winter description for creative writing

Writing Nestling

How To Describe Winter Season In Writing (12 Best Ways, Adjectives& Quotes)

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How To Describe Winter Season In Writing

How To Describe Winter Season In Writing: Describing the winter season in writing is an enchanting endeavor that allows words to transcend the boundaries of language and immerse the reader in a world of frosty wonder.

Winter’s crystalline landscapes, snow-laden boughs, and icy breath create a canvas upon which authors paint with vivid imagery and sensory details.

It’s a season of contrasts—of stark beauty and harsh conditions, introspection and celebration, solitude and togetherness.

In this exploration of how to encapsulate the essence of winter through words, we embark on a journey to capture the season’s profound impact on the natural world, human emotions, and daily life.

Join us as we delve into the art of storytelling amidst the snowflakes and chill, discovering the power of language to transport readers to the heart of winter’s enchantment.

Describing the winter season in writing involves creating a vivid and sensory-rich portrayal of this time of year. Here’s a step-by-step process on How To Describe Winter Season In Writing:

Observation and Note-taking

Start by observing the winter environment. Take notes on what you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel during this season. Pay attention to the landscapes, weather, and activities associated with winter.

Setting the Scene

Begin your description by setting the scene. Describe the location and time of day. For example, “In the heart of a snow-covered forest on a crisp winter morning…”

Weather and Temperature

Mention the weather conditions. Is it snowing, sleeting, or just cold and clear? Use sensory words to convey the temperature, such as “biting cold” or “frosty.”

Landscape and Nature

Describe the natural elements. Mention the snow-covered trees, frozen lakes, icicles hanging from rooftops, or the crunch of snow beneath your feet. Use descriptive language to paint a picture of the winter landscape.

Sounds of Winter

Include the sounds of winter. Describe the quiet hush of falling snow, the crunch of boots on a snow-covered path, or the distant laughter of children playing in the snow.

Activities and Traditions

Write about the activities and traditions associated with winter. Mention sledding, building snowmen, ice skating, or holiday celebrations. Describe how people dress warmly and gather around the fire.

Sensory Details

Engage the reader’s senses. Use descriptive language to evoke the feeling of cold air on the skin, the taste of hot cocoa or spiced cider, the scent of pine trees, or the sight of twinkling holiday lights.

Emotions and Moods

Explore the emotions and moods that winter evokes. Talk about the coziness of being bundled up indoors, the sense of wonder as snow falls, or the nostalgia of the holiday season.

Metaphors and Similes

Consider using metaphors and similes to make your description more vivid. For example, “The snow-covered landscape was like a blank canvas waiting for the artist’s touch.”

Transitions and Flow

Ensure a smooth flow in your writing. Use transition words and phrases to connect your descriptions, so the reader can move seamlessly from one aspect of winter to another.

Editing and Polishing

Review and revise your writing for clarity, coherence, and conciseness. Eliminate unnecessary words and ensure your descriptions are engaging.

Wrap up your description by summarizing the essence of the winter season. Leave the reader with a lasting impression of what makes winter special or unique.

By following these steps, you can effectively describe the winter season in your writing , bringing it to life for your readers.

Adjectives Or Words To Describe Winter

Crisp: Winter air often feels crisp, with a sharp and refreshing quality that invigorates the senses. The cold temperatures contribute to this characteristic, creating a clear and clean atmosphere.

Frosty: Winter landscapes can be described as frosty, with a delicate layer of frozen dew or ice crystals covering surfaces, giving them a sparkling and magical appearance.

Snowy: One of the defining features of winter is the presence of snow. A snowy scene evokes a sense of purity and tranquility, transforming the environment into a soft, white wonderland.

Cozy: Winter is synonymous with cozy moments spent indoors by a warm fire, wrapped in blankets, and enjoying the comfort of home. This adjective captures the feeling of warmth and contentment during the colder months.

Serene: Winter landscapes often exude a sense of serenity, with quiet snow-covered surroundings and a calm stillness that can be both peaceful and contemplative.

Invigorating: The brisk, cold air of winter can be invigorating, awakening the senses and providing a refreshing contrast to the warmth of indoor spaces.

Whimsical: Winter can have a whimsical quality, especially when snowflakes fall gently, creating a dreamlike and enchanting atmosphere that feels almost magical.

Glistening: The sunlight reflecting off the snow and ice can make winter landscapes glisten, adding a touch of brilliance and sparkle to the scenery.

Majestic: Winter’s landscapes, with snow-covered trees and frost-laden branches, often evoke a sense of majesty and grandeur, transforming ordinary scenes into something extraordinary.

Enchanting: Winter possesses an enchanting quality, with its frosty beauty and the hushed stillness of snow-covered landscapes, captivating observers and creating a sense of wonder.

Quotes About Winter Season

Here are a few quotations about the winter season, along with references:

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”  (Edith Sitwell)

“Winter is the time of promise because there is so little to do – or because you can now and then permit yourself the luxury of thinking so.” (Stanley Crawford)

“A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky—unbidden—and seems like a thing of wonder.” (Susan Orlean)

“Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.” (John Boswell)

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” (Albert Camus)

Creating a Winter Wonderland

Creating a winter wonderland is like painting with nature’s own brush, a masterpiece forged from frost and magic.

As you step into this crystalline realm, the world transforms into a shimmering paradise. Each flake of snow, like a unique work of art, adorns the landscape with intricate designs.

The air is electric with the promise of quiet miracles, and every tree stands as a sentinel wrapped in glistening crystal armor.

Here, the world becomes a hushed symphony of nature’s whispers, inviting you to explore the enchantment hidden within the icy tapestry.

The power of sensory details

The power of sensory details lies in their ability to breathe life into words, transforming a mere description into a vivid and immersive experience for the reader.

When you evoke the senses of sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste in your writing, you engage the reader on a profound level.

With the stroke of a pen or the typing of keys, you can make them see the snow-capped mountains, hear the melodic chirping of birds, feel the cool breeze on their skin, catch the aroma of blooming flowers, or even taste the bittersweet nostalgia of a childhood memory.

These sensory elements not only enrich the narrative but also create an emotional connection, making the reader not just a passive observer but an active participant in the world you’ve crafted.

In the hands of a skilled writer, sensory details have the power to transcend words, leaving an indelible impression on the reader’s imagination.

Describing winter’s effect on the environment

Winter casts its enchanting spell upon the environment, turning the world into a breathtaking tableau of transformation.

As temperatures plummet and the first snowflakes descend, a serene hush blankets the land. Bodies of water, once teeming with life, now lie beneath a crystalline veneer, their surfaces frozen in stillness.

Windows become canvases for delicate frost patterns, resembling nature’s own intricate artwork. Architecture, too, undergoes a metamorphosis, with rooftops and branches heavy with snow, bending under its weight.

It’s a season of quiet marvels and serene beauty, where the environment, like a patient artist, surrenders to the gentle touch of winter, creating a surreal landscape where each element wears the cloak of frost and serenity.

Evoking Emotions and Atmosphere

Emotions are the symphony, and atmosphere the conductor in the grand opera of storytelling.

Just as a maestro’s baton commands the rise and fall of a musical masterpiece, a skilled writer wields their words to evoke emotions and shape the atmosphere within their narrative.

In the realm of words, we can craft a storm of heartache that drenches the reader with empathy or a sunbeam of joy that warms their very soul.

Through masterful storytelling, we can transport readers to the darkened alleyways of fear or the sunlit gardens of love.

Every paragraph becomes an enchanting melody that resonates in the reader’s heart, every word, a brushstroke on the canvas of their imagination.

To paint the palette of emotions and atmosphere is to awaken the dormant spirits within a story, inviting the reader to dance with the characters, breathe the air of foreign lands, and feel the tremors of emotions that pulse with life.

Winter as a time of introspection

Winter serves as an introspective cocoon, where the world retreats into a silent slumber, and our thoughts unfurl like dormant buds waiting for the warmth of spring.

The snow blankets the land in a quiet serenity, creating an almost otherworldly stillness. In these frozen moments, we find solace in self-reflection, as the bare trees and the chill in the air reflect the stripped-down simplicity of our own thoughts.

The world seems to whisper secrets, inviting us to delve into the depths of our inner landscapes. It’s a time when the crackling of a fireplace becomes an accompaniment to our inner musings, and the solitude of the snow-covered landscape mirrors the silent chambers of our hearts.

Winter, in all its stark beauty, is a sanctuary for introspection, a season that beckons us to delve into the frosty recesses of our souls, seeking clarity and renewal.

The feeling of nostalgia

Nostalgia is a bittersweet embrace of the past, a melody that tugs at the heartstrings, often catching us by surprise.

It’s the scent of an old, worn book, the familiar taste of a childhood dish, or the sepia-toned memories of yesteryears.

Nostalgia is a window into the cherished moments and the places we’ve left behind. It transports us to a time when life seemed simpler, or perhaps when we were different people altogether.

It’s a feeling that brings both comfort and a longing ache, like a familiar face in an old photograph, simultaneously grounding us in the past and reminding us of the inexorable march of time.

Nostalgia has the power to make the ordinary extraordinary, for within its embrace, even the most mundane memories become precious, like shards of a shattered mirror that reflect our lives, refracted through the lens of memory.

Weathering the Elements

Weathering the elements is a courageous dance with nature’s most formidable partners, where humanity and the environment engage in an intricate tango of resilience and adaptability.

The elements of wind, rain, snow, and sun become our tempestuous partners, each challenging us to find our balance on the ever-shifting stage of life.

The thrill of a thunderstorm, the serenity of a gentle snowfall, the relentless force of a hurricane—all these natural phenomena are a testament to the awe-inspiring power of the elements.

As we navigate their capricious moods, we discover our own tenacity, drawing strength from the tempests that test our mettle.

In weathering the elements, we become not just observers of nature’s grand performance, but participants in the ongoing drama of survival, resilience, and the enduring human spirit.

The dramatic tension of winter storms

Winter storms are nature’s grand theater productions, where the stage is set with an icy backdrop, and the players are wind, snow, and the restless sky.

There’s a palpable dramatic tension that builds as dark clouds gather, and the air grows heavy with anticipation.

As the first snowflakes descend, it’s as if the opening act has begun, a delicate overture that soon crescendos into a tempestuous symphony of howling winds and swirling snow. Each snowflake is a character in this epic narrative, vying for its place in the swirling plot.

The world becomes a hushed audience, witnessing the turmoil and the magnificence of a winter storm with bated breath.

Amid this turbulent performance, there’s an undeniable exhilaration, a thrilling sense of nature’s raw power and the fragility of our human existence.

Winter storms are both a spectacle and a reminder of the forces that shape our world, a captivating drama that leaves us in awe of the beauty and chaos of the natural world.

Human interaction with winter

Human interaction with winter is a remarkable tapestry of adaptation and celebration, a testament to our indomitable spirit.

In the face of biting cold and relentless snowfall, we don our warmest attire and venture into the frosty embrace of this season.

From the laughter of children building snowmen to the grace of ice skaters on frozen ponds, we seize the opportunity to revel in the unique activities that winter bestows upon us.

Yet, this interaction also bears the weight of responsibility, as we navigate treacherous roads and prepare for the challenges of snow removal.

Winter is a season that demands both reverence and resilience, where the human spirit shines brightly, illuminating the darkest days with our resourcefulness, creativity, and the warmth of community.

The impact of winter on daily life

The impact of winter on daily life is an intricate interplay of challenge and charm, where the world outside transforms into a breathtaking wonderland while our routines undergo adjustments.

The shorter days and longer nights compel us to adapt, embracing the cozy sanctuary of home and the warmth of shared moments with loved ones.

From the practicality of shoveling driveways and navigating icy streets to the joy of curling up by the fireplace with a good book, winter’s influence weaves its way into every facet of our existence.

It calls for extra layers, hot beverages, and the soothing embrace of comfort food.

In these chilly months, we become both the beneficiaries of nature’s artistry and the architects of our own winter stories, each day a new page to be written in the diary of a season where the world slows down, offering us a chance to savor life’s simpler pleasures.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about How To Describe Winter Season In Writing

What is the best way to start a description of the winter season in writing.

Begin by setting the scene. Describe the location and time of day, creating a clear and vivid starting point for your readers.

How can I effectively convey the weather and temperature of winter in my writing?

Use descriptive language to depict the weather conditions and temperature. Words like “snowy,” “icy,” “chilly,” and “freezing” can help paint a clear picture.

What are some key elements of the winter landscape to include in my description?

Mention snow-covered trees, frozen bodies of water, icicles hanging from surfaces, and any other distinctive features of the winter environment in your description.

How can I make my writing about winter more sensory-rich?

Engage the reader’s senses by describing what can be seen, heard, felt, smelled, and even tasted during the winter season. Mention the sounds of snowfall, the feeling of cold air, the scent of evergreen trees, and the taste of seasonal treats.

What emotions and moods should I explore when writing about winter?

Delve into emotions like coziness, wonder, nostalgia, or even the sense of isolation that winter can bring. These emotions can help create a more well-rounded description.

Should I use metaphors and similes when describing winter?

Metaphors and similes can be powerful tools to make your descriptions more vivid. For example, you could liken a snowy landscape to a pristine canvas or a white blanket.

How do I maintain a smooth flow when describing the winter season in writing?

Use transition words and phrases to connect different aspects of your description. This will ensure that your writing flows smoothly from one detail to the next.

What is the best way to conclude a description of the winter season?

In your conclusion, summarize the essence of the winter season and leave the reader with a lasting impression of what makes winter special or unique.

How can I make my description of winter stand out and feel unique?

Focus on the distinctive elements of winter that resonate with you. Highlight what sets this season apart in your eyes, whether it’s the serenity of falling snow or the festive spirit of the holidays.

Any tips for editing and polishing my winter descriptions?

