creative writing prompts for fall

• Writing Prompts

62+ Fall Writing Prompts (+ Free Printable Fall Writing Paper)

The fall season is on its way. The air is crisp, the leaves are falling, and there’s a new season on its way. Whether you’re writing a novel, a short story , or some poetry , here are over 62 fall writing prompts to inspire you over the next few months.

Our huge list of autumn prompts includes fall-themed writing prompts, journal prompts, narrative prompts and even creative story ideas for the fall season. We also included a pack of free fall writing papers with lines to encourage you to keep writing all season long!

Journal Prompts

Narrative prompts, poetry prompts, kindergarten fall ideas, other creative writing ideas, free fall writing paper with lines.

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62+ Fall Writing Prompts

We’ve put together a list of prompts for the Fall season. If you are a writer, or even if you’re just a reader, We’re sure you can use a few of these to spark your creativity:

Here are some interesting autumn journal prompts to write about:

• What kind of pumpkin are you going to carve this year?  Draw some pictures, along with a description of some pumpkin carving ideas.
• Make a top ten list of your favourite activities over the fall season. For each activity write down a sentence to explain why this activity is your favourite.
• Write a journal entry about an early autumn evening. You could write about an autumn sunset that was particularly dramatic or a fall sunset that was beautiful.
• Write about something surprising you experienced during the fall season.
• Write a journal entry from the perspective of a tree during autumn.
• Watch the autumn leaves falling. What does the falling of the leaves mean to you? Is it time to change?
• Make an autumn forecast. Make a prediction about what you think will be happening in autumn this year. This could be a weather prediction or prediction of a possible news headline.
• Write about a dream you had about fall. You could be dreaming about the sounds of leaves falling in a park or you could be dreaming about fall in a forest.
• Write about someone you know who is changing. It could be something as simple as a haircut or more complex like a personality change.
• Write about a day in autumn. This could be a particular day you spent with your family, a day you had in your neighbourhood or it could be your very first autumn experience.
• What colours remind you of the fall season? Explain why for each colour.
• Make a list of five things you love about autumn. Then make another list of five things you hate about autumn.
• Write about your favourite autumn memory. It could be the first time you encountered a new place, or about playing in the leaves with your friends.
• Write a journal entry about an autumn friendship you had when you were younger.
• Imagine a world where trees didn’t exist. How would you know it was autumn?
• Write about a fall tradition you enjoy and a new one that you would like to try out.
• Write about autumn as a welcoming time. Think about how autumn could welcome someone new or make someone feel comfortable in a new place.
• Make a list of five places you’d like to visit in the fall.
• Write about something that inspires you to see more of the fall season. This could be a new city, a new culture, a new place or something you’ve always wanted to experience.
• Write a journal entry about your favourite festival, event or holiday during the autumn season. Think about when this event happens and what you do during the event.
• Pick any one of the following autumn animals, and write down five fun facts about them: Hedgehog, Barn Owl, Red Squirrel, Red Fox, Red Deer or Grey Wolf.
• Make a list of five different items that fall brings to mind. What do these items remind you of? How do they make you feel?
• Imagine that you’re in the backyard and you see leaves falling from a maple tree. What does the sound of the falling leaves mean to you? How do you feel as you listen to the sound of falling leaves?
• In autumn, people are more likely to be in the great outdoors than in their homes. Write about one of your great outdoor autumn experiences.
• One of the biggest holidays during Autumn is Halloween . Do you celebrate Halloween? If yes, write down how you celebrate it. And if no, then what are your reasons for not celebrating?
• Write about a time when you and your family ate together for thanksgiving. Describe what you were thankful for that year and what you liked about that experience.
• Write a journal entry about something you are really looking forward to seeing in the fall season.
• Make a list of five fall foods. What foods do you like to eat during autumn? What foods do you think are in season during autumn?
• Make a top ten list of your favourite fall animals. For each animal write down one sentence about why they are your favourite.
• Write down a recipe that includes pumpkin as the main ingredient.

Take a look at this list of fall narrative writing prompts to get you inspired:

• Write a short story titled “The October Pumpkin Patch” about a fall trip to a pumpkin patch. It could be your first time there or if you’ve been many times. It can take place on a sunny or rainy day and it can be all about a character’s perspective.
• Write a story titled “Deep in the Heart of Fall”. You can focus on the depths of the forest in the fall. Imagine walking through this deep autumn forest.
• Use the following story starter to write a short story: But what of the scent that pervades the fall. A parking lot? Scented, perhaps, with cinnamon, and coffee.
• Use the following story starter to write a short story: I have seen so many beautiful autumns, and all of these inspired me to write this tale.
• Write a short story titled “Pumpkin Soup”. The story opens with someone ordering pumpkin soup at a restaurant.
• Write a story titled “Where is the Fall?”. It could be a detective story set in the autumn season.
• Write a short story in which a character goes on a journey to find a new autumn tradition that will bring meaning to their life.
• Use this story starter to write a short story: A rainy night in autumn has me playing with lights.
• Write a short story titled “The first Pumpkin”. In this story, you can write about the first time a pumpkin was carved. Why do you think people carve pumpkins for Halloween?
• Use this story starter to write a short story: Over the years, I have come to treasure every autumn, and it never fails to bring me joy.
• Use the following story starter to write a short story: In autumn, I can escape the hustle and bustle of my summer routine and let my hair down.
• Use the following story starter to write a short story: A beautiful autumn morning called to me and I climbed into my car and drove through the city streets.
• Write a short story titled “A Good Night”. In this story, you can write about a night of going to the lake for a rowboat ride, or you can write about a night in the forest with a bonfire.
• Use this story starter to write a short story: One afternoon in autumn, I was walking home after school. It was almost dark. I was near the house when I smelled something wonderful. I turned around and saw a tree with apples and some cherry trees, my favourite autumn fruit.
• Use the following story starter to write a short story: Today, my mother and I are looking forward to being in the same city for the first time in two years. We plan to attend a local fall festival.
• Use this story starter to write a short story: This fall, my favourite holiday is Halloween. I love it because it gives me the chance to dress up, and be anyone I want.
• Use this story starter to write a short story: The weather has turned chilly and I’ve made a pot of cocoa. As I listen to the changing of the leaves outside, I enjoy the silence. My mind goes back to the fall days that have gone by so fast.
• During fall many animals prepare for Winter. Birds such as the Swallows will migrate south towards southern Africa during autumn to find warmer temperatures. Write a day in a life story of a Swallow preparing with its family to fly south for the winter.

Some poem ideas about the fall season:

• Write a poem titled “A Bountiful Harvest”. This poem could be about a farmer and all the different crops they harvest during the fall season.
• Write a haiku about the leaves falling. You could write a haiku about the first frost and the cool air.
• In autumn, the colours of the season turn and the leaves begin to change. Write a poem about autumn colours.
• Write a song, titled ‘Autumn Days’. In the song lyrics, you could talk about the various celebrations that happen during Autumn and what you love most about it.
• Describe the perfect autumn scene in great detail. Think about the physical appearance, the smell, and common autumn tastes and flavours, as well as what you might hear and feel.
• Write a poem titled ‘Ode to Autumn’. In this poem, you can talk about all the things you love about autumn.

Here are some fun fall writing prompts for kindergarten students:

• Continue the following sentence in at least three different ways: I love fall because…
• My favourite fall animal is ________ because __________ .
• My favourite fall colour is _____________ .
• Draw a picture of a tree in the autumn. And then write one sentence to describe this tree.
• My favourite fall vegetable is ____________ . I like how it tastes ____________ .
• During fall I like to go outside and _____________ .
• In Fall, I can see _____________ .
• My favourite Fall activity is ______. 

Here we included some more fall creative writing prompts that you might enjoy:

• Give yourself a new job as an Autumn newscaster. In your next news article, write about the change in weather patterns during autumn.
• Write a news article about how one particular insect of your own choice prepares for winter during the fall season.
• Write a letter to a friend that hates the fall season. In this letter, write about some things that make fall a great season, and encourage this person to try out some fun fall activities.
• Write a letter to the creator of autumn, describing a time when autumn became your favourite season. Write about why autumn is your favourite season and what you look forward to in the fall season.
• How would you describe the season of autumn to someone who has never experienced fall? Imagine an alien from Outerspace comes to you and asks’ What is fall and why does it happen?”
• If Autumn was a person, what kind of person would they be? Write down a detailed description of this person. Think about their interests, physical appearance and personality traits.
• If autumn was a person, what questions would you ask it? Write down at least five questions you could ask the fall season. And then try to think of possible responses to each question from the perspective of Autumn, the person. 
• Write a newspaper article, titled ‘Dressing Up as Autumn’. In this article, you can give advice on what the best colours are to wear during the fall season, as well as type of clothing.

To help encourage you to write during the autumn season, we have created this fun Autumn writing pack. This free PDF pack contains a set of fall-themed writing papers with lines to practice your writing:

Using this writing paper to practice some of the fall writing prompts outlined in this post! 

How did you like the list of over 62 fall writing prompts for kids and adults? Comment below with more prompts, as we want to know what your favourites are. 

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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65 Fall Writing Prompts: Inspire Your Creativity with Cozy Ideas

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on April 9, 2023

Categories Writing , Inspiration

As the leaves change colors and the air turns crisp, it’s the perfect time to inspire creativity through writing. Fall brings many themes and opportunities for writers to explore new ideas and embark on unique adventures. This article presents 65 fall writing prompts designed to spark the imagination and ignite the creative fire within.

From exploring the beauty of nature to delving into the spookiness of Halloween, these writing prompts cover a wide range of topics suitable for writers of all ages and skill levels. By tapping into the magic of the season, these prompts aim to provide a springboard for seasoned writers and beginners alike, helping them create engaging and memorable stories.

Whether using these prompts for a personal journal, a classroom assignment, or even as part of a writing group, they provide an excellent starting point for crafting captivating narratives, honing one’s writing skills, and embracing the enchanting spirit of the fall season.

A Crisp Autumn Day

Fall offers a brilliant canvas of colors, cool breezes, and a sense of rejuvenation, perfect for sparking creative writing ideas. Authors can use the season’s beauty to inspire their writing as the leaves change and the days grow shorter. Here are a few prompts centered on a crisp autumn day:

• Describe: Ask the writer to describe the sights, sounds, and smells they associate with a crisp autumn day. This exercise can help writers explore their sensory perceptions and create vivid imagery.
• Character Walk: Have the writer create a character and take them on a walk through a park or forest during fall. Encourage them to detail their character’s reactions to the environment, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and encounters with other people or animals.
• Dialogue: Present the writer with two or more characters conversing on a crisp autumn day. It could be friends discussing their favorite fall traditions or strangers sharing their thoughts about the season. The goal is to practice writing engaging and authentic dialogue.
• Seasonal Shift: Invite the writer to explore the idea of change by composing a piece about a character experiencing a significant life event during autumn. This could be a physical or emotional transformation, highlighting the theme of change that the season embodies.
• Poetic Inspiration: Encourage the writer to craft a poem centered around a crisp autumn day, using the season’s inherent beauty and wonder to fuel their creativity.

By utilizing these writing prompts centered on a crisp autumn day, writers can further develop their descriptive, narrative, and observational skills, all while savoring the season’s beauty.

Nature’s Awe

Experiencing the beauty of fall depends mainly on the wonders manifested through nature. In this section, we explore various awe-inspiring aspects that this season has to offer.

The Last Leaf on the Tree

As autumn progresses, one can’t help but notice the last stubborn leaves clinging to the trees. Despite their isolation, the resilience of these leaves can serve as an inspiration and a writing prompt for exploring themes of perseverance and loneliness.

The First Time Experiencing Fall Colors

There’s something truly magical about witnessing the vibrant colors of fall foliage for the first time. The burst of oranges, reds, and yellows can evoke a sense of wonder and curiosity, making it a perfect subject for reflection and creative writing.

The Sounds of Leaves Crunching Underfoot

As they walk through a carpet of fallen leaves, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot provides an unmistakable auditory signature of the season. This sensory experience can be a noteworthy starting point for crafting descriptions of the fall atmosphere and exploring themes of change and decay.

The Unique Colors of Trees Lining The Street

Tree-lined streets showcase the celebration of colors during the autumn months. Each tree boasts its distinctive hues, creating a palette of undertones and pigments that are nothing short of awe-inspiring. Writers can draw inspiration from these unique and diverse shades to create vivid imagery in their stories.

The First Frost Painting the Ground

The onset of the first frost marks a pivotal transition from fall to winter. The delicate traces of frost on the ground and leaves contrast the warm tones that cluster around them. Writers can use this duality to explore deeper life, death, and transformation themes.

Autumn Foliage

The changing colors of the leaves make for a stunning visual experience, and the spectrum of shades represents the beautiful diversity of the season. Experimenting with these colors in writing through descriptive language or metaphor can enrich storytelling and evoke emotions in the reader.

Migration of Birds Heading South

The sight of vast flocks of birds migrating to warmer destinations can be both mesmerizing and bittersweet. This natural phenomenon symbolizes the ephemerality of the season and the inevitability of change. As a writing prompt, it enables authors to explore departure, adaptation, and interconnectedness themes.

Mysterious Moments

Fall is a season of change, transformation, and mystery. As the days grow shorter and the leaves change color, the atmosphere seems to shift, inviting eerie and unexplained occurrences. Writers can find inspiration in the shadows of autumn by exploring Mysterious Moments. This section offers four subtopics to ignite the creative spark.

A Mysterious Letter Found in A Pile of Leaves

Imagine a character stumbling upon a mysterious letter hidden within a pile of colorful fall leaves. The letter’s contents could reveal a long-lost secret, a treasure map, or an unexpected confession. This prompt invites writers to explore the implications of such a discovery and their character’s reaction to it. The letter could be addressed to the protagonist, or it could be an accidental finding that unlocks a new mystery.

A Secret Hidden Beneath the Fallen Leaves

What if something significant is concealed beneath the scattered leaves of autumn? Exploring this theme, writers can develop a compelling story about secret objects, hidden passageways, or buried evidence. How do the characters uncover the secret, and what consequences follow? Use the autumn setting to create a suspenseful atmosphere and an intriguing plot.

An Abandoned Cabin Discovered in The Woods

The image of an isolated, abandoned cabin nestled in the woods captures a sense of mystery and untold stories. Writers can use this setting to develop a narrative of intrigue or horror. Perhaps the cabin conceals incriminating evidence or once belonged to a notorious hermit with a sinister past. The characters may be drawn to the cabin by curiosity or necessity, only to find themselves entangled in its haunting history.

An Eerie Legend about The Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon, with its large, glowing presence, has long been a source of myth and superstition. Writers can explore the autumn moon’s lore, creating eerie legends and tales of supernatural encounters. Characters might find themselves facing prophetic visions, encounters with mythical creatures, or harrowing experiences under the spell of the moonlight. Use the hypnotic allure of the Harvest Moon to create a memorable and chilling narrative.

Cozy Experiences

Fall is a magical time when the warmth of cozy experiences fills our days. Here are some writing prompts inspired by the cozy moments autumn brings.

A Cozy Evening by The Fire

Imagine sitting by a crackling fireplace, the fire’s glow reflecting on loved ones’ faces. Write about the conversations shared, the aroma of hot cider filling the air and the feeling of contentment that envelops you.

The Warmth of A Favorite Fall Sweater

Picture pulling out your favorite fall sweater from the back of your closet. Describe how its warmth hugs you like a familiar embrace, and share the associated memories. How has the sweater changed over the years, and what moments in your life does it represent?

A Rainy Autumn Day Spent Indoors

Envision waking up to the gentle sound of raindrops tapping against your window. Describe the comfort of staying indoors, tucked under a warm blanket with a hot beverage. Write about the activities you enjoy on a rainy autumn day, whether watching movies, crafting, or simply relaxing and listening to the rain.

