The Heat is On

 

Summer is here. Picture from Pixabay

Goldie and I love the sunshine and the heat, which is useful these weeks. My children hide inside, out of daylight, although they were happy to come out for our Cotswold trip last Friday as we took Richard’s aunt and a friend for a Cream Tea (food is a great motivator for labradors and children!).

It made me think of pressure as well, as it’s another way to look at heat. There are a lot of changes in our family at the moment, and it brings out a lot of stress and worry with too many unanswered questions. As writers, this is something that will affect our poor characters as well. Is the main character laid back, telling his nervous sidekick, “Never mind about that now, we’ll sort that out when we get to the house.” Does your character need lists to make sure everything has been packed for the trip? Or do they open a suitcase, shovelling in clothes and a few other random items they come across?

What about rushing around when the heat is on? When we’re in a rush, some of my children seem to freeze inside, making them move slower than they normally would, making the panic more complete. Being Dutch, I like to get places early, whereas Richard was told it’s good manners to be ten minutes late for visits. Some of my characters have been a bit more time-conscious than others, and it’s one of the things I find easier to keep straight if I write a book quickly, rather than over a long time, as it’s the small details that I forget about my characters.

What about the villains in the story? When the heat is on, do they start making mistakes, or do they thrive under pressure? Do they get an adrenaline surge, which eventually gives the game away as they become too confident?

People are fascinating, and watching characters change and develop is great fun, especially when you turn the heat up. What about non-fiction, though? Again, personalities will come in there as well. The way you look at life under pressure, or Bible characters. We are going through John’s Gospel at the moment, and the number of times we said, “How could they not see it?” But under pressure, in the moment, with preconceptions in place, would we have been any smarter? Hindsight is a wonderful thing indeed, and as writers, hindsight gives us some wonderful possibilities as well.

I hope you enjoy the summer warmth, drinking plenty of water, and seeing writing as a wonderful excuse to stay cool. And all experiences can be used in a book, so have a great time with your characters, watching them struggle or thrive under pressure. And for me, the greatest blessing under pressure is knowing we can be sheltered in the shadow of the Almighty, hidden in a cleft of the rock.

Maressa Mortimer is Dutch but lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, England with her husband and four (adopted) children. Maressa is a homeschool mum as well as a pastor’s wife, so her writing has to be done in the evening when peace and quiet descend on the house once more. She loves writing Christian fiction, as it’s a great way to explore faith in daily life. Maressa is part of a special Dystopian book group online, which you can find here: https://reamstories.com/faith-based-ya-dystopian/.

Her debut novel, Sapphire Beach, was published in December 2019, and her first self published novel, Walled City, came out in December 2020, followed by Viking Ferry, a novella. Beyond the Hills is the second book in the Elabi Chronicles, and was released in 2021, followed by stand-alone novel Burrowed, released in 2022. The third book in the Elabi Chronicles, Downstream, has just been released. All of Maressa’s books are available from her website, www.vicarioushome.com, Amazon or local bookshops.