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By Melissa Stoller www.MelissaStoller.com This November, navigate the story ideas that you organized last month. Here are some tips to help you get started:  Canva Image 1) Read through the idea categories that you organized in October, and hone in on one grouping…perhaps a theme like friendship, a category like food, or a group like summer vacations. 2) Choose three ideas that seem the most interesting to you. Perhaps they have been swirling and whirling around in your brain for a while. Maybe they have been marinating in the form of a draft manuscript or two. Brush them off and think about what makes these ideas stick with you and demand to be turned into a fully-formed story. 3) Choose one of the ideas and research marketability of that idea. Is there room in the market for your idea? Do you see any published books that are too close to your idea? And if so, is there any way to distinguish your idea so that it will sell? 4) Once you believe your idea has potential, read all the recently published books with similar themes that you can find. Use these books as mentor texts to help you with story construction and arc, plotting, page turns, and more. 5) Once you navigate this process with one idea, write a draft story! And then repeat! Enjoy the month of November, navigating your ideas to turn them into manuscripts. Let me know in the comments if these exercises helped. Happy writing and cheers to creativity this month!  MELISSA’S BIO: Melissa Stoller writes to bring heartfelt connection and joy to her readers. Her newest picture book, Hazel and Mabel: Two Hearts Apart, illustrated by Anita Bagdi, released from Gnome Road Publishing in September, 2025. Melissa’s next picture book, Stella’s Special Recipe: A Rosh Hashanah Story, illustrated by Valerya Milovanova, will release from Kar-Ben Publishing in Fall 2026. Melissa is also the author of the chapter book 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, and a Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Trustee. 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 long walks in Central Park and at the beach. CONNECT WITH MELISSA: https://www.MelissaStoller.com https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller www.twitter.com/melissastoller www.instagram.com/Melissa_Stoller www.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller @MelissaStoller.bsky.social  by Dr. Debra Collins Many years ago, I had the privilege of teaming with a group of individuals representing disparate viewpoints. We lived on an island and needed to modernize aspects of the public schools. Though various plans were proposed, it seemed whatever met the needs of one group thwarted the interests of another. A process was devised to find a solution that balanced the diverse perspectives. A task team was created, comprised of individuals representing each group of stakeholders: labor, management, teacher, parent, etc. The team was charged with developing a solution ALL its members found agreeable. A plan would be approved only by100% consensus, not by majority vote. Our first step toward that goal was working together to discover beliefs and values with which we all agreed: to find our common ground. A glance at the CASEL SEL Framework reveals that the success of this approach (which was successful!) required team members with highly developed Relationship Skills.  In this month’s spotlighted story, THE FORT, two children lay claim to the same location: an old tree fort in their neighborhood woods. Will they each stand their ground, or find common ground?  Each child believes the fort to be their own special place. For the boy, it is a castle, and he is a prince. For the girl, it is a pirate ship, and she is captain. One day, prince leaves out his written plan for a royal feast. When he returns the next day, he finds a treasure map scribbled on the other side of it, and an eyepatch on the floor. A pirate has invaded his castle! The prince searches for more evidence of the pirate. Whatever he finds, he throws out of his castle. When the prince is gone, the pirate returns. She trips over a crown. A prince has raided her ship! She swabs the decks, getting rid of anything royal. Soon the prince and pirate encounter each other. The prince bans the pirate from the castle. “If you don’t stay out, I will put you in the dungeon!” The pirate refuses to abandon her ship. “If you don’t leave, I’ll make you walk the gangplank!” The story pivots when the angry prince mocks the idea of living on a “stinky” pirate ship. “I’d rather go to the moon!” Suddenly, the girl imagines exploring space, rather than the seven seas. The boy imagines commanding a mission, rather than