Monday, February 29, 2016

Leap Year Stories and More Unusual Holidays



In my childhood, Leap Years brought on a gaggle of giggles from my classmates as we tried to figure out a person's age if he/she had a birthday on February 29th. There are all kinds of articles online and in newspapers and magazines giving Fun Facts about Leap Year. Take a look at one of them.

Leap Year offers writers another opportunity for writing a new story, poem or essay. Some countries say February 29th is a day when women can propose to men. Perfect base for a short story, isn't it? How about an essay with factual information about this only-once-every-four-years day? A poem about having a birthday on February 29th might be unusual enough to get published.

There are plenty of days in the year that are celebrated in some way or other but I have a feeling few writers consider them worth writing about. Why not be the one to do so? You could get published and those who let those days slip by might not.

I know I recently wrote a post about writing stories for the lesser-known holidays but it doesn't hurt to repeat, so...

Consider writing fiction, non-fiction, poetry or a childrens' story about:

  • New Year's Day
  • Martin Luther King Day
  • Valentine's Day
  • President's Day
  • St. Patrick's Day
  • Easter
  • Mother's Day
  • Memorial Day
  • Father's Day
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Columbus Day
  • Halloween
  • Veterans' Day
  • Thanksgiving
  • Hanukkah
  • Kwanzaa
  • Christmas Eve
  • Christmas Day
  • New Year's Eve
You'll have better luck if you choose one of the lesser-known, lesser-celebrated days. Everyone wants to write about Halloween and Christmas but how many stories have you read that revolve around Columbus Day or Labor Day? I didn't include days like National Tooth Fairy Day (February 28th) or Johhny Appleseed Day (March 11th)  but you can find lists of those online, I'm sure. The one I think I'd like to celebrate is No Housework Day on April 7th. 

You'll have to think ahead so that you can submit your work long before the actual holiday. If you write a Leap Year story today, it's not going to get published for another 4 years. Aim now for those days we celebrate in the last few months of the year. Write it, submit it soon. 

Take advantage of this year's extra day and write a little more than you have during those 365 day years. February 29th gives you one more day to ply your craft. Go for it!

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