A Cozy Bookstore with A Fall Reading Nook

Picture walking into a cozy bookstore, the scent of old books mingling with the hint of pumpkin spice. Write about discovering a hidden reading nook, its warm and inviting atmosphere drawing you in. Describe the feeling of being surrounded by books and the sense of adventure in choosing your next read on a crisp autumn day.

Delectable Scents and Tastes

The scent of cinnamon and apples filling the air.

In the fall, the aroma of cinnamon and apples swirls through kitchens, evoking feelings of warmth and comfort. As families gather to prepare seasonal dishes, these fragrant ingredients make their way into many recipes.

The Taste of A Perfectly Baked Pumpkin Pie

One of the quintessential fall treats is the pumpkin pie. Combining a flaky crust, creamy filling, and gentle spices creates a sensory experience that embodies the season’s essence.

Memories Evoked by A Warm Mug of Apple Cider

A steaming mug of apple cider not only offers warmth during crisp autumn days and invokes memories of falling leaves, cozy sweaters, and family gatherings. The sweet and tangy flavors underscore many cherished fall moments.

A Favorite Fall Recipe Passed Down Through Generations

Many families treasure a favorite fall recipe passed down through generations, whether a hearty soup, a spiced cake, or a unique twist on classic dishes. These recipes not only delight palates but also strengthen family bonds.

The Quest for The Perfect Pumpkin Spice Latte

Fall sees the return of the beloved pumpkin spice latte. Fans eagerly anticipate the arrival of this seasonal beverage, searching for the perfect balance of rich espresso, warm spices, and creamy pumpkin flavors in their quest for the ultimate autumn indulgence.

Family Traditions and Memories

A heartwarming thanksgiving memory.

It was a Thanksgiving to remember when the entire family gathered at Grandma’s house. The air was filled with the aroma of freshly baked pumpkin pies, and the playful laughter of the little ones echoed throughout the home.

As the family sat around the dining table, they shared their cherished memories from previous years. Stories of love, togetherness, and resilience brought warmth to the hearts of everyone present.

A Day in the Life of A Scarecrow

In a quiet field, surrounded by pumpkin patches and golden corn stalks, a scarecrow diligently protected the crops from pesky intruders. It watched as the sun rose and set, even during the nights when the wind blew cold.

Even though it remained stationary, the scarecrow was a silent witness to the annual harvest, countless conversations of passing farmers, and the changing colors of the leaves on nearby trees.

A Family’s Annual Apple Picking Tradition

As the leaves began to change color every year, the family eagerly awaited their annual apple-picking outing. They would trek to their favorite orchard with baskets, ready to pick the ripest, juiciest apples.

• Apples are picked for homemade pies.
• Apples are eaten right from the tree.
• Apples to share with friends and neighbors.

It was a day full of laughter, bonding, and appreciation for the gifts of nature.

A Treasured Fall Memory from Childhood

Tommy could never forget the one fall day he spent playing in a giant pile of leaves with his childhood friends. He held onto this cherished memory forever, from tossing them into the air and the joyful squeals as they blanketed the children to the sense of accomplishment after raking the entire yard.

The Long-Awaited Return of A Beloved Autumn Tradition

The town folk reveled in the yearly return of their beloved fall festival. Children would delight in hayrides and pumpkin carvings each year, while adults would indulge in hot apple cider and homemade pumpkin pie.

It was a time of celebration, unity, and gratitude for the bounty of the harvest season.

A Nostalgic Visit to Your Childhood Home during Autumn

As they returned to their childhood home, the memories of autumn’s past came flooding back; the crunch of fallen leaves underfoot and the crisp fall air carrying the scent of burning wood from a nearby chimney.

The family drove along the familiar streets, admiring the vibrant red, orange, and gold hues adorning the trees. It was a journey back in time, providing comfort and reminiscence on the season’s beauty.

Spooky Tales and Legends

As the leaves change colors and the air turns crisp, it’s the perfect time to dive into chilling stories and eerie legends.

The Chilling Story of A Haunted Hayride

During an evening in autumn, a group of friends embarks on a supposedly simple hayride, unaware of the terror that awaits. As they travel through the dark, twisted woods, they encounter spine-tingling sights and supernatural phenomena, testing their courage and causing them to question their reality.

The Origin of A Spooky Halloween Legend

Unveiling the origin of a chilling Halloween legend, the mysterious tale told by a grandmother becomes a haunting exploration of a small town’s dark past. As the story unfolds, riveting details emerge, providing insight into the eerie events that shaped the town’s unique customs and traditions.

The Creatures That Come Out When the Nights Grow Longer

Longer nights invite shadowy creatures to the surface, causing terror and wonder among the town’s inhabitants. These entities turn daily life into a nightmare, from sinister whispers in the woods to mysterious sightings. Intriguing encounters lead to suspenseful tales that leave a lasting impact on all who hear them.

A Paranormal Investigation of A Haunted House

A paranormal research team embarks on a thrilling adventure, investigating a seemingly haunted house on the outskirts of town. They reveal hidden secrets lurking within the walls using state-of-the-art equipment and trusted intuition, providing chilling evidence of the supernatural.

A Ghost Story Told Around A Crackling Campfire

As flames dance and flicker at night, friends gather around a glowing campfire, each sharing their most terrifying ghost stories. The shadows seem to come alive as each spine-chilling tale unravels, echoing into the darkness and sending shivers down their spines.

An Unforgettable Experience at A Haunted House Attraction

Manmade thrills bring a group of friends to a famous haunted house attraction, curious to discover the carefully crafted scares lurking within. Navigating through dimly lit corridors and hidden passageways, they confront their deepest fears, creating a memorable and frightening experience they won’t soon forget.

A Spooky Experience during A Moonlit Hayride

Navigating under the watchful gaze of the moon, a family embarks on a magical hayride through a moonlit pumpkin patch. Amid the full moon’s glow, eerie events unfold, casting an eerie ambiance that transforms the tranquil setting into a chilling experience.

A Creature That Only Emerges during The Harvest Season

Descending upon the town only during the bountiful harvest season, a mythical creature torments the community with its enigmatic presence. As the townsfolk scramble to decipher the beast’s motives and origin, they realize they are at the mercy of an ancient power that has been awakened.

Adventures and Challenges

The beauty of fall offers endless possibilities for writing prompts related to adventures and challenges. This section will explore twelve unique sub-sections, each with its tale to tell.

A Fall Festival Gone Wrong

As the town excitedly prepared for its annual fall festival, unexpected obstacles caused the event to worsen. With teamwork and determination, the community worked together to overcome these challenges and create a memorable fall festival for all.

A Magical Transformation Caused by The Autumn Equinox

The arrival of the autumn equinox brought an unexpected magical transformation that altered the lives of those who witnessed it. As the season changed, so did the destinies of those who experienced the extraordinary power of fall magic.

A Stranger That Arrives in Town with The First Gust of Fall Wind

A mysterious stranger arrived on the first gust of fall wind, bringing secrets and intrigue to a small town. This enigmatic figure not only changed the lives of the town’s residents but also uncovered hidden truths long buried beneath the autumn leaves.

A Touching Story of A Fallen Leaf’s Journey

A single fallen leaf embarks on a remarkable journey across the forest floor, influenced by the gentle winds and creatures it encounters. Along the way, the leaf discovers the interconnectedness of nature and the importance of change and growth.

A Lost Child Found in A Corn Maze

A celebration at a corn maze unexpectedly turns into a search and rescue mission when a child is found missing. As time passes, the community must unite and navigate the labyrinth to save the lost child and bring them home safely.

An Unexpected Encounter during A Hike through The Fall Foliage

A hike through the vibrant, changing foliage leads to an unexpected encounter with a peculiar individual. This stranger’s tale, forever intertwined with the beauty and mystery of the fall season, serves as an important lesson for those who cross their path.

A Forest with Trees That Never Lose Their Leaves

Deep within an ancient forest lies a grove of trees that never shed their leaves, maintaining their vibrant hues throughout the year. The secret behind this everlasting autumn is revealed when a group of curious explorers stumbles upon this enchanted place.

The History of A Town’s Annual Harvest Festival

The rich history of a town’s annual harvest festival is brought to life through tales of its origins and traditions. This narrative pays homage to the generations that have cultivated and maintained this beloved event, honoring their dedication to the celebration of the fall season.

A Fall Thunderstorm That Brings An Unexpected Twist

A sudden thunderstorm brings an unexpected twist, transforming a sleepy town into a setting for adventure and self-discovery. As the storm rages, residents come together to face the challenges ahead, finding strength and camaraderie as they weather the storm together.

A Camping Trip Surrounded by The Vibrant Colors of Autumn

A seemingly idyllic camping trip, surrounded by the vibrant colors of autumn, is filled with unexpected challenges and unforeseen obstacles. The campers must use their wit and resourcefulness to overcome these hurdles, learning valuable lessons about themselves and the beauty of nature.

A Time When An Unexpected Challenge Threatened the Harvest

A community fights to save their beloved harvest as an unforeseen challenge threatens to devastate their annual celebration. Through perseverance and the determination to protect their way of life, they rally together and overcome adversity in the true spirit of the fall harvest.

A Fall Storm That Leads to An Unexpected Adventure

A mighty fall storm brings about an unexpected adventure for an unlikely group of friends as they face the ferocity of nature. As winds howl and leaves dance through the air, their courage and resiliency are tested, unveiling their true character amid the storm.

Inspirational Moments

The beauty of a foggy morning in the woods.

She awoke to a dense fog surrounding her cabin in the woods. As she stepped outside, she marveled at how the fog softened the fall colors, creating an ethereal landscape. The misty morning brought a sense of peace and serenity that inspired her.

A Moment That Changed Everything During A Football Game

During a crucial high school football game, the lead player felt an unshakable determination to secure victory. In the final moments, his team was down by a few points. Against all odds, he executed a brilliant play that won the game, forever changing his teammates’ perspectives on what they could achieve.

A Reflection on The Changing Seasons of Life

As he walked through the park, the man couldn’t help but notice the vibrant fall leaves surrounding him. They reminded him of the changing seasons of life and how each stage, like the leaves, brought its unique beauty and challenges.

A Bittersweet Goodbye to Summer

As the summer sun set for the last time, she couldn’t help but feel a mixture of emotions. The bittersweet goodbye to warm days and outdoor adventures was juxtaposed with the excitement of cozy autumn evenings.

The Love Story of Two Pumpkins in A Pumpkin Patch

Among the rows of a pumpkin patch, two pumpkins found themselves growing side by side. As they grew, so did their love for one another. Their unique love story captivated those who stumbled upon the pair, entwined amongst the vines.

A Friendly Rivalry Between Two High School Football Teams

Year after year, two high school football teams met on the field to compete in a friendly rivalry. Though the competition was fierce, it fostered camaraderie, respect, and a shared love for the game that spanned generations.

A Forbidden Romance Blossoming Beneath The Harvest Moon

Under the glow of the harvest moon, two young lovers from feuding families met in secret. Fueled by the intensity of their passion and the risk of discovery, their forbidden romance blossomed amidst the autumn chill.

An Unplanned Road Trip to See the Fall Colors

On a whim, three friends embarked on an unplanned road trip to witness the glory of the autumn foliage. Along the way, they encountered breathtaking views, shared laughter, and made memories that would last a lifetime.

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• Writing Tips

25 Fall Writing Prompts to Inspire Your Creative Writing

3-minute read

• 4th November 2022

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, no, it’s not quite Christmas yet. But it is fall, the season of orange leaves, cozy sweaters, and spooky Halloween happenings. And with NaNoWriMo just around the corner, now is the perfect time to get some writing done.

So if you’re an author struggling with writer’s block or just looking for fun seasonal writing activities for yourself or a group, these 25 writing prompts will give you some autumn inspiration for your next short story !

1. Find Your Inspiration

First, let’s get inspired by flexing our writing muscles and exploring the season.

If you can, get outdoors and experience what fall has to offer. You can also read some ghost stories or revisit your favorite fall-themed books to get in the mood.

Then, try writing:

●  A list of your favorite things about fall

●  A summary of your favorite scary story

●  A memory from a first day of school

●  An acrostic poem using the words fall or autumn

●  A short piece that starts with Last fall, I…

Still struggling? You can find even more ways to get inspired in our blog post Get Creative! (5 Tips for Writing Poetry and Fiction) .

2. Location, Location, Location

Next, let’s try some exercises that focus on setting.

Write a story that takes place:

●  At a Halloween party

●  In an autumn woodland

●  In a haunted house

●  In a corn maze

●  In a busy cafe

●  At a store’s Black Friday sale

●  In a neighborhood packed with trick-or-treaters

Remember to keep those five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch) in mind to flesh out your story’s environment.

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3. Get in Character

Now it’s time to practice character and voice.

Write a story from the perspective of:

●  A runaway turkey

●  A ghost with no memories

●  A barista who hates pumpkin spice

●  A scarecrow who has come to life

●  The new kid at school

●  The Greek mythological figure Persephone

●  A witch’s familiar

For advice on how to make your characters realistic and compelling, check out our post, 5 Top Tips for Writing Fictional Characters .

4. Answer the Question

Finally, let’s jump into the deep end with some fall-themed scenarios. Answer some of the questions below to develop a story.

●  It’s fall, and the leaves on the trees are starting to change color… to blue?! Why is this happening?

●  You’re exploring an abandoned building at night, and all the doors are locked except for one. What’s behind that door?

●  It’s Thanksgiving, and your family has sat down to enjoy dinner when your phone starts ringing. Who’s calling?

●  You’re looking out your bedroom window when it starts to get foggy. You can’t see anything, but somewhere outside, you hear a noise. What is it?

●  You’re a farmer preparing to bring in the harvest, but all your crops have disappeared! Where’d they go?

●  An alien is visiting Earth, and they don’t understand what Halloween is. How do you explain it to them?

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 Our proofreading team specializes in editing short stories, from haunting Halloween tales to heartwarming autumn romances. You can even get your first 500 words checked for free !

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Home / Book Writing / Fall Writing Prompts: 35+ Ideas to Get You Started

Fall Writing Prompts: 35+ Ideas to Get You Started

As the heat of summer fades away, replaced by a crispness in the evening air, we know the fall season approaches. The leaves change. Air conditioners see less use while heaters see more. Shorts are exchanged for pants. And, of course, Halloween and Thanksgiving approach.

Fall is a season with a unique kind of magic that deserves to be celebrated with the following fall writing prompts!

• Tips for using fall writing prompts. 
• List of creative writing prompts to choose from. 
• What to do with your story when it's done. 

Table of contents

• Choose a Genre and Theme to Strengthen Your Writing
• Revel in Freedom to Bust Writing Block
• Short Story or Long?
• Halloween Writing Prompts
• Thanksgiving Writing Prompts
• Black Friday Writing Prompts
• Fall Journal Prompts
• How to See if There's a Market for Your Stories

Helpful Tips for Using These Fall Writing Prompts

The great thing about creative writing is the freedom that comes along with it. There are no rules you need to follow, and the only limits are those of your imagination. That said, I've included some guidelines to consider based on your writing goals . 

If you're looking to flex your writing muscles with a creative writing prompt, then choosing a genre and a theme is the way to go. This can be something as broad as “thriller and redemption” or as narrow as “second-chance romance and the importance of self-love.” By giving yourself these parameters, you can ensure you're strengthening the right muscles while you write.  

Many of the prompts below can be tweaked to fit a range of genres. You can either go in with a genre and theme in mind, or you can read the prompts and see what genre/theme jumps out at you. 

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If you're suffering from some form of the dreaded writer's block , then you may want to go wild with one of the narrative writing prompts listed below. Don't give yourself parameters (like genre or theme). Instead, just let one of the prompts inspire you, and start writing. 

See where the story takes you. Even if it just turns into stream-of-consciousness writing, it's better than not writing at all. Sometimes you have to move through the “bad” words to get to the “good” ones, and this kind of free-form writing can help you do just that.  

