So is it ok in a novel to specify which months the story is set in (For this example, September through Spring) and make a note of a birthday and of Halloween but then not to mention Christmas or Thanksgiving or New Years at all? I just sort of skip over the winter in a few paragraphs, summarizing that time is passing and what not, but I don't make any reference to those holidays. Is this unusual and more importantly, would that bother you in a book? I mean, if no holidays were mentioned at all, it would at least be consistent, but since I mention Halloween and a birthday, is it terribly inconsistent to not have other holidays? I'm tapping into my memory to see if I can recall any book I've read where this is the case and I can't pull anything.
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On passage of time
- Thread starter spikeman4444
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I've read many a book which took place in the fall without any mention of Halloween. Likewise for those written in winter and no winter holidays are mentioned.
But if something pertinent happens at the holidays, or the holiday itself is important to the story, then of course, it's included.
But if something pertinent happens at the holidays, or the holiday itself is important to the story, then of course, it's included.
What you're doing sounds fine. If the winter months aren't important to your story, skipping over them makes sense--otherwise, you'll bore the reader. As long as the reader understands how much time has passed, I don't think it's a problem at all.
Observance of holidays is a very character-specific trait. Some people go absolutely gaga over Christmas, while for others its more a case of "ah, crap, its that time again already, better buy some gifts before the shops become a nightmare". Here in Australia, Halloween isn't of much note at all (to my dissapointment, I never got a chance to go trick-or-treating as a kid, though I had friends who made a half-arsed effort of it), although the ever-increasing influence of the States in our culture and media means its become a more celebrated event. Valentine's Day is a big thing for couples, but much less so for single people. Easter has significance for the religious, for kids and their parents, and those who love chocolate and/or public holidays; others pay no real attention to it at all.
Age, upbringing, religion (or lack-thereof) and place of residence all play an enormous part in which holidays capture our notice and which don't.
Regardless, if nothing plot or character-relevant happens during those holidays, there's no reason whatsoever why you should need to bring them up. These are events that happen every year, at (more or less) the same time each year - in a contemporary setting, its a given that Christmas would have happened on December 26, Halloween on October 31, the 4th of July on, well, that date. Readers can assume for themselves that your character was present for them in some capacity.
But you can always slip in a mention if you want to. Often holidays and other yearly events can be an effective way to summarise the passage of time. Something like "Halloween passed without John hearing any news, and by the time Christmas and New Years had been and gone, he began to have serious concerns about Carrie's whereabouts. It wasn't until late Febuary, two weeks before his birthday, that he... etc, etc"
There's no right answer here. But if you are only mentioning these holidays because you feel you have to, then it almost certainly isn't needed.
Age, upbringing, religion (or lack-thereof) and place of residence all play an enormous part in which holidays capture our notice and which don't.
Regardless, if nothing plot or character-relevant happens during those holidays, there's no reason whatsoever why you should need to bring them up. These are events that happen every year, at (more or less) the same time each year - in a contemporary setting, its a given that Christmas would have happened on December 26, Halloween on October 31, the 4th of July on, well, that date. Readers can assume for themselves that your character was present for them in some capacity.
But you can always slip in a mention if you want to. Often holidays and other yearly events can be an effective way to summarise the passage of time. Something like "Halloween passed without John hearing any news, and by the time Christmas and New Years had been and gone, he began to have serious concerns about Carrie's whereabouts. It wasn't until late Febuary, two weeks before his birthday, that he... etc, etc"
There's no right answer here. But if you are only mentioning these holidays because you feel you have to, then it almost certainly isn't needed.
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As the writer, you're fully in charge of time. Holidays help establish time frame, but certainly aren't required. I've written several entire novels without any mention at all of time.
I agree with Ferret's observations. The problem with trying to cover all of the bases in this isntance is that you may accidently slow down the tempo of your MS. I am revising my first novel right now and I came across some secitons where too much detail left me bored to tears when I edited that section. The solution was to kill a scene that was really nice, but the details were not germaine to the story line I was creating.
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