My experience has been that the more you talk or think about holding, the more confused you get.
It took me 8-10 years of flying to be able to do it in my head, and now that I have it down, I don't want to hear any more about it.
At some point the light goes on, you immediately visualize the pattern when the clearance is given, and you feel threatened by any further discussion of the process.
All you need to know on the Airbus FMS is the holding fix inbound course, direction of turns, and length or time of legs. The ND will paint the picture, you make sure you're in managed NAV, and everyone's happy. If the pattern is in the data base, all the better.
Don't even think about it.