Autumn has arrived in Europe. The picture above is of things found on a walk – blackberries, apples, red berries, and colored leaves. It all seems so foreign to me. 

I have started writing again. 

On Monday, on the train from London, I suddenly saw with absolute clarity a new character. I knew everything about her physical appearance and her name. That night, as I went to bed, the rest of her life came into my head. 

I spent some time yesterday writing a bit of her story down, and it was really nice. I have missed writing so much. Even though we are ‘slow traveling’, we haven’t fit everything into schedule. It’s been a lot of white-knuckled tension as we’ve transitioned into this new way of life. I suppose that’s alright. We’ve barely been traveling more than 2 weeks abroad. 

It feels like forever. 

I have made this character’s tale into a short story, which I hope to finish soon. I plan to publish it for free, and I’ll let you know when it’s available. It’s a fantasy that popped into my head mostly formed. It’s not enough to make a novel, but I like it enough to work on it. 

Autumn is a very inspiring season for me. It feels very cleansing and hopeful. Autumn is the season of ‘making room’. I feel as though it has more potential than winter in some ways. Autumn is when you are forced to slow down and think. Autumn makes you appreciate the warmth of summer, the reflection of winter, and the positivity of spring. Autumn prompts you to discard and anticipate, where winter forces you to reflect and look forward. 

I remember when I was 13, and I lived in Cedar Park, Texas, 2 doors down from my grandparents. My brother was 2 and we had this small exercise trampoline that I used to share with him and my sister. It was October, one of the first cool days of the season, and I brought the trampoline outside (it was a small one, less than a meter across) and sat on it. 

At the time, I has this beautiful Lisa Frank notebook with an orange and purple tiger face on the front cover. I loved that notebook and filled it up. 

I sat on the trampoline and wrote a poem (my preferred medium at the time) about Autumn and how it made me feel. I don’t know why, but I remember that moment in vivid detail, as if it sealed something in my heart. 

Ever since then, when Autumn rolls around – especially the month of October – I feel particularly inspired, as if a novel would spring from my fingertips at a moments notice. I quite enjoy the sensation, and I am relieved to have begun writing once more. 

I have a lot of ideas, an influx of inspiration, and even more motivation. I hope to take advantage of it.