September’s Sweet Song

It’s no secret that fall is in the air. The stems of my tomato plants are turning brown. The insect choirs are in full-throated exuberance. Or is it warning? No matter. The season turns, seesawing its way toward crisp nights, cool mornings, warmer afternoons, and the celestial rounding from one part of the heavens to another.

I love the promise of autumn – the brilliant colors, the smell of campfires, the crunch of leaves along the hiking trails, the roar of football crowds and soccer fans. The world is a rich tapestry of the senses, full of nostalgia and reminders that all things pass... with a promise to return again.

Okay, despite the dire news percolating in the world, I’m staying positive here. I need that spark of exuberance the change of seasons brings. I’m also

working on a new manuscript that takes place in the fall in the Adirondacks. I need and want to expand my perceptions of the natural world at this time as I recreate the scenes that will play an important part in this latest mystery. Staying attuned to our surroundings is an essential part of the writer’s toolbox. Sensory details, accurate and apt descriptions of the landscape, invoking nostalgia and memory from smell and taste and touch, all provide a solid base for a story.

Setting is always a character in my novels. Place determines choices. Weather, available foods, cultural identities, the way the light bends through canopies of pines versus hardwoods, all can be used to set the mood and tone of a piece. Step outside. Find a quiet spot. Listen. It’s amazing what we can hear when we concentrate on being still and open to nature. She does sing a song to us, one that reaches into my soul and leaves an indelible mark.