Hey, writers.  First of all…Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Haha.  Okay moving on.  I know a lot of people that love this holiday and for them, it’s all about partying.

Instead of just celebrations though, what writer lessons can be learned here?  Is it all just partying?  Of course not.

Hit the jump writers, and let’s discuss.

So I started this article asking myself some questions.

-Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?
-Who celebrates Saint Patrick’s Day?
-What does Saint Patrick’s Day represent?

This series of questions led to my research and the following text is what I decided could be useful for you, writers.  Having said that, I had enough that it could be a two-parter.  Instead of a giant article, I think the next half will be posted a year from now.  Thoughts?

A Rose By Any Other Name

The first thing that stood out to me was the name of the holiday.  Quite literally, the name of the holiday features a name.  This stood out to me because other holidays don’t always do that.  Compare and contrast it with Memorial Day.  Memorial Day doesn’t have a specific person that is named.

So who was Saint Patrick?  Apparently, Saint Patrick was one of the patron saints of Ireland.  It is also believed that he died on March 17th.  I didn’t specify this particular question, but it does solve the riddle of why we celebrate the holiday when we do.

A former slave, Saint Patrick would later enter the church just like his father and grandfather before him.  Later in his life he became a missionary.

From a writer’s point of view, I like what this can be turned into for a story.  A main character that starts out as a slave but later becomes a missionary could make for a powerful novel.  This all happened around the year 493, but that doesn’t have to be the case in a novel.  Imagine a space pirate in the year 7712 that was smuggling humans.  One of those people could become a missionary.  Which makes me wonder what a missionary would be like in 7712.  That could make a good book, too.

Father, Father

So something dawned on me when I was looking this stuff up.  It’s SAINT Patrick’s Day.  I imagine for some of you that’s more of a “duh” moment but for others, you reacted the way I did:  “I guess the guy was a saint.”

I know how weird that sounds, but sometimes the title of a person/character just blends in with the name.  I remember reading a comic once where Captain America needed help.  So he was on a base or a boat, and he called over one of the men in the area.  That man immediately saluted Steve Rogers.

Cap says something like, “You don’t have to do that.  You rank higher than me.”
The response?  “You’re Captain America.  I’m saluting you.”

(Love that response by the way.)

It was a weird moment for me.  I’ve always known that he was CAPTAIN America, but I didn’t really think of him as a captain.  For instance, I can better see Cap’N Crunch at the helm of a boat better than I can Captain America doing that in my mind.  Then again, I’m pretty sure Cap’N Crunch isn’t a real captain either >.>

Anyway.

When designing a holiday for a fictional story, I’ll leave it up to you writers to have or not have a religious connotation in the naming.

Green Means Go

The more I think about Saint Patrick’s Day the more I think there’s more room to play.  For instance, when I think of Saint Patrick’s Day I think of people wearing green.  In one aspect, it’s a custom so simple that even children can ‘play along.’

In another aspect, there’s a great feeling of camaraderie that comes with everyone wearing green.  It’s like being in a special club.  On top of that, those that would wear green were like they were in on a secret.  Though to be fair, it’s a “secret” to everyone at this point.

I’m reminded of something a friend once told me.  He drove a Jeep back then.  Apparently, whenever a he was driving his Jeep and a fellow Jeep owner passed him in a lane or at an intersection, they would do a little salute.

Now I’ve driven different brands of vehicles, but I’ve never driven a Jeep.  That little salute is a pretty cool thing to have in common.

I’m not…jealous >.>

Itchy Fingers

So again, more digging.  I like the custom that comes with Saint Patrick’s Day.  A kind of “we all agreed to this” pact that everyone shares.  If you wear green, you’re exempt but if you don’t you’re fair pickings.

In a way, it’s a kind of cruel coercion that’s just okay once a year.  What am I referring to?  The fact that people are willing to pinch someone that isn’t wearing green.  In the grand scheme of things, this is also as cute and playful as choosing to wear green.

If This Then That

So what do we have here, writers?  Any special occasion that I might create for an event or an outing, I would want to consider what we see in Saint Patrick’s Day.

For instance, in a romantic story:  Two people in a fictional nation where you “have to” wear red for Valentine’s Day.  (On that note, I’m kind of surprised this isn’t a thing.)  If you don’t wear that color then you have to kiss someone of the opposite gender.  (Or maybe someone of the same gender.  Hm, that could be a novel.)

Or, in a children’s story:  Kids on a playground all “have to” wear blue.  Any kids not wearing blue would have to be “It” in a game of tag.

Simple stuff, but you get the idea, writers.

If you were to choose a color that everyone had to wear, what would it be?  Or if you had to choose a “result” of not wearing said color, what would that be?  Something tells me that could make for some fun and interesting “situations” for our characters.  Haha.

Let me know, writers.  Sound off in the comments! 🙂

Aloha,
Alvin

P.S.  Your Quote of the Day:  “Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.” ― Stephen King