Depending on your writing style, you may or may not know what you'll get out of any given writing prompt. If you're a plotter, then you may need to develop an idea for a little while before you know how long the story will be. If you're a discovery writer, you probably won't know until you get into the meat of the story. 

If you're looking for a novel-length idea , then keep that in mind as you consider the prompts below . Many writers see short stories as excerpts from longer-length stories. So even if a prompt doesn't seem like it has enough for a novel in it, try to expand the idea in your mind. Tweak it to make it yours, so it's something you're excited about. 

Conversely, nearly all the prompts can be used as inspiration for a short story . The more characters you introduce, the longer the story will generally be . And the more you have to explain, the longer the story will be. So if you want to keep things simple, stick to two or three characters and make the world similar to ours, so there's less exposition needed. But don't be afraid to get complex if the story in your mind warrants it! 

Pro Tip: If you do think you have a novel-length idea, then you can vet the idea to see if there's an existing and underserved audience for it. More on that after the prompts! For now, let's dive in.  

Fall-Themed Writing Prompts

Pick a fun fall writing prompt below for an excellent story starter . You can use them as-is or change them however you want. 

1.  Start a story in which two men with guns are sitting in a car outside a bank arguing about whether “fall” or “autumn” is the better word. 

2. Write a story in the genre of your choice in which the protagonist is a barista on the first day Pumpkin Spice Lattes are officially available.

3. Imagine an idyllic autumn scene, and then interrupt it with a chase, a spaceship landing, a car crash, or a couple having an argument. 

4. Write about two characters getting lost at night in a pumpkin patch. 

5. What is your favorite fall activity? What's the most unexpected thing you could imagine happening to you in the middle of this activity?

6. Start your story with a leaf falling from a tree and landing in/on something very unexpected.

7. Write a story about a fourth-grade class going on an autumn field trip to a farm to learn about the fall harvest. Choose a protagonist (it could be one of the students, a teacher, or a parent chaperone), give them a goal, and then throw roadblocks in their path that they must overcome. 

8. Start your story with a couple driving to New England in autumn to see the changing of the leaves. But all is not well in their relationship. Use subtext to tease out the tension in the vehicle. 

9. A young writer has just experienced a terrible loss and is determined to find beauty again in the fall season. Tell the story through the writer's journal entries. 

10. Write a story that takes place in a young character's last autumn as a child. What happens to make him or her grow up over the course of a single season? 

11. A young girl stumbles upon a magical pumpkin patch in the woods. She befriends its protector, a friendly scarecrow. When a logging company sets its sights on the area, the girl and the scarecrow must save the patch. 

12. A man who's at a desperate crossroads in his life drops everything and takes a trip to New England in autumn. Along the way, he meets people and sees things that give him the hope he needs to carry on. 

13. When a small family moves to a quaint New England town during autumn, they soon find that the town holds dark secrets that they must contend with. 

14. A woman inherits a small farm from a distant relative. She realizes that the property is more than just a farm during her first harvest season. It's a gateway between the land of the living and that of the dead—and she's the new gatekeeper. 

15. When the decorative scarecrows in a small town are seen walking around at night, a witch hunt ensues—with surprising results. 

Not every Halloween story has to be about ghouls and goblins . Pick a writing prompt below and tweak it to fit the genre or theme you have in mind. 

16. A group of students is about to carve pumpkins on the Friday before Halloween. But the pumpkins suddenly come alive and attack the kids. 

17. Write about a world in which Halloween is more important than Christmas.

18. Write about a world in which spirits really do come to the land of the living on Halloween. They can do some serious damage, so everyone must work together to keep the spirits on the other side. 

19. A group of college students carpools home for Halloween weekend, only to find that they've taken a wrong turn. Their car breaks down near a run-down house with mysterious powers. 

20. Write about two characters forming a connection while participating in a pumpkin carving contest. 

Choose a Thanksgiving writing prompt below to strengthen your writing skills!

21. What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Write a story about a character experiencing that thing for the first time. 

22. Write about a Thanksgiving get-together gone wrong, but only through the POV character's social media posts. 

23. Write an alternate version of the first Thanksgiving. What happens, and what are the implications for future Thanksgivings?

24. Start your story with your character looking frantically for someone while at the Macy's Day Parade. 

25. Write about an unwelcome guest showing up for Thanksgiving dinner. 

These writing prompts are about the craziest shopping day of the year in many countries around the world. 

26. Write about a detective trying to solve the case of a box store worker who was killed in the middle of a Black Friday sale. There are hundreds of witnesses, but they all claim they didn't see anything.

27. Make your protagonist a package delivery driver in the days after Black Friday. What happens to prevent him/her from delivering their packages?

28. Write about a protagonist who must get a popular toy on Black Friday. If they don't, someone they love will die. 

29. A retail worker goes to the front of the store to open the doors for the Black Friday sale, but there's no one waiting outside. Where is everyone?

30. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, the sun doesn't come up, making it a literal Black Friday for half the world.  

We've tweaked the concept of a traditional journal prompt to turn it into a character exercise . You can use the following journal prompts to get to know one of your existing characters or to flesh out a new one. 

31. Write a series of journal entries in which your character tells the story of the most impactful autumn of their life. 

32. Have your character describe a fallen leaf in great detail. Use subtext to have the leaf be a stand-in for something else in the character's life. 

33. Write a series of journal prompts in which your character describes their favorite fall activity. 

34. Describe the ups and downs of a character's life through a series of journal entries from Thanksgiving holidays through the years.

35. Write an epistolary story through a series of journal entries about the year fall came but never left. What would the world look like if half the globe were stuck in fall and the other half in spring?  

I hope you've enjoyed these autumn writing prompts! Bookmark this post and use it as a resource whenever you need writing inspiration. 

If you've come up with an idea for a story you think people will like to read, then you can do a bit of research to see if there's an audience for it. By this, I don’t mean just any audience, but a viable one with underserved readers . One that’s not too competitive but with a healthy readership. The quickest way to do this is by using Publisher Rocket . 

This tool can distill what would otherwise take hours of research on Amazon into easy-to-skim pages. And once you find a niche market for your book, it can help you position it for success when you do publish. With Publisher Rocket, you get insights directly from Amazon on:

• Keywords – Metadata to position your book on Amazon.
• Competition – Allowing you to see what's selling and how stiff the competition is.
• Categories – So you know where people who are looking for books like yours go to find them.
• Amazon Ads – Helps you quickly configure a list of profitable keywords for running ads for your novel, novella, or short story collection.

Best of all, it’s easy to use and comes with quick little videos to get you started. Check out Publisher Rocket here .

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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Autumn is the perfect season for writing . I don't know if it's the cool weather or the sugar high from all the pumpkin spice, but the second the leaves begin to turn, I feel my creative juices flowing. And I'll bet I'm not the only writer who gets an itchy pen when autumn rolls around.

Fall is a time when stories want to come alive. There's so many places to find inspiration in the fall — from back-to-school to Halloween to Thanksgiving. Whether you're writing spooky stories, or starting to think about your next novel project for NaNoWriMo in November , now's the time to feed your creative spirit. This is a season where it feels like anything is possible, and one of the greatest parts of being a writer is that with plenty of imagination, anything is possible!

But of course, even in this magical time, starting with a blank page can be rough. So, here are some fresh writing prompts to get your pen moving and the wheels in your head turning. Some of these prompts are autumn-themed, while others are great for any time of the year. No matter what kind of project you're embarking on, grab your favorite warm drink and get writing!

Write a Halloween special for your favorite TV show.

Whether it's Gossip Girl or Game of Thrones .

What's the REAL reason leaves change color in the fall?

Is it science? Is it magic? Give us the scoop!

Design your very own school of magic.

What does it look like? What subjects are taught? Who are the teachers? What's the hot back-to-school gossip?

Write about your best friend.

Tell us EVERYTHING you can about them.

Pick a new playlist. Write something to accompany that playlist.

It can be anything: a story, a poem, or you can even just straight-up describe what you're hearing!

Write a spooky legend about your neighborhood.

Suburbia can be just as scary as the big city!

Tell a fictional story on your Instagram story.

Use this new medium to get inspired and be creative!

What happens when the pumpkin spice craze goes TOO FAR?

What kind of dystopian/utopian world do you envision?

Write an acrostic poem.

Remember these from elementary school? The first letters of each line spell out a word or name. But it doesn't have to be cheesy! Get creative, and try to challenge yourself.

Write about a Thanksgiving dinner attended by your favorite fictional characters.

Thanksgiving's always a great source for DRAMA!

Describe your commute home in EXTREME detail.

The sights, the smells, the sounds. After all, you know this route better than anybody.

Write a piece from the point of view of Siri or Alexa.

This could get scary real fast.

What would you do if you died and came back as a ghost?

Who would you haunt?

Write a piece that begins with a party.

Pizza party? Costume party? You decide!

What's your favorite school supply and why?

Pencil in a writing date with your favorite school supplies.

Describe your favorite coffee shop without using any adjectives.

It's a challenge.

Write a made-up news report.

Maybe it will spark the idea for your next crime novel.

Write a retelling of your favorite Shakespeare play.

Put your own twist on it!

Write a scene that takes place in your favorite bookstore.

This doubles as a good excuse to go to the bookstore. For, you know, inspiration.

Write about a character who has terrible luck.

As they say: there's nothing more entertaining than other people's misfortune.

Write a piece that uses the word "pumpkin" at least ten times.

Bonus points for different usages!

Write the worst break-up you could possibly imagine.

Be RUTHLESS.

Make up your own conspiracy theory.

Or, take one that already exists, and write out how it happened.

Write a story that takes place at your high school, but with a completely made-up main character.

Revisit the good ol' days.

Write a piece from the point of view of a bear, just before they go into hibernation for winter.

Because why not?

15 Fun Fall Writing Prompts

by Sue Weems | 87 comments

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Fall is a transitional season with lots of opportunities to delve into memories, activities, or seasonal fun with fall writing prompts. Try one of these creative writing exercises to get you writing during this beautiful season!

Writing prompts are one of the best ways to get in your daily writing practice and hone your writing skills. Whether you're a parent or teacher trying to help reluctant writers get started or a seasoned pro looking for new ideas, today we have a series of fun fall writing prompts to help you transition from the summer season into the autumn, writing all the way.

Fun Fall Writing Activities

Write a scene about a character who is participating in their favorite fall activity. Bonus: add a secondary character who hates doing that activity.

Choose a genre (mystery, horror, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, thriller). Write a scene in that genre that begins in a pumpkin patch where something has gone horribly wrong. 

Create a unique fall competition that turns traditional fall activities on their head. (Largest pumpkin rolling contest, apple pie competition with odd ingredients, corn maze with some unique element that makes it extra fun or terrifying). The write about the winners and losers of the event you created. 

Write a story about a haunted (or otherwise magical) apple orchard. 

Create a scene where characters are surprised by a friendly scarecrow. (Or alternately a less friendly scarecrow!)

Story Starters for Cooler Weather

He dreaded the colder weather. It always…

The pile of colorful leaves began to shake until suddenly…  

Hot apple cider used to be her favorite fall drink until…

Football season was probably going to be canceled…

They'd been hiding for hours, but then the crunching leaves broke the silence…

Fall-themed Writing Prompts

Write about your favorite fall activities, including the first time you participated and any specific favorite memory associated with them. 

Create an epistolary story that could only happen during the fall. (Epistolary= told through personal letters)

 Write about the changing of seasons, how it feels to transition between the two. 

 Tell a creative story about how fall began (or alternately about the adventure of a single autumn leaf). 

Create a cute fall book or short story for children about autumn animals, decorative scarecrows, or your favorite fall holiday. 

Now You Try 

The change of season brings with it a wealth of new opportunities. From hot chocolate and warm sweaters to the crinkle of leaves beneath your feet, there's plenty to look forward to in autumn. Hopefully one of these creative writing prompts sparked some new ideas or got your creative juices flowing as you write this fall. 

Looking for additional prompts? Try our most popular article of short story ideas ! 

What is your favorite thing about fall? Share in the comments

Choose one of the prompts above. Write for fifteen minutes without stopping. Share your practice in the Pro Practice Workshop and leave feedback for a few fellow fall writers. 

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Sue Weems is a writer, teacher, and traveler with an advanced degree in (mostly fictional) revenge. When she’s not rationalizing her love for parentheses (and dramatic asides), she follows a sailor around the globe with their four children, two dogs, and an impossibly tall stack of books to read. You can read more of her writing tips on her website .

87 Comments

It’s that single branch among all the green ones that captures my attention every fall. There’s something special and admirable about this one branch boldly stepping out among the ordinary. It glistens in the sunlight, dances in the breeze and beckons to the rest.

Mmm… it beckons to the rest. I love that.

It took many a year to acquire a taste for autumn.

As a boy, I was all about summer romance; with her campgrounds and road trips. I also admired old man winter; looking forward to his snow days and holidays. And I gladly anticipated spring renewal of flower and green; coming forth from her rain-soaked earth.

But autumn? Fall? Death and dying? That’s what it meant to me as a boy; Dread of back-to-school, chore of raking leaf, death of summer fling.

But now I find myself in the autumn of my life; And I have discovered the joy and beauty of fall. Cooling summer heat; fling’s romance reborn to enduring golden love. Trees’ hair turns grey and loose, displays strength in facing winter’s brutal death.

I love the taste of autumn now, the sweetness of cider kiss; The apple of my eye comes close to snuggle and remember. Stories of spring’s rebirth and summer fling and romance cannot compare To the aroma of home fires and tables set for family celebration.

It took many a year to acquire a taste for autumn; And it was worth the wait.

This, to me, was worth the whole thing: “Trees’ hair turns grey and loose, displays strength in facing winter’s brutal death.”

What a great way to personify a tree in fall, like an old woman about to die, losing her hair to age, facing it with calm strength. Beautiful.

I liked this post. The pictures you painted were readily seen. It was easy to conjure some of my own after reading yours. Liked it a lot.

This is beautiful. “the autumn of my life”, the “apple of my eye comes to snuggle”, the “aroma of home fires”. Lovely images! Thanks for sharing.

You’ve come up with a wealth of ideas here. I like how you linked the seasons, and put the Autumn in the context of Summer before it and Winter following: “summer romance” and “old man winter”. Also anticipating “spring renewal of flower and green”. Very nicely and poetically expressed. A joy to read.

“Sweetness of cider kiss” Beautiful.

ah, fall, the one season i turn into somewhat of a nature nut.

“autumn glory”

i thought it was raining but i wasn’t getting wet. i felt no droplets from the sky. though it was overcast and cloudy there was no rain.

it was the rustling of leaves that i heard, not the rush of rain. or was it? instead of water, drops of yellow cascaded from the trees; they whispered loudly, like a hush that washes over a football stadium, the best kind of surround sound.

i should’ve run under the trees and danced in the leaves.

how i would’ve loved to linger even longer along skyline drive that day; it was the one day i didn’t mind driving 40 miles per hour (at most).

these days, i swear i hear the leaves’ siren call – in their auburn, orange, burnt sienna, yellow, and golden glory – beckoning me to sit among the trees from whom they’re about to depart, especially along baron cameron avenue, en route to somewhere, something to do.

as the days get colder, it takes more and more self-control not to pull over and just lay on grass and gaze at the autumn rainbow with a cloudless sky as a backdrop.

Wonderful, Sara.

I love how you frame it. Is it raining? How come I’m not getting wet? No, it’s raining LEAVES. I think that is the best part of this piece.

This is an interesting transition, “i should’ve run under the trees and danced in the leaves.” It’s “raining” but you can’t give into your emotions and get lost in the moment. You’re repressed somehow. Why? You don’t really say, but the desire to let go into nature becomes stronger and stronger.

The only fault with this piece is that there are essentially two parts: the mystery surrounding the rain, and the conflict between your desire to give into nature and your self-control. Can you integrate them?

duly noted.

