I am reusing last year’s post for December as writing inspiration because I am trying to meet a writing deadline for another anthology. I have added a few new ideas.
Of course, it’s hard to think of December without thinking of Christmas. The whole month seems to be nothing but a headlong rush to the 25th. But I want to discuss some other ways to use December before I get to the gigantic holiday at the end of it.
Winter Solstice
The shortest day of the year seems like a good setting for a clash between the forces of good and evil in any genre. I have an idea for a story of crime fiction where a serial killer is finally confronted during sunset on this day. A work of speculative fiction could give a fantastic meaning to the solstice. The long, dark days leading up to the solstice seem suitable for a dark tale, but because Christmas is right after the solstice, a happy ending doesn’t seem out of place.
School break
My kids finish their first semester at the start of Christmas vacation. The break would be a good setting for wrapping up a school story or kicking one off.
Advent
On the Christian calendar, Advent consists of the four Sundays before Christmas Day in which to prepare our hearts, souls, and minds for the coming of Jesus. Each Sunday has focuses on “four virtues Jesus brings”, according to this article on United Methodist Church site, love, joy, hope, and peace. A story incorporating these virtues could lead up to a climax on Christmas Day.
New Year’s Eve
The romantic part of New Year’s Eve makes it perfect to explore those kind of relationships, whether a couple is coming together or pulling apart. The holiday also works for characters reaching a goal, coming to a final decision, or ending a significant experience. You can write these endings as tragic, bittersweet or victorious. I like a bittersweet tone because with the start of the new year the next day, it’s logical for your character to mourn what is ending but also looking forward to something new.
Christmas
So much has been written about, during, and because of this holiday, it’s difficult to find something fresh to say. And yet those of us writers who love the holiday always want to try. If you want to write a Christmas story, I encourage you to examine your own experiences and traditions to give your story a unique quality, whether it is a plot, voice, or character.
For example, I mentioned last week my family’s tradition of eating fried oysters on Christmas Day. We always have a live tree, which we cut the week before Christmas and take down on New Year’s Day. My husband and I reached a compromise over this because he swears if the tree is in the house longer than two weeks, it will catch fire and burn the house down. That experience could lead to a humorous story.
We don’t do Elf on the Shelf. Every parent I have mentioned this too says I was very wise not to start that tradition, which sound like a story starter to me. I always do a funny Christmas card with my kids. It is anything but funny while I take the photos for it, but once I recover from this experience — by June — I could write a comic story based on the trauma.
How would you use December as writing inspiration?
On Friday, I posted on my Facebook and Instagram pages that when I took my morning walk last week, the gloomy weather and the shortening days inspired a poem. I had to do some work on it, but some parts seemed to write themselves. It sums up my feelings for December.
