somewhere in your psyche for future creative use, especially those exceptional moments of nature's raw power.
Rain
What it feels like to me in the rain. The rain drops are not plump, there are just more of them. My mac is wet. My jeans are wet. My bag is wet. My hand that holds my bag is wet. There really is a lot of rain falling from the sky right now. Sometimes when it rains, I want to strip naked and dance.
1001 Writing Prompts About Rainy Days
Check out this list of writing prompts about rainy days for inspiration: Write about a spooky night scene with a mysterious atmosphere. Escape from the rainy circumstance. Write about it. Write about the love for rainy days. Write about a night of dreams that rain was inside of you rather than outside.
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9 Writing Prompts about Rain. The rain was heavier now, drumming on the roof, as darkness crept across the room. The embers of the fire were a dull glow as the rain drops pelted against the glass of the window. I bet I'm not the only one who enjoys a good rain storm… when I'm inside and dry that is.
Writing prompts for rainy days • WriteShop
Whatever the weather today, kids will love dipping their toes into these fun writing prompts for rainy days. After all, rain can happen at any time of year! There's something for everyone, including The Planner (planning rainy day activities), The Persuader (convincing a friend to like drizzly days), The Pretender (pretending to be a raindrop), and The Poet (writing poems using onomatopoeia).
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Vivid Verbs. Because bad weather can often get out of control, describing a storm is not the time to skimp on verb usage. Weak verbs, such as "was" or "were," drain your descriptions of energy rather than infuse them with detail. Using specific, active verbs for the storm's motion gives readers a more detailed image of the story's events.
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Creative writing is an art form that transcends traditional literature boundaries. It includes professional, journalistic, academic, and technical writing. This type of writing emphasizes narrative craft, character development, and literary tropes. It also explores poetry and poetics traditions.
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Example: "The fierce wind shook the window panes, a testament to the storm's power.". Wild: Wild wind suggests a sense of chaos and lack of control. Example: "The wild wind tossed the ship like a toy, waves crashing over the deck.". Gusty: Gusty winds are strong and sudden, capable of causing brief moments of disarray.
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A lot falls under the term 'creative writing': poetry, short fiction, plays, novels, personal essays, and songs, to name just a few. By virtue of the creativity that characterizes it, creative writing is an extremely versatile art. So instead of defining what creative writing is, it may be easier to understand what it does by looking at ...