Fall is nothing more than life giving up on itself so that death will come and flutter it down to the ground in a frenzy of golden crimson glory until life comes and takes authority once again at some time in April or May. Really, it is nothing more than that. It has nothing to do with steaming coffee with vivial conversation, or brandy and intimate warmth, or the twinkling eyes of one who stole your heart many harvest moons ago. It has nothing to do with all that faded romance or frosted glory, even though the autumn leaves are turning to the color of her hair. No, fall is when you understand that the fleeting feigned permanency of life is celebrated most intensely because one true life-mate has come and rescued you from all that old romantic nonsense, and then spent more quivering autumns with you than you had felt before all that misty memory occupied your mind. Truly, that is all fall is.

Yes, Carey. Excellent.

This is my favorite, “nothing more than life giving up on itself so that death will come and flutter it down to the ground in a frenzy of golden crimson glory.” Although, I might have put a period between that and the next phrase.

And I love the (almost) refrain, “Fall is nothing more than that.”

I don’t know what the old romantic nonsense is, that was a bit obscure. But I did like the references to the “one who stole your heart” and was wondering whose hair you are referring to.

even though the autumn leaves are turning to the color of her hair.

this is the point that i caught on to what you were saying, that i became engaged. i like how you discard the hollywood-ized version of fall (though i actually they are pretty accurate in their depiction) for something deeper, more permanent and real. i like that.

I opened the door and was met with a gust of chilly air. The hair stood up on my arms and my heart sank. No, please no. I turned toward the sun and glared. It deceitfully looked the same as it did during summer, but I knew it wasn’t the same. It was weaker. Unable to provide me protection from the cold. Why must you let me down?

Before slamming the door, I stopped for a moment and closed my eyes. I saw leaves falling and dancing on her tombstone. I felt the same numb feeling that paralyzed my body as her casket was lowered into the ground. Was it cold outside? I didn’t know. The goosebumps on my arms were the only sign that it was. I remember looking at them curiously, and wondering if I was having an out of body experience.

I opened my eyes, confused. Where was I? Was it last fall again? No, please no.

I like the mystery. I wonder where this is going?

Are you angry at death or at God or the weather or all at once?

I picked up you were angry at death. Me too. Could resonate with this. Lots of feelings packed into few words.

in autumn, i hear the wind. he is alive and leans into whisper. his words are gentle and flowing. they carry a cadence of up and down, loud and soft, strong and still. he tells me that it will all be ok, everything will turn out in the end. the silence is his breathing in.

in autumn, i see passion. in red i see blood; in brown i see death; in green i see life. orange is fire, yellow is sun, purple is glory. in the fall i see colors unafraid of their own strength.

in autumn, i feel the cold. it presses itself against my hot skin and brings relief. the cold lays its hand on mine, covering them completely, making them hard to move. with stiffened hands, i am forced to slow.

in autumn, i taste apples. sauced, pied, spiced, cider-ed, left whole – i taste them all. slurp. gulp. crunch. wet, sweet, with a bitter end. mmm, fall is yummy.

in autumn, i smell the earth. all the other senses have prepared me for this moment. i stand, a mere speck in the middle of this land. i lift my face to sniff deeply. the earth is carried to me by the wind, preserved by the cold, mixed with apples trees, and explained by the colors that i see.

the earth – in the fall – is delicious.

“the silence is his breathing in.” Wow, gorgeous personification. This one too, “The cold lays its hand on mine.”

I don’t like this line as much, “in the fall i see colors unafraid of their own strength.” It’s a little too abstract for me. Why would colors be afraid of their own strength? Is that what colors are anyway, strong?

Ha, nice interjection, “mmm, fall is yummy.”

“The earth–in the fall–is delicious.” Great line.

as always, thanks for the feedback. it’s informative to me that you didn’t like the one line that i projected my feelings into the object (the colors). i think it was so personal that only i would have understood that line. reminds me that if i am going to do such a thing, there needs to be context within the piece itself – not just my brain. thank you for catching this so i could think on it longer. i do this often when i write.

hey, i notice we don’t give you feedback on your practice that often. are you open to that?

Absolutely. Feedback away 🙂

(I heard somewhere that when writing a novel you should incorporate things from your day into your writing. So I took my fall moment — tumbling with my sister in a huge pile of leaves that my dad had raked up — and I incorporated it into a scene in my nanowrimo experiment.)

I need to get on with what happened once the ambulance left with my dad. But tonight I’d rather talk about autumn leaves. *** Three months after Trent started taking note of me at work, he talks me into taking lunch at the park next to the lab. The oak trees sparkle that golden yellow hue, and the aspens clink their muffled sounds.

We come into a clearing. We see a mountain of leaves, shuffling, crunching. Suddenly one tiny head pops up. More rustling, then tiny head number 2. More scuffle-ing, then tiny head number 3. Soon six arms, three torsos, and six legs appear, but never all at the same time. They are laughing, rolling, throwing leaves into each others’ hair. Trent’s face lights up. He bursts out laughing, a certain kind of laugh that makes me want to laugh, too.

My eyes are drawn to two red wagons a bit further into the clearing. One holds three stuffed bears, the other a small pile of pink socks and dirty white shoes. And then, I see a man beside the wagons, leaning heavy against a rake. He has an odd look of delight on his face. Same as the look I just saw in Trent.

Trent follows my gaze. He too, sees the man and notes his happy fatigue. He tells me the look is about total immersion, the absorption that comes from working to give the people you love something completely good.

I think it’s presumptuous to say you know something when you don’t have the facts to back up your claim. When I start to tell him so, his face muscles go slack and his eyes glaze into the aspen-soaked path ahead.

In an instant, his face had morphed from simple delight into something I can’t name. And I decide in that moment that I’m going to see this guy again.

* * * * Six weeks later, I learn that the day Trent turned 16, and his mother finally walked away for good, he became the guy with the rake for 3 triplet girls, and a toddler boy named Earl.

Kati, I’m so sorry I missed this because it’s so good!

This is such a good paragraph,

“Three months after Trent started taking note of me at work, he talks me into taking lunch at the park next to the lab. The oak trees sparkle that golden yellow hue, and the aspens clink their muffled sounds. ”

You perfectly set it up as a “date” that you’re not so sure about. And then beautifully and seamlessly transition to the park. Where’d you learn to transition like that? I’m going to steal this technique from you.

The pile of leaves is surprising and fun and childlike in a way we can all relate to. I like it. Then you complicate it by the interaction between Trent and the man with the rake. I was a little confused about that last paragraph, but once I got what you meant I was struck by its power. These are interesting characters, Kati. You’ve got something here.

Thanks. You make a good point about the last paragraph, i was curious about the result it would create. confusion is okay i guess…but only if it motivates a reader to go back and try to figure it out.

Sometimes I worry if the subtle messages i try to hide into a piece are so hidden they’re missed altogether, or if they are picked up on but just frustrate the reader because they’re too hard to understand. But Tim tells me its okay to ask a lot of a reader. He also says i should offer things with an open hand (i don’t have to control what my readers learn). it’s been hard for me not to be an over-talker in my writing. but poetry, and now fiction, help me because they both demand so much. poetry demands economy, and — like you say every so often — fiction works best when there is more showing than telling. thanks again for your time to read our stuff carefully!

I am glad you added the last paragraph. It gave closure for me and an understanding of Trent’s change in attitude.

Such beautiful, captivating images bringing out such mesmerizing details. The scenes are so full of life exploding with such radiant color.

Fall; I turn my closet inside out; rearrange the hangers and put the summer things in the back of the closet, farthest from my reach. The open toed shoes and sandals moved to allow the closed toe shoes space front and center. It doesn’t take very long. As a matter of fact, it was only fifteen minutes. So a casual Sunday afternoon trip to my favorite clothing store becomes necessary.

Fall; football all weekend, gearing up for the world series and gardening shears to prune the roses for the coming of winter. Pool drained and supplies stored until next year. Cooler months mean open windows and a dry breeze blowing through the house. Rainy weather with a hit-and-miss shower across the hill country makes the rivers rise and the lakes fill. The Bermuda grass readies itself for dormancy and begins to wither and shrivel and turn slightly brown.

Fall; it is a time to retreat and regroup, a time to reorder and rejuvenate with celebrations and quiet moments. We all live for fall.

i agree that we do rejuvenate and have quiet moments. Sometimes with candles lit. The only thing I have against fall is what follows. Liked your post and your imagery.

Thank you Anne.

The Real Story about Leaves

All my life I’ve thought of leaves as helpless. Sure they get a time of glory before their number is up. Some of them become spectacular and have people oohing and ahhing all over the place. They show up on calendars in the autumn months. Kid’s draw them and trace them. Even in their death they supply satisfaction as children crunch them underneath little feet.

Trees are full of leaves that I thought hung on till their time was up and then float down.

But I’ve had a change of mind. A transformation if you will.

Sure, there are trees who succumb to strong winds and watch their little leaves stripped and blown far and beyond. Everyone knows that happens.

People can look out their windows and see a tree with half their leaves and following a gust of wind be stripped of half of them. Yes that goes without saying, and yet it needed to be said.

But I’m talking about something very different. I’m talking about what I witnessed that I just have to share. It wouldn’t be right if I kept it to myself.

I think leaves jump. I think they decide when they will give themselves over to the wind and they just let go and ride that wind to their resting place.

Leaves are not victims. They do not have to hang there as they watch loved leaves leave before them. They don’t have to crumple up before their time just waiting to see when their number is up.

No, I witnessed it myself.

I watched some leaves in living color. Once green then in between and finally a brilliant red. A red that glowed and seemed transparent.

I watched those leaves and could hardly take my eyes off of them. I felt like I somehow became part of the tree as I saw their swaying, watched their tenacity. And then it was wonderful to watch. They simply released their little hold on life. They submitted to a force greater than them and with all the dignity in their veins they let go.

It makes me feel differently about leaves, about trees for that matter.

I mean I read where in the end trees will actually clap their hands. Now that will take some will power, don’t you think?

So leaves have more to them than just a thin membrane that reflects color. They have life.

In the spring you see them poke little heads out as they first appear as buds. Desperately they try to compete with the blossoms some trees display, but alas, it is pointless. The blossoms emit a smell that mesmerizes.

Then in summer people find shelter underneath them. Are they thanked? Hardly. And yet, you will see people rush to be beneath the shade they provide.

I think we need to give leaves more credit.

And so, I thought it was time to let the world know. Yes, some leaves do fall. But it’s also true, some leaves jump.

Oh, there goes one now. Bravo!

Wonderful Neverland tones. Your story made smile broadly at the imagery of leaves’ joyous jumps into the winds that carry them onward. Thanks for sharing 🙂

Thanks, Belinda. It was fun writing it.

I really enjoyed reading your story, which breathes life into leaves. I love this ‘In the spring you see them poke little heads out as they first appear as buds. Desperately they try to compete with the blossoms some trees display, but alas, it is pointless. The blossoms emit a smell that mesmerizes.’ I really smelt the blossom. Like Belinda, I’m also very glad you shared your story here 🙂

Thanks Katie. I appreciate your comments so much.

Autumn. I always feel melancholy at the change of the season, particularly as the weather cools into the months of March to May. Its not so much that the land changes, in most of Australia and where I am currently living the summer is so scorching that the flora here has already mostly died off and is well and truly browned. Though there are places where you can see the leaves change colour but its not any place that I’ve ever afford to live, actually ever to even visit. The places where the real trees are kept and cared for and fed the precious water that might keep souls alive long enough to find a way out of this nightmare we created so long ago, are not for the likes of me, not that its an option anymore.

I’ve seen what Autumn looked like all those years ago in the books before they too were snitched up into the history vaults. No the melancholy I feel for Autumn is for the 15 lives I sacrificed to test the portaviability device that the much lauded Dr Sanville assured us would save the whole world. It didn’t. It didn’t save anyone, it condemned us and those we trapped on the other side of prism.

I sigh that now I’ve lived here so long that all the regret, rage, and heartache at the loss of our people and our home has now dwindled into the sad pathetic tones of melancholy. ‘Liv, I’m sorry to bother you ma’am but I think you should come and see this’. Liv put down the pen closing her journal as she stood and turned towards the door. A man stepped into the door way and Liv felt the blood run from her face. ‘Dr Sanville’ his voice low and cold, ‘we’ve been looking for you for a long time, will you come with me now please?’. It didn’t sound like a question. Dr Livia Sanville placed the journal discreetly on the corner of the desk and stepped toward the man she knew very well, ‘do I have a choice?’ her question rhetorical as she walked passed him and out the door. ‘No Liv, you don’t. You can’t possibly be surprised by that’. He close the door to her office and followed her out.

Ooooh, a little science fiction mystery for us! I’d like to know more about the end of this world and the prism device.

Cheers Missaralee 🙂 I’d like to know more too! It pretty amazing this writing caper, its an interesting experience this not knowing where the story is going to go while being the one on the keyboard. Si-Fi Mystery – you made me smile. Thanks.

I was lost wandering around D.C. waiting for the museums to open. I had taken the commuter train into the city expecting to find throngs of people this cool November morning, but I found nothing except old newspapers blowing in the wind. I closed my eyes and inhaled the power, the history of this place. The cold air coursed through me and I pulled my coat tighter. I wasn’t lost exactly I had seen the scene many times on television. The proximity of the White House to the Lincoln memorial across the reflecting pool to the Washington monument, it was strangely familiar for never having been there before. I spotted the Vietnam Veterans memorial and somberly walked past the cold marble structure. The names so small you have to get up close to see them and press your hand to them and whisper a prayer for their sacrifice. I came around to the other side and found another reflecting pool, this one with ducks and leaves floating across the surface. Around the perimeter were trees. I have no idea what kind of trees I only know they were beautiful and unlike anything we had in Texas. They stood like sentinels with dark trunks and large purple leaves, perfectly spaced watching over the Veterans. At the end of the pool like a guard stood the most radiant yellow and orange leafed trees I had ever laid eyes on glowing like sunshine through the darkness. I walked to the coffee cart then sat on the park bench staring in awe at the beauty and heartache and said a grateful prayer.

My dog stood still in the pile of leaves. At first she was afraid of the rake, but grew accustomed as my yard went from a layer of leaves to piles of orange, yellow, red and brown dotting the landscape of a once-manicured lawn. The cool chill on the top of my cheekbones faded with the exertion.

It’s this in-between period that’s hard to read. Symbolically, we’ve been over it a million times. English teachers and philosophers, scientists and theologists denote different definitions of autumn, but, for me, it’s the period of maybe. Maybe it’ll cool down enough so we’ll need extra blankets tonight; Maybe we’ll be fortunate to get that week were summer wants to hold on those extra hours.

These are the days of mindfulness. We schedule hikes that overlook valleys of foliage. We make chilis and soups to go with Sunday afternoon football games, feeling their warmth and spice as we over-induldge. We sneak a little closer to our spouses under the cover of a soft blanket. We feel the light autumn sweep through the apple trees.

I used to be afraid of autumn. The start of school, the summer loves packing their things. The constraints of a routine overshadows the freedom of summer. This has always hurt.

I don’t think I’ve shared my To Autumn short story with The Write Practice community. Since the line I write about the leaves is probably my favorite, I would love to share it with you wonderful writers!

I might come back and write a new story, too! I’ll be back!

It’s definitely worth a read. It’s short, as short stories go, but packed full of emotion and meaning. Very thought-provoking.

Kay sat gazing out the window of her bedroom, mesmerized by the beauty overhead. What is it about the blue of September skies that makes it so special from all the rest? She was sure there was a scientific explanation having to do with the angle of the sun this time of year, or some other equally-as-boring reason for its uniqueness. But Kay preferred to imagine it like a divine (either small or big “d”) overture playing a sentimental recap of summer that gracefully segued to a seductive preview of the coming autumn.

Kay sat gazing out the window of her bedroom, mesmerized by the beauty overhead.

