What could be better than a story that puts you in the mood for the season? 

Fall is the favourite season of many, and for good reason. Crisp leaves, cool air, warm colour palettes, and the almighty pumpkin flavours combined with savoury-sweet spices are hard not to like. In some places, like where I live in sunny Florida, it can be difficult to get into the fall spirit when it’s still 85 degrees outside—but the wonderful thing about writing is that it can transport you to another world! So even as the sun beats down mercilessly on me, I can read a story and pretend like I’m strolling through a pumpkin patch on a chilly day wearing a cosy sweater and sipping on hot tea.

There’s just one question: how do you evoke the feelings of a season in a story? 

I talked about how to capture a mood in writing last year when “A House of Fallen Leaves” was chosen as a Vocal top story. People liked the story because it made them “feel” fall and the season provided a perfect backdrop for the plot and characters. Creating the perfect mood is easier said than done, so make sure to brush up on that post!

Why Write about Fall?

Even if you’re not a huge fall fan and couldn’t care less about pumpkin spice, there are a few reasons that you, as a writer, might want to consider writing a fall story. Here are just a few:

• Challenge yourself
• Practise using sensory details
• Work on tone and mood
• Relevant stories are more likely to get noticed (especially on sites where you can get paid for your stories!)
• Create a story from your current experiences 
• You love fall! 

Fall Writing Prompts

Without further ado, here are some fall writing prompts to inspire your creativity. Feel free to use them however you’d like! 

1. A certain point of view: write from the POV of a leaf about to fall, a pumpkin in a pumpkin patch, or any other inanimate “fall object” you can think of 

2. Fall drinks: pumpkin spice latte, chai, apple cider. . .fall is a great time for these warm comfort drinks! Write about a character enjoying one—or write about a character who hates one or all of them!

3. Weather: go on a walk and take notice of all your senses. What does the wind feel like on your skin? What does the air taste like? How does the world look different in the fall? Jot down your experience and use it to take your readers on a sensory journey—either with yourself or a fictional character 

4. Fall fantasy: what would fall look like on a different planet? In a fantasy world? This is for all of you sci-fi and fantasy writers out there! 5. Celebrations: whether it’s Halloween, Thanksgiving, the first day of fall, or something totally made up, how do your characters celebrate these days?

5. Celebrations: whether it’s Halloween, Thanksgiving, the first day of fall, or something totally made up, how do your characters celebrate these days?

Create Your Fall Story!

The great thing about these writing prompts is you can take them in all sorts of directions. Please put your own spin on them—that’s what they’re here for! And remember that your story doesn’t have to shove fall in your readers’ faces, although that’s certainly fine if you want to. The season can simply be a nice background to complement a story, similar to “A House of Fallen Leaves.”

If you use one of these prompts, I’d love to see what you write and maybe even share it on the blog with your permission! Please comment with a link to your story or contact me directly. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Happy writing!
—E.J.

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Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash