What will you use your flashlight for on National Flashlight Day? How deep into your family's roots will you dig on Roots Day? What origins you will create for Take it in the Ear Day? How frantic will you become as the time slowly ticks away on Tick Tock Day?
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National Flashlight Day - December 21 is also known as the Winter Solstice. There is less daylight, as well as more darkness, on this day than on any other day of the year. This is the one day you want to take a flashlight with you wherever you go.
Who do we have to thank for creating the flashlight for us? Lionel Cowen invented this very handy item way back in 1898. By the way, this is the same guy who invented the Lionel train.
How could you use this day in your writing? What if one of your characters needed a flashlight in order to get out of a situation that could cost him his life? Or you could take your readers back to 1989 and write a story about what you think inspired Lionel Cowen to invent this much needed item. What would life be like if we lived in a world without flashlights? What if darkness reigned once the sun set, and the creatures that roamed the night stalked those who dared to venture outside?
National Whiner’s Day - National Whiner’s Day is the day after Christmas. Is it a day to whine and complain? Started in 1986, this day is dedicated to those who love to whine, but it is actually a day to learn to appreciate and be thankful what we have.
Year after year after year the same thing always happened to your character. All of the gifts she received were just so wrong! The clothes were the wrong size, the pretty things were all the wrong color and they were in no way pretty. The glass items were broken. So, once again, she got to stand in the long return aisle to return every one of the gifts that were supposed to make her life better and easier in some way. Instead they only made it rougher. But the clerk who waits on her completely changes her outlook this year. How is this accomplished?
Roots Day -This is the day to discover what your roots are. What country did your family originate from? Do you have any famous relatives? How many ‘black sheep' have been in your family?
Once you find out who has been in your family down through the years, why not write a fictional story about one of them?
Take it in the Ear Day - The origins and reason for this December holiday seem to be unknown, so you get to have some fun with this one. Why not create a reason for this holiday, as well as a creator, and write the story of how this day came to be?
Tick Tock Day - December 29 of every year is when this holiday rolls around. Christmas is over, and there are only two more days left in the current year. Have you accomplished everything you wanted to during the past year? If not, you may want to get busy accomplishing them, as the clock is counting down.
Create a character whose very life depends on getting a certain task accomplished before the clock strikes midnight on December 31. What is the task? Why does his life depend upon him getting it done? What obstacle is preventing him from finishing it as quickly as he would like? Is anyone else’s life in danger? Most importantly, does he get the task completed in time?
Underdog Day - An underdog is the one expected to lose the contest or conflict. An underdog is also the victim of a social or political injustice. But sometimes the underdog accomplishes the unexpected and comes out on top. This day is set aside to honor all of the underdogs out there.
Create a character who is an underdog and has been one for his entire life. Nothing he does seems to go right, and he feels that nothing ever will. One day he finds a briefcase full of money. With this money, he could make all of his dreams come true. With this money, he would no longer be an underdog. Does he turn the money into the police or does he keep it for himself? What are the results of his actions?
Weary Willie Day - Emmett Kelly was born on December 9, 1898. This day is set aside every year to honor Weary Willie, a hobo-with-a-soul character, made famous by Mr. Kelly. Why not honor Mr. Kelly and the character he made famous by writing a fictional story about how and why he created this character?
If you have any more writing prompt ideas for these holidays, please feel free to share them in the forum. :)