What is it about the blue of September skies that makes it so special from all the rest?

She was sure there was a scientific explanation having to do with the angle of the sun this time of year, or some other equally-as-boring reason for its uniqueness. But Kay preferred to imagine it like a divine (either small or big “d”) overture playing a sentimental recap of summer that gracefully segued to a seductive preview of the coming autumn.

It was 11 years and 25 days ago, but there are some things in life one never forgets. The bus driver stopped at the middle of the road and told me to get off right there. The way to the bus stop was blocked by construction work. And so I got off in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country I have never been to before. The bus drove away leaving me and my suitcase on an empty road. I took a deep breath and looked around. A quiet street on a September evening. Cars parked on a side walk, roofs covered with leaves. Leaves everywhere. Red, yellow, green. A wind blow, and here they come, dancing in the air till they silently reach the ground.

It was 11 years and 25 days ago, but there are some things in life one never forgets. Every year when autumn dyes the trees yellow, when the leaves rustle under my steps, I take a deep breath and smell something in that autumn air that always makes me remember that day I finally reached home.

Don’t go into the woods. The leaves are piled deep in the dark. The crush of boots and the rise of musty scent would bring THEM near. They fear the colour of the dying wood. Green was bad enough, but the symphony of red and yellow and orange reaching a crescendo in the silent woods would unravel their plans so carefully set. When the moon looms high over the sleeping wood, stay on the path. Make not a sound in the dark, stay not a second in the silver pooled light or the Grey Men will come for you to snuff out your light.

Characters reactive to colour. Nice one. I haven’t read something like that before. Let’s hope i’m not trying to explain to my mate the creeped-out felling I’ve got on my next woods walk 😉

Not since childhood had she seen leaves like this, when walking to school through a golden carpeted walkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway made her gasp as crimson dogwoods, flaming maples and oaks fell into bouquets across the hills. Each vista exposed a new canvas painted in autumn’s finest hues. As the sun set over the western ridge, a deep rosy glow extended its fingers across the entire masterpiece. She pulled off the road for a moment and stared, holding her breath lest the magic disappear. Breathing in the cool, damp air she was joined by the chirp of a single chickadee basking in the waning light. Like a child, her cares fell away in the quiet beauty. A single tear spilled across her cheek.

You’ve painted vividly such a sweet memory. I can picture it as if I was there. Sometimes you just have to take a moment to reflect. I can relate to that.

I liked your descriptions. Especially,” a deep rosy glow extended it’s fingers…” Really nice.

The smell came first. Then as I’d walk along, scuffing my feet deliberately in the scatterings of crisp downed leaves, reveling in their crackling, I’d come upon strangely huge heaps of them, orange, brown, and scarlet, with tendrils of blue smoke giving off that enticing, compelling aroma of fall.

Sometimes the piles of leaves would be surmounted by a flicker of orange flame, other times they’d simply smolder. Strangely, I never seemed to see the ashheaps that such burning must entail. It’s as though the pilers-up of these aromatic monuments to Autumn never allowed them to burn clear down to the asphalt roadway, but quickly gathered newly fallen fire-fodder to reinvigorate the ritual.

Sometimes shards of pumpkin would be visible near these piles, depending on the date being late October or early November. The smell of raw pumpkin, ahh, that’s a memory. The luxuriant taste of freshly made, gleaming pumpkin pie, another. And the look in Jackie’s eyes when I’d carved her name in the huge pumpkin we’d won in the ‘guess the weight’ contest at Fred’s Market…

There was the tangy, acrid smell of the furnace being run for the first time, invisibly blowing the accumulated dust of half a year into the air. The gentle transition from a cool beer on a warm deck to a glass of Shiraz on the sofa, with drops of condensation forming on the picture window as a cherrywood fire winked and hummed in the fireplace (good dry cherry never crackles), was an inevitable demarcation between the unbounded freedom of summer and the condensed, self-contained sheltering of the season of snow to come. Winter coats would be found. Gloves, unthinkable in July, became inevitable in November… Jackie’s ski stuff would be retrieved from the attic…

I watched a gleaming white cattle ibis strut its stately way along the sand between impossibly tall swaying coconut palms. Leaning to my left, I retrieved my cellphone from the orange beachy duffle I’d been using as luggage for the past three months.

“No thanks”, I said to the florid faced, flower shirted waiter who had been politely plying me with mai-tais all afternoon.

I speed-dialled a number. It was time to go home to New York. Or at least, try.

Autumn has always considered a certain, intoxicating atmosphere for me. The aroma of decaying foliage mixes with the rich flavour of rain on the forest floor. The crash of bright, exotic colours that mixes and flares on the reaching branches of trees, stark and beautiful against the frosty blue sky beyond. The sharp, not entirely unpleasant cut of the air that cleans out your lungs and not without a bite to remind you how great it is to be alive. ~~~ Not feeling inspired right now… That’s all I’ve got 🙂

You’ve made a good start here, Brianna. You’ve created a sensory experience I can see, smell and touch. It kinda makes me want to go for a walk right now. Here, it’s not frosty. The sun is out, making the Autumn leaves all golden. Who could resist?

Thank you! 🙂

Sorry, had to repost due to some mistakes —————————————————–

It was 11 years and 25 days ago, but there are some things in life one never forgets.

The bus driver stopped in the middle of the road and told me to get off right there. The way to the bus stop was blocked by construction work. And so I got off in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country I have never been to before. The bus drove away leaving me and my suitcase on an empty road. I took a deep breath and looked around. A quiet street on a September evening. Cars parked on a side walk, their roofs covered with leaves. Leaves everywhere. Red, yellow, green. A wind blow, and here they come, dancing in the air till they silently reach the ground.

It was 11 years and 25 days ago, but there are some things in life one never forgets. Every year when the sun dyes the trees yellow, when the leaves rustle under my steps, I take a deep breath and smell something in that autumn air that always makes me remember the day I finally reached home.

Hi Gill, I like the last paragraph it feels like a story could start right there.

In your main para, I felt like I was pulled around by the imagery, for example, ‘in the middle of the road’, ‘in the middle of nowhere’, ‘on an empty road’, but then on a ‘quiet street’ and with ‘cars parked on a side walk’ as descriptions of the same place. I might have a different visual image of ‘nowhere’ thanks to the Australian outback but a nowhere scape and a street scape feel very different to me.

Thanks for sharing your words.

Hi Belinda. Thank you very much for taking the time to read. This is such an interesting observation you made there! Indeed, there is no such thing as “Australian in the middle of nowhere” in overpopulated Europe. So when I say “in the middle of nowhere” i usually mean an unknown place with few or none people, where there is nothing nearby that can help you identify where to go. When I think back, in this case it also describes rather my feeling than a place. I got off not at the bus stop as expected, but some other completely unknown place where there was nothing around except trees, some small houses and cars. So it literary felt like “the middle of nowhere”. I never thought about that this could mean something entirely different to other people 🙂 Thanks for pointing it out!

Oh you were in Europe 😀 I was secretly wondering, hehe. It is interesting how its all different for different folks isn’t it 🙂 Here in Australia, even when in one of our crowded cities most locals are still acutely aware of the great nowhere laying not far beyond the suburban sprawl. You’ve made me think about how description works for a reader. Cheers for your feedback too.

Hi Joe. I loved your Autumn story. Here’s my practice:

This is where I played hide-and-seek when I was little. Here, where the beech trees drop their spent leaves, forming a soft carpet under-foot. The woodland forms a maze of paths, each weaving its way through a series of dips and hollows. Ancient tree roots thread their way across the surface of the hollows forming raised knotted veins.

For me, and my brother, being here as children was just a fun day out. Chasing each other, we hollered our way through the woods, pretending to be cowboys and Indians.

However the forest had a more serious side. The dips and hollows that I loved, as a child, hadn’t been formed by a sublime act of nature. They were there for a reason.

Nearly a century before I had set foot here, grown men had shaped these dips. Their specific intention was to hide in them in order to practice warfare. Nature had reclaimed them, but couldn’t eradicate entirely their past. For these were the practice trenches for the Great War. The men who trained in these woods later fought in the trenches at Flanders. Many didn’t return.

Autumn, my favorite time of year and life. Funny, I wrote this little exercise for writing group, yesterday, before looking at this practice prompt.

Click, click click, the solar flowers tick like my aunt’s old Keininger rose mantel clock, soothing. The dryer hums counter point, with the children in the park next door laughing and squealing the melody of days gone by.

The old maple sheds one brown leaf at a time, still mostly green and yellow, holding tightly to it’s youth.

Enjoying this season of my life. Striving to be as content and beautiful as the warm colored trees. Peace is the gift of aging while the sun casts long shadows signaling the end to another perfect day.

(More poetry, but it’s still writing) four girls printed sand two-on-two ball in hand sleeves rolled down chilly air dusty knees ball is fair drifting leaves sides reverse play resumes bodies terse shoulder swings wrist snaps down sand sprays up four hearts pound dipping sun golden blur sandals on home returns hugs around glistening eyes fall hellos and summer goodbyes.

Never posted anything before – I’ve never used facebook or twitter or anything so not sure I’m posting correctly but here goes my ‘out of place’ practice: I stretched my arm to balance the black bin against my hip, coffee mug in my other hand as I used the bottom of my shoe to nudge the car door closed. The lobby door was already propped open so Linda could breathe summer air while watching the world go by in the parking lot as she occasionally peered up from the screen of her laptop. “Hey”, she said glancing up as I angled into the lobby with my load. “I have more in the trunk”, I answered, setting my first bin on the table. “Two bins full. I was outside ‘til almost dark getting the stupid things scrubbed.” By now I was mumbling more than talking, heading down the hallway to get the cart.

I should’ve just pulled my car around the side of the building and set the gourds out by the tables of pumpkins and watermelons, but I hated being outside with the produce – someone invariably stopped when I was out there, then tried to figure out who I was by asking round-about questions that would piece it together for them. If that didn’t work, they’d come right out and ask ‘now, who are you?’ It would start with “where are these grown?” as they gestured to the pumpkins on the table. “Bloomsdale” I’d answer, and they’d throw out the name of any farm in Bloomsdale, knowing that I’d have to say no, we live out on ‘X’ road. “Who has a farm out there?” And when I gave our last name, my cheeks burning under the scrutiny, they kept going until they named enough people with my last name, to figure out exactly where I fit into the scheme of things. They weren’t happy until they knew who I was married to, and who his family was.

I’m a very private person; anti-social even. Few people know who I am by sight. This is a good thing in a town where gossip is the true currency.

Now for a transaction of two or three dollars, I dodge questions and feign interest in who’s married to this person’s son, or did one of my relatives work at the hotel a few years back, “seems like I remember a Tanner working there…” I want to interrupt with “This isn’t even my stuff – I have to get back inside to my real job, so buy a pumpkin or don’t, makes me no difference!”

But I can’t do that because my husband has decided he’d like to farm on his time off. So we haul this stuff in here every morning and set the tables with our imperfect produce. Marks left by too many dry days in a row, or too many rainy days and nights. We can’t remove the cracks and scars that mother nature haphazardly flings onto everything; sweet potatoes with crevasses, pale marks where the gourds sat plump and waiting on the damp ground. Gray-haired ladies lift and examine, judging.

sorry – posted below to wrong link and don’t know how to move it – should’ve been the ‘out of place’ link.

“It’s not like it was,” I tell my children as we kick a smattering of damp leaves from the sidewalk. They each snatch a soggy maple leaf from the concrete and hold it aloft, letting the rain drip from it and onto their heads. “It was better when I was a kid,” I insist. My mind wandered to a faded photo I discovered in the bottom drawer. My sister and I and our little dog, posing before a hand-sheaved corn shock in the backyard. I was seven, maybe eight, my sister was twelve. Our dad took that photo with his Polaroid Insta-matic, so proud of his self-taught photography skills. We had enormous piles of leaves, gathered together with the help of the lawn sweeper, unwillingly operated by one of my older brothers. The piles that weren’t used for jumping in were made into bonfires for cooking our hotdogs and marshmallows over. Chilly nights were warmed, and our friends and neighbors visited every day for the enjoyment of leaping from the swing-set into the leaves. My children, living in this nearly treeless subdivision are surrounded by concrete sidewalks and families with too-cautious parents who won’t let them meet the neighbors. They are unknowingly bereft of those Autumn adventures. “It was better then.”

It’s my favorite time of year, when nature struts flamboyance no fashion designer can touch.

If it weren’t a yearly thing, I’d almost swear it was magic, the way trees shed their vibrant greens for gold, red and brown.

It’s not until October that I feel the season coming, the one that makes me eager for those cooler, shorter nights.

I’m from Down South, where summer heat hangs tough. I wait eagerly for our first day of fall. Just the word itself seems to conjure breezy days.

When the sun sets earlier and the wind begins to chill, and colored coats of every tree transform I cry, “Relief!”

Yes, relief. Fall is under way.

Prompt #13: I Stood In My Backyard Overlooking The Fields By Kiki Stamatiou a. k. a. Joanna Maharis

I stood in my backyard overlooking the fields covered with leaves. I saw the blanketed collage surrounding every step of the path. Reminders of yesteryear from when I was a small child overlooking the life now just a few faint breaths radiating from left over age of the country.

I watch the birds fly into their nest. I can hear them chirping while teaching their children to fly. A baby sparrow took its first steps off of the branch, ascended into the air taking flight, then dove down only to rise again. The little bird flew high up into the grey skies as the rain settled onto my flesh. Just little droplets of tears given off by the angels up in heaven guarding the gates allowing access to the Lord’s latest flock of children to take homage and passage into the realms of the beyond.

As I stood there overlooking the fields where the leaves of gold, red, and brown blanketed the earth, I thought about the times my brothers and I tossed a football around in the yard with our cousins, and closest friends. I remembered the barbeques we had in the summer time celebrating my birthday.

However, fall is a time where the phoenix goes into the earth comprised of ashes, such as the leaves do when they wither and die. They become food for a new lineage line of plants that will emerge in the spring. The earth is replenished of its sustenance. In a realm of the dead, the new life is carried away into the masses of they who await to welcome him home.

I hear the sounds of birds teaching their young the ways of the world. As they get lost in the world of survival, only the strong will survive and go on to dominate in a world filled with tears wear war breaks out overseas. Yet, I remain humble as I look on at the sight before me.

I can see a squirrel gathering nuts for the winter in the distance and burying them into the earth. The warmth they shall receive shall keep them until the night falls on the heads of the living. There are no empty roads. For there are only roads filled with promise, regardless of the obstacles getting in the way of success. For every light found within nature, each leaf is counted as a life no gone, but not forgotten.

Sending out their signals to the latter part of the world, the pigeons soar high into the heavens in a beauty arrow shape they form when in alignment. Now they are soldiers of the Lord. For one day, they to will become angels in the wake of my dreams.

Drifters come, and drifters go, but elongated are the streams of the heart, when the light of heaven unfolds in a leaf fallen to the ground, and now rests on top of my feet, gathered around piles and piles of other leaves who have also met their match and taken their stance of the wiles of their dance.

May the wisdom of the birds be carried out and live in the hearts of man for ages to come.

© Copyright, Kiki Stamatiou, 2015

In the middle of my tenth autumn, the day after my best friend moved away from the house next door, I tried to climb a tree. I had never attempted something so bold before, mostly because I was and am still not a very coordinated boy. The tree wasn’t tall but as I remember it only had a few foot holds. It is gone now. It looked like a pair of hands, joined at the wrists, ready to clap.

I placed my foot in the V and stepped up the right side of the tree, an inch or two at a time. After a while and many short breaths, I had ascended about five feet. It was as high as I’d ever been unless you count being in a plane or standing on the back of the couch in the living room.

There was no one around to see the climb, but I felt triumphant. I paused to see my world from a new angle. I noticed the roofs of the cars in the driveway, and in the hills past my friend’s old house I gazed at new homes and fresh woods, speeding up in anticipation of winter. The fall flies and when cold comes it flees. People do this, too. I do this, too.