After writing, carefully review your work for clarity, coherence, and conciseness. Eliminate unnecessary words and ensure your descriptions are engaging and captivating for your audience.

In the conclusion of How To Describe Winter Season In Writing, the winter season serves as a remarkable thread, weaving its unique charm into the fabric of storytelling.

As we conclude this exploration of how to describe winter in writing, we are reminded of the enduring power of words to evoke the beauty, complexity, and emotions of this enchanting season.

Through vivid imagery, sensory details, and the exploration of winter’s impact on both the environment and the human experience, we have glimpsed the magic of this time of year.

The icy landscapes, cozy firesides, and moments of introspection have been laid bare through the art of the written word, inviting readers to partake in the wonders of winter.

In the hands of a skilled writer, winter becomes more than just a season—it becomes a canvas upon which stories are painted with the brushstrokes of imagination, where the snowflakes themselves whisper secrets and the chill in the air holds untold mysteries.

The ability to describe winter in writing is a precious gift, allowing us to share the enchantment of this season with the world and to celebrate its enduring allure.

Related Posts:

• How to Describe Spring Season in Writing (08 Best Tips)
• How To Describe Autumn Season In Writing (11 Steps,…
• How To Describe Being Cold In Writing (11 Best Ways)
• How To Describe Summer Season In Writing (08 Best Steps)
• How To Describe A Forest In A Story (For Beginners In 2024)
• How To Describe A River In Writing (10 Best Ways)

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19,898 quotes, descriptions and writing prompts, 4,964 themes

Winter - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

• Autumn to winter
• cold weather
• cold winter
• condensation
• first day of winter
• mild winter
• red berries
• seasonal change
• snow clouds
• snowball fight
• warm winter
• winter landscape
• winter leaves
• winter months
• winter season
• winter storm
• winter sunset
• winter trees
• winter wonderland
• winters day
• wintry wind

Winter comes as a hearth song bequeathed by black cradled stars.

Winter arrives, an icy serenade, a coolness to bring out the warmth within.

The winter sun brought out the purity of the heaven-given snow, as if were a blank page for our merriment, inviting the feet to play and the spirit to laugh.

This winter I'm gonna win. Let the ice crackle underfoot, for it is nothing as compared to this warm heart and the fire burning within, that steady pilot flame. That's the thing about these tough times, the most loving win because we dig in, we get determined when the greedy cut and run. So, that winter wind with its toothy bite is nothing but excitement to me.

The winter is such crystalline joy, those brilliant rays that show the uniqueness of every snowflake. It is the time of puddles that become transient skating rinks and for my thoughts to remain cozy within a woollen hat. It is the time when the sunniest of days are warm even in when I can see my breath rise as neat and pure vapour. It is the days of quiet poetry forming in my soul as if it calls to the spring flowers that will soon blossom.

The wintry sun is the brightness of the day, taking centre stage as the blooms of the summertime become a part of the soil. The sunshine and cold, the sparkle and the ice, somehow warm even when the north wind bites. There will be days I wish to stay in the warm, to observe from a duvet, fingers wrapped snuggly around some cocoa... yet somedays the winter takes my hand and shows me its beauty, that in truth, it is but the dawn of spring.

The river appears still, yet she flows under the thinnest of ice, awaiting the gentle touch of the sun. Though the air bares only the coldness and the ground is frozen once more, they glitter with the gift of each nascent ray. It is as if God ensured there would be hope even on the deepest and most wintry of days, asking us to see the sparks that remain even when the world is frozen. And so I choose not to see the blanket of ice but the waters that remain deep and moving, ever onward to join the ocean in its slow yet sure way.

Wintry trees stand as ballet dancers poised to show the world their grace, strength showing in how they remain so still in the seasonal gusts. Now that the leaves have fallen, they are so proud, as if their silvery-brown skin was their glory all along. I lift my head into the wind, eyes open for this softly lit day. Cold is good if you are warm inside, just the same as we love ice in the summer time.

Before the cold winds come to breathe our world anew, before snow makes our familiar streets a canvas for dreams, I see each sculpted flake with eyes at rest, the chaotic dance of billions uniting over the earth. These daydreams are my hearth-fire, bringing the hint of a newborn smile, one that lifts every part of what I am. I ask the icy wind to bring me to higher senses, to wake within that which rested in the easy summer days; for in these dreams are wintry puddles, silver-blue in the path, as if they were nascent moons born to shine. Then, as if I can contain this energy surge no-longer, I run... I run past trees with skin the hue of spring soil, through shadow and light just the same.

Upon each tree born wand, naked from winter's rasp, come the buds of spring. Each tells of green leaves to come, or the sweet blossom within. Even as cold winds blow, they are such embryonic joy.

As the long summer days linger in our memories, nature rests her rainbow palette. In their place she brings out the colours of beach and woodland, soothing us into a quiet reflection. We walk through pictures shown so beautifully by the winter sun; each as bathed in love as the one before. Be it the blue of sea or sky, or every shade of brown from almost white to almost black, it brings a peaceful harmony. Yet in this choir of colours, mother nature keeps by a little green, a little red, for the holly tree, the evergreens and robins. And after this rest, this deep breath of cool fresh air, we are ready for the sweet mischief of spring.

Under a dove grey sky the colours of my world don their winter coats, each hue darker and richer than before. The path sparkles and crunches, like sugar underfoot, and the coolness brings me right into the now, into the moment of life. Though the flowers sleep and the trees show their lofty arms once more, a smile plays upon these cold lips. For as much as I love the summertime, I love the winter too. For every perfume of the meadow, there is the earthy loam of the newly-lit forest floor.

There is a warmth that tumbles out in the winter time; when all else is so cold. It radiates from those who love and nurture as easily as they breathe. In truth, the sparks of warmth are always there no matter the season, just like a warm rock blends into a summer beach, yet melts winter ice.

The air is frozen lace on my skin, delicate and cold, like winter waves on sallow sand. The sky is washed with grey, watery light illuminating thin patches to brilliance. In some moments I am watching my boots over the frozen sidewalk, perfect concrete slabs, flat and square, and in others transfixed to the interplay of cloud and sun above. For some reason my mind conjures a stone mosaic made beautiful by the shards of a mirror and I want to keep my eyes heaven bound while my imagination makes them one thing. Only the slipping of my feet brings my attention earthward once more, the need to stay upright pulling my mind into the present.

The rain has lost the ambient temperature of early fall, freezing and paling my skin on contact. The path through the park is muddy water in motion, filling deep puddles that hide the ruts of dryer weather. To feel it isn't enjoyment, not fun like the gentle sunshine of springtime, yet it is a part of life and I want to feel it just the same. I want to experience each drop, together and apart, same and different. I want to see the droplets soaking my eyelashes before they join their brethren on the ground like saltless tears. I need to be in this, chaotic and wild, just like my mind and soul - like nature looked right into me and pulled the weather out.

Though the winter had been long, the first signs of spring grew boldly, as if commanding the warm weather to come all the faster. It was as if the teeth of winter had shattered and the kiss of a new season approached. Joanna breathed in deeply, so wanting the pretty flowers and blossoms that she could almost smell the promise of their fragrance. Just to imagine the change of season relaxed her and she walked down the wide avenue with her favourite, her steps bolder than they had ever been before.

Even on the coldest days of winter the sun is bright in the sky, bringing joy to my heart. The snow has a purity that elevates my spirit, the world made as pristine as a book ready for new stories. Already my creativity is surging, dancing around the evergreens with the delight of a child. Even the coldness upon my face is refreshing, my body cozy inside a warm coat.

Under the wintry air and the sky that has born black clouds since November came, the harbour is as grey as a newspaper picture. The sea has given up her blue, the stones show no russet colours and the boats have taken on the monochrome look of old movies. Even the air tastes more dull. The wind whips salt into eyelashes and onto exposed skin and all the while the trams run along the beachside with a clatter and whir.

For years I had lived winter and summer in separate houses, believing them to be both necessary to my wellbeing. Yet truly, my heart was in my summer house and this time, when winter called, I refused with a simple shake of my head. The months rolled by regardless and snow did fall on my summer house. In my tall boots I strode out to meet the world made anew and clapped my hands for joy, for the sight of the home I only associated with the warm weather was prettier than my imagination had ever conjured before. That year new life was breathed into my bones and I chose my summer home to be my only one.

The naked winter trees line the avenue. Our breath rises in visible puffs to join the darkened clouded night sky. There is a freezing chill in the air that brings crispness to the leaves, bejewelled with frost, that crunch underfoot. Rosy cheeked, we stamp to keep warm, pulling woollen hats over our reddened ears and tightening scarves over our blue-tinged lips. Teeth chatter and the cold seeps into our gloves numbing our fingers until they cease to bend properly, stiffened and frigid. Suddenly the illuminated sign on the bus appears, trundling slowly down the icy black road and we raise our arms to hail it.

The snow comes, white and glistening, erasing the troubles beneath, directing me toward a new and positive day. The coldness only crispens up my resolve to find love today. Perhaps in this swirling perfect whiteness that gives crystalline kisses, the coolness in the air will rejuvenate my soul, elevate my spirit and give me new reasons to step forward with confidence. It might be winter but there is beauty in it, clarity, the kind of thinking that lets me notice small details like how the trees though bare have the promise of spring within them, like the creator Himself lies dormant in the branches, ready to burst forth and greet the world with His many hues of green.

Mama always made her home-made soups and stews on those crisp winter days. The stew would warm us down to our toes, radiating the kind of glow that only her hearty food could give.

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How to Describe Snow in Writing (100+ Examples & Words)

Snow is a popular setting in many stories, essays, poems, and all kinds of writing.

Here is how to describe snow in writing:

Describe snow in writing by choosing specific words and phrases that evoke its unique characteristics: fluffy, sparkling, silent, cold, and transformative. Consider the type of snow, the time of day, the weather conditions, and the overall atmosphere you want to create.

In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to describe snow in writing.

11 Best Tips to Describe Snow in Writing (+ Examples)

Table of Contents

As we step out into the winter wonderland of words, let’s start with the best ways to describe snow in your stories.

1. Define Different Types of Snow

There are many different types of snow, each with its own unique characteristics. Here are a few examples:

• Powder: Dry and fluffy snow, perfect for skiing and snowboarding.
• Corn: Snow that has been melted and refrozen, creating a granular texture.
• Crust: A hard layer of snow on top of a softer layer.
• Drift: A large pile of snow that has been blown by the wind.
• Sleet: A mix of snow and rain.
• Graupel: Small, white pellets of snow that are formed when supercooled water droplets collide and freeze.

2. Describe the Texture of the Snow

The texture of snow can vary greatly depending on the type of snow, the temperature, and the wind conditions. Here are some examples of words to describe the texture of snow:

• Fluffy: Light and airy, like a cloud.
• Powdery: Fine and dry, like dust.
• Crunchy: Hard and brittle, like ice.
• Slushy: Wet and mushy, like melted ice cream.
• Slick: Smooth and slippery, like a sheet of ice.

3. Describe the Color of the Snow

Snow is often described as white, but it can also take on other colors depending on the light and the environment. Here are some examples of words to describe the color of snow:

• White: Bright and pure, like a blank canvas.
• Gray: Dark and dirty, like a city sidewalk.
• Blue: Cold and icy, like a glacier.
• Yellow: Warm and sunny, like a winter sunrise.
• Pink: Soft and delicate, like a rose petal.

4. Describe the Sound of the Snow

Snow can make a variety of sounds, depending on the conditions.

Here are some examples of words to describe the sound of snow:

• Crunching: The sound of footsteps on fresh snow.
• Hissing: The sound of wind blowing through the snow.
• Rustling: The sound of leaves being blown by the wind.
• Silence: The absence of sound, creating a peaceful atmosphere.
• Muffled: The sound of voices being muffled by the snow.

5. Describe the Smell of the Snow

Snow can have a faint, clean smell, especially when it is fresh. Here are some examples of words to describe the smell of snow:

• Clean: Fresh and pure, like a mountain stream.
• Cold: Sharp and refreshing, like the air in a winter forest.
• Earthy: Musky and rich, like the smell of soil.
• Dry: Dusty and powdery, like the smell of a desert.
• Metallic: Sharp and metallic, like the smell of ice.

6. Describe the Movement of the Snow

Snow can move in a variety of ways, depending on the wind conditions.

Here are some examples of words to describe the movement of snow:

• Falling: Descending gently from the sky.
• Drifting: Blowing across the ground by the wind.
• Whirling: Spinning in circles in the wind.
• Swirling: Moving in a circular motion, like a blizzard.
• Settling: Coming to rest on the ground.

7. Describe the Light on the Snow

The light on the snow can create a variety of visual effects. Here are some examples of words to describe the light on the snow:

• Glistening: Sparkling and reflecting light, like diamonds.
• Dazzling: Bright and blinding, like the sun on a winter day.
• Soft: Gentle and diffused, like moonlight.
• Shadowy: Dark and mysterious, like the woods on a winter night.
• Eerie: Strange and otherworldly, like a snowy landscape in a horror movie.

8. Describe the Temperature of the Snow

Snow can range in temperature from very cold to slightly warmer.

Here are some examples of words to describe the temperature of snow:

• Freezing: Cold enough to cause frostbite.
• Chilling: Cold and uncomfortable.
• Crisp: Cool and refreshing.
• Invigorating: Exhilarating and stimulating.
• Biting: Cold and sharp, like a winter wind.

9. Describe the Emotions Associated with Snow

Snow can evoke a variety of emotions, depending on the context.

Here are some examples of words to describe the emotions associated with snow:

• Peacefulness:  Calm and serene, like a winter wonderland.
• Joy:  Playful and happy, like children building snowmen.
• Loneliness:  Isolated and desolate, like a deserted snow-covered landscape.
• Melancholy:  Sad and introspective, like a lone figure walking through the snow.
• Fear:  Anxious and apprehensive, like being trapped in a blizzard.

