Writing Wednesdays: Twelve festive writing prompts

If you've seen any other post on my blog lately, you'll know how giddy I am for Christmas. And if you've read any of my Christmas short stories in my Holly Jolly Anthology on Wattpad, you'll know it from there, too.

And in the spirit of Christmas, I thought I'd use it to inspire this week's Writing Wednesdays post - and offer up a few festive writing prompts.

(And twelve because, well, duh. Twelve days of Christmas.)

Maybe they'll inspire a new story. Maybe they'll help you visualise your characters and the dynamic between them. Maybe they'll help you get unstuck!

1. "A Fairytale of New York is something you can only sing when drunk." / "Okay, so prove it."

The 'I got locked out of my room' trope meets too much eggnog, and a little Christmas carolling to some less-than-impressed neighbours.

2. "You remembered."

Secret Santa - and this could go so many ways. Take your pick! She's madly in love with a guy who's never noticed her, but when he gets her a perfect, thoughtful gift in Secret Santa, she realises he did notice her after all... 

3. "I mean, thanks, but... I'm still a better elf than you."

Or they're always trying to one-up each other (in class or at work) and get each other for Secret Santa. A little begrudging, and coming to realise maybe they're not so different after all.

4. "I thought you said you were good at this?"

Ice skating. Falling head over arse in a desperate attempt to make a good impression.

5. Driving home for Christmas

Traffic is awful, public transport has shut down, and your main character will get home to the family in time for Christmas - but if they have to hear Chris Rea one more time, they're going to scream.

6. "Maybe it's time for a new tradition."

Oh come on - you're already picturing which of your characters would say this corny line, aren't you?

7. And his heart grew ten sizes that day.

Your main character loved Christmas - until it became their busiest time of year. Now they could do without the chaos, the carols - even the cold. They just need a little reminder of Christmas magic to get rid of that humbug feeling.

8. "Oh, God, not Monopoly. I don't want to die in here before the food runs out."

Snowed in. The good news: they're shovelling you out and you've got hot chocolate and board games. The bad news: it's with the last group of people on Earth you'd want to be stuck with.

9. "Do you smell burning?"

First year trying to cook Christmas dinner and run the whole show yourself, and everything that could go wrong - has gone wrong. The turkey. The dessert. Even the peas. The presents. And that's not to mention what happened to the tree...

10. Just a small town girl...

That other classic trope of strangers meeting and there's that zing, that instant connection - which I always associate with the Journey song. Maybe they both miss the last train home and it's Christmas Eve, or maybe they're stuck next to each other on a six-hour bus ride. So long as there's chemistry, it can't go wrong!

11. Kisses under the mistletoe

What Christmas romance would be complete without a kiss under the mistletoe? You can always mix it up with a Cinderella twist, and a search to find that girl he knows is the one!

12. "I swear, I don't always dress like this. It's for the panto."

What would Christmas be without a pantomime? (Side note: I've really missed going to one this year!) Bonus points if he's dressed for the part of the Ugly Stepsister.

And there we have it! Twelve festive writing prompts to help you think of something to write this holiday season! Happy writing, folks.

Do you have a favourite writing prompt to share? Add it in the comments below!