The jagged bark of my tree dug into my fingers. My hands still had a decent grip, but my weight was all behind me, all wrong, so when my foot slipped and I fell I did so down and back, ass first on the ground. My head bounced off the grass and my ears rang and after I opened my eyes I realized my leg was caught in the tree. I wiggled it. I tugged on it. I couldn’t reach my toes so I couldn’t try to pull on my shoe. I was stuck there, on the ground after having been in the air. I called for my parents and looked up at the tree, split open in the middle like it had been spliced by lightning.

It’s leaves had changed already. I was laying on a bunch of them. They were brown and crinkled when I moved. I didn’t really know why the one I was caught in looked like it was dying faster than the other trees in the yard. I didn’t know that some things change quicker than others. I didn’t know why the tree had to die; the sky still rained warm water on occasion. I heaved a big breath and my chin tensed up and I cried.

My parents rushed out of the house, frightened by the assumption that my tears were painful ones. My dad used a piece of lumber to pry the tree further apart and unhinge my leg. The crying had intensified to a sob.

“Can we save it?” I said.

“Your leg’s fine, don’t worry,” she said.

“No, mom, the tree.”

“What’s wrong with the tree?”

“It’s losing its leaves faster than the other trees.”

She hugged me a little harder. I felt her look up at the trees.

“It’s just getting ready for the winter,” she said. “It’s only changing. That’s how it lives.”

“Does it have to?”

“It would have to die if it didn’t.”

I was young and hysterical and full of longing then so I didn’t comprehend life’s purpose, but she held me and my dad wrapped up my scratched leg and we went inside.

I laid down on the cool grass, spreading my fingers through the soft, green blades. I was thankful that it was autumn time, for their were no bugs waiting in the grass, ready to bite me. I looked up, not blinded by the sun because of the cloudy weather. A leaf from the old maple tree next to my home fell from a branch, landing on my chest. I picked up with my hand, bringing it to my face so that I can see it’s distinctive patterns. It was a redish orange color, and the size of the leaf as large as my hand. I twirled it around on my fingertips, before letting it fall to my side. There are plenty more of those leaves in the pile of them that I had raked up yesterday. A nice breeze went through the air, sliding through my light jacket and onto my skin. I shivered, yet in a good way. I closed my eyes thinking; this is why fall is my favorite season of the year.

The Fall (teenager, English as my third language)

Brown, yellow, red. Step after step I run into a different colour. It feels as though each encounter wants to tell me something. Dying, living, resting. I feel bad for stepping into them, and I cannot help but notice all the amount of brown-ish leafs piled on the side of the path by which I run. The palisade of black-ish iron on which the load of leafs rest, seems to want to reach its highest, as the arrow at the top shows its direction. Leaving on the bottom, the broken, dying leafs. Each howling breeze takes them away from the place they were, taking them into the deepest of the forest as if saying ‘that’s where you belong’. Again, step after step, now I even see orange, green and fuchsia. I leave behind me the darkest part of the way. Now, upon reaching the end of the path, a new world opens in front of me. The wind taking with it all the falling leafs from the trees. The sun letting its shinning light show me all the leafs flying. Another Autumn day awakes.

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• Oct 21, 2023

101 Creative Fall Writing Prompts For Your Journal

Ah, the fall season! It's that enchanting time of year when leaves change color, transforming our landscapes into a canvas painted with vibrant shades of reds, oranges, and yellows. Every corner seems to whisper the word "autumn." It's not just the colorful leaves or the crisp air that signifies the autumn season's arrival but also the various activities and flavors that make it many people's favorite season.

As the cooler weather sets in, the days become shorter, with fewer hours of daylight to enjoy. But that doesn't mean the fun ends. Instead, it's replaced with the anticipation of pumpkin patches and the aroma of pumpkin spice wafting from our favorite cafes. Remember your favorite thing about fall? Perhaps it's the taste of a freshly baked pumpkin pie or apple pie, straight out of the oven, its sweetness reminding you of your favorite fall memory.

While some love to stroll through an apple orchard or indulge in the fun of navigating a corn maze, others look forward to the excitement of the football season. And let's not forget the preparations for the heartwarming thanksgiving dinner, a time of gratitude, and festive celebrations.

Fall-themed writing prompts invite you to cozy up with a cup of hot apple cider on rainy days and put pen to paper, crafting fall-themed poems or jotting down fun prompts in your journal.

If you've ever felt the magic of stepping on a large pile of leaves or wrapping yourself in a warm scarf during the first frost of the season, you'll understand the allure of autumn writing prompts. For many, they become a favorite activity, even overtaking the joy of deciding on a favorite Halloween costume.

With season changes come new experiences, memories, and opportunities for reflection. This makes fall journal prompts an excellent way to delve into your feelings and articulate them beautifully.

So, whether you're reminiscing about your favorite fall food, the exhilarating fall festival, or simply the charm of leaf piles in your backyard, we've got you covered. Below is a list of 101 creative fall writing prompts for your journal, perfect for those eager to capture the essence of this favorite fall season.

Describe the foliage you noticed today.

How does the crisp air make you feel?

What cozy beverage warmed you up today?

Summarize this autumn season in just one word.

Which sweater did you choose to wear today and why?

Share a golden-hued memory from this fall.

What specific scent always reminds you of autumn?

Recall the last time you took a walk among the fallen leaves.

Did anything spooky happen to you recently?

Do you enjoy pumpkin-flavored treats? Why or why not?

What did you harvest or buy fresh today?

What memories does fall always bring back for you?

Where is your sanctuary during the autumn months?

Describe a recent apple-picking or orchard adventure.

What book set in fall are you currently reading?

Describe a moment of profound gratitude you felt this season.

Write about an evening under the harvest moon.

List a few songs from your fall playlist and why you love them.

Did you bake or taste any autumn-themed treats today?

How does the sound of rustling leaves make you feel?

Is there a specific candle aroma you're enjoying this season?

Which fall tradition are you most looking forward to?

Recall a recent evening spent by the fire.

What fall fashion item have you enjoyed wearing recently?

What's the best pie flavor for this season, in your opinion?

Describe the hues of today's sunset.

How did a brisk morning make you feel recently?

Share a comforting recipe perfect for autumn.

Which blanket did you snuggle up with today?

Describe an autumnal dream you had.

Are you anticipating Halloween? What are your plans?

Describe the moment you noticed the season's first frost.

Where is your coziest corner during the fall months?

Share a memorable bonfire story from this season.

Do you prefer scarves or mittens? And why?

What are you most thankful for this fall?

Describe the feeling of a recent autumn rain.

Have you taken a scenic drive to see fall foliage? How was it?

How has the autumn season influenced your current mood?

Write about something or someone you're thankful for.

Describe your experience in a corn maze this season.

How do you feel when you hear the crunch of leaves underfoot?

What treasures did you find at a harvest market recently?

Reflect on a change you've observed in nature this autumn.

What hot drink did you enjoy today?

Describe a vibrant or unique leaf you found during a walk.

Capture a peaceful moment you had this fall.

Share memories evoked by an old autumn photo you found.

Write a ghostly or mysterious tale set in fall.

What are your hopes for the remainder of the autumn season?

How does the change from summer to autumn affect your daily routine?

Write about your favorite memory from a past Thanksgiving dinner.

Describe the sensation of sipping hot apple cider on a chilly evening.

How does the sight of colorful leaves make you feel?

What's your go-to outfit for those unpredictable fall weather days?

Recall a time you visited a pumpkin patch. What stood out the most?

Which fall festival or event are you most excited about and why?

Describe the taste and aroma of your favorite fall food.

What activities are on your fall bucket list this year?

How do fewer hours of daylight impact your mood and productivity?

Write about a time you played in a large pile of leaves.

How has the cooler weather influenced your indoor activities?

What's the most striking difference you've noticed as the season changes?

Describe your favorite Halloween costume from the past.

How do rainy days in autumn differ from those in other seasons?

Write about a memorable experience in a corn maze.

Recall the feeling of witnessing the first frost of the season.

What goals have you set for yourself this autumn?

How do you prepare your home for the colder temperatures?

Describe a time when the word "autumn" perfectly captured a moment.

Which fall-themed poem resonates with you the most?

How do the colorful leaves influence your personal style or home decor?

What's your favorite thing about football season, if you're a fan?

Write about a time you stayed up to watch the harvest moon.

Describe a fall tradition that you've passed down or wish to start.

What spooky stories or legends does autumn bring to mind?

How do you feel about the transition from vibrant fall to stark winter?

Recall a cherished childhood memory associated with the autumn season.

What are your thoughts on pumpkin spice? Overrated or a must-have?

Describe a serene moment you experienced in an apple orchard.

Write about the contrasts between a fall day and a fall night.

Recall a heartfelt conversation you had over a fall campfire.

How does autumn inspire your creative endeavors or hobbies?

Describe a time when you felt truly connected to nature during fall.

What lessons has the cyclic nature of autumn taught you?

Write about a DIY fall project or craft you've tried or want to try.

How do you keep yourself cozy during those brisk autumn evenings?

Describe the atmosphere of your ideal fall day from dawn to dusk.

What's the most adventurous thing you've done during a past fall?

Write about a wildlife encounter you had during the autumn months.

How does fall influence your culinary experiments or favorite recipes?

Describe the soundscapes of autumn – what do you hear around you?

Recall an autumn day when everything felt just right.

What scents do you associate with fall, and what memories do they evoke?

Write about a time you felt both the warmth of the sun and the chill of the breeze.

How do you find balance in the midst of autumn's changes?

Describe your emotions as you watch the leaves change color and fall.

Write about a person who makes your autumn days special.

How do the themes of harvest and gratitude play out in your life?

. Describe an autumn morning – from the misty start to the golden afternoon.

. What's the one thing in fall that you look forward to every single year?

Share With Us!

I hope the prompts provided have inspired you to cozy up with your journal, pen in hand, capturing your autumnal reflections and adventures. Our experiences with the season can be vastly different and deeply personal. So, I'd love to hear from you. How has your fall journal writing journey been? Do you have any evocative prompts to add to the list?

Share in the comments below and let's continue to celebrate the beauty and depth of this remarkable season together.

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Free Differentiated Creative Writing Prompts for Fall

The fall season is upon us! An easy way to inspire young writers is to use fall creative writing prompts !! Whether your students are in 2nd or 5th grade, these prompts are tailored to suit various grade levels and cater specifically to struggling and reluctant writers.

Creative Writing Prompts for Fall Makes Writing More Fun!

Harness the magic of the season with creative writing prompts!

Fall-themed prompts help ignite imaginations. Young writers may get transported to pumpkin patches, leaf-strewn pathways, or even eerie Halloween scenes. 

We love fall writing prompts because they invite students to vividly  describe  the crisp air, the scent of pumpkin spice, and the rustle of colorful leaves. Creative writing around a theme for students not only makes writing more engaging but also provides a platform for students to express their unique perspectives about it.

Let’s check out some fall creative writing prompts to get your students to  fall  in love with writing this season!

But first, check out the Fall vocabulary video below, if your students need extra practice with fall words!

How to Differentiate These Fun Prompts for Fall

When giving writing assignments, keep an open mind for how you can differentiate based on your student’s needs. With writing prompts, it’s best to make sure they’re just right for each student. Let’s talk about some ways you can differentiate all of the fall creative writing prompts below for your students:

For kids who are really good at writing, ask them to write longer and give lots of supporting details. You could even add a part where they have to find facts, like a mini-research project, or have them write more than one paragraph. Give these students a list of conjunctions to use to further develop their writing!

For kids who find writing a bit harder, break the prompt into smaller steps if needed. Show them an example before they start writing. Encourage them to write as much as they can, even if it is only 1-2 sentences. They can extend their writing by drawing a picture to accompany their piece. Do they still need help with writing a complete sentence? We’ve got you covered right HERE!

We always say it’s the QUALITY, not the QUANTITY of the writing that matters! As always with differentiation, everyone gets the right kind of challenge and support they need.

Fall-Themed Writing Prompts for Every Student:

Below we have broken down different categories for some autumn writing prompts for this new season. Our hope is that no matter if you are working with struggling writers or students with really strong writing skills, these fun fall writing prompts will be a way to encourage their best creative writing!

So have students grab their journals or some fall paper and get their creative writing juices flowing! These are perfect to throw up on the SMARTboard for morning work, or to use at the start of an intervention session!

Fall Daily Writing Prompts

🍁  Fall is the perfect season for…

🍁  My favorite thing about fall is…

🍁  My favorite food during fall has to be…

🍁  My favorite fall activity is…

🍁  5 things on my fall bucket list are…

🍁  On rainy days during fall, I enjoy…

​🍁  The perfect fall day starts like this…

​ 🍁  My favorite Halloween costume so far was…

​ 🍁  My favorite fall memory is…

​​ 🍁  I feel the happiest and coziest in fall when I am …

​ 🍁  My favorite fall decorations are…

Check out our Fall Paragraph Writing resource that provides you with more fall prompts, organizers, and scaffolded activities!

Fall Acrostic Poem: A Fun Way to Play with Words

Acrostic poems are a neat way to combine creativity with structured writing. 

🍁  Challenge your students to spell out “AUTUMN” or “FALL” and use each letter to begin a line of their poem with a fall idea. 

It can be just one word or a short phrase. This activity not only helps with their descriptive skills but also encourages them to think critically about word choice.

Fall Opinion Writing Prompts

Doing opinion writing can be another great way to let students reflect on their favorite fall activities while still working on their writing skills. Opinion writing is really beneficial for students because it helps them think deeply about a topic and express their thoughts clearly.

When students write about what they believe, it gives them a sense of ownership over their work. They learn how to build strong arguments by providing evidence and good reasons to support their opinions. It’s also about knowing who they’re talking to – understanding their audience. Plus, it helps students appreciate different points of view and learn how to disagree respectfully. 

🍁 Do you prefer apple pie or pumpkin pie? Give 3 reasons why.

​🍁  Do you think Johnny Appleseed was smart? Why or why not?

​🍁  Would you rather jump in leaf piles or pick apples?

​🍁  What’s your favorite season change: fall or winter?

​🍁  Would you rather go on a haunted hayride or get lost in a corn maze? 

​🍁  Do you prefer to go to a pumpkin patch or apple orchard?

​​​🍁  Do you prefer warm, sunny fall days or cool, crisp ones?

🍁  Is apple pie or pumpkin pie the best fall dessert?

​ 🍁  Do you prefer the color brown or orange and why?

​ 🍁  Would you rather dress up as a ghost or witch for Halloween?

​​ 🍁  If you were going to a Halloween party, would you choose a scary or funny costume?

​ 🍁  Write about your favorite dish for Thanksgiving dinner and why you love it.

Fall Story Starters

We love a good fall story starter to help students write a short story. A fictional story is perfect to work on during the autumn season and winter months. Writing short stories is the perfect way to get student’s creative juices flowing.

🍁 When the leaves changed color, it meant it was time for…

🍁 In the heart of the pumpkin patch, I discovered a tiny door. When I opened it, I was surprised to find…

🍁 One chilly fall morning, I woke up to find my backyard transformed into a magical forest. The trees whispered secrets and the leaves seemed to shimmer with hidden treasures… 

​🍁 One foggy evening, a peculiar visitor appeared at our door. It was a friendly ghost who needed our help to find…

​🍁  At the edge of town, stood a peculiar tree with branches shaped like hands. Legend said it could grant one special wish every year on the first day of fall…

🍁 One crisp fall day, my best friend and I found an old, dusty book hidden in the attic. Little did we know, it held the key to a forgotten world of magic and adventure…

Bonus: Try the Talking Pumpkin Activity!

