Writing About: Spring

I am starting my blog tour for Ghost of Death on the blogs of Stephanie Faris and C Lee McKenzie. 

Check out my fun post: Name a Drink. 

And my musical post: 10 Songs


A few months ago, I shared a post about winter with tips for writers who are writing (or want to write a story set in winter. Now it’s time for SPRING!

Here are 10 things to keep in mind for a story set in the spring:

1.    Nature

Everyone knows spring as the season where the earth reawakens and flowers bloom. Gardeners flock outdoors with bags of soil and packets of seeds. Describing the fresh green grass, the new buds on trees, and the flowers bursting from rich soil would set the atmosphere for spring beautifully. You could also write about a character who is a gardener.

·         Flowers- Easter lily, pansy, daffodil, tulip, lilac, peony.

2.    Warming Temperatures

In the spring, the snow melts and the sun starts to grow stronger, warmer. Your characters will be able to open their windows, take the thick blankets off their beds, and turn off their furnaces. Whenever your hero/heroine is outside, take the opportunity to describe the blue skies, the cool breeze, and yellow sunlight.

1.    Clothes

Now that winter is over, you can let your characters wear shorter sleeves, brighter colors (purple, blue, yellow) and fancy church clothes. Mentioning what your characters are wearing is a nice touch that you could do with just a sentence or two. Describe your heroine in a pretty dress with a light cardigan, or your hero in tan slacks and a white shirt.

2.    April Showers

April brings an abundance of rain showers to many states in the United States. Writing about a rain shower could add a romantic element to a romance story.

Imagine: kissing in the rain, cuddling in bed to the pitter-patter of rain on the roof.

1.    Picnics

Spring wouldn’t be spring without picnics: family picnics, church picnics, and intimate picnics between your hero and heroine, which make lovely scenes for romances! They could pack a basket with cheese, grapes, finger sandwiches, cold chicken, hummus and veggies, wine or sparkling water.

2.    Outdoor Fun

With no snow and warmer temps, people enjoy spending more time outdoors. Let your characters take walks together, go on bike rides, or visit the park. All of these are wonderful activities for two characters who are falling in love.

1.    Holidays

There are many lovely holidays in the spring like Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, Mardi Gras, and Mother’s Day. You could write about one or two that would make the most sense to your plot and story.

·         Easter- church, dying eggs with kids and orchestrating egg hunts.

·         St. Patrick’s Day: Irish pubs, beer, Irish food (cabbage, corned beef, potatoes)

·         Mardi Gras- New Orleans, parades, beads and masks

·         Mother’s Day- Mothers, gifts/cards/flowers

\1.    Daylight Savings

In the spring, we turn our clocks one hour ahead. (Spring forward, fall back.) As a result, we have longer days and more sunlight, but we also lose an hour of sleep that first night and struggle to get our inner clocks in sync with the time change. You could show how your MC is affected by the time change by sleeping in and being late to work. Readers would be able to identify with that.

2.    Spring Cleaning

We all know spring is the time to clear out the dust, go through the clutter that accumulated during the winter, and fix the house for the warmer seasons. You could let a single mother/woman go through her closet/desk/kitchen while obsessing over her latest breakup or problem.

1.    Food/Drinks

Springtime is perfect for fruits and vegetables and lighter meals. If your characters eat out together or have a quiet dinner at home you could have them enjoy these:

·         Food- strawberries, peaches, asparagus, light tomato and basil salad, pasta primavera, and herb chicken.

·         Drinks- iced mint tea, strawberry lemonade, fruit smoothies, and sangria.

QUESTIONS: When you think of spring, what comes to mind? What do you like most about spring? What do you like least?

On Wednesday, I'll be posting my A to Z Reflection post with my Insecure Writer's Support Group post.