Ten thousand forms of ice

Last night was frosty, only about the second frost we've had on the South coast of England this winter, and it's got me thinking of ice in all its forms.

Ice in your stories can be on the outside, as part of the weather, or on the inside, in your characters' hearts.  Or in some cases, like The White Queen in the Narnia stories, an icy heart can lead to an icy land.

Tolkien used ice, snow and winds to force his characters off the mountains and through the Mines of Moria in The Lord of the Rings.  

Ice on the inside can be a jealous sibling who believes that his/her brother is their parents' favourite, or a love affair that has lost its overlay of lust and passion and has shown a character a glimpse of  their partner's cold heart beneath.  

Ice can occur on a bigger scale too, with groups of people divided by ideology or religion, or on opposite sides of political causes refusing to talk or acknowledge each others' views.

Ice, in the forms of a hatred for someone, or a determination to stop a person doing something, will motivate characters to act to preserve their beliefs and values, and the family vendetta lasting generations is born.

Icy hearts are a great driver of conflict in stories, so if you need a little extra conflict between your characters try introducing one.