This is a fun one where imaginations really run wild! To get students’ creative juices flowing this season, have them make a list of ALL the things a talking pumpkin might say! Watch them have tons of fun with this! There are so many things you can do with this activity:

• Pair it with a cute pumpkin craft for a fall bulletin board display
• Write a short story
• Have students combine pumpkin characters and write a story together in a group
• Put on a pumpkin puppet show

Other Resources To Try During the Fall Season:

Check out the GRASPHOPPER LEARNING STORE for more Differentiated Writing Activities!

Are you ready to help your students FALL in love with writing this season?!

Excuse our digital dust! We’re busy renovating this website to make it even more fabulous. Stay tuned!

• Read more about: Fall , Paragraph Writing , Sentence Writing , Writing

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16 Fantastic Fall/Autumn Writing Prompts

For some, fall (or autumn) symbolizes harvest, and the beginning processes of hibernation before winter. For others, fall means that hay rides, Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner!

With all this fun to look forward to, it's easy to forget about school, but we're here to help! We’ve created a list of fun fall writing prompts to keep your child on track and make writing a part of your fall/autumn routine!

What colours and scents do you associate with fall? Write about everything that comes to mind.

What three words do you associate with autumn? Write a short story including these words.

When you think of autumn what images come to mind? Can you describe the scenery? What happens to nature?

Write a report about magical animal that would love fall!

Write a short story about a magical pumpkin that comes to life!

Can you think of a nice memory you’ve shared with someone during fall? Write a letter to them reminding them of the memory.

Autumn can be a spooky season. Write a story about Halloween and think about what makes the holiday so spooky.

Can you write a play about a little ghost who got lost on his way back to his haunted mansion? Make sure to give him a name!

Did you know this season is called both “fall” and “autumn”? Write a persuasive essay about why you think it has both names.

Think about the sound leaves make when you step on them. Write a poem describing this.

What would your magical creature dress up as for Halloween? Write a story about their costume! What would they wear?

Think of your favourite Halloween candy. Can you create a brand new flavour and candy type?

What’s your favourite season and why?

Autumn is usually associated with the colors red, orange and yellow. If you could pick a color for leaves to turn, what would you pick and why?

Imagine you’re going on a hay ride with your magical animal. Write an adventure story about what happens.

You’re on your way to check on your animals in the Night Zoo and you run into a ghost! Write a conversation between the two of you.

More seasonal prompts

• Winter Writing Prompts For Kids
• Spring Writing Prompts For Kids
• Summer Writing Prompts For Kids

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Creative Writing Prompts

When the idea to start a weekly newsletter with writing inspiration first came to us, we decided that we wanted to do more than provide people with topics to write about. We wanted to try and help authors form a regular writing habit and also give them a place to proudly display their work. So we started the weekly Creative Writing Prompts newsletter. Since then, Prompts has grown to a community of more than 450,000 authors, complete with its own literary magazine, Prompted .  

Here's how our contest works: every Friday, we send out a newsletter containing five creative writing prompts. Each week, the story ideas center around a different theme. Authors then have one week — until the following Friday — to submit a short story based on one of our prompts. A winner is picked each week to win $250 and is highlighted on our Reedsy Prompts page.

Interested in participating in our short story contest? Sign up here for more information! Or you can check out our full Terms of Use and our FAQ page .

Why we love creative writing prompts

If you've ever sat in front of a computer or notebook and felt the urge to start creating worlds, characters, and storylines — all the while finding yourself unable to do so — then you've met the author's age-old foe: writer's block. There's nothing more frustrating than finding the time but not the words to be creative. Enter our directory! If you're ready to kick writer's block to the curb and finally get started on your short story or novel, these unique story ideas might just be your ticket.

This list of 1800+ creative writing prompts has been created by the Reedsy team to help you develop a rock-solid writing routine. As all aspiring authors know, this is the #1 challenge — and solution! — for reaching your literary goals. Feel free to filter through different genres, which include...

Dramatic — If you want to make people laugh and cry within the same story, this might be your genre.

Funny — Whether satire or slapstick, this is an opportunity to write with your funny bone.

Romance — One of the most popular commercial genres out there. Check out these story ideas out if you love writing about love.

Fantasy — The beauty of this genre is that the possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

Dystopian – Explore the shadowy side of human nature and contemporary technology in dark speculative fiction.

Mystery — From whodunnits to cozy mysteries, it's time to bring out your inner detective.

Thriller and Suspense — There's nothing like a page-turner that elicits a gasp of surprise at the end.

High School — Encourage teens to let their imaginations run free.

Want to submit your own story ideas to help inspire fellow writers? Send them to us here.

After you find the perfect story idea

Finding inspiration is just one piece of the puzzle. Next, you need to refine your craft skills — and then display them to the world. We've worked hard to create resources that help you do just that! Check them out:

• How to Write a Short Story That Gets Published — a free, ten-day course by Laura Mae Isaacman, a full-time editor who runs a book editing company in Brooklyn.
• Best Literary Magazines of 2023 — a directory of 100+ reputable magazines that accept unsolicited submissions.
• Writing Contests in 2023 — the finest contests of 2021 for fiction and non-fiction authors of short stories, poetry, essays, and more.

Beyond creative writing prompts: how to build a writing routine

While writing prompts are a great tactic to spark your creative sessions, a writer generally needs a couple more tools in their toolbelt when it comes to developing a rock-solid writing routine . To that end, here are a few more additional tips for incorporating your craft into your everyday life.

• NNWT. Or, as book coach Kevin Johns calls it , “Non-Negotiable Writing Time.” This time should be scheduled into your routine, whether that’s once a day or once a week. Treat it as a serious commitment, and don’t schedule anything else during your NNWT unless it’s absolutely necessary.
• Set word count goals. And make them realistic! Don’t start out with lofty goals you’re unlikely to achieve. Give some thought to how many words you think you can write a week, and start there. If you find you’re hitting your weekly or daily goals easily, keep upping the stakes as your craft time becomes more ingrained in your routine.
• Talk to friends and family about the project you’re working on. Doing so means that those close to you are likely to check in about the status of your piece — which in turn keeps you more accountable.

Arm yourself against writer’s block. Writer’s block will inevitably come, no matter how much story ideas initially inspire you. So it’s best to be prepared with tips and tricks you can use to keep yourself on track before the block hits. You can find 20 solid tips here — including how to establish a relationship with your inner critic and apps that can help you defeat procrastination or lack of motivation.

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Free Creative Writing Prompts #43: Fall

I will admit, fall is my favorite of the four seasons. I'm a Libra baby, so I get to have a big ole' party, Halloween is an awesome holiday that brings both candy and costumes, and I have always loved playing soccer in the fall (even if it's just me kicking the ball around alone). For that reason, here are some extremely enjoyable free  creative writing prompts  about fall. All of the leaves, the brisk chills, and the beginning of the holiday season can be talked about within these ten idea-generating story starters. Feel free to share those ideas with the community in the submission form below!  Free Creative Writing Prompts: Fall

1. The leaves on all the trees have changed color and begun to fall all around town. How does this multi-colored landscape make you feel?

2. Despite the fact that you've been asked to rake up the leaves, you and several friends have decided to jump and play in them instead. Talk about the experience.

3. You walk through the brisk cold of an autumn morning with frost on the ground. Fall is truly in the air. What does that mean to you?

4. Pumpkins, corn husks, and scarecrows. What is the best set of fall related decorations you've ever seen?

5. What is your favorite fall related activity? Some examples might be a haunted hayride, soccer game, or a pumpkin patch.

6. A child asks you why the leaves change colors and fall down. How do you explain to him in a way he'll understand.

7. Where in the world would you most want to be to get the best fall experience? Write a story of one day in that location.

8. Halloween, the World Series, the annual pumpkin pie contest. What is your favorite fall event that you look forward to and why?

9. The kids have gone back to school and now you have more time with your significant other. How do you spend it?

10. What is your favorite fall related food and why?  Fall has changed a lot for me since I graduated from college. I miss getting back into the swing of things with classmates and peers and learning copious amounts of new information from new teachers. That being said, now throughout the year I make the effort to continue learning through new authors and I still try to learn more from myself as each year goes by. Hopefully, these free creative writing prompts about fall will also help you guys and gals to learn more about yourselves. Happy fall and happy writing!  Bonus Prompt  - You are a leaf on a tree that is undergoing foliage. What are your leafy thoughts and feelings? 

Related Articles to Prompts about Fall Free Creative Writing Prompts from the Heart, Part 1 Free Creative Writing Prompts #2: Love Creative Writing Exercises #2: Relaxation

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35 Free Fall Writing Prompts for Kids and Teens

Do you remember using writing prompts in school?

Learning how to write stories can be a little like riding a bike. You never forget how to do it, but the process to mastery can be awkward and frustrating. 

Fun prompts help get writers rolling. As a veteran homeschooler, I’ve discovered that writing prompts work best when they align with activities that interest students.

Autumn writing prompts invite students to weave their senses into their writing: the crisp air, cooler weather, steaming apple cider, and the fragrant scent of everything pumpkin spice.

Fall is when the new school year starts for many families, so fall-themed writing prompts are a great way to kick things off.

How Prompts Improve Children’s Creative Writing Skills

Autumn writing prompts make it easy for teachers to engage students in the classroom or at home. 

Engaging is key to the love of learning. A prompt makes writing a short story (or even a persuasive essay) feel more playful and less of a chore. 

That’s especially the case with picture writing prompts like these .

When the stress of heavy writing is removed, children are free to express their creativity.

As such, even reluctant writers are more likely to want to write. 

Writing prompts work by acting as a story starter to capture students’ attention and inspire their writing. 

They actually hold far more value than that:

• They help students compose original sentences, edit their work, and proofread when they are finished—all in a fun way!
• They take away the intimidation factor of staring at a blank piece of paper. 
• They encourage students to form ideas from their experiences and put those thoughts into words.
• They help children make connections between what they see, hear, smell, and feel. 
• They help older students think critically about what they say and how they can say it better.
• They give kids an opportunity to express their feelings and thoughts on a given topic.
• They instill confidence that they can complete a writing assignment on their own.
• They allow students to practice making sentences more interesting by varying their sentence structure and paragraph formats.

Once children discover how easy it is to create something on paper, many young students will develop a natural love for writing.

If you have older students who dread writing, try these simple tricks to make writing fun.

bring excitement into your student’s writing – no prep required!

35 writing prompts perfect for the fall season.

Here are a few fun writing prompts to spark their creativity.

I’ve included many different autumn activities to keep things interesting! 

1. Imagine you are baking an apple pie. It’s not just any apple pie though. It has a secret ingredient that causes anyone who eats it to _______. Fill in the blank and tell what happens next.

2. Pretend you’re at a Fall Festival, and the main attraction is a time machine. You could go anywhere, anytime. Where would you go? What would you do?

3. Imagine you are on a walk through the woods with your family. While you’re admiring the beauty of the leaves changing colors, you see something out of the corner of your eye. You look closely and realize you’ve never seen anything like it. What is it? What does it look like? What is it doing?

4. Pretend you are Johnny Appleseed. All you’ve grown is apples your entire life. One day, a friend hands you a mysterious bag of seeds. They don’t tell you what kind of seeds they are, but you plant them anyway. When the sprouts pop up, you can’t believe your eyes! What is growing? What does it look like?

5. Why do you think this beautiful season is called both fall and autumn? If you could pick your own name for it, what would it be?

6. What are your favorite things about being outdoors this time of year? Do you enjoy the cooler temperatures? Why or why not?

7. Imagine you meet someone who has never experienced fall. How would you describe it to them? The only way they get to experience the season is through your words, so be descriptive!

8. What is your favorite memory associated with this time of the year? What makes that memory so special?

9. Do you have any family traditions associated with this season? Describe them in detail.

10. Autumn has its own unique sounds. You might hear the gentle thump of leaves as the wind blows them to the ground. Pretend you’re sitting on your front porch at sunset. What else do you hear? 

11. How does the changing of seasons affect people’s moods? Write an essay describing any changes you’ve noticed and how fall affects you.

12. Your friend has just declared that spring is the best season, but you think fall is far superior. Write a convincing paragraph that persuades your friend to agree with you. Compare and contrast spring vs fall. 

13. Imagine that you are on a hayride and get stuck. Help won’t be able to rescue you for an entire week. All you have for the next 7 days is the contents of your backpack. What’s in your backpack? How will you use the items?

14. Imagine that you are growing pumpkins in your backyard. When it comes time to harvest, you have to figure out ways to use all the pumpkins before they go bad. How do you use them?  

15. It’s the first day of fall, and you’re excited about all of the big changes ahead. Still, you wish there was one thing that never changed. What is it? Why do you wish it didn’t change?

16. Pretend you are making your way through a corn maze. After wandering in circles, you realize that the map they gave you is wrong. Describe your journey through the maze. What do you see? What clues do you use to help you reach the exit?

17. If you could have a year’s supply of your favorite food that’s normally only available in the fall, what would it be and why?

18. At this time of year, there are fewer hours of daylight. How does that affect your schedule? What changes do you have to make?

19. Imagine you get to change the color of leaves to anything you want. You can be as silly as you like! Next, describe what your street looks like with all the colorful leaves. How do your neighbors react? 

20. Pretend you get to cook the Thanksgiving meal this year. You can serve whatever foods you like. Which foods do you choose and why?

21. You are baking a pumpkin pie for your family. Just as you start to mix the ingredients, you hear a knock at the door. Who is it? Why did they come to visit?

22. Imagine you are a farmer. The first frost of the season has come early, and you have to figure out a way to keep your plants warm fast! How do you do it? 

23. Imagine you are visiting your grandmother on her farm. She needs some help feeding the pigs and horses. What funny story can you make up for how your day goes?

24. Pretend you have to build something using only candy corn, leaves, sticks, and icing. What would you build? What does it look like?

25. Pretend you’re an Indian who just made friends with a pilgrim. You want to teach them how to grow corn. Describe the process of growing food from planting the seeds all the way to harvesting the crop. 

26. What is your favorite fall craft and why?

27. Imagine you find a giant pumpkin that’s big enough to live in. What does it look like on the inside? How would you decorate it? What problems might you experience living in a pumpkin?

28. What are you thankful for? What are some ways you can show your gratitude?

29. If I were a squirrel gathering nuts and preparing for winter, I would _________. 

30. Pretend you are in charge of decorating your living room with festive fall colors and decorations. What would you use? How would it look?

31. If you could make up a new holiday in October, what would it be? How would you celebrate it?

32. What does the color orange make you think of?

33. Imagine you are raking piles of leaves with your sibling. Suddenly, you notice movement underneath the leaf piles. Not only that, you hear whispering and giggles. What is it? What happens next?

34. If you could invite anyone in the world to your town’s festival from any time period in history, who would it be and why?

35. Pretend you visit a farm and see a flock of turkeys. You walk up to the fence and say “Gobble, gobble!” Much to your surprise, the turkey answers back and talks like a human! What does he say? How do you respond? What do you do next?

How to Adapt Writing Prompts for Different Age Groups from Elementary to High School Students 

The list includes prompts for different age groups and students at varying reading and writing levels.

If you want even more, check out these fun winter-themed prompts or these one-sentence writing prompts .

Remember that writing prompts are only intended to get students started. They’re not “set in stone,” so please feel free to adapt them as needed.  

For instance, a few of the prompts are more in-depth and require a higher level of education and thought—but that doesn’t mean you can’t use them with young writers. 

Even for students as young as first grade, you can shorten and simplify the prompt to make it more age-appropriate. 

Instead of a full prompt, provide a word bank and encourage young students to form sentences with them.

The flip side is also true.

Prompts that may seem childish can easily be expanded to suit middle school or high school students. For this older age group, it helps to incorporate more open-ended discussions or even some critical thinking questions.

No matter what age your students may be, the more they write, the more comfortable they’ll become in putting their thoughts on paper. 

I hope these fun fall writing activities inspire your students toward a love of writing!

Want more free creative writing exercises?

