Into the Woods

What do I see in the October woods? I see the trail winding through the trees. I see inspiration for what I'm writing.

I'm working on a YA novel that takes place in the fall. I write both what I know (settings) and what I can imagine (characters and plot). Having settings like this readily available to me helps.

My protagonist would walk on a leaf-covered path through woods like thisto get to her aunt's cabin. She'd feel the dry leaves crunching under her feet.

 Maybe the path would be wider in places and trees would tower over her head. As I walk the woods, I try to imagine what she'd notice and how she would react.

Maybe some of the trees would look spooky, like this walnut tree on Smith Farm. This tree was big even when I was a kid.

Would she notice how the limbs at the top come together to form kind of a weird critter?

Perhaps she'd pass old buildings in disrepair, like the remains of this barn that stored my grandfather Smith's hay and feed. The stalls for his horse and mule were on the left side. You can see the remains of the wood-shake roof hanging against the building. I can remember when Gen the mule and Kate the horse lived here. But what would my protagonist remember of this old place.

At the end of the path, she'd see her aunt's cabin. The picture below is actually a tobacco barn, but it's about the size of the cabin I have in mind.

And maybe something would be watching her.

You never know what might be in the woods. Or what might be in a story.

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