"Weather is necessary to a narrative of human experience。" -- Mark Twain

Effectively used as a literary device， weather can create an atmosphere that can make or break a scene。 It sets the mood， mirrors the stages of plot development， enhances themes， and creates tension where before there was none。

Weather can also drive emotion。

Think of a sad character。 Does it help your reader feel her emotion if you describe the sunrise on a clear， perfectly temperate day， or would it set a better mood if there were undulating clouds hanging over the scene like a smothering blanket？ Could you use contrast to shine a light on a feeling？

In this book by Benjamin X。 Wretlind， an author， retired U。S。 Air Force weather forecaster， and life-long weather nerd， meteorology is broken down as it relates to the fiction writer。 It covers a variety of weather elements and ties them to a study conducted to see what emotions are most often brought up in a reader。

Written in a non-scientific way with literary examples and exercises （and a little humor）， Creating Atmosphere with Atmosphere: How to Use Weather as a Literary Device hopes to be your go-to guide if you're looking to use weather in a way that connects emotionally and pulls readers into your world。

So write about that cloud， that tornado， that hurricane。。。and bring the storm。