Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "unofficial-holidays"
Writing Exercise of the Week: What’s Your Favorite Holiday?
There are a lot of holidays on the calendar these days. Aside from the big ones like Easter and Christmas, it seems as if each day has some designated event associated with it, whether it’s official or not. Did you know that January 29 is Puzzle Day, March 19th is Let’s Laugh Day, and June 7 is VCR Day? I’ve provided a link to the list at the end of this post.
With official and unofficial holidays in mind, let’s get to today’s writing exercise!
Exercise # 1 - Pick Your Favorite Holiday
The sky’s the limit on which to pick, but pick one you get excited about celebrating. Make a list of five to ten things that you like about the holiday. It could be food, decorations, the people you see, the weather, etc.
Now, using the first-person POV, write a few paragraphs describing your ideal moment during this holiday in detail. If it’s Christmas, maybe it’s your kids opening presents Christmas morning. If it’s Halloween, perhaps it’s handing out candy and seeing the various costumes.
Whatever moment you choose, go into detail and use your five senses.
What do you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell during this particular holiday moment?
How do these positive emotions impact how you write about your chosen holiday?
Exercise #2 - Pick Your Least Favorite Holiday
Everyone has that one holiday they can’t stand, and now is your time to rant about why you dislike it so much. List five to ten things you dislike about your chosen holiday.
Again, using the first-person POV, pick a moment during that hated holiday and write a few paragraphs describing in detail why you feel this way. This is for your eyes only, so let the disdain flow from your fingers as you describe everything you can’t stand about this awful holiday in detail.
Maybe you can’t stand Halloween because of all the violence and gore around. Perhaps you don’t like New Year’s Eve because the fireworks and loud noises bother your pets. Whatever the reasons, craft a detailed story where you discuss the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and tactile aspects of the holiday that you can’t stand.
How do these negative emotions impact how you write about your chosen holiday?
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Check out the link for a list of annual unofficial holidays.
With official and unofficial holidays in mind, let’s get to today’s writing exercise!
Exercise # 1 - Pick Your Favorite Holiday
The sky’s the limit on which to pick, but pick one you get excited about celebrating. Make a list of five to ten things that you like about the holiday. It could be food, decorations, the people you see, the weather, etc.
Now, using the first-person POV, write a few paragraphs describing your ideal moment during this holiday in detail. If it’s Christmas, maybe it’s your kids opening presents Christmas morning. If it’s Halloween, perhaps it’s handing out candy and seeing the various costumes.
Whatever moment you choose, go into detail and use your five senses.
What do you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell during this particular holiday moment?
How do these positive emotions impact how you write about your chosen holiday?
Exercise #2 - Pick Your Least Favorite Holiday
Everyone has that one holiday they can’t stand, and now is your time to rant about why you dislike it so much. List five to ten things you dislike about your chosen holiday.
Again, using the first-person POV, pick a moment during that hated holiday and write a few paragraphs describing in detail why you feel this way. This is for your eyes only, so let the disdain flow from your fingers as you describe everything you can’t stand about this awful holiday in detail.
Maybe you can’t stand Halloween because of all the violence and gore around. Perhaps you don’t like New Year’s Eve because the fireworks and loud noises bother your pets. Whatever the reasons, craft a detailed story where you discuss the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and tactile aspects of the holiday that you can’t stand.
How do these negative emotions impact how you write about your chosen holiday?
---
Check out the link for a list of annual unofficial holidays.
