Hello lovelies!
Picking a setting may be one of the first steps in worldbuilding, but soon after comes the 'dressing up' of that setting. This can be climate, architecture, or landscape, but eventually you're going to choose the time of year your story takes place in.
So, this is the first of a four-part series, talking about how you can use the seasons to emphasize the theme of your story, and help you determine the time of year that suits your story best. Hopefully, it will help clear up the fog that sometimes takes over during the writing process.
We're starting with Winter!
Feasts and Family:
Even with the cold and harsh weather typically associated with winter, one of the first things people look forward to when it starts to get further into the year is the warm chocolate and family gatherings (and presents).
So, especially because of the contrast of a dark, freezing world outside, winter is a great setting to have stories themed around warmth, close relationships, and protection between loved ones.
This either can be emphasized by another danger that threatens the home or family unit, or it can simply add to the sense of warmth and safety inside by hearing the howling winds and seeing the frost on the windows.
The same can be said for holiday themed stories. This is typically a time of joy, lights, presents and family, which only get amplified by being contrasted with the weather outside.
However, this can also act as an isolating factor, something often used in stories where something needs to be resolved, and making sure the characters can't leave.
By relying on each other for warmth, you can bring old grudges to a close
Danger and Survival:
Going off of what I said above, the winter cold, snow and wind can indeed be a contrast, but also an emphasis.
The isolation it may cause is a good setting for stories centred around anxiety, loneliness, or cabin fever. Instead of the home becoming a safe space, it may become a prison.
However, there is a reason many monsters in folklore are specifically winter based, particularly when it comes to death, disappearance, or losing one's way. It can be a very dangerous season if you aren't sheltered.
This is why stories centred around survival and overcoming danger can work very well in a winter setting. The harsh temperature and landscape it often brings are prime locations for emphasizing the difficulty of an escape, hunt, man-vs-nature, or getting lost in a forest.
Winter isn't going to hold off, just because your characters are in a precarious position, use that.
Slowing and Dying:
The hibernation of nature is essentially what winter is, so this lends itself easily as a setting for stories about slowing down, letting go, or standing still.
Winter isn't the easiest time to get somewhere or move around the globe, either because of being snowed in, the roads not being excessive, or just not having the tools to work around the cold and being forced to stay put.
This partially ties into isolation as well, but instead of creating a dangerous situation, or have the characters be plagued by anxiety, it's also a good setting for having characters reflect on their life and standing still for a moment.
Maybe they have neglected their loved ones, or been living their life at too fast a speed, and now they are forced to realize that through being trapped or slowed down.
However, you can also use this setting as an ideal season for someone to die. "Winter of life" typically refers to the last few years someone has to live or old age.
Since nature is at a standstill, having the story be centred around death or mourning, while the world outside is also 'dead' or 'sleeping' in some way, can add to the feeling of loss or melancholy.
I hope this helped in some way, and hopefully, you will enjoy the next three parts of this series.
Goodbye, lovelies!
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