Writer's Prompts | Love Unscripted | Certified: Not A Mess

Certified Writer’s Prompts (Now 27% More Emotionally Stable!)

Welcome to Alchemy’s writer’s prompt corner, where we invite you – yes you – to get creatively messy while pretending you’re not. Inspired by the latest podcast episode Certified: Not A Mess, today’s prompts dive headfirst into the glorious chaos of self-perception, relationship delusion, and that timeless classic: deeply buried secrets.

Keep it under 600 words, and send it in to us. We might read it out on a future episode, possibly with dramatic flair and at least one British accent.

Prompt 1: The “Good Person”

Write a dating profile – or even better, an internal monologue – of someone who swears they’re a “good person.” They’re kind to animals, recycle, and once helped an old lady cross the street (after taking a selfie first). But despite all their self-declared virtue, their relationships leave emotional wreckage. What’s their blind spot? What do they think makes them good? And what are they carefully avoiding looking at in the mirror?

Bonus points if they quote a Brené Brown book without understanding it.

Prompt 2: The Truth That Took Its Sweet Time

Someone told a lie – or more chillingly, withheld the truth. And then life happened. Years passed. Maybe decades. Then… boom. The truth rises from the ashes of history like a vengeful ghost in yoga pants. Write the moment of discovery. Who finds out? What’s the cost? And what happens when someone realizes their whole relationship (or life) was built on a very polite, softly-spoken omission?

If this sounds too much like your last family reunion, we recommend changing the names. (Or not. Your call.)

Quick Wrap:

Just remember, being “certified not a mess” doesn’t mean you aren’t a mess. It just means you’ve had the courtesy to alphabetize your emotional baggage and add a decorative label.

Happy writing, you beautiful disaster.