I will admit while I normally choose these events more or less randomly, occasionally doing seasonal association, today I chose specifically. It seemed the right day for it.
Today’s event: A Barbeque
I am actually heading to one later today in celebration of Juneteenth. Some neighbors invited us. Well us and the rest of the block. Everyone is bringing something so it is a neighborhood BBQ which we haven’t had in a long time. When we moved into the neighborhood there were a lot of older families and there were more neighborhood events, then houses sold and new neighbors moved in and neighborhood events were fading out well before the pandemic did a TKO. So it will be interesting to see if this is a one off or a revival of neighborhood traditions. Either way, today we are using a barbeque as our event. It can be just for intimate family, it can be family and friends to kick off the summer, it could be a family reunion or a neighborhood pot luck. However you write it think not only of the scents, tastes and other sensory details but how you can use it to show something in your story that an ordinary every day wouldn’t show. Behavioral changes to show a different side of a character, a casual conversation shedding light on hidden history or allowing memories to resurface. Whether it is an internal realization for one of your characters or a clue for your sleuth, use it to your best advantage. Happy writing.
Ten til Midnight 