10. Describe the Sensory Impact of Snow

Snow has a unique sensory impact that can be described using a variety of words and phrases.

Here are some examples:

• The cold sting of snowflakes on your cheeks.
• The soft crunch of your boots on fresh snow.
• The muffled silence of a snow-covered landscape.
• The blinding glare of the sun reflecting off the snow.
• The sweet scent of pine trees in the winter air.

11. Describe the Transformative Power of Snow

Snow can transform a familiar landscape into a magical wonderland. Here are some examples of words and phrases to describe the transformative power of snow:

• The world was blanketed in a pristine layer of white.
• The trees were adorned with sparkling diamonds of ice.
• The normally bustling city was eerily silent and serene.
• The snow created a sense of peace and tranquility.
• The world felt new and clean, as if it had been reborn.

Here is a video about how to describe a snowy day in writing:

50 Best Words for Describing Snow

Consider these words for describing snow in your writing:

• Invigorating
• Peacefulness
• Tranquility

50 Best Phrases for Describing Snow

Read through these phrases and choose your favorites to describe snow:

• A blanket of white
• A winter wonderland
• A crystalline carpet
• A world transformed
• A hush fell over the land
• The air was crisp and clean
• The sun glinted off the snow
• The world was a silent symphony in white
• The snow fell like a thousand tiny feathers
• The snowdrifts piled high
• The snowflakes danced in the wind
• The snow-covered landscape sparkled like diamonds
• The snow crunched underfoot
• The snow was a canvas waiting for footprints
• The snow muffled all sound
• The snow was a reminder of the fleeting beauty of winter
• The snow fell in gentle whispers
• The snow was a cleansing force
• The snow covered the world in a peaceful shroud
• The snow was a testament to the power of nature
• The snow was a blank slate waiting for stories to be written
• The snow was a symbol of hope and renewal
• The snow was a reminder to slow down and appreciate the simple things in life
• The snow was a magical world waiting to be explored
• The snow was a reminder that even the coldest winter eventually gives way to spring

3 Full Examples of How to Describe Snow in Different Genres

Now, let’s look at three full examples of how to describe snow in different kinds of stories.

Outside, the snow fell in thick, swirling flakes, muffling all sound and creating a world of hushed intimacy.

The soft glow of the streetlights cast long shadows on the snow-covered ground, and the only sound was the gentle crunch of our boots as we walked hand-in-hand. The air was crisp and clean, and the scent of pine trees filled the air. In this winter wonderland, surrounded by the beauty of the falling snow, I felt closer to her than ever before.

The first snowflake drifted down from the leaden sky, an icy harbinger of the blizzard to come. The air was thick with anticipation, and the silence was broken only by the occasional creak of the old house settling.

The snow began to fall in earnest, blanketing the world in a cold, white shroud. Visibility dropped to near zero, and the house was plunged into darkness. I huddled closer to the fire, the flames casting flickering shadows on the walls. The old house seemed to hold its breath, waiting for what the storm might bring.

The snow swirled around the ancient castle, obscuring its towers and ramparts in a swirling mist.

The wind howled like a banshee, tearing at the windows and doors. Inside the castle, the fire crackled in the hearth, casting long shadows on the stone walls. The king sat on his throne, his face grim and determined. He knew that the blizzard was not just weather; it was a portent of the dark forces that were gathering at the borders of his kingdom.

The snow continued to fall, a silent promise of the battles to come.

How to Write a Scene with Falling Snow

Setting a scene with falling snow can add a touch of magic and atmosphere to your writing.

Here are a few tips:

• Use vivid verbs and sensory details to bring the scene to life. Describe the way the snow falls, the crunch of boots on fresh snow, the way the wind whips around.
• Use the snow to create a mood. Is it a peaceful and serene snowfall, or a violent blizzard? The way you describe the snow can set the tone for the entire scene.
• Use the snow to reveal something about the characters. How do they react to the snowfall? Are they excited and playful, or are they cold and miserable?
• Don’t forget the contrast. The white snow can create a beautiful contrast against dark backgrounds, such as trees or buildings.

How to Describe a Blizzard

A blizzard is a powerful and dangerous storm, and it can be difficult to capture its full force in writing.

• Use strong verbs and adjectives to describe the wind and the snow. The wind should howl and roar, the snow should swirl and whip.
• Focus on the sensory details. Describe the way the wind sounds, the way the snow feels against your skin, the way the world looks completely white and obscured.
• Use figurative language to create a sense of danger and chaos. Similes and metaphors can help to convey the power of the blizzard.
• Show, don’t tell. Instead of simply saying that the blizzard was a powerful storm, describe the effects of the storm on the characters and their surroundings.

How to Write a Winter Wonderland

A winter wonderland is a magical place where the snow covers everything in white and creates a world of its own.

Here are a few tips for writing about a winter wonderland:

• Focus on the beauty of the snow. Describe the way it glistens in the sunlight, the way it covers the trees in a white shroud, the way it creates a peaceful silence.
• Use metaphors and similes to compare the snow to other things. Describe the snow as pure, as clean, as a blank canvas.
• Don’t forget the other elements of winter. Include details about the cold air, the frost on the trees, the icicles hanging from the eaves.
• Use the winter wonderland to set the mood for your story. Is it a peaceful and idyllic place, or is it a cold and lonely place? The way you describe the winter wonderland can affect how your readers feel about the story.

Final Thoughts: How to Describe Snow in Writing

So next time you see snow falling, take a moment to appreciate its beauty and transformative power.

It might just inspire you to write your own snow-bound story.

Related Posts:

• 200+ Winter Words To Grow Your Vocabulary
• 200 Nature Words To Build Your English Vocabulary
• 75 Other Words For Moon (Best Synonyms and Antonyms)
• How To Describe a Nose In Writing (100+ Examples & Words)

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News, Notes, Talk

Let it snow: 6 of the best descriptions of winter weather in literature.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful! But the reading is so delightful… Weather (sorry) or not you love the snow—blanketing your driveway, stalling your subway lines—it’s hard to deny that there have been some pretty darn good descriptions of it in literature, the kind that make you want to curl up by the fire (or, in my case, the space heater). Personally, I think I like winter weather best when it’s on the page and not the thing standing between me and the closest bar or the corner bodega when I’m out of popcorn. In an attempt to reframe the cold months ahead for myself, I have assembled some of the most beautiful/relatable descriptions of snow I could find in fiction. Perhaps now I will think of it as one of these instead of being irrationally irritated by Mother Nature’s cruel attempts to curb my snacking and my social life. So, here we go: let it snow! Sit down with these delightfully icy passages, and keep the hot cocoa coming.

From Leo Tolstoy’s  Anna Karenina :

At first she was unable to read. To begin with she was bothered by the bustle and movement; then, when the train started moving, she could not help listening to the noises; then the snow that beat against the left-hand window and stuck to the glass, and the sight of the conductor passing by, all bundled up and covered with snow on one side, and the talk about the terrible blizzard outside, distracted her attention. Further on it was all the same; the same jolting and knocking, the same snow on the window, the same quick transitions from steaming heat to cold and back to heat, the same flashing of the same faces in the semi-darkness, and the same voices, and Anna began to read and understand what she was reading.

From Italo Calvino’s   If on a winter’s night a traveler :

So here I am walking along this empty surface that is the world. There is a wind grazing the ground, dragging with flurries of fine snow the last residue of the vanished world: a bunch of ripe grapes which seems just picked from the vine, an infant’s woolen bootee, a well-oiled hinge, a page that seems torn from a novel written in Spanish, with a woman’s name: Amaranta. Was it a few seconds ago that everything ceased to exist, or many centuries? I’ve already lost any sense of time.

From Ali Smith’s  Winter :

And here instead’s another version of what was happening that morning, as if from a novel in which Sophia is the kind of character she’d choose to be, prefer to be, a character in a much more classic sort of story, perfectly honed and comforting, about how sombre yet bright the major-symphony of winter is and how beautiful everything looks under a high frost, how every grassblade is enhanced and silvered into individual beauty by it, how even the dull tarmac of the roads, the paving under our feet, shines when the weather’s been cold enough and how something at the heart of us, at the heart of all our cold and frozen states, melts when we encounter a time of peace on earth, goodwill to all men; a story in which there is no room for severed heads; a work in which Sophia’s perfectly honed minor-symphony modesty and narrative decorum complement the story she’s in with the right kind of quiet wisdom-from-experience ageing-female status, making it a story that’s thoughtful, dignified, conventional in structure thank God, the kind of quality literary fiction where the slow drift of snow across the landscape is merciful, has a perfect muffling decorum of its own, snow falling to whiten, soften, blur and prettify even further a landscape where there are no heads divided from bodies hanging around in the air or anywhere, either new ones, from new atrocities or murders or terrorisms, or old ones, left over from old historic atrocities and murders and terrorisms and bequeathed to the future as if in old French Revolution baskets, their wickerwork brown with the old dried blood, placed on the doorsteps of the neat and central-heating-interactive houses of now with notes tied to the handles saying please look after this head thank you […]

From Donna Tartt’s  The Secret History : 

The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.

From Kelly Link’s  Stranger Things Happen :

The next day it was snowing and he went out for a pack of cigarettes and never came back. You sat on the patio drinking something warm and alcoholic, with nutmeg in it, and the snow fell on your shoulders. You were wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt; you were pretending that you weren’t cold, and that your lover would be back soon. You put your finger on the ground and then stuck it in your mouth. The snow looked like sugar, but it tasted like nothing at all.

From Charles Dickens’  A Christmas Carol :

Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy, turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, meat, pigs, sausages, oysters, pies, puddings, fruit, and punch, all vanished instantly. So did the room, the fire, the ruddy glow, the hour of night, and they stood in the city streets on Christmas morning where (for the weather was severe) the people made a rough, but brisk and not unpleasant kind of music, in scraping the snow from the pavement in front of their dwellings, and from the tops of their houses, whence it was mad delight to the boys to see it come plumping down into the road below, and splitting into artificial little snow-storms.

The house fronts looked black enough, and the windows blacker, contrasting with the smooth white sheet of snow upon the roofs, and with the dirtier snow upon the ground; which last deposit had been ploughed up in deep furrows by the heavy wheels of carts and wagons; furrows that crossed and re-crossed each other hundreds of times where the great streets branched off; and made intricate channels, hard to trace, in the thick yellow mud and icy water. The sky was gloomy, and the shortest streets were choked up with a dingy mist, half thawed, half frozen, whose heavier particles descended in a shower of sooty atoms, as if all the chimneys in Great Britain had, by one consent, caught fire, and were blazing way to their dear hearts’ content. There was nothing very cheerful in the climate of the town, and yet was there an air of cheerfulness abroad that the clearest summer air and brightest summer sun might have endeavoured to diffuse in vain.

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Word lists, cheat sheets, and sometimes irreverent reviews of writing rules. kathy steinemann is the author of the writer's lexicon series..

1000+ Ways to Describe Snow Part 2: A Word List for Writers

Savior or Jailer?

“How the snow falls in the north! Flake on flake falling incessantly, until the small dingles are almost on a level with the uplands. It throws itself on the leaves of autumn, and holds them down in security from the strongest winds. It piles great banks against people’s doors, and mothers and daughters are made prisoners to their own hearths …” ~ W. H. Davies

In The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp , William Henry Davies refers to snow as a savior rescuing leaves from the winds of autumn. But he goes on to describe it as imprisoning people in their homes.

Snow, like people, has a nature that will vary depending on point of view.

This is the second of two articles providing ways for wordsmiths to include snow in their writing.

The Versatility of Verbs and Phrasal Verbs

Snow moves, causes sensations in people, and evokes emotions. Some verbs could appear in all three of the following sections, but to maintain brevity, I chose a single section for most verbs.

For example, let’s consider melt :

The snow melted my hesitation to go skiing. Fresh powder. Lots of it. Why not?

A chinook swept across the valley. The heavy snow melted , creating ideal conditions for mudslides.

The boss grabbed a hairdryer and melted the snow on his windshield.

Verbs (1): Transitive

Transitive verb: a verb that takes one or more direct objects.

The following verbs and phrases, which take direct objects, reveal how snow interacts with people and the environment.

For example:

Snow billowed into scarfs and sleeves , chilling the stranded motorists.

Driving snow whirled through the pass and covered every trace of the escaped prisoners.

A and B absorb, accentuate, adhere to, advance (across, over, toward), alight on, approach, bedevil, billow (across, over, into, through), blanket, blast (into, through), blind, block, blossom (after, in, into), blow (around, into, over), blur, bluster (across, over, through), bridge, buffet, bury

C cake (into, on), camouflage, carpet, cascade (into, over), chill, choke, churn (in, into, up, with), cling to, cloak, clog, collect (atop, below, in, on top of), conceal, cool, cover, creep (across, into, through), crisscross, crown, cushion

D and E dance (across, atop, over), dapple with, dazzle, deaden, drape (across, over), drench, drift (into, over, through), drive (into, through), drizzle into, drop (into, onto), dust, eddy (about, around), encircle, encumber, endanger, engulf, envelop, extinguish

F and G fan (across, over), feather (across, over), fill, filter (into, through), float (across, into, over, through), flutter (across, into, over, through), fly (into, through), forebode, form [clumps, dunes, ripples, waves], freeze, gather in, ghost, gum up, gust (into, over, through)

H to O hamper, hide, hinder, hiss (into, over, through), impede, imprison, insulate, lash (at), layer (into, over), lie (atop, on), line, litter, lodge (against, in), loom (before, in), mantle, migrate (into, over, through), mingle with, mold, mound, muddy, muffle, near, numb, obliterate, obscure, overhang

P to R patter (against, down on, on), pelt (against, down on, on), penetrate, pepper, percolate (into, toward), pillow, plume (around, into), portend, pound (against, on), pour into, protect, rage (across, into, over, through), rain (about, across, down on, into, past), rattle against, reflect, remain (in, on), resemble

S scud (along, between, into, over, through), seep (into, through), settle on, sheet, shelter, shower (down on, from, over), shroud, sift (into, through), skid (from, off), slide (down, from, off), smother, soar (across, over), spew (into, onto), spill into, spin (about, around), spiral (about, around), splash, splatter (in, on), sprinkle, stick to, stifle, storm (across, over, through), stream (across, over, through), surround, sweep (across, over, through), swirl (around, over, through), swish (about, around)

T to Y tinge with [antifreeze, a color, dust, fresh blood, rust], tower (above, over), transform into, trap, trickle (into, through), tumble (against, over, through), waft (across, around, over, through), whip (against, at, through), whirl (about, around, over, through), whisper (in, to), wing (across, over), withstand, wreath, yield (before, to)

Verbs (2): Intransitive

Intransitive verb: a verb that doesn’t take a direct object.

