20 Fall Creative Writing Prompts

I firmly believe that creativity ebbs and flows with the seasons, and everyone has a season that flourishes for them. For me, the fall season is my favorite season. I tend to lean into the hibernation that comes with the slowing down of fall. I plan to spend a lot of my time in the next few months writing because I haven't written much creatively in the last few. Which makes me a feel a little itchy and a little anxious to think about, if I'm honest. Writing fuels me, but I don't always "let" myself loose or give myself permission to just write for the sake of writing without an end goal of a specific project in mind. That's something I'm working on.

A great way to warm up those writing muscles and shake out any writing fears is with writing prompts. That's why I've made up some fall-themed writing prompts...maybe they're cheesy but mostly they're fun. You can share them with reluctant writers, young students, older students, or just use them for yourself.

Whether these autumn writing prompts act as a story starter for a short story or a novel or just help young writers get warmed up, I bet you'll find a few things to write about.

1. Think about your favorite things about fall. Do you have a favorite fall activity? Fall tradition? Pick one and describe it.

2. Your main character goes to a pumpkin patch on a date. Write a scene about the date -- what do they do? What do they talk about? how does your character feel?

3. Is pumpkin pie the best pie? Write a love letter or a letter of condemn to this seasonal dessert.

4. Thanksgiving is known for the turkey, but we all know that the sides are the best part. Write about your favorite food to eat on Thanksgiving.

5. The Harvest Moon glows bright and low in the sky. Write a scene where your character navigates by moonlight.

6. With fewer hours of daylight, that dusky evening is the perfect time for mischief. What trouble can your characters get into?

7. Write about a time you either went to an apple orchard to go apple picking, or when you made an apple pie from scratch.

8. You know it's fall when the leaves change color. Describe the trees change colors without using the words red, yellow, or orange.

9. Have you ever been to a fall festival? Describe the activities, sounds, sights, and smells of one.

10. Do you have any fall family traditions? Write about your most favorite or least favorite one.

11. Your main character gets lost in a corn maze. How do they get out?

12. Make up a recipe for your favorite fall food -- the more honest the better!

13. Write about your favorite fall memory. How old were you? What happened? What did you do? Who was with you? Share as many details as you can.

14. The cooler weather this time of year means a shift in the clothes we wear, the food we eat, and even our mood. Write about your perfect fall day.

15. Fall is known to be a beautiful season, with colorful leaves, bright blue skies, etc. Write about the ugly parts of the season.

16. The first frost of the season arrives. Describe it.

17. Fall is a great time for witches. Write about your favorite witch in history.

18. Kids of all ages love halloween. What are the best and worst parts about halloween from an adult's perspective?

19. Write about the first time you went trick-or-treating.

20. Remember Johnny Appleseed? Invent a new fall-themed legend.

If you're still feeling stuck and not sure where to go with the seasonal writing prompts, look back over this list and make a word bank of all the words that catch your eye. Then, try to write a short story using up as many of the words as you can.

I hope you find these fun fall writing prompts to be helpful with your writing. I feel like it was a busy, serious summer and I for one am looking forward to cozying up with the cooler temperatures (if they ever arrive in SoCal) and journalling and writing as much as I can the next few months.