After a last blast of summer, autumn is upon us.  With its natural beauty, its distinct scents, its crisp air as temperatures drop, and all its associated emotions, it’s a season that has inspired writers throughout time.

Today we are going to use autumnal imagery, poems and prompts to lead us in our writing.

To prepare for this session, take a few moments to ask yourself:

• What are the sights, sounds, smells and colours you associate with autumn?
• What objects spring to mind when you think of the season?
• What feelings does this time of year bring out in you?
• What memories do you have of the season?

Now gather a few autumnal objects around you – e.g. leaves, conkers, berries, or something personal to you which you associate with the season.

If you can’t lay your hands on something tangible you could google or print off some colour images related to the season instead (or as well).

Now read the two poems about autumn

To Autumn by John Keats

Fall leaves Fall by Emily Bronte

Think about how the two poets approach the season, and note their use of imagery and senses. Can you tell from their poems how they feel about the season?

Exercise 1

• Choose a prompt – this can be an object, an image or a poem.
• Focus on your chosen prompt. Note how it sparks the senses and what emotions it evokes
• Freewrite for 15-20 minutes (in any form)

Exercise 2 – light and dark 

We have just passed the Autumn equinox – the day when the sun crosses the celestial equator. On this date, day and night are in equilibrium. We have equal levels of light and dark. This can be symbolic of the struggle between light and dark. There is a sense of one giving way to the other. We can use this time as a reminder to bring balance into our lives and take ownership of the direction we are heading in.

Read the quotes below. Choose one and use it as a prompt for a piece of writing on the theme or light/dark or night/day

“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.”
― Mark Twain

 

“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”
― Anne Frank

 

“When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin

 

“Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift.”
― Mary Oliver, Thirst

 

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
― Plato

 

“There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.”
― Bram Stoker, Dracula

Exercise 3

• Write a concrete poem* in the shape of a leaf   OR
• Write an acrostic* using the word AUTUMN

*A concrete poem – also called a shape poem – is a poem in the shape of the thing it describes for example: Easter Wings by George Herbert

*An acrostic is a poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word or phrase – e.g. Elizabeth, by Edgar Allan Poe