Home for the Holidays

You’ve been writing your story for a while, when you notice that the plot is going to cross over the winter months. To include or not to include the holidays? Only you can answer that, but I hope to convince you why you should include them in your plot. Not only can they naturally serve as plot devices, they can also provide a contrast to the rest of your story. It’s nice to have a breather, to be on holiday time for a while. Here are eight reasons why you should include the holidays in your book.

1. Conflict

Holidays and conflict are a natural pairing because family gatherings pull different temperaments and perspectives together. Everyone fights on the holidays. For types of conflict to write, ask yourself what happens during during these times of year. Do family members disagree? How do they act when they spend a long time around each other? Inter-character conflict can especially be created with the next reason on this list… 

2. New Characters

Nothing helps boost a sagging middle plot like a new character. A new character will bring interest and new conflict with them. Ask yourself the ‘what if’ question. What if a character shows up with an unexpected partner? Or what if an uninvited guest shows up? Sometimes even the writer needs a break from writing the same main characters because they’re too far deep, lost in the weeds of their own plot. So give yourself the gift of a new side character!

3. Context

With new and old characters in the mix, knowing how other they all see each other contextualizes them for the reader. How does everyone react around your main character? What expectations do the others have of them? Do they bring up something really embarrassing that happened 10 years ago? Your character’s reactions to all of these things will also show us what kind of person they are. Are they seen as the baby of the family even though they’re the oldest child? Give the reader little tidbits of information that will delight them and enrich backstory.

4. Contrast

This time of year is often up and down, with a mix of stress and good times. A really high or a really low moment can contrast beautifully with the rest of your plot, sometimes giving the reader a break, too. Maybe your character receives a thoughtful gift, or the person they invited never shows up. If your plot has been hopeful so far, show me a defeat, and vice versa. Contrast can also be created with the next reason on this list…

5. Reflection

As your characters come to the end of the year, it’s natural they reflect on everything that’s happened to them. What does your character wish they had done differently? How have they grown since the beginning of the plot? Who do they miss? What are they hoping for in the new year? Answering these questions are important because both writer and reader can better answer the question of your character’s motives and wants. We need to know why a character wants something because it gets us invested and makes the fulfillment of their wish more satisfying, or heartbreaking if it doesn’t come true.

6. Gifts

Sometimes gifts are exactly the plot device you need to give your character that one thing they need to advance. The holidays are a perfect pretense! How your character reacts to a gift will characterize them, and is a way for the writer to show personality instead of telling. Are they ungrateful towards a gift? Shy? Gracious? When receiving a bad gift, is your character upset, or concerned with making the giver feel thanked? You can show whether your characters are more internally or externally focused(selfish or selfless).
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7. Relatability

Lots of people celebrate holidays—especially Christmas in the United States. When we read a character opening a strange gift from an older relative or stuffing themselves full at the table, we feel like we can relate to this character because we have gone through it too. Using these shared experiences in your plot will create relatability and expectations, allowing for you to subvert them.

8. Nostalgia

When you’re a kid, everything is magical. So, if the nostalgia of the holidays is still there for you, try to infuse your own memories into your plot. You might have key memories related to holidays, like receiving the gift you really wanted one year or being forced to peck your aunt on the cheek. Even just the comfort and anticipation of having something to look forward to can bring nostalgia to the reader.

Are you convinced? Maybe you noticed there are a lot of questions in this list. If you take away one thing from this article let it be this: Keep yourself curious. Ask yourself questions to keep your writing momentum, and write through those times when you don’t know what’s going to happen next. Here’s a bonus reason: holidays are easy to write because they have routines! No matter if you’re celebrating the holidays or writing them, we at JUVEN press wish you happy holidays.

Grayson Yount

​is a writer based in North Carolina. She attends writing classes of all kinds at UNC Chapel Hill and has a particular fondness for sharp imagery. In her free time, she drafts her own novels.
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MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR:

• ​For the Indecisive Reader
  
• ​12 Holi-date Ideas for You and Your Characters
• An Interview with Moving Write Along, a Podcast for Young Writers, by Young Writers
• 15 Essential Tips to Survive NaNoWriMo in College
• Preptober: Is 50,000 Words the Best Way to Track Progress?