After an hour of light rain, the snow hardened . However, our boots still crunched through the crust. We’d need snowshoes to get out of the valley.

Radioactive ash drifted over the countryside. Within minutes, the snow greyed .

A to L abate, accumulate, arrive, brighten, cave in, cease, come down, congeal, continue, crackle, crunch, crust, crystalize, deepen, descend, diminish, disappear, dissolve, drift, drop, dwindle, ease, evaporate, fall, fly, glare, glaze, gleam, glint, glisten, glister, glitter, glow, granulate, grey, harden, last, let up, lighten, linger, liquefy

M to Y melt, persist, peter out, puddle, recede, recommence, reign, remain, resume, retreat, ridge, ripple, rise, rustle, scrunch, settle, shift, shine, sigh, slow, soften, solidify, sparkle, start, stay, stop, taper off, thaw, thicken, thin, threaten, twinkle, vanish, weaken, whisper, yellow

Verbs (3): Verbs That Could Take Snow as an Object

The UPS driver detested snow . Only three more days to retirement! He couldn’t wait.

The beagle tunneled through the snow until it reached the hole in the fence.

A to D bank, battle, blacken, blot (from, on), blow off, brave, brush, burrow into, burrow through, camp in, cause, clean up, clear, color (with), compact, compress, deposit (in, on), detest, dig through, discolor, dislodge, dome, dot, dread, drive (through), dump (into)

E to P eat, encounter, enjoy, fear, fight, fleck (with), fling, forecast, furrow, groom, gust, hate , haul away, heap, heave, honeycomb, hurl, intercept, kick, leave, lick, load, loosen, measure, miss, muddy, pack, paw at, peck at, photograph, pile, plaster, plow, pollute, powder, predict, presage, prevent, prolong, push

R to W rake, redistribute, remove, ripple, rub, saturate, scatter, scoop, scrape, scuff, sculpt, shadow, shake (off), shed, shovel, smooth, soak, soften, soil, spit on, stamp on, stomp on, survey, sweep, throw, tint, toss, tramp through, traverse, tread through, treasure, trigger, tunnel through, welcome, wipe (from, on)

Ensure clear context. Snow could refer to powdered or crystalline narcotics such as cocaine.

A to W acid snow, blizzard, corn snow, crust, eiderdown flakes, flurries, flurry, graupel, precipitation, sleet, snowburst, snowflakes, snowmageddon, snowshower, snowstorm, whiteout

An alligator crosses the road in the middle of a snowstorm. Wait, what? Huh? Where did it come from?

A man discovers an electronic bugging device in his ear muffs. Is he a fugitive from justice? A spy? An innocent whose identity has been confused with someone else’s? How will the snow affect his next actions?

A cross country skier accidentally wakes a hibernating grizzly. Does the skier flee? Remain motionless while she mentally reviews all the advice she’s ever heard about bears?

Props like the following lead to rich subplots and story twists.

A to E ablation, alligator, animal spoor, animal tracks, antifreeze, aurora borealis, avalanche, bald tires, black ice, boots, bridge, brine slush, campfire, canyon, car pileup, caribou, cave, Christmas tree hunt, climatic snow line, clouds, coat, coyote, crack in window, crevasse, crocuses, deer, delayed flight, dragon, ear muffs

F to L fence, feral cat, feral dog, flat tire, frozen creek, frozen lake, frozen waterfall, full moon, gale, glacier, gloves, gully, hail, hand warmers, hang glider, hibernating animal, highway median strip, highway shoulder, hot chocolate, hot tub, ice cliffs, ice patches, icicles, igloo, lean-to

M to R mittens, mountain climber, muffler, nor’easter, outdoor hockey, owl, parka, permafrost, piece of cardboard, polar bear, polar vortex, potholes, powder snow, rabbit burrow, rain, reindeer, roof, runway accident, ruts

S salt, sastrugi, scarf, scooter, sculpture, ski goggles, ski hill, ski resort, skis, sled, sled dog, sledge, sleet, slush, snake, snow angel, snow brush, snow cleats, snow crystals, snow fort, snow saucer, snow scraper, snow shovel, snowball fight, snowbank, snowblower, snowboard, snow-covered vehicle, snowdrift, snowflake, snowman, snowplow, snowshoes, spider, squall, squirrel, studded tires, Styrofoam, sunglasses

T to W tempest, tent, tinsel, tire tracks, tires, toboggan, toque, tow truck, tractor, trail in the woods, train derailment, tunnel, walker, well, wind, window blinds, wolf, wolf pack, woodpile, woodshed

Clichés and Idioms

If you run a word-frequency check and discover too many repetitions of snow in your WIP, you may realize you’ve overused clichés and idioms. Maybe you can replace them.

like baking snow in the oven: impossible, impractical, ridiculous

pure as the driven snow: chaste, guiltless, incorrupt, irreproachable

snow job (a): con, deception, duplicity, scam

snowed under: flooded, inundated, swamped, overwhelmed

to do a snow job on someone: blandish, con, flatter, sweet-talk

to have snow on the roof: have grey, silver, or white hair

to snowball: burgeon, escalate, intensify, mushroom, proliferate

white as snow (1): honest, moral, trustworthy, upright

white as snow (2): anemic, pale, pasty, wan, washed-out

See also 1000+ Ways to Describe Snow Part 1 .

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2 thoughts on “ 1000+ Ways to Describe Snow Part 2: A Word List for Writers ”

Timely, Kathy. My characters are crossing the Pyrenees in winter!

Thanks, Jacqui! It is that time of year, right?

BRYN DONOVAN

tell your stories, love your life

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Master List for Describing Weather

A lot of writers struggle with describing settings. I’ve written before about how to describe settings and why it matters , but a few people have told me they’d like me to do some of my master lists for writers to help them out!

I have a weird love for creating lists like this, so I’m happy to do it. “How to describe weather” seemed like a good place to start. This way, you won’t get stuck trying to figure out how to describe nice weather, or thinking up ways to describe rain. Hopefully, this will make your writing go faster.

I always include simple as well as more creative ways to describe or write about weather. Sometimes, the simple word is the one you want! I included dryness and humidity in a few of the categories because it felt weird for them to get their own.

As always, this is not a comprehensive list, and I might add to it. My list will probably make you think of other possibilities, too. Bookmark or pin it for future writing reference!

HOT WEATHER 

blazing sunshine

glaring sun

baking in the sun

sun-drenched

scorching heat

extravagant heat

relentless sun

like a suana

dense tropical heat

radiating heat

blistering heat

oppressive heat

insufferable heat

suffocating heat

heat pressing down

searing sun

shimmering heat

like an oven

like a furnace

WARM / PLEASANT WEATHER

(“Pleasant” is a matter of opinion, of course.)

a beautiful day

a clear day

a temperate day

a golden day

a glorious day

heavenly weather

bright and sunny

a gorgeous spring day

a dazzling summer day

a brilliant autumn day

a vivid blue sky

a cloudless sky

fluffy white clouds

gentle sunshine

lazy sunshine

kind sunshine

filtered sunlight

dappled sunlight

welcome warmth

one of those rare, perfect days

the kind of day that made people forget to worry

the kind of day that lifted people’s moods

COOL WEATHER

refreshing air

stimulating cool air

invigorating cool air

bracing cool air

a nip in the air

a brisk day

a chilly day

weak sunshine

GRAY / OVERCAST WEATHER

(Most people don’t like gray days, so most of these descriptions are negative. I love them, so I had to add a few positive descriptions.)

colorless sky

a soft gray sky

a dove-gray sky

a gray day made for books and tea

steel-gray sky

granite sky

cement-gray sky

threatening clouds

foreboding clouds

COLD WEATHER

glacial air

bitter cold

brutal cold

bone-chilling cold

penetrating cold

devastating cold

numbing cold

punishing cold

dangerous cold

unforgiving cold

too cold to talk

so cold it burned one’s lungs

so cold it took one’s breath away

like a blast from a hair dryer

a gust of wind

insistent winds

heavy winds

strong winds

cutting wind

whipping winds

biting wind

wintry squall

violent gale

howling wind

shifting winds

restless wind

fresh breeze

soft breeze

balmy breeze

perfumed breeze

slight breeze

hint of a breeze

stirring breeze

wind rustling through the trees

fine drizzle

gray drizzle

pebbles of falling rain

spitting rain

stinging rain

steady rain

rain falling in torrents

cascades of rain

rain beating down

shower of rain

sheets of rain

hard-driving rain

pelting rain

lashing rain

slashing rain

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

rumbling in the distance

a roll of distant thunder

crash of thunder

crackle of thunder

crack of thunder

clap of thunder

bang of thunder

booming thunder

rattled with thunder

earth-shaking thunder

tempestuous

a furious storm

flash of lightning

streaks of lightning

SNOW AND ICE

flurries of snow

dancing flakes

snowflakes floating down

snowflakes wafting down

swirling snow

falling thick and fast

big flakes falling like petals

blinding snowstorm

raging blizzard

sparkling expanses

blankets of white

caked with snow

boulders of snow

branches coated in ice

glittering ice

crystallized by frost

silvered with frost

clouds of mist

swirling mist

billowing fog

cloaked in mist

cocooned in fog

shrouded in fog

enveloped by fog

smothered by fog

made mysterious by fog

the fog rolled in

the fog was burning off

the fog was lifting

the fog was clearing

the fog was dissipating

I have many lists like this in my book  Master Lists for Writers: Thesauruses, Plots, Character Traits, Names, and More . Check it out!

Do you describe weather conditions in your writing? Do you have a favorite example of a weather description? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading, and happy writing!

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21 thoughts on “ master list for describing weather ”.

In my current WIP, weather is a crucial element. Not only is the woman in the romance a professional photographer — of weather — but it is a weather phenomenon, namely a tornado, that brings them together. So the description of the sky and the weather is quite detailed in places (specially as the supercell storm roars down on them).

On another angle, the phrase “gloriously sunny” is one that despite having that horrible “ly” adverb (shudder) is so evocative of the type of weather and the POV character’s attitude (and possibly even the type of weather that has gone before), that it’s powerful. It says a huge amount with only two words.

Hi Chris! Oh, wow…that’s a lot more detailed than most of us ever get in writing about the weather. It sounds like a great premise!

I will need this list as I begin edits next month on my WIP. I currently live in Hawaii, but am writing a story at Christmas time in Vermont. 🙂 Thank you!

Aw, nice! That’s some very different weather from what you’re used to. 🙂

It really is! And traveling to the climate I need isn’t ideal right now. So, off to the freezer I go! 🙂

Wow! This is fantastic. Thanks. You ARE a master at this.

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This is comprehensive! It’s bookmarked for future use. Thanks!

Thanks, Steve, I’m glad you liked it!

Amazing list that goes beyond the words that I struggle with – especially describing the rain-painted setting of Snowdonia.

Love your lists. You don’t have one for beaches by any chance? Would this, including the weather be another book by any chance??

Hi, Nicole! It’s funny you should ask. 🙂 I am going to release a second, more expanded version of MASTER LISTS FOR WRITERS . It’s going to have several setting descriptions in there (including a whole list for beaches!), and the weather list will be in there, too! I’m hoping to get it done before November of this year, but we’ll see. Thanks for asking!

That’s awesome and look forward to it’s release.

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I am in Chinan. I happened to enter this web-link and want to learn more about writing, I wonder if there are any descriptive passages. I can only find some words and expressions…

That was really useful. Thank you!

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This list is fabulous. Thank you for sharing it. I will be consulting it when incorporating weather elements into writing my next picture book.

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Fun Winter Writing Prompts: Spark Cold-Weather Creativity

My name is Debbie, and I am passionate about developing a love for the written word and planting a seed that will grow into a powerful voice that can inspire many.

I. Introduction: Embrace the ​Winter Season by Igniting⁣ Your⁣ Imagination

Ii. creative warm-up:​ inspiring winter⁤ scenery descriptions, iii. chills and thrills: crafting spine-tingling winter tales, iv. frosty ⁢adventures: imagining new winter wonderland‍ characters, v.‌ expressing ​winter emotions: poetic reflections​ on the season, bonding with nature, beloved ‍winter traditions, vii. ⁢winter haiku: capturing transient beauty in three lines, viii. cozy writing nooks: creating the ‌perfect winter writing ‍sanctuary, frequently ‍asked questions, closing‍ remarks.

As the ​days grow shorter and a frosty⁤ chill‍ fills ⁤the air, a magical opportunity presents ‌itself: the winter season. While for some it may be​ a time of cozy blankets and hot ​cocoa by ⁣the fireplace, we invite you to⁣ go‍ beyond the ‍ordinary and discover ‌the wonders that await ⁣when you engage your imagination. ⁢This introductory section will set the stage ⁣for a journey ‍of enchantment and creativity, urging you to embrace the⁤ winter season with‍ open arms.

