WEATHER AND EARTHLY PHENOMENON THESAURUS

FROST



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HELPFUL TIP:

Don’t be afraid to pair weather conditions with your setting choice to contrast or reinforce a character’s emotions. Hopelessness might be mirrored in the relentless drizzle of rain and the resulting heavy drag of one’s clothes; alternatively, this feeling can stand out in stark contrast to sunlight dancing over fresh snow. Can weather also provide symbolism, thereby enriching the reader’s experience? Think about your goal for the scene and the mood you are trying to create, and then layer your description with meaningful choices.
SIGHTS:
Ice crystals forming a rime on metal or paint (patio furniture, porch railings, bikes leaning against the house, the hood of a car, doorknobs)
Frost speckling windowpanes and thickening at the edges
Ice-frosted grass
Intricate frost swirls on windshields during a cold snap
The sun glittering off a thin layer of sparkling ice on outdoor surfaces
Leaf edges that are furry with ice
Wet patches and water beads as the sun melts away fresh frost
Footsteps or animal prints marring a field of frost

SMELLS:
A clean, cold scent

TASTES:
A slight ozone flavor to any frost melting on the tongue

TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS:
A cold film or light crust that, in milder temperatures, immediately melts at the touch
A jolt of pain followed by numbness (when temperatures are cold)
A crusty cushion of frost beneath one's shoes that can cause one to slip

SOUNDS:
The brittle crunching of footsteps
The rasp of a scraper across a frosted windshield 
Stillness and silence 

REINFORCING A MOOD:
The first frost of the year often occurs in the fall, a strong indication that summer is over and the cold sleep of winter is coming. For this reason, frost can reinforce the feeling of transitioning or being on the cusp of change. Frost also has a fresh, crisp quality that brings on wakefulness and rejuvenation. It can soften a landscape and beautify even the ugliest elements....

SYMBOLISM:
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COMMON CLICHÉS:
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WEATHER NOTES:
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SCENARIOS FOR ADDING CONFLICT OR TENSION:
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