By Melissa Stoller
www.MelissaStoller.com
In the Northern Hemisphere where I live, the month of June signifies the start of summer. This year, June 20 will be the official summer solstice, the longest day of the year with the most daylight in this hemisphere. At this moment, let images of sunshine, summer, and daylight help inspire your stories. Here are a few prompts to get you started:
www.MelissaStoller.com
In the Northern Hemisphere where I live, the month of June signifies the start of summer. This year, June 20 will be the official summer solstice, the longest day of the year with the most daylight in this hemisphere. At this moment, let images of sunshine, summer, and daylight help inspire your stories. Here are a few prompts to get you started:
1. Write a story that includes the sun, sunshine, or daylight. Or use the angle of a long day that includes many details or obstacles. See where your imagination takes you!
2. Use the notion of the summer solstice to inspire a story. Research the science behind a solstice and wrote a non-fiction story or a narrative non-fiction story. Include extra enrichment in back matter.
3. Think about a story structure guided by this time of year. Perhaps start the story with sunrise, then the middle includes the sun overhead midday, then the ending features the sun setting. What other structures might work for your manuscript?
This month, be guided by the summer solstice and the start of summer. Cheers to many bright and shiny ideas!
Let me know in the comments if these exercises helped.
Happy writing!
2. Use the notion of the summer solstice to inspire a story. Research the science behind a solstice and wrote a non-fiction story or a narrative non-fiction story. Include extra enrichment in back matter.
3. Think about a story structure guided by this time of year. Perhaps start the story with sunrise, then the middle includes the sun overhead midday, then the ending features the sun setting. What other structures might work for your manuscript?
This month, be guided by the summer solstice and the start of summer. Cheers to many bright and shiny ideas!
Let me know in the comments if these exercises helped.
Happy writing!
MELISSA’S BIO:
Melissa Stoller writes to bring connection, joy, and a bit of magic to her readers. Her newest picture book, Hazel and Mabel: Two Hearts Apart, illustrated by Anita Bagdi, releases from Gnome Road Publishing on September 30, 2025. Melissa is also the author of the chapter book series The Enchanted Snow Globe Collection - Return to Coney Island, and the picture books Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush; Ready, Set, GOrilla!; Sadie’s Shabbat Stories; Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom; and Building Bridges: Peace, Salaam, Shalom (co-written). Melissa is a Blogger for the Children’s Book Academy, a Rate Your Story Judge, a volunteer with SCBWI/MetroNY, a Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Trustee, and a past school and Synagogue Trustee. She also interviews authors and offers resources on her blog. In other chapters of her life, Melissa has worked as a lawyer, legal writing instructor, freelance writer/editor, and early childhood educator. She lives in New York City with her family, and enjoys theatre, museums, and Central Park walks.
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Pre-Order for HAZEL AND MABEL: TWO HEARTS APART is available:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/hazel-and-mabel-two-hearts-apart-melissa-stoller/960a747616a2c234?ean=9781957655574&next=t&next=t
https://www.amazon.com/Hazel-Mabel-Two-Hearts-Apart/dp/1957655577/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hazel-and-mabel-melissa-stoller/1146882184?ean=9781957655574
