egg huntWriters are always looking for fodder to enhance their next story. Holidays with family or friends is a gold mine for these morsels. I’m not suggesting you add crazy uncle Frank as a character. Keep an eye out for little things like who talks the most, are they loud and want everyone to hear their stories? What are the roles everyone plays in the holiday? Are they the picture-taker of the family, the one that brings more dishes than they signed up for, the one that is always late, or the one that always brings an extra person?

Think in terms of your senses. Look around the room and make mental notes of what you see. What are the conversation circles like? Beyond the typical gathering around whatever sports event aligns with the holiday, how are others conversing? How do the parents converse with their children? Is there one child not joining in with the other kids.

Are you overwhelmed by the smell of warm home cooking when you walk in? What isn’t being said? Is it one of those times in the family when there is an issue that everyone has chosen to ignore because it’s a holiday? How is everyone dressed? Is there a faction of the family that shows up dressed to the nines and another who looks like they just rolled out of bed?

This weekend is Easter; a sacred holiday. But beyond your spiritual experience, when it comes to families getting together, whether it’s the obligation, or because they want to, over-eating, lots of candy, and hunting for eggs that may have cash, things with the family can get squirrelly. Consider it a gift for your writing and use it!

#Easter #egghunt #amwriting