a kingdom. They become fellow astronauts. Now the wooden boards that formed the castle’s “drawbridge” and the ship’s “gangplank” are their spacecraft’s “hatch.” Soon, they’ve gone through their preparations, strap in, and start the countdown. Which, meaningfully, ends not with division, but unity:   By Melissa Stoller www.MelissaStoller.com This October, organize all the ideas that are floating around, ready to be put into a story manuscript. Here are some prompts to get you started:  Canva Image 1) Organize ideas by seasonal topic: seasons, holidays, foods, decorations, and more. 2) Organize ideas by theme: friendship, family, growing up, sharing, siblings, kindness, and more. 3) Organize ideas by place: home, school, beach, library, playground, outer space, and more. Once you organize – choose one idea and write a story. Or smash up a few ideas to create a new manuscript. Have fun and play! Enjoy the month of October and organizing your ideas. Let me know in the comments if these exercises helped. Happy writing and cheers to creativity this month! 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, released from Gnome Road Publishing in September, 2025. Melissa’s next picture book, Stella’s Special Recipe, illustrated by Valerya Milovanova, will release from Kar-Ben Publishing in Fall 2026. Melissa is also the author of the chapter book 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, and a Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Trustee. 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. CONNECT WITH MELISSA: https://www.MelissaStoller.com https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller www.twitter.com/melissastoller www.instagram.com/Melissa_Stoller www.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller @MelissaStoller.bsky.social by Dr Debra Collins As a school psychologist, I’ve worked to foster children’s social-emotional development. Referencing the CASEL framework, I highlight character-driven stories that demonstrate social-emotional skills integral to successful relationships and personal achievement. Stories for young children have existed long before research on social-emotional learning, however. When I was a little girl treated to an afternoon in the movie theater, the feature often was a familiar fairy tale with a glorious heroine.  Let’s look at her story arc. When we meet her, her attributes are innocence, gentle goodness, and beauty. These qualities motivate a villain to do away with her. Cinderella, a girl with no name, is enslaved, her beauty hidden beneath ashes and rags. Aurora, enchanted into a hundred-year sleep, loses her name and becomes “The Sleeping Beauty.” Snow White is poisoned. She appears dead. But being so beautiful, she is encased in glass, still to be admired. Or, to be still and admired?  The girl’s beauty wins the attention of a man – a prince! – who brings her back into the world. One rescues Cinderella from forced servitude. One gives the kiss of life to Aurora; another does the same for Snow White. Each prince makes each young woman his beautiful princess. Entranced by these tales, I myself fell under a spell, subconsciously absorbing the rules: Be passively pretty. Whatever happens, wait. A princely hero will choose you. Then you’ll live “happily ever after.” There’s nothing more to want out of life. Thankfully, today’s popular girl heroines define their own dreams and have the agency to fulfill them. My spotlight shines on one who deserves more attention: LillyBelle.  We meet LillyBelle at Miss Frilly’s school for damsels, where her favorite activities are: “Baking GLORIOUS cakes. The taller the better! Playing MELODIOUS songs. The louder the better! Learning SPLENDID manners. The fancier the better!” LillyBelle likes to push boundaries to flamboyant effect. The capitalized, hyperbolic descriptors and extreme goals emphasize this aspect of her personality. The illustrations of her toppling cake, amped-up guitar riffs, and well-intended manner missteps leave no doubt. We see that LillyBelle loves being a damsel, and that this particular damsel won’t be boxed in by conventional limits. Accordingly, LillyBelle rejects Miss Frilly’s dictate that a damsel in distress “must be captured by a villain, never attempt to escape, and wait patiently for rescue.” When captured – first by a witch, then a giant, then an ogre – “LillyBelle squirmed. LillyBelle screeched! She puffed. She protested!” After each villain unceremoniously drops her in their lair – KERPLUNK! – LillyBelle skillfully takes control of the situation. The arc of LillyBelle’s story is that she transforms those around her, establishing new norms. In delightful “turn-the-tables” scenes, LillyBelle instructs each