Some Fall Creative Writing Exercises

A Poetry Prompt and a Few Fiction Prompts to Use While Sipping Your Pumpkin Latte or Glass of Moscato.

Photo by Maria Lupan on Unsplash

Hello fellow bluestockings.

As I teach a selection of Great Books to my English 102 class this fall term that include epic poems and prose, it has inspired me to think of some creative writing exercises for everyone. I thought it wold be a fun and artistic way to kick off our autumn season.

Feel free to adapt, build on, or adjust these if you would like to. If you feel comfortable, please share what you wrote in the comments. Everyone remember we are all friends at our salon, so be gentle, positive, encouraging, and constructive with your feedback.

• Compose a poem about an autumn leaf. Use sensory details describing the leaf and allusion. Incorporate action or interaction with the leaf.

• Begin a narrative with a child raking the leaves that carpet a neighbor's lawn. Why is the child raking his neighbor’s leaves? Use sensory details describing the leaf and allusion Incorporate action and interaction.

• Begin a first-person narrative of a character gazing at the bare trees outside their office window instead of their work on their office computer. Use sensory details. Interrupt their distraction or meditation with a phone call or a fellow office worker. Create a conflict.

• A college student rolls in a pile of leaves on or off campus on a chilly fall morning instead of attending a class. Create a third-person narrative. Why is the student skipping class? What does this student need and want? Use sensory details describing the character and the leaves. Create a conflict and use character interaction later in the narrative to create an obstacle that prompts the student's action to overcome the obstacle.