Spring is wrapping up and summer is about to launch. Here are some ideas and inspirations for how to use June in a story.

Father’s Day

This holiday can be a setting for exploring male relationships within a family. Like I wrote in May for Mother’s Day, you can write a story only set on Father’s Day over a number years to show how the male characters change.

In my latest YA cozy mystery, A Storm of Doubts, the story wraps up on Father’s Day. That seemed appropriate for a novel in which my main character Rae Riley doubts she’s calling the right man “Dad” and a friend of her family faces the possibility that he isn’t the father of his youngest child.

Summer Solstice

This year summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere on June 20. For a short history of observations and folklore about this date, click here for the article on History.com. I always like stories that take a well-known folklore and use it as a basis for a fantasy story. Such as certain people who are born on the summer solstice possess special powers, perhaps commanding the four elements, and these powers increase with the amount of daylight. The power itself is neutral, so during the summer solstice, the good and evil characters can have a day-long battle at the peak of their powers.

Juneteenth

Here’s a short description of why Juneteenth is celebrated. In Ohio, where I live, the holiday is celebrated with community festivals, so this could be setting for a story dealing with healing divisions within a community. Since the holiday celebrates freedom, a story about a character achieving some kind of personal freedom while observing the holiday would be a great parallel.

Summer activities

Fishing

My youngest is the Fishing Fanatic, and as a mom who went on his fishing adventures when he was younger because he needed help, I can tell you from personal experience that a fishing trip is loaded with opportunities for humor. From wiping out on a muddy bank and gouging a hand on the barb of a catfish to diving into murky water to snatch a rod that a fish has pulled after it, you can milk a lot of fishing situations for laughs.

Fishing can be used in a story of suspense. It gives characters an excuse to break out of their normal routines as they head out on a fishing trip. Then you can dump them into unfamiliar settings, peopled with hostile characters. Such as a criminal, who is on the FBI’s most wanted list, purses two fishing buddies, who stumbled across his hideout in the mountains. With the criminal after them, the buddies have only the contents of their tackle boxes to use as some kind of defense.

The bond that can occur during fishing is a wonderful way to explore family relationships or friendships of characters.  A grandfather, who loves fishing, can’t interest any of his grandchildren until the most unlikely one falls in love with it. Two very disparate characters chance upon each other at a secluded fishing spot and begin a friendship.

Gardening

Gardening can be the setting for the renewal of relationships or some quality within the main character. The hard work can be a metaphor for other types of labor in a character’s life. Or you can look on the lighter side. Maybe a husband, recently retired, wants to learn about gardening from his wife, who finds he’s more of a hindrance than a help.

To find inspiration for other months of the year, click here.

How would you use June in a story?