I’ve never been one to turn down a challenge and as usual it’s Aaron throwing down the gauntlet. Well, my friend, your challenge is accepted. En garde!
I’m going to look at this holiday season with a slightly different view. But then, don’t I always? That’s the beauty of five different writers on the site. There’s bound to be one that errs on the side of the unusual. I think it must be my turn by now.
So what exactly do I plan to “deck the halls” with? Not boughs of holly, I’m afraid. You can never find fresh holly when you want it. So, instead, I’m going to go with more of a writer’s flair. I’m going to deck the halls with pages of manuscript. Now picture the horrified expressions on my wife and kid’s faces. It’s a Kodak moment for all the wrong reasons.
OK, so what am I seriously proposing here? Am I really planning to wallpaper my house with printouts of my work? Not if my family has anything to say about it! But, there are many thoughtful things you can do to get the message out to your family and friends that you are an aspiring author. And you can make it fun too.
- Write a story about your family rather than a Christmas letter. Send it out with your Christmas cards;
- Give the readers in your life a professionally bound set (I hear Kinkos does wonders with coil-ring) of sample chapters or short stories. Make sure you sign the work; and/or
- If you’re having a family gathering, slip a page into each guest’s gift (same chapter, but different page for each). Let them make a game of putting them in order and reading the chapter.
Notice I always included some activity or tie-in with your writing. Just handing a sheet of paper to someone at the door seldom works. I know, my son would likely just build a paper airplane out of it.
So am I suggesting you make the holidays all about your writing? Not at all! The holidays are here for a reason and celebrating your creativity isn’t it! But I am suggesting you make it fun and memorable. It will increase the network of friends and family who know about your passion.
And maybe by next holiday season, you might get some of the types of gifts mentioned by Aaron. Or better yet, you might be able to give those same people their own copy of your recently published, soon-to-be best seller. You never know.
For me writing and Christmas are both important. They both bring me a great deal of pleasure and joy. Shouldn’t I share in that wealth?
