Hey friends,

Welcome to another round of Writing Prompts &, a series where I share a writing prompt from many of the classes I’ve taken and the zero draft it’s inspired.

Note that all zero drafts shared here were written in the space of 10-15 minutes and then never touched, revised, or edited. So, you’re getting the PURE rough draft here.

The Writing Prompt

The Prompt: Someone who has a secret life or does something they don’t tell anyone about.

This is what I wrote.

He loved the feel of it.

Itchy woolen pants and a tri-corn hat. The weight of a bayonet on his shoulder. His passion for history and cosplay intertwining.

He knew he’d catch so much shit if his friends ever found out. Once, his roommate came close to finding his red coat, which he had absentmindedly stored in the hall closet.

“No! Don’t go in there!” he’d shouted as his friend put his hand on the doorknob.

“Bro, my coat is in there.” He turned back to the door.

“No!”

“Dude, you’re being really fucking weird.”

“I…uh…bought you a coat…and I…uh…don’t want you to see it!”

A Brief Note

Oh man. This one.

This was another piece that I wrote during my first writing session with the LA Writer’s Group back in April of 2020.

I don’t know why when she read the prompt my brain went, “History person at Colonial Williamsburg”.

But that’s the beauty of a writing prompt. You don’t know where your brain is going to take you, and really, here is the evidence that I just let it do what it do.

It’s so easy to get mad when working on something and it’s not coming out right. But it doesn’t matter. Not everything is going to be great. Some things are just for practice. Like my dude in the woolen pants and tri-corn hat. I don’t even know if I’m spelling that right.

Final Thoughts

That’s it for now, friends.

This week, I wish you good prompts and good thoughts, no matter what kind of writing they produce.

Until next time.