Get a free writing exercise (includes prompts)!

About the author.

Stacy Farrell

Photo: Chris Dunmire

Fall Writing Activities

Autumn Writing Prompts

13 engaging ways to play with your writing around the fall season.

By Chris Dunmire | Updated October 3, 2018

The following fall-themed writing prompts, photo inspiration, and printable projects will help you (or your students) to reflect on the meaning of the season and capture the transforming magic in the air for this colorful, transitioning space in the year. Don't miss the printable activities embedded within the prompts including my printable autumn cards and Thanksgiving 'Thankful Four' Writing project .

Writing Prompt 1:

Fall Photo Inspiration: The Colors of Autumn. Against a deep blue sky you notice leaves in shades of hot red, glowing orange, vibrant yellow, and earthy brown. When the colors of autumn are in full splendor, do you notice an electrifying feeling in the air? Do the colors saturating the atmosphere have an impact on your mood or outlook? If so, how would you describe it?

Writing Prompt 2:

Write about one of the five senses (related to your autumn experience):

• The smells of autumn
• The sights of autumn
• The sounds of autumn
• The touch of autumn
• The tastes of autumn

Writing Prompt 3:

Writing prompt 4:.

What is your favorite fall memory? How old were you when it happened? For 10 minutes relive that memory through writing about it as if you were right there recording it in real time. If you have a photo of yourself taken at the time, use it as a source for visual journaling.

Writing Prompt 5:

September and October conjures up images of yellow school busses, colorful leaves, cool and crisp air, and rainy Halloween. Write a poem or few paragraphs of prose that captures autumn's essence in feelings and smells, sights and sounds.

Writing Prompt 6:

Can you think of other natural transformations that occur around us during nature's life cycles that are also artful or beautiful to our eyes?

Writing Prompt 7:

What are three experiences that you enjoy most about the fall season? Is it the colors? Cooler temperatures? Kids going back to school? Pick three random things and write about them. If that gets you going and you want to write about more, have at it.

Writing Prompt 8:

Sometimes it's latching onto the "silly" that shifts our logical thinking into a new mode that allows our creativity to flow such deep and free expression of thoughts and emotions that have been percolating within us for years. Try it. Get out your crayons or other favorite art media and think of something silly to create through visual journaling (like my pumpkins growing on trees). Then see how that process prompts something much deeper and meaningful within you that begs to be released.

Writing Prompt 9:

Imagine the weather gods suddenly decided that the fall season would be no more. Seasons would go from Spring to Summer to Winter. What does that prospect invoke in you? Are you happy? Sad? Glad? Mad?

Writing Prompt 10:

What do you think the symbolism of fall is in relation to the human life span?

Writing Prompt 11:

Writing Prompt 12:

Go with the flow: Choose a prompting word from the following list and write about whatever comes to mind for five minutes without stopping.

Prompting Words List: Season, seasonal, fall, autumn, acorns, leaves, leaf, colors, red, yellow, orange, red, green, brown, branches, twigs, aroma, burning leaves, crunch leaves, pressing leaves, smells, sights, sounds, color, vibrant, energy, beauty, beautiful, pumpkins, Halloween, ghosts, gourds, ghouls, vampires, costumes, dressing up, candy, treats, tricks, trick-or-treat, turkey, Thanksgiving, family, dinner, pilgrims, Mayflower, Indians, feathers, corn, popcorn, arts and crafts, gifts, pumpkin pie, whip cream, apples, orchard, cranberry sauce, potatoes, cornbread, stuffing, green beans, applesauce, cooking, warm, aroma, cinnamon, apple pie, vanilla ice cream, ham, food, abundance, thankful, cold, frost, snow, football, snowflakes, raking, rake, leaf piles, campfires, hiking, nature, forest, woods

Writing Prompt 13:

To do this project, download and print my free Thankful Four Writing Activity kit and follow the instructions on the sheet.

More Writing Prompts

Fall Writing Prompts

Using Photos to Inspire Writing

September Writing Prompts 2022: Engage in Early Fall Creativity

My name is Debbie, and I am passionate about developing a love for the written word and planting a seed that will grow into a powerful voice that can inspire many.

1. Harvesting Memories:

2. the enchanted forest:, 3. seasonal haiku:, 2. kickstart the writing season: exciting ideas to ignite your creativity this fall, 3. crafting tales of changing seasons: engaging writing prompts for september’s unique vibes, 4. fall into creative flow: inspiring topics that reflect the magic of september, 5. from crisp air to falling leaves: explore september’s natural beauty through writing, 1. falling leaves:, 2. harvest traditions:, 7. tapping into september’s essence: writing ideas that capture the spirit of the season, 8. from back to school buzz to cozy nights in: september-themed prompts to fuel your creativity, frequently asked questions, insights and conclusions, 1. unleash your autumnal imagination: captivating writing prompts for september 2022.

Autumn brings a myriad of colors, scents, and sensations that awaken the writer within. If you’re seeking inspiration to fuel your creative fire, look no further. We’ve curated a delightful collection of writing prompts tailored specifically for September 2022. These prompts will transport you into the heart of fall, igniting your imagination and helping you craft captivating stories, poems, or personal reflections.

Recall a cherished autumn memory from your childhood. Describe the sights, sounds, and emotions you experienced during this nostalgic moment. Explore the essence of the season through vivid imagery and heartfelt storytelling.

Picture yourself in a magical forest during a crisp autumn morning. What do you see, hear, and smell? Are there talking animals, hidden treasures, or whimsical creatures? Let your imagination run wild as you embark on an enchanting journey through this mystical woodland.

Compose three haikus that encapsulate the essence of autumn. Each haiku should consist of three lines, with the syllable count of 5-7-5. Capture the beauty, tranquility, or melancholy often associated with this season in your poetic verses.

Fall is here, and it’s time to kickstart your writing season with exciting ideas to ignite your creativity! Whether you are a seasoned writer or a newbie, this vibrant season brings a fresh wave of inspiration to tell captivating stories and express your thoughts. So, grab a cup of pumpkin spice latte and let’s dive into some creative ways to make the most out of this fall for your writing adventures!

1. Explore the Autumn Wonderland: Step outside and immerse yourself in the beauty of fall . Take long walks in the park, visit a pumpkin patch, or simply sit under a tree covered in colorful leaves. The crisp air and the stunning palette of nature will effortlessly awaken your senses and spur your imagination. Don’t forget to carry a notebook or use a note-taking app on your smartphone to jot down any ideas that spring to mind.

• Write a descriptive piece capturing the sights, sounds, and scents of fall.
• Compose a poem inspired by the changing colors of the leaves.
• Create a short story set in a quaint autumn village.

2. Indulge in Fall Festivities: Get in the spirit of the season by participating in fall-themed activities and celebrations. Visit local fairs, apple orchards, or harvest festivals to immerse yourself in the enchanting autumn ambiance. Engaging in festivities and observing people enjoying the season can provide a rich source of inspiration for your writing. Harness the energy around you and let it fuel your creative fire.

• Write a personal essay about a memorable fall experience from your childhood.
• Craft a mysterious tale centered around a Halloween tradition.
• Compose a dialogue between two characters attending a bonfire gathering.

Remember, fall is the perfect time to savor the wonders of nature and embrace the coziness that this season brings. So, let your creativity flourish and make the most of this beautiful time of year!

As September ushers in the transition from summer to autumn, it brings a unique blend of nostalgic warmth and anticipation for the months ahead. This season provides a perfect opportunity for writers to immerse themselves in the changing world around them and craft captivating tales that evoke the essence of September’s vibes.

Here are some engaging writing prompts to spark your creativity and help you capture the magic of this transformative season:

• Whispers of the Wind: Describe the gentle rustle of leaves as the wind carries them away on a September afternoon. Explore how this sound sets the tone for new beginnings and reflective moments.
• A Tangled Web: Dive into the interconnectedness of nature during September. Write about the delicate spiderwebs that adorn trees and bushes, symbolizing the intricate relationships in our own lives.
• Colors of Change: As summer fades away, the vibrant hues of green morph into an array of fiery oranges, rich browns, and golden yellows. Paint a vivid picture of the changing foliage and explore the emotions it conjures.
• Harvesting Memories: September is a time for bountiful harvests. Tell a heartwarming story of a community coming together to gather the fruits of their labor and celebrate the rewards of hard work.

Let these writing prompts inspire you to embrace the unique vibes of September, weaving tales that reflect the changing seasons and captivate readers with your words. Happy writing!

September is a month that is filled with magic and inspiration. As the leaves begin to change color and the air becomes crisp, there is a sense of excitement and anticipation in the air. In this section, we will explore some inspiring topics that capture the essence of September and help you fall into a creative flow.

1. Colors of Fall: One of the most enchanting aspects of September is the vibrant display of colors that nature presents. Take a stroll through a picturesque park or forest, and immerse yourself in the warm hues of red, orange, and yellow. Use these breathtaking colors as inspiration for your artistic endeavors, whether it be painting, photography, or even home decor.

2. Autumn Harvest: September marks the beginning of the bountiful harvest season. Get your creative juices flowing by exploring culinary delights with seasonal ingredients such as pumpkins, apples, and figs. Experiment with new recipes, bake delicious pies, or create a mouthwatering fall-inspired feast for your loved ones. Don’t forget to capture the process and results through stunning food photography!

September is a magical month when nature transforms, bringing with it a breathtaking array of sights, sounds, and scents. As the summer heat subsides and crisp air fills our lungs, we witness the enchanting spectacle of falling leaves, painting the landscape in hues of gold, orange, and red. It is the perfect time to immerse yourself in the natural beauty that surrounds us and capture these mesmerizing moments through writing.

Take a stroll through a nearby park or forest, and let your senses be awakened by the symphony of nature. Listen to the gentle rustling of leaves as they dance with the wind, creating a soothing melody. Observe the intricate patterns that the fallen leaves create on the ground, forming a kaleidoscope of colors. Use these observations to ignite your creativity and bring your writing to life.

• Engage your readers by describing the earthy scent that permeates the air, a blend of damp earth, woodsy fragrance, and the hint of autumn approaching.
• Experiment with poetic language, using metaphors and similes to convey the essence of the season. Compare the crunching sound of leaves underfoot to the crackling of a cozy fireplace in a cabin.
• Highlight the beauty of nature’s collaboration; describe how squirrels gracefully gather acorns, preparing for the colder months ahead.

September offers writers a unique opportunity to explore the wonders of nature and dive deep into the richness of the season. So, grab a pen and paper, find a quiet corner amidst nature’s splendor, and let your words flow as effortlessly as the falling leaves.

6. Harvesting Inspiration: Embrace Autumn’s Bounty with these September Writing Prompts

Autumn is a season bursting with inspiration, and September is the perfect time to embrace the beauty and abundance of this time of year. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting out, these writing prompts will help you harness the magic of autumn and ignite your creativity. So grab a cozy blanket, a cup of warm apple cider, and let’s dive into these September writing prompts:

Take a stroll through a nearby park or forest and observe the changing colors of the leaves. Write a descriptive piece capturing the beauty and symbolism of the falling leaves. How does the sound of the crunching leaves under your feet make you feel? Use sensory details to transport your reader to this autumnal scene.

Autumn is synonymous with harvesting, so write about a unique tradition or ritual associated with this season. It could be anything from apple picking to harvest festivals or even preserving fruits and vegetables for the coming months. Share your personal experiences, describe the sights, sounds, and scents, and explore the sense of community that comes with celebrating the bountiful harvest.

As the air grows crisper and the leaves gradually transform into vibrant hues, September beckons us with its unique essence. With the arrival of this beautiful transitional month, it’s the perfect time to infuse your writing with the spirit and energy of the season. Whether you’re a seasoned writer seeking fresh inspiration or a novice looking to explore your creative side, here are some writing ideas that will help you tap into September’s enchanting atmosphere:

• Descriptive Autumn Walks: Take a leisurely stroll through the park or your neighborhood. Notice the rustling of leaves underfoot, the gentle breeze that carries a hint of apples and cinnamon, and the golden sunlight filtering through the trees. Capture these sensory experiences in your writing, painting vivid pictures with words that transport your readers to the heart of fall.
• Reflect on Change and Renewal: September marks a time of transition, when summer fades into memory and new beginnings emerge. Explore this theme in your writing by reflecting on personal growth, letting go of the old, and embracing the opportunities that lie ahead. Share your thoughts and feelings about the beauty of transformation and the lessons it imparts.

Unlock your creativity this September by harnessing the essence of the season in your writing. Feel the crispness in the air, savor the cozy moments, and let your words dance like falling leaves. Whether you’re crafting a short story, a poem, or even a heartfelt journal entry, embrace the spirit of September and let your imagination soar.

September is a time of transition and embracing new beginnings. As the back-to-school buzz gradually settles, the cozy nights in become more inviting. Whether you’re a writer, artist, or someone looking to spark their creativity, we’ve got a list of September-themed prompts to inspire you. Let’s delve into the autumnal wonders and rich sensations this month has to offer:

• Harvest Tales: Explore the bountiful harvest season, from vibrant farmers’ markets to the aroma of freshly baked apple pies . Write a short story or create an artwork inspired by the abundance and colors of September’s harvest.
• Dancing Leaves: As the leaves begin to change their color, it’s a moment of picturesque beauty. Describe the sights and sounds of a peaceful walk through a wooded trail as the leaves gradually fall and create a vibrant carpet beneath your feet.
• Back-to-School Memories: Whether you’re a student or not, September often carries nostalgic memories of school. Share a personal anecdote, a funny incident, or a memorable teacher who left a lasting impression. Recreate the moments with words or sketches.
• Autumnal Flavors: Indulge in the sensory delights of fall. Write a poem that encompasses the flavors of pumpkin spice, cinnamon, or hot apple cider, invoking the warmth and comfort they bring on chilly September evenings.
• September Sunsets: Capture the vibrant hues of the evening sky as the sun bids farewell in a blaze of pinks, purples, and golds. Paint a picture with your words or illustrate the breathtaking view you witness.
• Cozy Reading Nooks: Fall is the perfect season to get lost in a good book. Create a list of your favorite cozy reading nooks or describe your ideal spot, complete with a steaming mug of tea and a soft blanket.

With these September-themed prompts, let your creativity flourish and explore the unique charms this transitional month has to offer. Embrace the changing season, relish in the warm memories, and allow your imagination to roam free in the magical world of all things September.

Q: What are some creative writing prompts for September 2022? A: September offers a plethora of writing prompts to kindle your early fall creativity. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Q: Can you suggest a nature-inspired writing prompt for September? A: Absolutely! How about describing the mesmerizing colors of a sunset over a late summer meadow? Imagine the changing hues and write about the emotions it evokes in you.

2. Q: Is there a prompt related to back-to-school experiences? A: Yes, indeed! Reflect on your own memories of going back to school at the beginning of a new academic year. Write about the excitement, nervousness, or even the unforgettable moments in the school hallways.

3. Q: Any themed writing prompts for September holidays? A: Definitely! September is rich with holidays and events. Consider writing a heartfelt letter expressing gratitude to a grandparent on Grandparents Day, or explore the significance of Labor Day and its influence on workers’ rights.

4. Q: Do you have any prompts for capturing the essence of autumn? A: Absolutely! September is the gateway to autumn, and it’s a great time to chronicle the changing of seasons. Try describing the crisp scent of fallen leaves or the sound of raindrops dancing on your windowpane.

5. Q: Are there any prompts for reflecting on personal growth? A: Certainly! As we approach the end of the year, it’s natural to reflect on personal growth. Encourage self-reflection by writing about a moment that defined your character or a lesson you learned recently.

Remember, these prompts are meant to inspire and challenge your creativity. Feel free to adapt them or let your imagination take you on unexpected journeys. Happy writing!

September Writing Prompts 2022 are a great way to boost your creativity this early fall. Explore various themes and let your imagination run wild. Happy writing!

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