Winter brings with it a myriad of possibilities, each as unique as the‍ delicate‌ snowflakes that​ grace the earth. By unlocking the‍ power of ‍your imagination, ​you can ​transform the​ cold and sometimes⁢ gloomy days into a world‌ of your own creation. ⁢Allow your⁤ mind⁣ to wander to far-off lands blanketed in pristine snow,⁣ where⁣ snowmen come to ‍life and icicles​ sparkle like diamonds. Picture yourself venturing into mysterious⁤ forests, where ⁢ancient trees bow under the weight ​of glistening ice,‌ and⁢ whispering ‌winds ‌carry tales from another ​time. Embracing the winter season means embracing the opportunity to let​ your ⁣creativity soar.

In this ⁤creative warm-up, ​we will explore the beauty of winter scenery through vivid descriptions. Get ready to sharpen your imagination and get ‍inspired by the magical landscapes that winter has to offer. Whether you are a writer, artist,⁢ or simply looking for a creative exercise, this activity will help ‌you delve into the mesmerizing details of the winter season.

To kick-start your⁤ creativity, here are some ideas ​to describe winter scenery:

• Frosty Forest: Picture a serene⁤ forest covered in a ‌delicate layer‍ of frost. The​ trees⁣ glisten⁢ as ⁣the early ⁤morning sunlight kisses their icy branches. Each ‍step you take echoes through​ the ‌stillness, and a⁣ sense of tranquility surrounds you.
• Winter ⁣Wonderland: Imagine a landscape⁤ blanketed in fresh, untouched snow. ‌Sparkling like a thousand diamonds, ⁢it creates ‍a soft, ethereal⁢ glow. The air is crisp, and ⁢the only sound you hear is the satisfying crunch of your ‍footsteps ​as you leave a trail ‌behind.
• Enchanting Frozen ⁣Lake: ‌ Visualize a vast frozen lake, its surface a​ mirror of ice reflecting the pale blue sky above. Glistening icicles hang ⁣from the ⁤surrounding trees, ​creating a ‌magical⁢ atmosphere. ⁣As‍ you stand by its shores, you can’t help but hear the⁤ faint crackling of the frozen ‍water beneath.

Allow‍ your mind to explore ⁣these ⁢winter scenes and describe them in your⁣ own⁤ unique⁢ way. Let your words​ paint a vivid picture, capturing the essence of winter’s charm and allure.

Winter is the ‌perfect setting to evoke a ⁤sense of mystery, suspense, and excitement in the hearts of⁣ your readers. Whether you’re a seasoned‌ writer or just starting out, this section will guide⁤ you in crafting spine-tingling winter tales that ⁤will send shivers ⁢down⁣ your⁣ readers’ spines.⁤ So, grab ​a cozy blanket, sip on a warm cup of cocoa, and prepare to dive into the chilling depths of storytelling!

1. Setting⁤ the Stage: To create a truly chilling winter tale, focus on building a vivid and atmospheric setting. Transport your readers⁤ to⁣ icy ⁤landscapes adorned with snow-cloaked trees ‌and frozen lakes that crack beneath weight. Describe the biting cold that numbs fingertips and the dense fog that hides secrets‍ in its ‌ethereal embrace. Utilize sensory details to​ bring your reader into your frozen world and make them feel the bone-chilling cold, the eerie silence interrupted‌ only by the sound of howling winds.

Frosty⁣ Adventures: Imagining New Winter Wonderland Characters

Winter is a magical time of year,⁤ filled with snow-covered landscapes and endless possibilities. In this ⁢section, ⁢we will delve into the realm of imagination and explore some exciting new characters that⁣ could inhabit our very own winter wonderland.

1. Snow Queen: Imagine a​ majestic queen, shimmering in‍ a stunning gown made entirely ​of glistening snowflakes. She can conjure‌ blizzards at‌ will and possesses the ⁣power to freeze anything‍ she touches. With her ⁤icy blue eyes and ⁢a warm heart, she offers guidance and protection to all who journey through her ⁣kingdom.‍

2. ⁣Blizzard‍ Beast: Deep within the ⁤frozen​ forest, ​there ⁢exists a fearsome creature with a breath⁢ as ​cold as‌ Arctic winds. This behemoth roams the⁤ land, leaving a trail ‍of ‌snowy destruction‍ in its wake. Its mighty paws can summon avalanches, and its icy horns can withstand even the fiercest storms. Many adventurers seek to tame​ this beast, ⁤hoping to‍ harness its power ⁣for good.

Winter, a season that paints the​ world‌ in delicate shades of white, evokes a myriad of emotions ⁤within us. The quiet charm of‌ falling snowflakes, the crispness in the air,‍ and the stillness that blankets the landscape, all create a canvas for poetic reflection. ⁢Through⁤ the art of ⁢words, poets capture and express ​the essence of winter, inviting us ‍to delve into our own emotions brought forth by this magical time of year.

1. Capturing the Serenity: Poets often explore the ⁣tranquil beauty of winter, ​depicting scenes that evoke a ⁣sense ⁣of⁣ calmness, peace,⁢ and solitude. Their words paint vivid imagery of snow-covered⁣ landscapes, frozen​ lakes, and⁣ barren trees. Through these peaceful descriptions, they convey the stillness of nature, inviting us⁤ to find⁣ solace and reflect upon our own inner calmness during this ​hushed​ season.

2. Embracing the Coziness: While winter may be associated with cold temperatures,⁢ it⁣ also brings a sense of warmth ‍and coziness. Poets often express the joy‍ of curling up ‍by ​the fireplace, wrapped in a⁤ soft blanket, sipping hot cocoa, and ⁢indulging in hearty comfort foods. ‍In their ⁣verses, they celebrate moments of togetherness with loved ones, the joy of sharing laughter, and the​ happiness⁤ found in simple pleasures. These heartfelt portrayals‍ remind us to embrace the‌ cozy moments ⁢and find joy in the warmth of winter’s ⁢embrace.

VI. ⁣Winter Memoirs: ​Sharing Personal Stories of Cold-Weather Moments

As temperatures plummet and snow blankets the landscape,⁤ winter brings forth a myriad of cherished⁤ memories. ⁢Let’s gather‌ around the⁤ virtual fireplace,⁢ sip a ⁤cozy cup of⁣ cocoa, and share ‍our unique⁢ adventures in ‍the chilly wonderland. Join us as ⁢we embark‌ on a journey of heartwarming anecdotes from frosty escapades that have left‍ an indelible⁢ mark on our souls.

Winters offer us the opportunity to ​forge unforgettable connections with ⁣the natural world. From snow-capped⁣ mountains to frozen lakes, we ‌find solace and exhilaration in these frosty landscapes. *Remember that time you skied ‌down a steep slope while your​ heart soared?* Or perhaps you encountered​ a⁢ majestic reindeer while trekking through a snow-laden forest? Share these enchanting‍ moments as we revel in the beauty and⁢ serenity that winter brings.

Winter is a season teeming with cherished traditions, passed down through‍ generations. *Did‍ your family ever⁣ engage in a⁢ friendly snowball fight, leaving you ‌in fits of‌ laughter ⁢and covered in ⁢frost?* Maybe​ you participated in building a colossal snowman together, adorning‌ it with hats and scarves to bring it to ‍life? Let’s‍ reminisce about these⁤ heartwarming customs and discover the joy they bring, filling our​ winters with ‍love ⁤and togetherness.

Winter, with its ⁢icy breath and pristine landscapes, has long been a muse for poets seeking to encapsulate its ‍fleeting allure. Haiku, a traditional form of Japanese ⁢poetry, allows us ​to distill​ the ⁤essence of this season into just three lines. In ‍these seemingly simple verses, poets weave ‍together vivid imagery, ‌emotions, and⁣ a touch of ⁤Zen philosophy,⁢ capturing ‌the delicate beauty⁢ that exists for but a ‌moment ‍before vanishing like frost⁤ beneath ⁢the morning sun.

Each ‍haiku possesses a⁤ profound ability to transport us into the heart of winter, revealing its​ multifaceted facets. From delicate ‍snowflakes gracefully descending from the⁣ heavens to ⁣the ‍quiet solitude of a ⁤frozen lake, these ⁢tiny⁢ poems serve as⁣ windows into‍ a world often overlooked or⁤ taken for granted. Through the precise​ and⁢ deliberate choice of words, haiku invites us ​to slow​ down, to ⁣truly see and experience the ephemeral beauty that surrounds us ⁤during this enchanting ⁣season.

• Ancient pines whisper, their branches laden with snow -‌ winter’s silent hymn.
• Footprints in fresh ‌white, ​a dance on frozen ⁢canvas ⁣- youth’s fleeting marker.
• Crisp air greets the dawn, golden ⁤rays whisper secrets – ​ nature’s daily‍ charm.

These carefully ‌crafted haikus are like microcosms, encapsulating moments of bliss, melancholy, and wonder⁢ that winter brings. By embracing the brevity and⁣ simplicity of haiku poetry, we ⁢embark on a journey through the ⁢season, discovering its undeniable allure as well as its ​profound ​lessons of transience and impermanence. So, let us revel in the power of these three ‍lines and let them kindle ‌a flame that warms our ⁤soul⁣ even in the⁢ coldest of winters.

As the chill of winter settles in,⁢ avid writers find solace in‌ the warmth and ​comfort of ⁣their very own writing nooks. These sanctuaries ⁣provide a cozy and inspiring environment‍ where creativity can bloom. If you’re yearning​ to create your very own winter ⁣writing sanctuary, here are some tips to help you craft a space that perfectly encapsulates both serenity and ⁣productivity:

• Choose the ideal‍ location: Find a spot in your home that offers natural light and minimal distractions. ⁤It could be a nook in your study, a secluded corner, ⁤or‌ even a window-facing desk overlooking a breathtaking winter landscape.
• Embrace soft and inviting furnishings: ‍ Furnish your writing nook with plush cushions,⁤ warm ​blankets, and a comfortable chair to ‌sink⁤ into. Create an atmosphere that encourages you to snuggle up and let your thoughts flow.
• Add ambiance with lighting: Utilize soft,​ warm ‌lighting options such as fairy lights, ⁢candles, or a dimmable lamp to ‍create a soothing atmosphere.
• Surround yourself with inspiration: ⁢ Display‍ shelves or a bulletin board with ‍quotes, photographs, or objects that⁣ inspire⁤ your writing. Let your nook ⁣be a reflection of your ‍imagination.

Remember, the perfect winter writing sanctuary is ‌about crafting an environment that nurtures your creativity and provides you with the‍ utmost comfort. With each stroke of the pen, you’ll find⁤ yourself transported to a ‍world where ⁢winter’s ⁣cold ⁤embraces ​your⁣ words, igniting a​ fire within​ your soul.

Q: What are some fun‌ winter writing prompts to spark cold-weather​ creativity? A: Looking for⁢ inspiration ⁣during the⁣ chilly winter season? We have compiled a⁢ list of engaging writing ⁢prompts to ‍fuel your creativity as the snow falls and the temperature drops.

Q: Can you give‌ me an example​ of a winter-themed writing prompt ? A: Of ⁤course! How​ about this​ one: “Imagine yourself waking up to find the ⁤entire ‍world covered in a thick‍ blanket⁤ of snow. Describe the‌ sights, sounds, and feelings you experience as you step outside for​ the‍ first ​time.”

Q: Are these‍ prompts suitable⁣ for all ages? A: Absolutely! Our prompts cater to a ‌wide range of ages and can be adapted to suit the interests and‍ writing⁣ abilities of both children and⁤ adults alike.

Q: Will these writing prompts‍ only‍ focus on winter landscapes or ⁣snow-related activities? A: While many of our‍ prompts do ‌revolve around the winter ⁢season and its ​unique characteristics, we also provide prompts‍ that ​delve ⁣into various themes, such as winter traditions, holiday memories, and⁣ even fictional winter adventures.

Q: How can these ⁤writing prompts benefit young​ writers? A: These‍ prompts serve as wonderful tools to enhance young writers’ skills. They encourage imagination, help develop descriptive writing, and improve storytelling abilities. ‌They also provide an opportunity for children to ⁤express‌ their thoughts and emotions through writing.

Q: Can these writing​ prompts‍ be​ used in ⁢a classroom ‍setting? A: Absolutely! Many teachers ⁤find our winter writing ​prompts to ⁤be an excellent way to engage ​their students during the⁢ colder months. They can be used as daily warm-up exercises, class discussions, or even as⁢ the foundation for​ longer writing assignments .

Q: Are there any specific tips for using these writing prompts effectively? A: ‌It’s always helpful‌ to encourage writers to focus on using descriptive language, appealing to the ⁢senses, and incorporating emotions into their narratives. Additionally, offering ⁣prompts in ⁢a ‍visual format with⁢ accompanying‌ images can further stimulate ⁤creativity and help struggling writers.

Q: Where can I find​ these winter writing prompts? A: You can‌ find our‌ comprehensive list of winter writing prompts in our article titled “Fun Winter Writing Prompts: Spark ‍Cold-Weather Creativity.” Feel free to ​explore and utilize these prompts to ignite your writing during the winter season.

Q: Are there any additional resources⁤ or tools available to support writers‍ using‌ these prompts? A: Absolutely! We recommend checking out online writing ⁣communities ⁤ or forums⁤ where writers can share their work, receive​ feedback, and find ⁢further inspiration. Additionally, writing apps and software often offer prompts and exercises ‌to help writers ‍challenge ‌themselves and⁤ improve their craft.

Q: How can one share their creative writing prompted by ⁢these winter-themed​ ideas? A: Sharing ​your work is a great way to gain encouragement and​ feedback. ​You can share ⁤your writing⁤ with‌ friends, ⁤family, ⁢or even submit them to blogs, literary magazines, ⁤or​ writing contests. Don’t ‌be afraid to put your​ work out there‍ and let others ⁣appreciate your creativity! ‌

In⁣ conclusion, these fun winter writing prompts are sure‍ to​ inspire and ‌unlock your ⁣creativity, ‌even in the chilliest⁤ of weather. Happy writing!

