Holidays in Fiction

Shannon Dittemore is the author of the Angel Eyes trilogy. She has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible College, performances with local theater companies, and a love of all things literary. When she isn’t writing, she spends her days with her husband, Matt, imagining things unseen and chasing their two children around their home in Northern California. To connect with Shan, check out her website, FB, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.

Happy birthday, America! Tomorrow we'll get to barbecue and swim and lay around in the heat and then finish it all off with fireworks. Today, I thought we'd talk about what a useful tool holidays can be in the hands of a writer. Not our holidays, specifically, but the unique days celebrated in our fictional story worlds.

Maybe your fictional world celebrates a sporting event like the Quidditch Word Cup or a barbaric exercise like the Hunger Games. Maybe, like in Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen, the lowly citizens have to gather once a week to watch the nobles show off their abilities. 

Or maybe, in a contemporary setting, friends and family gather together under a glistening tree and exchange presents. Maybe they dress up like ghouls and beg for candy. 

Whatever it is, holidays make a compelling element in works of fiction. Here's why: 

Holidays are fraught with emotion. We all want to feel. It's one of the primary reasons we pick up a book. Holidays give us a fabulous way to exploit that desire. Because memories are tied to the celebrations, it's pretty rare to feel absolutely nothing regarding a holiday. Maybe we love Christmas because it's the only day our family actually gets along. Maybe we dread it because that day was always spent with a friend who recently passed away. Whatever the case, most of us have deep-rooted feelings that begin to emerge as a holiday approaches. It is only right for your characters to experience this type of emotional upheaval as well. Whether it's excitement or angst or an equal helping of both, dropping a holiday into your story can up the drama. And that's always a good thing. 

Holidays are excellent moments to build toward. They can be that shining sun in the distance you're moving your character toward. Like the Northern Star, they can help you navigate your character's journey all while keeping sight of your goal. Your holiday certainly doesn't have to occur during the climax of your story, but it's a great moment to build to. The emotion growing inside your character as the decorations go up and the world around her readies, the major players gathering together to celebrate and setting the stage for the type of conflict or resolution that pushes your story forward. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling uses the Triwizard Tournament in this way. Brilliantly, I might add. 

Holidays reveal your characters' belief systems. Having your characters wrestle with an upcoming holiday is a great way to show their beliefs. Maybe they celebrate but don't embrace the reason for the celebration. Or maybe your character doesn't celebrate at all. Maybe the upcoming festival or event is abhorrent to him. What your character does or does not do in relation to a commonly celebrated moment in time says so much about who they are. Use it to put your character's heart on display. 

Holidays expose the values of your story world. Your characters aren't the only ones being exposed by the presence of a holiday. The values of your story world, real or imagined, are also being laid bare. What does this world hold in high esteem? What do these people value? Who established this celebration or festival? And why was it established? Does this holiday encourage the people or beat them down? Is it a source of unity or division? All very important things to consider and useful to a writer looking to add depth and color to a story world. 

Celebratory days can be used to such advantage in our writing and I urge you to explore all the ways they can help you show off your characters and the world around them. 

Tell me, who does this best? 
Which books use commonly celebrated days to move their stories forward with great success?