The Maggie’s Centre, Nottingham, where I run creative writing workshops, often gets described as a ‘treehouse.’ Despite being on the city hospital campus, it’s surrounded by greenery, nestled among the trees. So what better setting for an autumn-themed writing session?

Approaching the centre, the gifts of the season lie all around. Conkers, leaves, berries, twigs, all came in handy as prompts for this week’s writing session.

The seasons provide powerful material for creative and expressive writing. The sights, sounds and smells of a particular season touch the emotions, stimulate memories and associations, awaken the senses and create setting and mood.

So here’s today’s exercise:

Part 1 (for discussion)

• What sights, sounds, smells and colours do you associate with autumn?
• Do you have any strong memories attached to the season?
• How does Autumn make you feel? Note any emotions you associate with the season.

Part 2

• Read To Autumn by John Keats and Fall Leaves Fall, by Emily Bronte (or any other autumn-inspired poems of your choice – here’s a few).
• Note the mood of each poem, the use of senses, the imagery used.
• Discern how each poet feels about the season.

Part 3

• Choose an object (eg leaf, conker, berry)
• Focus on your chosen object for a few moments, note its colour, smell, touch, sound
• Take note of any emotions that surface as you observe the object
• Freewrite for 15 minutes – using the senses

Exercise 2

• Write a concrete (shape) poem in the shape of a leaf
• Or write an acrostic using the word AUTUMN

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