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Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.

How to Describe a Winter Morning in a Story

By Brittany Kuhn

Is the main plot in your novel set in the winter? Scroll down to get some tips on how to describe a winter morning in a story.

Undisturbed by motion or noise.

“She awoke to a quiet winter morning as the overnight snow had dulled even the softest sound.”

“The quiet winter mornings were his favorite; he could wrap himself in a robe, sip from a warm cup of coffee, and ponder the day ahead in silent contemplation.”

How it Adds Description

Because winter mornings are often still dark, there isn’t a lot of activity as everybody is still forcing themselves to wake up and start the day. Snow also softens sound, so if a winter morning has snowfall, then the morning will be quiet because of the snow.

• Without movement .
• Free from disruptions or interference; composed.

“He opened his curtain to a complete still winter morning, not even a leaf rustled outside.”

“Winter morning training runs were made better by how still the rest of the world was around her.”

Still adds to the description in the same way using quiet does but with more of a focus on the lack of motion as opposed to the lack of sound. Using still emphasizes that the rest of the world is struggling to wake up and start moving because the cold, dark morning makes them want to stay in bed where it’s warm.

• Having a biting chill to the air.
• Covered with ice.

“Today’s winter morning was just as frosty as yesterday’s.”

“She hated waking up to frosty winter mornings; it made her want to curl back in bed and hibernate until spring came.”

Frost is different from snow: it’s icier, colder, wetter. Where a snowy winter morning might be exciting and playful, a frosty one suggests it’s so cold you can’t escape from it as it seeps into the clothes and bones.

• Completely relaxed and at peace .
• Clear skies with no storms and possibly the sun shining.

“We stopped at the top of the hill and took in the serene winter morning scene laid out in front of us.”

“The sun reflecting off the snow-filled fields and crystal-lined tree branches made the winter morning feel more serene than cold.”

Describing the winter morning as serene evokes images of waking up in a cabin in the woods with a soft snowfall outside. So long as there isn’t a blizzard outside, winter mornings can be serene in their quiet and stillness, even if the character is taking a walk in nature among the hibernating animals.

• Cold in a stimulating, refreshing way.
• Easily broken.
• Given to a crunchy sound when tread upon.

“She opened her door to a crisp winter morning and wrapped her scarf a bit tighter around her neck.”

“The crisp winter morning caused the leaves to crunch beneath the children’s steps as they ran and played.”

Crisp is one of those sensory words that activate the senses of touch and sound. It is so cold that the leaves and tree branches have practically been frozen solid, crunchy whenever stepped on, but it’s not a bitter-feeling cold. Instead, a crisp winter morning invites you to wrap up warm and come outside to be a part of it. It is a rejuvenating cold.

Having or covered in a lot of snow .

“Watching out the window as the snow feel on this snowy winter morning made me smile; the softness of it all was comforting to watch.”

“We set out to enjoy the winter morning in spite of its snowiness .”

A snowy morning is a morning with the perfect type of snow: not too much, not too wet. Kids can get out and play in it without feeling too uncomfortable. Because snow reduces sound, a snowy winter morning will often be a quieter one, which will cause less feelings of anxiety and pressure to rush around and get moving.

7. Glistening

Sparkling , often from reflecting another light like the sun.

“The sun glistened off the snowy fields this winter morning.”

“The snowflakes were glistening as they fell in the winter morning sun.”

Glistening shows that the sun is finally out even in the cold and snow. Describing a winter morning as glistening suggests that it will be a beautiful winter day, regardless of what the weather was like the night before or how low the temperature might be throughout the day.

8. Blanketed

Completely covered , as if by a blanket.

“Driving to work this winter morning showed fields blanketed in snow.”

“The winter morning was blanketed in darkness still; it wasn’t quite late enough for the sun to be up yet.”

Blanketed often immediately calls to mind images of fields and houses completely covered in snow. It can also mean that the darkness of those long winter nights is hard to shake off in the mornings.

• Not having a lot of light
• With little sun, overcast.
• Indistinct or unclear.

“The dim winter morning made it even harder to get ready to go to work.”

“She could see the dim light of the day peeking out over the horizon this winter morning.”

Winter is known for the long nights, with the sun starting to rise around 8am in some places. Describing the morning as dim not only shows the reader a more precise time the story is taking place, but also highlights how dark the morning is in spite of the sun rising.

10. Enchanted

• As if by magic .
• Completely happy or captivated.

“It was an enchanted winter morning with an effervescence in the air.”

“Whenever the snow fell, it made the winter mornings feel more enchanted and storybook-like.”

Because snow can sparkle in the sunlight, winter mornings after a soft snowfall can look like it’s created by magic. Using enchanted to describe a winter morning like this helps the reader get that feeling of charm and contentment waking up to such a scene.

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Turn up the heat, set your story during polar night., write about a character emerging from hibernation, whether literally or metaphorically., your character hates the holidays, and jets out of town every year — but a historic snow storm means that this time, they can’t make their escape., start your story with a description of the cold, using lots of sensory detail., start your story with someone looking out the window and seeing the first snowfall of the season..

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Start your story with “It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark.” (Hans Christian Andersen, “The Little Match Girl”)

Your character runs an inn for resting mountaineers. it’s a calm life, until they encounter a twist of fate..

• Set your story in a snowed-in chalet.

Write a story that spans exactly a year and takes place in a single room.

Set your story in a remote winter cabin with no electricity, internet, or phone service., subscribe to our prompts newsletter.

Never miss a prompt! Get curated writing inspiration delivered to your inbox each week.

• Write about someone who gets stuck in their workplace during a blizzard and decides to explore rooms they aren’t normally allowed in.
• Start your story with someone looking out at the snow, and end it with them stepping tentatively onto a frozen surface.

Write about someone who has finally managed to succeed at a long-standing New Year’s resolution.

Write about someone scrambling to finish a goal in the last few hours of the year., write about a backup dancer who’s on tour and just wants some peace and quiet for the holidays..

• Write a story from the perspective of a bird migrating for the winter.

You are the only one in the supermarket during a blizzard. Feeling creeped out, you decide to leave, when suddenly you find a baby abandoned on the floor.

• Write a story about someone who finds something interesting peeking out from a melting snowbank.

Write a short story about someone who refuses to write New Year's resolutions.

Write a short story about someone experiencing their first winter., win $250 in our short story competition 🏆.

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The best winter writing prompts

Got the chills? No? Well, you will soon, with our winter writing prompts. These creative writing ideas are suitable for kids and big kids alike, and will give you inspiration for the wintry story of your dreams.

Winter is a season that many of us attach strong memories to: sledding in the snow and ice, building snowmen, snowball fights, running for shelter during blizzards, walking to school in the biting cold. It's time to delve into that treasure trove of experience to inspire your winter writing.

To help you get started, here are our top ten winter writing prompts:

• A busy city is quieted by a big blanketing of snow. Write from the perspective of two (or more) characters who live there.
• Write a short story that takes place in a winter cabin.
• Start a story with the classic: "It was a dark and stormy night..."
• "Well, this year's office holiday party didn't go as I'd planned."
• You are stranded on a winter hike when you come across a little cottage.

Looking for more tips for your writing? Check out the free resource below:

How to Master the 'Show, Don't Tell' Rule (free course) — Winter is a season for the senses — stinging snowstorms, glistening icicles, fluffly snowflakes, the sound of tires over slush. And that means you're going to want to get your descriptions spot on. To brush up your skills, try out our free course.

Want more help learning how to write a winter short story? Check ou t How to Write a Short Story That Gets Published — a free, ten day course guiding you through the process of short story writing by Laura Mae Isaacman, a full-time editor who runs a book editing company in Brooklyn.

Ready to start writing? Check out Reedsy’s weekl y short story contest , for the chance of winning $250! You can also check out our list o f writing contests or our directory o f literary magazines for more opportunities to submit your story.

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Tips for Writing A Winter Setting

by WB Intern, Deborah Darden

Crafting settings in our stories that accurately portray the seasons can be a real challenge. A scene that takes place in winter can be especially difficult to manage when you haven’t truly experienced it. Different parts of the world get their dose of the other seasons in some way, but winter seems to be the one not widely witnessed.

So, for our fellow writers with little experience in frosty weather to rely on when developing a winter scene, we wanted to share a few tips to help you along!

1. Different Categories of Cold

The first important tip to remember is that winter shows up in different forms depending on the location. For example, in some areas, the skies can be clear but the ice is thick and twinkles in the sunlight which gives the illusion that it might be warm out. Also, the winds can be harsh and forceful, causing the temperature to feel lower than it is.

There are other places where snowfall is present on top of extremely dense ice. Although this type of weather can be dangerous, it also boasts the most beautiful winter scenery. It’s in this kind of cold where details of snowflakes are frequently seen. Cold and clear is probably the more common kind of weather people are used to. This usually means that the sun is shining bright despite freezing temperatures and the winds are calm.

Possibly the worst sort of winter weather is the one where the snow is wet in nature or sleet is constant. This level of cold can be the main culprit behind illnesses like hypothermia. Keeping all the variety of cold conditions in mind is key when creating your winter setting.

2. Images Can Help

Sometimes the most useful source for writing a good setting for winter is seeing just the right landscape. Here are a few images that may come in handy for you visual learners!

3. Character Descriptions/Reactions

Here’s another beneficial tip that’s not just specific to winter settings. We as writers are in the practice of “showing” instead of “telling.” Painting pictures with the words we choose is practically ingrained in our brains. With this being the case, what would be the best way to show the audience your characters are cold? Sure, you could simply say that they’re shivering, but that would be too simple. It doesn’t exactly create a clear image in one’s mind.

One way to make the reactions of your characters more definitive is by detailing how their noses became runny or the wind prompted tears to form in their eyes. You can describe how the cold made their cheeks and fingertips feel as if they were burning, even through their gloves. In addition, one of your characters might not really be affected by the cold at all and the only reaction they would show is merely hunched shoulders. Overall, expanding beyond plain shivering is the best way to go.

4. The Sounds Of Winter

Including sounds in the aspects of your winter scenes makes them more vivid. Something that could be heard is snow crunching under your characters’ boots as they walk. This is a sound that we could hear from animals as well. The ones that aren’t in hibernation, that is. Interestingly enough, not all birds escape from the cold to find a warmer climate. On occasion, your characters will hear the flutter of their wings or a light chirp.

The sounds don’t stop there; nature has its own melody, too! For instance, think about the wind. What sounds would the breeze make during wintertime? Does it whistle or howl? Is it slow and drawn out? Perhaps it’s quick and brief. What about the trees? You can depict the creaking wood of a tree bending under the pressure of the wind but not quite breaking. The opposite can be illustrated as well. At times, wood snapping due to rough winds can almost sound like thunder in particular areas. Whatever sounds you incorporate, they’re sure to get your readers more immersed in the story!

What other tips do you think can help when it comes to writing a winter scene? Share them with us on social media!

About the Author

Deborah Darden  is a writer born and raised in Texas. She currently resides in Round Rock, just outside of Austin. She is a graduate of Full Sail University with a BFA in Creative Writing. Deborah has a passion for telling stories across different platforms and is currently working on a book series as well as a YouTube web series. She also enjoys writing short stories and even hopes to one day create her own anime television show. Apart from writing, Deborah loves reading and watching her favorite films.

20 Winter Writing Prompts to Keep You Inspired This Season

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on September 22, 2022

Categories Writing , Inspiration

The days are shorter, and the weather is colder, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep your writing inspiration alive this winter! Winter can be a great time to write. The atmosphere is cozy, and there’s plenty of opportunity for reflection. This blog post will share 20 winter writing prompts to help you get started. Whether you are looking for ideas for a new project or just want to stay inspired, these prompts will help!

20 Winter Writing Prompts

1. Write about a snowy winter evening spent curled up by the fire with loved ones.

2. Imagine a world covered in ice and snow, and describe what life would be like there.

3. Reflect on all of the things you love most about winter: the cozy sweaters, the steaming cups of hot chocolate, and more.

4. Write a poem or short story that captures the feeling of anticipation that comes with the start of a new year.

5. Take an old childhood favorite like “The Snowman” or “The Little Match Girl” and reimagine it in your voice.

6. Describe a trip to your local ski resort or ice skating rink, highlighting all the fun and excitement you experience along the way.

7. Write from the perspective of someone who lives in a cold climate but has never actually experienced snow firsthand – what are their thoughts on this mysterious phenomenon?

8. Describe your perfect winter day: what are you doing, who are you with, and how does it make you feel?

9. Think back to a special family tradition that you enjoyed as a child during wintertime – maybe it was caroling at Christmas or building gingerbread houses together – and write about what that memory means to you now as an adult.

10. Explore themes of solitude and isolation by writing from the perspective of someone spending winter alone, whether by choice or necessity (for example, being housebound due to illness).

11. Write about returning home after spending time away – how has your hometown changed since last seeing it?

12. Write about a winter encounter with a stranger that reminds you of the kindness of human nature.

13. Write about the importance of taking care of yourself (and your health) over the winter months.

14. Is winter your favorite season, or do you prefer warmer weather? Why?

15. Write about your favorite part of the holiday season: planning for Christmas, buying gifts, the shopping mall, etc.

16. Write about winter break and the feelings accompanying the semester’s end.

17. Write about visiting a wintertime tourist attraction in your area: a ski resort, an ice skating rink, an ice fishing hut, etc.

18. Write about a winter storm and all the phenomena that come with it: the sounds, the smells, the sights, etc.

19. Write about a winter ritual from your childhood – maybe it was building a snowman or going skiing with friends; whatever it was, describe the emotion and excitement you felt.

20. Write about visiting a historical site in your area during wintertime: a Civil War battlefield, a Revolutionary-era village, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you describe winter in writing.

One of the best ways to describe winter is to focus on the senses. What does winter smell like? What does it look like? What does it sound like? Use these sensory details to create a vivid picture for your readers.

