by Ogelthorpe Q. Sighvatson

Created on: May 19, 2009

Holidays can have a threefold appeal as writing prompts depending on holiday and the writer's inclination. Below you will see three ways to interpret holidays as a jumping off point for a variety of writing exercises.

1 - The Anecdote. Holidays are occasions. They prompt gatherings. They create interactions that may be different from the standard day to day grind. As such, they are ripe for interesting events. Look back on your personal experiences with the holiday in question. Did you set your lawn on fire on the Fourth of July? Burn the turkey on Thanksgiving? How did you cope with that hideous Christmas sweater? Everyone has some sort of story associated with the various holidays.

The stories need not be grand, epic or comical. A writing prompt may simple compel you to more closely examine past events, hone in on the details: the quiet human moments that may help others relate to your tale. The relative universality of holidays presents an interesting opportunity to write something to which many people can relate while presenting the challenge of avoiding banality and cliche.

2 - The Meditation. What does the holiday mean? We know that Labor Day gives us a three day weekend, but how often do we pause to reflect on the struggle and sacrifice that led us to have weekends at all? How is poor, forgotten Arbor Day to compete with the flashier and better publicized Earth Day? When was the last time you read the Declaration of Independence on July 4th? Everyone knows how we celebrate the various holidays, taking the time to ponder why could lead to revelations about the world and our culture.

The reflection could be intensely specific, reflecting on the collective experience of the New Year's Eve ball drop; or vast, pondering the implications of how we measure and acknowledge the passing of time. You could list your New Year's resolutions or reflect on why it only at the turning of the year that we vow to improve our lives.

3 - The Setting. For the fiction writer, setting a story during a holiday presents interesting opportunities and challenges. By presenting you with a previously established set of conventions and expectations, you can set a tangible mood with which readers can connect. You can also subvert those conventions to cause surprise and novelty. At the same time holidays can end up serving as a kind of shorthand which may be used a crutch. Using the tenets of a holiday without veering into mediocrity and cliche presents a challenge that forces the writer to add that extra oomph to the work.

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And so it goes. Any type of writer could use any holiday as a writing prompt. Remember: writing prompts may not always yield marketable material, but every sentence types helps hone your skills to a finer and finer point.

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