If January 1st is going to be the day we decide we’ll really sit down and focus on starting/getting back to/finishing that novel, we have to do something in December to prepare, right?
Inspired by one of my best writer friends, I’ve created a four-week fiction writing challenge with twenty days* of holiday-themed writing prompts to get your creativity flowing!
Enjoy the season with small writing prompts dedicated to savoring the season and flexing your writing muscles. We’ll start off small in Week One, with descriptions of various holiday concepts. Then, we’ll expand in Week Two to holiday odes, poems, and songs. In Week Three, we’ll get into retellings, playing with stories that already exist. Finally, in Week Four, we’ll dive fully into original holiday scenes and stories.
Hopefully by Week Five, you’ll feel energized and inspired to get to work on whatever your New Year’s (Writing) Resolution may be.
December Writing Challenge: Twenty Holiday Writing Prompts
Week One: Describe…
DAY ONE: An ideal holiday meal in Dickensian detail
DAY TWO: Your own personal winter wonderland (real or imaginary)
DAY THREE: The Proper Way to engage in a special holiday tradition (real or imaginary)
DAY FOUR: The perfect house in which to spend a snowy evening (don’t forget to decorate)
DAY FIVE: Holiday Joy
Week Two: Compose…
DAY ONE: An ode to your favorite holiday beverage
DAY TWO: A haiku about Winter Solstice
DAY THREE: A poem about a winter walk
DAY FOUR: A metaphor based on a winter clothing item
DAY FIVE: An original holiday jingle
Week Three: Retell…
DAY ONE: A classic holiday story from an unexpected point of view
DAY TWO: A Christmas song as a short story set in the modern day
DAY THREE: A holiday memory with some extra seasonal magic
DAY FOUR: A historical holiday event as a classic children’s story
DAY FIVE: A classic children’s story as a serious news report
Week Four: Write a Story About…
DAY ONE: The (fake) history of a (real) holiday tradition
DAY TWO: A rom-com worthy holiday meet cute
DAY THREE: A ghost who’s all about the holiday “spirit”
DAY FOUR: Characters inventing their own holiday tradition
DAY FIVE: A midnight deadline
Here’s a print-friendly graphic for your desk:
And to make it as easy as possible to follow along, I’ve created:
an editable Google Docs workbook to complete the prompts in. Just follow this link, go to “File,” select “Make a Copy,” and write away!
a PDF version of the workbook better suited for printing!
I hope you write along!
Best,
Julia
*We take the weekends off in these parts, because the best way to exceed expectations is not to set them too high to begin with. The holidays are a busy time of the year with an abundance of social obligations. Write every day if you can, but give yourself room for days where your only task is to complete a prompt you didn’t quite finish earlier in the week, or where all you have the capacity for is thinking about writing. Hopefully that will give you the leisure to enjoy the month and not worry too much about finding time to write on Christmas day, when being in the moment with friends and family might be a healthier priority.