It’s sunny in Melbourne. There is barely a cloud to cross this blue sky. It is chilly though, and the over-night dew lingers across shadowed surfaces. All too soon the sun will hide, and the long evening will bring on the damp air. It is the shortest day of the year and more usually it rains but this wan golden light is cleansing and welcome, no matter how short the stay.

The moon is linked to tides, why not us?

Some writers / experts argue to avoid writing about the weather, but we know we feel it. Our moods can ebb and flow with the seasons, hence Seasonal Affective Disorder, so why not our characters? The challenge is not remove weather from stories, but to link natural phenomena more closely and more dynamically to plots, and more inventively, to our characters.

So I will enjoy what’s left of this sunshine on this Winter Solstice and store it away, to recall the next time I’m writing.

May your own skies be blue, or grey with the portent of rain, as needed.