Writing About: Autumn

Autumn is my favorite season and I love writing about it. If you ever want to write about this time of the year, check out these pointers:
1.Change of Season
Leaves are changing pretty colors—oranges, red, and yellows. The weather is becoming chilly, the days are shorter. Don’t miss the opportunity to describe the colorful foliage and the crispness in the air as nothing says autumn more than the colors of nature and the feel of the temperature gradually lowering.
Image from Wikimedia.
2.School
In the United States, kids go back to school in the autumn, so if your main character has children or works with kids (perhaps he/she is a teacher), this time will impact his/her home and work life.
3.Cool Temperatures
The heat of summer has passed (at least if your characters don’t live in Florida), and the temperature is dropping to a nice degree that could prompt your characters to open their windows. I know I take advantage of the nice autumn temperatures as often as I can in the Sunshine State.
4.Holidays
Halloween – Now is the tome to honor your passed loved ones, to decorate your house with spooky knick-knacks, and to pick out costumes with your kids to go trick-or-treating/ Your characters can do all of those things too.
Thanksgiving – Let your characters gather for a Thanksgiving feast at their parents’ or grandparents’ house. Food, football, laughter, and maybe a little family drama make this holiday what it is. Explore all of those things with your characters.
First Thanksgiving.
Image from Wikipedia.
5.Football Season
In the U.S., autumn is the time for NFL. Maybe your hero and heroine bond while watching a game or they go on a date to see their favorite team play. These would be a fun scene to write.
6.Food/Drinks
Each season has its own menu. Here are some of the goodies associate with autumn:
Food – apples, pomegranates, squash, turkey, pumpkin pie/bread, cranberry sauce, carrot cake, gingerbread cookies.
Drinks – apple juice, spiced cider, spiced hot tea, pumpkin-flavored coffee.
7.Autumn Fun
There are many things your characters can do during this season such as:
Game hunting, hayrides, walk through haunted houses, apple picking, fairs/festivals, visit pumpkin patches, go on a ghost walk, trick-or-treat, go to a loved one’s grave, and Halloween parties.
Let your characters enjoy a couple of these to bring the season to life in your story.
8.Pumpkins
Pumpkins are the popular vegetable for autumn. They can be made into stew/soup, added to special pizza and ravioli, and used for countless desserts including my favorite pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies.
If one of your characters is a baker or chef, he/she can make many of these. And if your MC is a mom or dad, he/she can go to a pumpkin patch with their kids, carves pumpkins, and roast the seeds for a healthy snack.
Image from Wikipedia.
9.Shorter Days
Daylight Savings happens in autumn when we turn back out clocks an hour. The days will grow shorter, which means it’ll get dark earlier. Darkness is always great to utilize in stories to add suspense and autumn can be an eerie season due to Halloween, you can use the dark in your story.
See:Utilize the Dark
10.Clothing
Summer clothes will start to disappear and quarter sleeves, light cardigans/sweaters, a scarf, and darker colors (browns, purples) will start to appear in everyone’s wardrobe. Dress your character’s accordingly. And keep in mind what your setting is as slightly thicker lays will be needed further North than in the South.

Check out these posts for the other seasons:
- Winter- Spring- Summer

QUESTIONS:What do you like most about autumn? What do you like least?

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