It was a dark and stormy night...

Well, last week it was anyway. A couple of times.

If you think I'm going to take this as an opportunity to describe how thunderstorms can boost creativity, then YOU'RE WRONG, because I won't, and in my case, they don't.

But a couple observations nevertheless.

1.) Living in California, I got conditioned to there never being any weather or seasons whatsoever, (San Francisco --> fog <--> Everywhere else --> sun) ... therefore the fact that summer thunder showers hit Austria on a regular basis is, for me, terribly exciting. So exciting, in fact, that I cannot possibly concentrate on writing or working until it is all over.

2.) Usually, nothing particularly dramatic happens otherwise. I'm normally, you know, chopping carrots in the kitchen or, or, or maybe I'm talking with a friend about downloading the newest Firefox extension. Not particularly dramatic.


And the thought occurs to me. As a reader, watcher, or listener, I actually really appreciate it when the narrator doesn't see fit to pummel me with "this is supposed to be dramatic, BOOM!" .. just like the sitcom laugh track, it is unnecessary and ruins moments which may have otherwise been subtle but strong.

Here's a pledge for the lot of you: I pledge to create lots of dramatic scenes which occur on ordinary sunny days, and not-so-dramatic scenes where characters are going about their daily business during thunder showers.

(Or maybe a sitcom with the audible crackle of distant thunder every time you're supposed to laugh? Hmm..)