Another approach is to focus on the emotions that winter evokes. Sadness, loneliness, joy, hope, etc. Everyone experiences winter differently, so think about what winter means and use that emotion in your writing.

Finally, don’t forget about the positive aspects of winter! The holidays, time spent with family, cozy fires, etc. There’s a lot of beauty in winter if you take the time to look for it.

What Are Words for Winter?

First, let’s start with some basics. Winter is the coldest season of the year, and it typically lasts from December to February in the Northern Hemisphere. The days are shorter, and the nights are longer during this time of year. And while some people love winter for its snow and its cozy firesides, others find it a difficult season.

There are a few key words that help us describe winter. Some of these words capture the season’s beauty, while others focus on winter’s challenges. Let’s take a look at some examples:

Beauty: The word “snow” is often used to describe the beauty of winter. Snow is one of the things that makes winter unique. It’s also one of the things that can make winter challenging, as we’ll discuss later. But there’s no denying that snow has a certain magic about it. It’s light and airy, transforming the world into a blanket of white.

Another word that captures the beauty of winter is “ice.” Ice is often seen as dangerous but can also be stunningly beautiful. When sunlight hits ice just right, it can create a rainbow of colors. Ice sculptures are another example of how ice can be used to create beautiful art.

Challenges: One of the biggest challenges winter brings is “cold.” Cold weather can be hard to deal with, both physically and emotionally. It’s tough to get out of bed on a cold morning, and it’s even tougher to go outside and face the elements. Winter can also be difficult for people who struggle with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The lack of sunlight during this time of year can trigger depression and anxiety in some people.

Another challenge winter brings is “snow.” While snow can be beautiful, it can also be disruptive. It’s not uncommon for snowstorms to cause power outages and travel delays. And let’s not forget about shoveling! All that snow can make it difficult to get around this time of year.

How Do You Start a Winter Story?

1. Use descriptive language to set the scene. When writing about winter, it’s important to use descriptive language to create a vivid picture in your reader’s mind. Describe the scent of the air, how the snow looks in the moonlight, or the sound of sleigh bells ringing in the distance. This will help transport your readers into your story world and make them feel like they’re alongside your characters.

2. Begin with an intriguing hook. As with any story, it’s important to begin with, an intriguing hook that will make your reader want to keep reading. Start with action, introduce an unexpected event, or pose a question that will leave your reader wanting more. Whatever you do, ensure your opening grabs attention and sets up enough interest to carry your reader through to the end.

3. Develop compelling characters. No matter what genre you’re writing in or what style you prefer, all stories need compelling characters that readers can invest in. Take some time to develop fully fleshed-out and interesting characters, and make sure they have clear motivations for their actions throughout the story. This will help ensure that your readers are invested in them and cheering for them every step.

4. Add some holiday cheer (or not). Winter stories don’t always have to be full of holiday cheer—sometimes they’re even better when they’re not! If you’re going for a more dramatic or suspenseful tale, feel free to play with darker themes such as loneliness, loss, or betrayal. Just remember to stay true to your vision and don’t force anything just for the sake of it; after all, the best stories always come from the heart.

How Do You Describe Cold Wind in Writing?

Cold wind can be one of the most difficult things to describe in writing. It’s not enough to say it’s “cold” or “windy.” You need to be more specific to create a vivid picture for your readers. Here are 8 ways that you can describe cold wind in your writing.

1. Crisp: A crisp wind is sharp and refreshing, like what you might feel on a winter morning. 2. Cutting: A cutting wind feels like it’s slicing through you, making breathing hard. 3. Howling: A howling wind makes a lot of noise as it moves through the trees or across an open field. 4. Moaning: A moaning wind sounds sad or lonely. 5. Blowing: Wind blowing is strong enough to move things around, like leaves or branches. 6. Chill: A chill wind makes you feel cold even if you’re not in the cold weather. 7. Whipping: A whipping wind is one that is so strong that it feels like it’s hitting you with something, like a whip. 8. Gusty: A gusty wind comes in gusts or bursts rather than blowing steadily.

How Do You Describe Winter Mornings?

One of the best things about winter mornings is that they can differ from day to day. Sometimes, the air is so cold it feels like it’s cutting through you. Other times, there’s a fresh layer of snow on the ground, and the world looks like a frigid wonderland. No matter what kind of winter morning you’re dealing with, there’s always a way to describe it in writing that will do justice to the scene.

1. First, take a look around and make note of all the different elements that are present. What does the sky look like? Is the sun shining, or are there clouds obscuring it? What color is the snow? Are there trees or other structures nearby? Make a list of as many details as you can think of.

2. Once you have a good understanding of your surroundings, it’s time to start thinking about how those elements make you feel. Are you feeling chilly or downright cold? Is there a sense of peace, or is everything eerily silent? Brainstorm a few words or phrases that capture your emotions.

3. Now, it’s time to start putting everything together into sentences and paragraphs. Start with a general scene description before narrowing in on specific details. Use sensory language to paint a picture for your reader, and don’t be afraid to let your emotions show through. After all, winter mornings can be magical—and sometimes treacherous—so it’s only fitting that your writing should reflect that!

Describing Winter: 30 Adjectives and Examples

Winter is a season that brings with it a unique charm and beauty. As the temperature drops and the snowflakes start to fall, the world around us transforms into a winter wonderland. But how do we capture the essence of this magical season in words? In this article, I’ll be sharing a collection of adjectives that perfectly describe winter, along with examples to help you paint a vivid picture in your writing.

Table of Contents

How to Describe winter? – Different Scenarios

When it comes to describing winter, there are several different scenarios that come to mind. Each scenario presents its own unique atmosphere and characteristics. Let’s explore a few of these scenarios and discover how to effectively describe winter in each one:

1. Snowy Landscape Imagine a picturesque winter wonderland, covered in a blanket of glistening snow. To portray this scene accurately, I would use adjectives such as:

2. Cozy Indoors In contrast to the winter outdoor scene, there’s something magical about snuggling up indoors during the cold season. To capture the coziness and warmth of indoor settings, I would use descriptive words like:

Describing Words for winter in English

Winter is a season that brings about a transformation in our surroundings. The landscape becomes covered in a blanket of snow, the air turns crisp and chilly, and everyone seeks warmth and comfort indoors. As an expert blogger, I have compiled a list of descriptive adjectives that can bring the magic of winter to life in your writing. Let me take you through a range of words that perfectly capture the essence of this enchanting season.

Waking up on a frosty morning is a unique experience. The air is crisp, and everything seems to be adorned with a delicate layer of frost. Here are some adjectives to describe the beauty of a frosty morning:

Adjectives for winter

Positive adjectives for winter, synonyms and antonyms with example sentences, synonyms for winter.

When it comes to describing winter, there are a wide range of adjectives that can capture its essence. Here are some synonyms that can help bring the beauty and unique characteristics of winter to life in writing:

Antonyms for winter

Synonyms for winter:

Choosing the right adjectives to describe winter is crucial in capturing its essence and evoking the desired emotions in readers. In this article, I have discussed a variety of synonyms and antonyms that can be used to describe the beauty and challenges of winter.

The choice of adjectives when describing winter is essential in creating a captivating and engaging narrative. By selecting the right words, we can transport readers into the winter wonderland and evoke the intended emotions, making our descriptions truly come to life.

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• Winter Descriptive Writing Activity

Winter writing activities are not just for the holiday season ! 

I love using the seasons to engage young writers and get their creative juices flowing! Winter is hands down, my favorite season to practice descriptive writing. 

I introduce descriptive writing during our first narrative unit at the start of the year. During that time we talk about using juicy words, sentence variety, and we also touch on figurative language. These skills are practiced all year long. My favorite project to practice all of these writing techniques and encourage creativity is by tieing together art and writing is with this winter snowglobe descriptive writing .

Open up your art closet and grab construction paper and glitter (yes, glitter), and get ready to be impressed with the writing that your students produce from this writing project.

The concept of this project is simple!  

After a few descriptive writing lessons that focus on structure, word choice, and figurative language students will:

• Create a unique art project: a winter scene in a snowglobe.
• Brainstorm descriptive language and ideas
• Write winter-themed figurative language to include in their paragraph
• Write a descriptive paragraph about their winter snowglobe scene

This project is a lot of fun and truly helps students grow as writers. I love doing it each year and displaying their art and writing pieces all winter long! These tips will get you started.

Kick It off With a Picture Book

I love using picture books whenever I can in the classroom. There are two must-read picture books that I love to read before we do this writing project. They are great to refer back to when we begin writing our descriptive snow globes.

Brave Irene written by William Steig

This book is a must-read mentor text for so many different lessons including descriptive writing. The book tells the story of young Irene who sets off in a blizzard to make a delivery for her mother, a dressmaker who is too sick to go. Filled with amazing word choice and figurative language this book will be an instant favorite for you and your students. Dissect this book and list out all of the writing techniques that you find along with your students and write them on chart paper. This list will serve as a great reminder of techniques that students can use while they write their snow globe descriptions.

The Snow Globe Family written by Jane O'Connor

This is a fun read about a family that lives in a snow globe. The illustrations are a great model to show students how to create a full winter scene in the snow globes they create for this project. After reading this book have the students reflect on the activities that took place during winter in the story and then brainstorm different winter activities and winter scenes they can include in the snow globes that they create.

Get into the Spirit of the Season

Help students to really get into the season of winter by bundling up and going outside for a winter walk ! While on the walk have students take a clipboard and pencil so that they can jot down all of the winter elements that they observe. Have them write descriptively as they take notes about the setting around them. Before you head outside give students some examples of what you are looking for. 

Not sure where to start, try these:

• wind biting at your face (personification)
• cool, crisp, cold air blowing (alliteration)
• snow as soft as a blanket (metaphor)
• list of descriptions using the five senses

Don't want to head outside? Try watching this video to get into the cold season of winter! While this collection is filled with facts they will still get your students in the mood to write descriptively about winter and help them add a variety of winter elements to their snow globes.

• Scishow Winter Video Collection

Make Some Art: Snowglobe Art Project

Now the fun begins!

This descriptive writing project was created to help my students practice writing with descriptions to improve their narrative writing pieces. 

My favorite part about this activity is the art project involved. You can have students decorate the snow globe worksheet template that is included in this pack , or you can have students create their snow globes with tracers and construction paper. 

Be sure to make several circle tracers on cardstock or thick paper for students to use. Then have students use the tracers to make the large circle of the snowglobe. I usually have students use light blue paper or light gray paper to really set the winter scene. Then students can cut out a base for the snowglobe. You can make a tracer for this shape as well, or you can instruct students to cut out rectangles. After they have the two pieces cut, have them glue them together.

Make sure students have brainstormed one focused scene that they will use for the snowglobe before they draw.  This will prevent students from redoing their snowglobes over and over. Invite students to add as much detail to their illustrations as possible. The more that they create in art, the more they have to write about in their pieces.

If you are feeling daring, like I always am, add some glitter and sparkle to the globes. This will help students craft similes and metaphors about the weather in their snow globes.

Teach the Writing Genre

When it comes to this project, I always make sure to teach the elements of descriptive writing before we begin any art or writing. We spend a lot of time discussing how descriptive writing plays an important part in narrative pieces. 

While teaching this genre, I always make sure to focus on:

• what descriptive writing is
• the descriptive writing structure
• how to show the reader and not tell the reader through the use of descriptive language
• the audience they are writing to with descriptive writing
• teaching figurative language and juicy words

I love this winter writing activity and have watched students enjoy creating and writing year after year! This project will hook all of your writers, including struggling writers . The art project coupled with their descriptive writing pieces makes a beautiful bulletin board display for the entire season of winter!

Grab the Winter Wonderland Project  complete with everything you need, including bulletin board letters to create this project in your own classroom.

You might be interested in reading:

Non-holiday activities to engage students this winter 3 activities to ring in the new year must read winter picture books for the upper elementary classroom celebrating kindness in the classroom, looking for more high-interest winter activities for your classroom like   this differentiated reading pack see more here..

                   LOVE these ideas? Pin to save!

* affiliate links:  “Think Grow Giggle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.” (source:  Section 5 )

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Creative Writing: Describing a Winter Setting

Subject: English

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

12 March 2024

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This resource focuses on describing setting during creative writing.

It begins with a starter which focused on personification and teaches learners how to use personification and create it.

The resource then shows a number of winter settings and encourages learners to describe the setting using the five senses. This can be printed as a page for learners to complete independently or in small groups. Alternatively, it can be completed as a whole class on the interactive whiteboard.

The resource then talks the learners through the process of planning. This resource uses the story mountain format which has been attached as a pdf.

Finally, the resource gives a modelled story opener to discuss with learners.

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Practice Descriptions With Winter Writing Activities

Literacy · Resources · Thematic

Winter writing activities can be a fun way to get students excited about writing!

Most kids love winter. If you live in a part of the world that gets snow and colder weather, then you and your students have access to the many outdoor winter activities. If you don’t get snow, you can encourage your students’ appreciation of the season by reading lots of winter-themed books and stories.

use winter writing to practice descriptive writing

There’s just something magical about reading and writing while the snow is softly falling outside. The beauty of the season can be the inspiration for your students to practice writing about details in the setting of a story.

Most young writers are not focused on story settings when they write. They want to describe the action, not the setting. It can be hard sometimes to get them to slow down, really think about the setting of their writing, and use the correct adjectives to describe it.

Using winter as a setting can really help your students practice their descriptions. There are so many adjectives describing snow, the scenery, and the activities. Here’s an idea for a lesson to practice descriptive writing.

Descriptive Writing Lesson Using a Winter Setting

The first thing to do is to help your students to visualize the type of scene you’d like them to write about. Show them a picture or read a story showing a winter setting. This is especially important if you live in an area without a “typical” winter.

A scene like this might help inspire some winter writing!

