SENSORY DESCRIPTORS:
Sight: A streak of light falling (shooting) across the clear night sky. The appearance of many falling stars at once is called a meteor shower. In this case, stars can shoot all different directions. They…
Smell: n/a
Taste: n/a
Touch: n/a
Sound: Night sounds. Insects chirping and buzzing, wind in the trees, human sounds (doors opening, music playing, car engines), hushed voices and whispers…
EMOTIONAL TRIGGERS:
Mood: Falling stars happen so quickly; to catch sight of one makes the viewer feel blessed or lucky to have witnessed it. A falling star will inevitably lighten the viewer’s mood and can potentially turn the mind to…
Symbolism: good luck, change, a fulfilled wish…
Possible Cliches: a long-desired wish coming true after witnessing a falling star…
Don’t be afraid to use weather and earthly phenomena to add contrast. Unusual pairings, especially when drawing attention to the character’s emotions, is a powerful trigger for tension. Consider how the bleak mood of a character is even more noticeable as morning sunlight dances across the crystals of fresh snow on the walk to work. Or how the feeling of betrayal is so much more poignant on a hot summer day. Likewise, success or joy can be hampered by a cutting wind or drizzling sleet, foreshadowing conflict to come.
Weather is a powerful tool, helping to foreshadow events and steer the emotional mood of any scene.
Need more detail regarding this weather element? Good news! This thesaurus has been integrated into our new online library at One Stop For Writers. There, not only has the information in each entry been enhanced and expanded, we’ve also added scenarios for adding conflict and tension. The entire thesaurus is also cross-referenced with our many other descriptive collections for easy searchability. Registration is free, so if you’re interested in seeing a sampling of the fully updated Weather and Earthly Phenomenon Thesaurus, head on over to One Stop.
16 Comments.
Great job on this one. It doesn’t happen often, so when you do see it, you feel very privileged. 🙂
I love this! I actually have a falling star in one of my books. Awesome description.
Awww, I forgot about falling stars! How cool. Very inspiring.
I haven’t seen a shooting star in a long time. I think I’ll have to add one to my wip. What a cool post. 😀
hi miss becca! wow cool picture! mostly for me seeing a shooting star is like a wow moment. i could see how it could be that in a story. i love you guys weather posts.
…hugs from lenny
Hmmm… falling stars. Now there’s something I haven’t thought of working in to my novels. And it would fit perfectly with one. Thanks!
There’s definitely something about seeing a falling star … or comet … or meteor … that instills a feeling of awe in the observer, so including any of these events in our writing should have the added bonus of evoking those feelings and memories in the reader.
Love these posts! You always have something new for me to consider!
christy
You guys are always coming up with something new. I love it! 🙂
I saw a shooting star one night when I was out with my husband, swimming in the sea. In retrospect it was very dangerous: the sea was full of jellyfish. But we’ll never forget that experience of seeing a star shoot clear across the sky — and we’re so glad we didn’t get stung.
I’ve been taking notes (the actual, written down on paper kind) on a lot of these weather posts. It really helps me with the details.
Thanks!
Nice post. Sending link to DS, the weather-fan, right after I catch a falling star and put it in my pocket…
I would NEVER have thought of falling stars as weather. You guys are so dang clever! And great post. 🙂
This reminds me of being in the Bahamas years ago; the sky was so clear we’d see half a dozen shooting stars every night. And it *did* make us feel lucky. And any description of the night sky does add that sense of cosmic wonder, musings on our place in the universe. I admit, I’m partial to that.
Falling stars can be so magical.
From wishes to just pure
excitement at seeing one, so many
things can be done about them.
Ooh, this is just the sensory
detail I need for the story I’m
about to start today. Thanks!!
Lately, I”ve been addicted to sensory details. For some reason, stories with great details like that suck me in. Your blog posts have the same effect!
Thanks for all your hard work!