villain. When she returns to school, she convincingly demonstrates the effectiveness of her ways. She thereby ascends to a leadership position: teaching a class for Damsels NOT in Distress. Even Miss Frilly ends up attending LillyBelle’s class. In addition to empowering her fellow damsels, LillyBelle expands their community to include new friends: a winsome witch who bakes wondrous pies, a gentle giant who sings delightful duets, and a most mannerly ogre. Joann Pastro’s use of deft language and three-beat patterns effectively enhances the tale. As noted earlier, three well-crafted lines introduce LillyBelle as a girl who pushes boundaries. Later in the story, repeated patterns empower children to anticipate the action and join in. Squirming, protesting, and “KERPLUNK!” occur each time LillyBelle is captured. A compelling refrain accompanies these three encounters: “A damsel in distress would wait for rescue…but not LillyBelle.” Whenever LillyBelle’s pleasant day is rudely interrupted by a villain, Pastro quickens the pace with a rapid cadence of short, staccato sentences punctuated with sharp-sounding beats. Then LillyBelle takes control, speaking in a luxuriously lengthy, formal manner that commands her captors’ attention and calm consideration. The story is great fun to read aloud – especially if, like me, you enjoy creating unique voices for the different characters. As for social-emotional skills, LillyBelle models a multitude. Her story checks many boxes within the CASEL framework: SELF-AWARENESS: LillyBelle identifies her personal and social assets. She shows confidence and purpose. She experiences self-efficacy. SOCIAL AWARENESS: LillyBelle takes others’ perspectives. She thereby identifies the motivating desires of the witch, the giant, and the ogre. She shows concern for others, including her captors. She recognizes opportunities presented by a situation. SELF-MANAGEMENT: LillyBelle does not lose her wits or panic (in sharp contrast to her classmates, the “damsels in distress”). She shows courage to take initiative. She identifies both personal and collective goals. She plans, organizes, and acts to achieve both personal and collective goals. RELATIONSHIP SKILLS: LillyBelle communicates clearly. She recognizes other persons’ needs. She works collaboratively to resolve conflict constructively. She offers help. She provides leadership. RESPONSIBLE DECISION-MAKING: LillyBelle makes caring and constructive choices, balancing her personal goals and others’ needs. She evaluates the benefits and consequences of various actions for personal, social, and collective well-being. She demonstrates personal and social problem-solving. She bases her plans on data and facts. She promotes well-being for herself, her “adversaries,” and the collective community. I wish I’d had LillyBelle as a role model when I was a small girl. I’m enormously glad she’s here for my granddaughters.  By Melissa Stoller www.MelissaStoller.com Where I live in New York, Autumn starts in September. This is the perfect month to fall for ideas. Here are a few prompts to get you started:  Canva Image 1) Think about fall foods that you enjoy now or that you loved as a child. Pumpkin lattes or apple cider? Apple pie? Cider donuts? Write a story that includes some foods of this season. 2) What activities do you enjoy this season? Apple picking? Hay rides? Fall foliage drives? Write a first line or title for a new story idea. 3) Take a neighborhood walk and look for signs of fall. Colorful leaves? Fall festivals? Local farms or farmstands with apples or pumpkins? Or look online for symbols of fall. Choose three and include them in a new story plot. 4) Think about back to school routines or rituals and include a few in a manuscript. 5) Ask friends and family what they love about fall. Make a chart, and then choose one idea to write about. Enjoy the fall season! Let me know in the comments if these exercises helped. Happy writing and cheers to creativity this September! 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’s next picture book, Stella’s Special Recipe, illustrated by Valerya Milovanova, will release from Kar-Ben Publishing in Fall 2026. 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, and a Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Trustee. 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. CONNECT WITH MELISSA: https://www.MelissaStoller.com https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller www.twitter.com/melissastoller www.instagram.com/Melissa_Stoller www.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller @MelissaStoller.bsky.social 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 |
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