July 31, 2017
Nothing like a rainy day to stimulate the muse. Makes me want to grab a glass of wine, settle back in the Florida room and watch mother nature at work. Appreciate the darkening skies and watch the birds flit from feeder to feeder for a quick meal. The trees sway, wind chimes tinkle and pinwheel decorations spin madly in the approaching storm. I watch the horizon disappear as the rain makes its way across the field towards the house.
Sometimes there are cloudbursts. Lightning strikes and it sounds like God is rearranging his furniture when the heavens rumble.
Sometimes the electricity will flicker or go off and I have true silence as the computer, heat pump and appliances are quiet.
I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz watching the frenzy outside my window. Leaves fall from dying trees and race across the yard. Branches on the crepe myrtles begin to hang low from the weight of the heavy blooms. Plants seem to come alive, soak up the deluge and swing in the breeze as if cheering at a rock concert. Large oak trees sway back and forth, make me wonder if they will withstand the assault or fall towards the house.
Sometimes my characters come to mind and I experience the storm through their eyes. Ginny and Cliff arguing with one another at Lariat’s grave, ignorant of the storm that rages around them. Cilla and Jake driving through hurricane winds as they travel to see her grandmother. Britani’s feelings of despair as each lightning strike reminds her of the family she lost.
As I said, rain makes me want to relax and collect my thoughts. Percolate and fine-tune ideas for new stories or visualize a scene I need to develop in my current WIP (works in progress).
Raindrops blend with other raindrops and stream down the long window panes. Makes me want to grab another glass of wine as I gaze beyond the streaks and my imagination flows. Or I might grab my “what if” notebook and merge some of those plots into a new story.
But the best part of a stormy, rainy afternoon is to wake up to a beautiful, breezy, sunny day and a story to tell.
What about you?