Informal Writing Prompt 1

            Everybody has something to hide, but people rarely see the struggles that others are going through. Everyone has a secret, and these three people are no different.

            Sarah has many friends, but they don’t know that she is secretly depressed. She can act perfectly fine around family and friends, but behind closed doors, she is completely different. Taking her own life is always in the back of her mind, so everything she sees is red like blood. Sarah knows that her friends and family will miss her, but the deep sadness it just too much for her to handle. One night she couldn’t take it anymore, so now her family will remember her surrounded by red too.

            Tommy is in middle school, and he doesn’t quite fit in. He has no friends, and he gets bullied every day. Tommy needed a way to escape reality, so he started reading. Books, magazines, and comics are Tommy’s only friends, and they are the only places that Tommy feels comfortable. He gets sucked into the story, and he imagines that it is his life. Tommy hides in the fakeness of his stories, and that is the only time that he can feel happy.

            Emily’s best friend was killed in a car accident last year, so ever since then, she has felt alone. Emily replays memories in her head, and she imagines what life would be like if her friend were still here. Emily sits around imagining a different life, so she has lost all contact with friends and family. She feels alone and invisible, but she refuses to let go of her fantasy. Emily doesn’t want to feel alone, but she can’t let go of her best friend. Emily will remain invisible, unless she can find a way to move on from the tragedy and resume her normal life.