November Writing Prompts
Ah, sweet November! How did we get here so quickly? The year 2024 is soon drawing to a close(some of us will wonder how when it feels like it just started). In much of the world, Autumn is now in full spring with fallen leaves and lurking cold crisp weather on the horizon. The holiday season will soon approach as quickly as the trees change, with the Western world’s Halloween now in the rearview mirror. In the U.S., many are praying for the next week to fly so general elections can be over. Whatever the new month may bring for each of us, perhaps we all can find solace in new writing projects the times may bring. Let’s explore a few possible writing prompts.
A Month of Gratitude
“‘Tis the season to be thankful.” Yes, November marks Thanksgiving in the United States and related holidays worldwide (and many countries hold it during other months also). Why not use the month to write in gratitude? This could be done as a “listing of blessings” activity(like the old proverb “Count your blessings” says). This could be numerous separate writings reflecting upon the different blessings always unfolding. What amazing new riches might be discovered from such activities? Ah, the wonderful realization one may find that the gratitude can continue to grow long after November has passed.
Fear In Retrospect
In many areas of the world, the month of October is filled with anticipation for a level of “fun fear” at the end of the month. Parties, costumes, decorations, and even writing may have been part of that celebration. But even though the not-too-serious consideration and celebration of things verging on the brink of a reasonable level of fear is now in the rearview mirror, it does not mean fear and fright have to leave until next year. November can be a time to reflect on fear in hindsight.
Perhaps this is a prompt for coming up with new horror genre stories or novels not considered. Is there a genre for “haunted” technology like the ghost lurking in a company’s workplace Teams? Is there a fun scary story that can be written with AI? And why not open up to those philosophical and spiritual questions? What is the meaning of fear in the larger flow of human life and the very unfolding of the universe? What is a healthy level of fear and fright? And since the Western world’s holiday of Halloween is marked in the Christian tradition as “All Hallow’s Eve,” the beginning of the holy season venerating those souls who have passed on to new life, how do fright and fear play into what is sacred and numinous at the heart of things?
Commemorating Those Who Have Gone Before
In the Christian tradition, the month of November starts with All Saints Day on November 1 and All Souls Day on November 2. Whatever your spiritual viewpoint, these days call to mind the sacrosanct truth that those who have gone before us are still with us. Consider drafting a memoir about your best times with late loved ones. Write a letter to your dear ones who you find are still shining down on you. Or, perhaps you want to have a more general writing exercise offering thoughts and prayers for humans who once lived, whether they are remembered or not. In what ways do those who have gone before still have an impact on the world now?
Winter Lurks Upon Us
In much of the world, November begins with the brisk winds of Autumn and surreptitiously lets Winter in the door. Sometimes there are trace amounts of snow. Other times, cold mornings morph into a still warm summer-like midday. And yet other days the Sun hides behind dark rain clouds before the day creeps away to earlier nights.
What writing exercises might such seasonal changes inspire? Is there a poem on the horizon? Or, does Jack Frost lingering at the window inspire a Frozen-like fiction world to burst up? What sweet November chilled memories need a little warming up by a literary campfire?
So, we have unwoven a few prompts for this sweet November month. What other ideas might you have for this time that marks the nearing of changing seasons and years? The sky truly is the limit.
