Coming off of Erin’s post, I have to smile at how even like-minded people can interpret themes differently. Upon reading this month’s theme, I associated holidays with writing through world-building.
Holidays are a critical check in your world-building if you’re looking to ensure your world is round and diverse. I first look at real holidays and consider their sources, whether religious, cultural, or governmental. I also consider that each of these holidays has someone, whether culture or political group, has a reason to oppose it. It enriches the world-building beyond simply celebrating a holiday. There’s more to life than food and parties, though it’s a dreary existence without anything to celebrate.
If you want to know more about world building holidays for your fiction writing, check out these links:
Creating Fictional Holidays – by Robert A. Sloan
Holidays in Hell and Other Delights: A Workshop – by Holly Lisle
Lifeday – Writing Excuses
Happy Holidays, whichever ones you celebrate.
~ Dawn
Today’s post was inspired by Forward Motion’s Merry-Go-Round August topic ‘Holidays’. If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and read about their ideas on Cross-Genre Fiction, then check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour. The next Merry Go Round writer is Bonnie. She’ll be posting her take on this same topic on the 5th for your reading pleasure.
DAWN BONANNO 
This made me realize that I don’t think I’ve ever included a holiday in my fiction. It would be helpful in a lot of ways. Thanks!
The links turned out to be very helpful – thank you very much for them.