IT’S ALL ABOUT . . . WRITING FROM RECIPES

​By Melissa Stoller
 
If you are searching for ideas, why not flip through your recipes, consider your favorite foods and the chefs who cooked them, and reminisce about special occasions and memorable meals. There may be stories marinating, simmering, and boiling just below the surface. 

Here are some prompts to get you started:

1. Think about some of your favorite childhood dishes. Did your parents or grandparents cook traditional family recipes that you loved? What foods do you associate with your favorite holidays? How did you feel on all those occasions? Write about those experiences.
2. What are some of your favorite restaurants? Do any dishes stand out? Do you remember special meals from significant celebrations with family or friends? Write about one memory.
3. What are some of the recipes you cook today? Are any of the ingredients unusual? Are they from your own vegetable garden, perhaps, or from a special market? And do you remember who taught you to cook those recipes? Perhaps one of these threads could tie into a story idea.​

​​Next time you find yourself in the kitchen or in a restaurant, consider the ingredients, favorite recipes, family members who cooked delicious dishes, and your own experiences with food. Get cooking with some story ideas!
 

​MELISSA'S BIO:
Melissa Stoller is the author of the chapter book series The Enchanted Snow Globe Collection - Return to Coney Island (Clear Fork Publishing); and the picture books Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush, Ready, Set, GOrilla!, and Sadie’s Shabbat Stories. (Clear Fork). Melissa is a Blogger and Course Assistant for the Children’s Book Academy, a Regional Ambassador for The Chapter Book Challenge, a volunteer with SCBWI/MetroNY, and a founding member of The Book Meshuggenahs. 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 long beach walks.

​
CONNECT:  
https://www.MelissaStoller.com
https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog 
http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller
http://www.twitter.com/melissastoller
http://www.instagram.com/Melissa_Stoller
http://www.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller
https://www.TheBookMeshuggenahs.com 
​
​