IT’S ALL ABOUT – FALLING FOR IDEAS IN OCTOBER

By Melissa Stoller
 
 
October falls squarely in the autumn season where I live in New York. Cool weather activities have replaced ocean swims. It’s the perfect time to fall for ideas. Here are a few tips to help spark your imagination.

1. Reflect on autumn activities . . . the start of the school season, pumpkin and apple picking, and sweater weather. Choose your favorite activity and use that as a setting for your manuscript. 
2. Choose three favorite autumn foods, such as a pumpkin latte, cinnamon muffins, or apple crumble. Add that food into a story. Use sensory details to make the reader taste the treat.
3. Think of your favorite childhood memory from autumn. Maybe you gazed at the stars from a tent in October, kayaked down a river on a chilly autumn afternoon, or strolled on a city walk. Use the emotions from those memories in a story you are revising, or add them to a new story.

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​I hope these exercises help you fall into expanded storytelling during the autumn season.
Cheers to creativity and let me know how you are doing in the comments.
 

BIO:
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Melissa Stoller is 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; and Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom (co-author). Building Bridges: Peace, Salaam, Shalom (co-author with Callie Metler and Shirin Rahman, Illustrated by Kate Talbot), releases from Clear Fork Publishing in October, 2022. Melissa is a Blogger and Course Assistant for the Children’s Book Academy, a Rate Your Story judge, a Regional Ambassador for The Chapter Book Challenge, a volunteer with SCBWI/MetroNY, and a founding member of The Book Meshuggenahs. She also interviews authors on her blog, This Writing Life, and offers book tips and resources. In other chapters of her life, Melissa has worked as a lawyer, legal writing instructor, freelance writer and editor, and early childhood educator. She lives in New York City with her family, and enjoys theatre, museums, and Wordle! 

CONNECT:  

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https://www.TheBookMeshuggenahs.com
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