How I’m Adjusting My Writing Routine for Autumn & Winter

Many of us in the Northern Hemisphere are now well into autumn coolness. As I write this I have all the windows open and I actually feel chilly—an unfamiliar, almost exciting feeling.

To me, fall feels more energetic than any other season, especially when it comes to my creativity. In colder months my brain feels most awake and curious. Lately I’ve been experimenting with a sort of season-based writing flow, so I thought I might share how I’m adjusting my writing routine for autumn and winter this year.

I’ll start writing at a more consistent time

My summer writing routine felt languid, very vibes-based. Summer really tests the already-loose boundaries of my writing practice, and there’s something about fall that helps some structure fold back into place. I’ll admit that back-to-school likely has an influence. I don’t have kids, but the school year does give my own days some time constraints. I have to time my walks or coffee excursions so I don’t get caught in the neighbourhood school run, for example. I’ll never be the sort of writer who can sit down to work at the same actual time each day, but I do benefit from a general window of time in which I start writing.

I’ll try writing earlier in the day

I used to think I was a morning writer. Largely that’s still true, but over the past couple of years I’ve started to wonder if I’m actually just a daylight writer. In the summer I’ll often write in the evenings, but when the days get shorter, my creativity swan dives into sleep mode earlier. This autumn and winter I’m going to try honouring that as much as possible. I’ll have my writing sessions earlier in the day when I’m most alert and creative.

I will, however, always make an exception for writing in the early morning dark of the colder months, before the world wakes up. That’s always the most magical time for me.

I’ll go for longer or more frequent walks

Gone is the searing summer reality of early morning or late evening walks only. Now I’m almost always guaranteed a comfortable walk at any time, so I’ll take full advantage of it. Like many, I think best in motion. Something in my brain always works loose when I walk and think, or even when I walk and listen to music or a podcast. I’m going to prioritize spontaneous neighbourhood walks this fall and winter, and I’m going to promise myself to bring a notebook—or at least use my phone’s voice note app to ensure I don’t forget a great idea.

And, of course, this will have the added benefit of getting me out in the sunlight often—very important this time of year!

I’ll luxuriate in quiet moments

One of my favourite things about the colder months is how quiet it gets. Whether it’s the reduction of summer-only vehicles in fall or the sound-dampening nature of snow in winter, we start drawing inward, slowing down. As a Taurus, my priorities always trend toward coziness, so this fall and winter I’m going to make it a key component of my writing life. I often have a hot drink and light a candle when I write, and I’ll continue this in the colder months. I’ll also make time to reflect on my writing or on creativity in general. I’ll plan what I want to work on and freewrite some thoughts beforehand. Autumn always feels like the most transformative time for me, and the quiet is necessary to understand that properly.

Summer has its own slowness, of course, but to me there’s always an undercurrent of involuntary sluggishness to it. In fall and winter, my slowness feels intentional, exploratory. I truly feel I come alive each autumn. I don’t feel mentally melted like I do in summer. My creativity churns with possibility and excitement. In the quiet of the cold months I can hear what it has to say.

Whether you’re a fall person or not, maybe there are some things here that have inspired you. Season-based writing has been interesting and rewarding so far, and I look forward to continuing the experiment.