Explain to students why writers need to “show” the setting to their readers. They need to have a clear picture in their mind to describe it to their readers so that they can visualize it also.

See what questions your group can generate about the setting. Or start by modeling the questions they might ask themselves. What scents do I notice? How does it feel like there? What colors do I see? Who made the tracks in the snow? Where are the tracks leading? If they have trouble thinking up their own questions about a picture, tell them to start with the 5 senses.

Now have your students answer the questions. You can create a list on a whiteboard or easel. If you’re teaching this lesson independently or in small groups, have them brainstorm a list of words that can answer the questions.

The trickiest part for most students is the next step. They’ll need to take those answers and turn them into complete sentences. Model this skill by showing them how to do one or two. Or you can provide them with sentence starters.

Once students have their sentences done, they can write their descriptive setting. Have them revise and edit the way you normally would.

Of course, you don’t have to use winter scenes to teach this lesson! Any picture or story can be used. But winter has a beauty all its own.

This earlier blog post has other ideas and resources for seasonal writing prompts .

A Resource for Descriptive Winter Writing

If you’re looking for other sources to teach descriptive writing, my Winter Writing Prompts may be just what you need!

This inclusive resource has 10 photo pictures and 10 winter drawings for a wide variety of fun topics to write about. Each page includes a winter picture that can be colored or a winter photograph, a word bank with related words and a writing prompt. These winter picture writing prompts will also help students develop new vocabulary and work on extending sentences with adjective such as using color words to describe.

These are easy to differentiate, with alternative handwriting lines. There’s also a second page with a border for students who would like to write longer stories.

Have you tried other methods for teaching descriptive writing? We’d love to hear about them!

Here are some other seasonal writing resources.

• Spring Write About the Picture {editable}
• Fall Autumn Write About the Picture {editable}

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25 beatles lyrics: your go-to guide for every situation, the best lines from the fab four.

For as long as I can remember, I have been listening to The Beatles. Every year, my mom would appropriately blast “Birthday” on anyone’s birthday. I knew all of the words to “Back In The U.S.S.R” by the time I was 5 (Even though I had no idea what or where the U.S.S.R was). I grew up with John, Paul, George, and Ringo instead Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance (I had to google N*SYNC to remember their names). The highlight of my short life was Paul McCartney in concert twice. I’m not someone to “fangirl” but those days I fangirled hard. The music of The Beatles has gotten me through everything. Their songs have brought me more joy, peace, and comfort. I can listen to them in any situation and find what I need. Here are the best lyrics from The Beatles for every and any occasion.

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

The End- Abbey Road, 1969

The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you

Dear Prudence- The White Album, 1968

Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you

Because- Abbey Road, 1969

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

All You Need Is Love, 1967

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend

We Can Work It Out- Rubber Soul, 1965

He say, "I know you, you know me", One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Come Together- Abbey Road, 1969

Oh please, say to me, You'll let me be your man. And please say to me, You'll let me hold your hand

I Wanna Hold Your Hand- Meet The Beatles!, 1964

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band-1967

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Strawberry Fields Forever- Magical Mystery Tour, 1967

Can you hear me? When it rains and shine, it's just a state of mind

Rain- Paperback Writer "B" side, 1966

Little darling, it's been long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it' s been here. Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright

Here Comes The Sun- Abbey Road, 1969

We danced through the night and we held each other tight, and before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I'll never dance with another when I saw her standing there

Saw Her Standing There- Please Please Me, 1963

I love you, I love you, I love you, that's all I want to say

Michelle- Rubber Soul, 1965

You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world

Revolution- The Beatles, 1968

All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do they all belong

Eleanor Rigby- Revolver, 1966

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

With A Little Help From My Friends- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better

Hey Jude, 1968

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday

Yesterday- Help!, 1965

And when the brokenhearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

Let It Be- Let It Be, 1970

And anytime you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders

I'll give you all i got to give if you say you'll love me too. i may not have a lot to give but what i got i'll give to you. i don't care too much for money. money can't buy me love.

Can't Buy Me Love- A Hard Day's Night, 1964

All you need is love, love is all you need

All You Need Is Love- Magical Mystery Tour, 1967

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly. all your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Blackbird- The White Album, 1968

Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more

In My Life- Rubber Soul, 1965

While these are my 25 favorites, there are quite literally 1000s that could have been included. The Beatles' body of work is massive and there is something for everyone. If you have been living under a rock and haven't discovered the Fab Four, you have to get musically educated. Stream them on Spotify, find them on iTunes or even buy a CD or record (Yes, those still exist!). I would suggest starting with 1, which is a collection of most of their #1 songs, or the 1968 White Album. Give them chance and you'll never look back.

14 Invisible Activities: Unleash Your Inner Ghost!

Obviously the best superpower..

The best superpower ever? Being invisible of course. Imagine just being able to go from seen to unseen on a dime. Who wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be invisible? Superman and Batman have nothing on being invisible with their superhero abilities. Here are some things that you could do while being invisible, because being invisible can benefit your social life too.

1. "Haunt" your friends.

Follow them into their house and cause a ruckus.

2. Sneak into movie theaters.

Going to the cinema alone is good for your mental health , says science

Considering that the monthly cost of subscribing to a media-streaming service like Netflix is oft...

Free movies...what else to I have to say?

3. Sneak into the pantry and grab a snack without judgment.

Late night snacks all you want? Duh.

4. Reenact "Hollow Man" and play Kevin Bacon.

America's favorite son? And feel what it's like to be in a MTV Movie Award nominated film? Sign me up.

5. Wear a mask and pretend to be a floating head.

Just another way to spook your friends in case you wanted to.

6. Hold objects so they'll "float."

"Oh no! A floating jar of peanut butter."

7. Win every game of hide-and-seek.

Just stand out in the open and you'll win.

8. Eat some food as people will watch it disappear.

Even everyday activities can be funny.

9. Go around pantsing your friends.

Even pranks can be done; not everything can be good.

10. Not have perfect attendance.

You'll say here, but they won't see you...

11. Avoid anyone you don't want to see.

Whether it's an ex or someone you hate, just use your invisibility to slip out of the situation.

12. Avoid responsibilities.

Chores? Invisible. People asking about social life? Invisible. Family being rude? Boom, invisible.

13. Be an expert on ding-dong-ditch.

Never get caught and have the adrenaline rush? I'm down.

14. Brag about being invisible.

Be the envy of the town.

But don't, I repeat, don't go in a locker room. Don't be a pervert with your power. No one likes a Peeping Tom.

Good luck, folks.

19 Lessons I'll Never Forget from Growing Up In a Small Town

There have been many lessons learned..

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

1. The importance of traditions.

Sometimes traditions seem like a silly thing, but the fact of it is that it's part of who you are. You grew up this way and, more than likely, so did your parents. It is something that is part of your family history and that is more important than anything.

2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

No matter how many times they get on your nerves or make you mad, they are the ones who will always be there and you should never take that for granted.

3. How to give back.

When tragedy strikes in a small town, everyone feels obligated to help out because, whether directly or indirectly, it affects you too. It is easy in a bigger city to be able to disconnect from certain problems. But in a small town those problems affect everyone.

4. What the word "community" really means.

Along the same lines as #3, everyone is always ready and willing to lend a helping hand when you need one in a small town and to me that is the true meaning of community. It's working together to build a better atmosphere, being there to raise each other up, build each other up, and pick each other up when someone is in need. A small town community is full of endless support whether it be after a tragedy or at a hometown sports game. Everyone shows up to show their support.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

People say this to others all the time, but it takes on a whole new meaning in a small town. It is true that life is about the journey, but when you're from a small town, you know it's about the journey because the journey probably takes longer than you spend at the destination. Everything is so far away that it is totally normal to spend a couple hours in the car on your way to some form of entertainment. And most of the time, you're gonna have as many, if not more, memories and laughs on the journey than at the destination.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

Word travels fast in a small town, so don't think you're gonna get away with anything. In fact, your parents probably know what you did before you even have a chance to get home and tell them. And forget about being scared of what your teacher, principle, or other authority figure is going to do, you're more afraid of what your parents are gonna do when you get home.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

Everyone deserves a chance. Most people don't have ill-intentions and you can't live your life guarding against every one else just because a few people in your life have betrayed your trust.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

While small towns are not always extremely diverse, they do contain people with a lot of different stories, struggle, and backgrounds. In a small town, it is pretty hard to exclude anyone because of who they are or what they come from because there aren't many people to choose from. A small town teaches you that just because someone isn't the same as you, doesn't mean you can't be great friends.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

In a small town, you learn that it's okay to be who you are and do your own thing. You learn that confidence isn't how beautiful you are or how much money you have, it's who you are on the inside.

10. How to work for what I want.

Nothing comes easy in life. They always say "gardens don't grow overnight" and if you're from a small town you know this both figuratively and literally. You certainly know gardens don't grow overnight because you've worked in a garden or two. But you also know that to get to the place you want to be in life it takes work and effort. It doesn't just happen because you want it to.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

If you're from a small town, you know that you will probably only meet a handful of people in your life who ACTUALLY know where your town is. And forget about the people who accidentally enter into your town because of google maps. You've gotten really good at giving them directions right back to the interstate.

12. How to be humble .

My small town has definitely taught me how to be humble. It isn't always about you, and anyone who grows up in a small town knows that. Everyone gets their moment in the spotlight, and since there's so few of us, we're probably best friends with everyone so we are as excited when they get their moment of fame as we are when we get ours.

13. To be well-rounded.

Going to a small town high school definitely made me well-rounded. There isn't enough kids in the school to fill up all the clubs and sports teams individually so be ready to be a part of them all.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

In a small town, good luck holding a grudge. In a bigger city you can just avoid a person you don't like or who you've had problems with. But not in a small town. You better resolve the issue fast because you're bound to see them at least 5 times a week.

15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

One of my favorite things about growing up in a rural area was being able to go outside and go exploring and not have to worry about being in danger. There is nothing more exciting then finding a new place somewhere in town or in the woods and just spending time there enjoying the natural beauty around you.

16. To be prepared for anything.

You never know what may happen. If you get a flat tire, you better know how to change it yourself because you never know if you will be able to get ahold of someone else to come fix it. Mechanics might be too busy , or more than likely you won't even have enough cell service to call one.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

It's okay to ask for help. One thing I realized when I moved away from my town for college, was how much my town has taught me that I could ask for help is I needed it. I got into a couple situations outside of my town where I couldn't find anyone to help me and found myself thinking, if I was in my town there would be tons of people ready to help me. And even though I couldn't find anyone to help, you better believe I wasn't afraid to ask.

18. How to be creative.

When you're at least an hour away from normal forms of entertainment such as movie theaters and malls, you learn to get real creative in entertaining yourself. Whether it be a night looking at the stars in the bed of a pickup truck or having a movie marathon in a blanket fort at home, you know how to make your own good time.

19. To brush off gossip.

It's all about knowing the person you are and not letting others influence your opinion of yourself. In small towns, there is plenty of gossip. But as long as you know who you really are, it will always blow over.

Grateful Beyond Words: A Letter to My Inspiration

I have never been so thankful to know you..

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

You have taught me that you don't always have to strong. You are allowed to break down as long as you pick yourself back up and keep moving forward. When life had you at your worst moments, you allowed your friends to be there for you and to help you. You let them in and they helped pick you up. Even in your darkest hour you showed so much strength. I know that you don't believe in yourself as much as you should but you are unbelievably strong and capable of anything you set your mind to.

Your passion to make a difference in the world is unbelievable. You put your heart and soul into your endeavors and surpass any personal goal you could have set. Watching you do what you love and watching you make a difference in the lives of others is an incredible experience. The way your face lights up when you finally realize what you have accomplished is breathtaking and I hope that one day I can have just as much passion you have.

SEE MORE: A Letter To My Best Friend On Her Birthday

The love you have for your family is outstanding. Watching you interact with loved ones just makes me smile . You are so comfortable and you are yourself. I see the way you smile when you are around family and I wish I could see you smile like this everyday. You love with all your heart and this quality is something I wished I possessed.

You inspire me to be the best version of myself. I look up to you. I feel that more people should strive to have the strength and passion that you exemplify in everyday life.You may be stubborn at points but when you really need help you let others in, which shows strength in itself. I have never been more proud to know someone and to call someone my role model. You have taught me so many things and I want to thank you. Thank you for inspiring me in life. Thank you for making me want to be a better person.

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life..

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Don't freak out

This is a rule you should continue to follow no matter what you do in life, but is especially helpful in this situation.

Email the professor

Around this time, professors are getting flooded with requests from students wanting to get into full classes. This doesn't mean you shouldn't burden them with your email; it means they are expecting interested students to email them. Send a short, concise message telling them that you are interested in the class and ask if there would be any chance for you to get in.

Attend the first class

Often, the advice professors will give you when they reply to your email is to attend the first class. The first class isn't the most important class in terms of what will be taught. However, attending the first class means you are serious about taking the course and aren't going to give up on it.

Keep attending class

Every student is in the same position as you are. They registered for more classes than they want to take and are "shopping." For the first couple of weeks, you can drop or add classes as you please, which means that classes that were once full will have spaces. If you keep attending class and keep up with assignments, odds are that you will have priority. Professors give preference to people who need the class for a major and then from higher to lower class year (senior to freshman).

Have a backup plan

For two weeks, or until I find out whether I get into my waitlisted class, I will be attending more than the usual number of classes. This is so that if I don't get into my waitlisted class, I won't have a credit shortage and I won't have to fall back in my backup class. Chances are that enough people will drop the class, especially if it is very difficult like computer science, and you will have a chance. In popular classes like art and psychology, odds are you probably won't get in, so prepare for that.

Remember that everything works out at the end

Life is full of surprises. So what if you didn't get into the class you wanted? Your life obviously has something else in store for you. It's your job to make sure you make the best out of what you have.

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