It’s the Spooky Season for Writers

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Hi, Reader! I have to say upfront that I love, love, love Halloween, autumn, and all things cosy (except pumpkin spice because it tastes like someone ground up pot pourri and spoiled my coffee) and yes I’m still bitter that it’s not a public holiday in the UK.

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For me October is the time to hunker down after September’s “new pencil case energy” Get all cosy while writing, drinking hot chocolate and heading into reading hibernation - totally a thing, trust me - so what could spoil this? Reader, it’s the creeping dread when you spot that ambitious plan you cooked up in June, that definitely featured “FINISH DRAFT by the end of the year”.

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Insert ghoulish laugh here: Welcome to spooky season! Aka the last quarter of 2025. The final dash to the finish line.

I adore the sense of liminality at Halloween - the veil between worlds is thin. And also the space between outcomes. A roll of the dice, a turn of a card could be the difference between “I can’t do this” and “I’m going to try it anyway.”

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It doesn’t matter if it’s messy or misshapen, or you’ve forgotten to sew on a limb. Bring your little monster to life - remembering that not all monsters are monstrous.

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So before you panic about all those half-finished stories rattling their chains, take a breath. They’re not here to haunt you, just to remind you they once mattered. Every writer has a few ideas buried in the Google Docs graveyard, but October’s the perfect time to see if one still has a pulse. Ready to raise the creative dead?

A Halloween Resurrection Ritual

1. Find one old idea, scene, or fragment that’s lingered in your mind.
2. Read it aloud, exactly as it is.
3. Ask yourself: “What did I love about this before I scared myself out of it?”
4. Then - and this part’s key - give it 15 messy minutes of your attention.
   Freewrite on it, until you can tell if it’s got a spark of life.

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If it still feels dead, fine. You’ve performed the rite. You can bury it again.
But maybe, just maybe, it’ll sit up and start breathing.

Your creativity isn’t dead, it’s just having a nap in the crypt. Bring out the torches and get those tall tales around the campfire.

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Coming soon from Book Doubling: I’ve got some new sessions and prompts to share soon.

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Until then: snuggle up, hunker down, get writing. I don’t believe in ghosts (mostly) but I do believe in you.

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With love (and cobwebs, chaos and toasted marshmallows),

from

Book coach for the slightly haunted, late-blooming, neurodivergent writer

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P.S. Which ghost are you exorcising this month?
Hit reply and tell me - I'd genuinely love hearing what’s calling to you back

from the depths of your drafts

Find me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Substack for more gentle writing prompts, behind-the-scenes rambles, and neurodivergent-friendly bookish encouragement.

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Meet the Woman Behind the Keyboard Gail Doggett - Writing Mentor and Coach

I've been working with writers for two decades, from acquiring fiction and non-fiction at a major publishing house, all the way to being in 1:1 critique relationships, and accountability partnerships.

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I bloody love talking about stories, and characters, ideas and I'm also very aware of what it's like to feel stuck and wanting to bang your head on the desk (please don't do that!).

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And for all of us neurodivergent folk, as a late-diagnosed ADHDer myself, I also want to reiterate that there's no shame either in getting stuck or just feeling like you can't get yourself together to do this, even though it's all that you can think about. But I do want you to tell your story.

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Get in touch, and let's see what we can do together!

Unit F1, Admirals Offices, Main Gate Road, The Historical Dockyard, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TZ
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