WriteHive Panel: Seasons in Worldbuilding
One of the WriteHive online conference panels I watched was Seasons in Worldbuilding, which was an interesting look at how you can use seasons as part of your writing.
Even outside of the part they play in worldbuilding, seasons can be used evoke emotions related to that season. In some writing, the season and/or the weather can even be a sort of character–often antagonistic, without even being personified. And in settings where there aren’t seasons, like a spaceship, their lack can add tension for characters who remember seasons and no longer get to enjoy them.
Within the sphere of worldbuilding, whether you’re writing fantasy or science fiction, you can build a lot of things tied to your world around the seasons. For example, there may be food that’s only available in certain parts of the year, which can lead to festivals or holidays related to that food. Clothing choices can also be tied to the seasons, whether it’s necessity or fashion. There are also activities tied into the seasons, such as the school year following the farming season, or sea travelers staying home in the winter when the seas are at their worst.
The panelists also talked about climate change as it impacts fiction, particularly contemporary fiction. As the climate changes around us, stories that are set in a specific location but talk about the way the weather has been in the past will seem dated as those weather patterns shift. For example, if you had asked me about summers in Seattle fifteen years ago, I’d have called them mild and delightful, especially compared to the summers of my childhood in the Midwest. If you ask me about them now, I’ll tell you about how we have two air conditioning units in our apartment now (purchased in the last couple of years), and how we’re considering purchasing a third so that my husband’s office can be comfortable in the summer. So if your story depicts wearing hoodies and jeans all summer in Seattle, most Seattleites are going to anticipate that story is set a decade or more before present!
There’s all sorts of useful information in addition to what I’ve summarized here contained in the Seasons in Worldbuilding panel!
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