It has been a very long time since I have written fiction. At the end of 2025 I started a creative writing specialization through Coursera from Wesleyan University. Below is one assignment in a course I completed. I included the assignment prompt and my work. I did some brief editing but tried to keep most of it as I submitted it. These are entirely works of fiction; any similarity to real people, living or dead, is purely coincidental. I hope you enjoy!

Writing Prompt: Using the second person “you” voice, describe a holiday, ritual, or routine in specific and significant detail. 

The Story

You are not a morning person. Some thrive on the possibilities that lie in a brand-new day, but not you. Every morning the alarm goes off, and you grumble while hitting the snooze button. You return to the comfort of blankets that wrap you up warm and safe like a lullaby. It’s a short visit to and from consciousness as you hit the snooze button over and over until the very last minute you absolutely have to get out of bed. 

The only good thing about waking up is coffee. It is the magical fuel that gets you from sleep deprived zombie to semi-functioning human adult. The journey to the kitchen is almost as hard as getting out of bed. The hallway seems to stretch endlessly from the cocoon that held last night’s sleep and still beckons as you make your way to the cold, dark, shadowy kitchen. It sits in grayish morning light as if it too is still deciding if it wants to wake up for the day. 

You are kind to both yourself and the sleepy kitchen as you turn on a dim light underneath the cabinet closest to the coffee maker. Early morning is not the time for the harsh, bright light overhead. What follows is a choreographed dance, while done each morning you still sometimes forget the steps. The coffee carafe is filled with water and poured into the machine. Do you take out yesterday’s cold, damp coffee grinds next? Or do you get out the container of fresh coffee? This morning, you can’t remember. The used coffee grinds somehow still make their way to the compost bin. The fresh coffee is still scooped into the fresh white coffee filter. When did you put the new filter into the coffee maker? You don’t remember.

You double check your work. Water, fresh coffee, and carafe back in place. It seems simple enough but for your groggy, not yet awake brain it is a complicated routine. Confident you have everything where it needs to be, you hit the “brew” button, and the coffee maker comes to life. It breathes in and you can hear the water gurgle as it heats. Soon the first drips begin to fill the carafe, and the smell of coffee wafts into your nostrils as you stand there watching the scene unfold. It is one of the most anticipated parts of the morning. 

The smell awakens the next steps of your morning dance. You walk to the cabinet to select a mug. It seems unfair to have to make a decision without coffee in order to drink coffee. Today though the mug selection is quick- you choose your favorite one. It is the largest in the cabinet, an ode to the depth of your tiredness. You place it next to the coffee maker as the last drops of freshly brewed coffee fall, and the coffee maker exhales a steamy breath like it is happy its morning job has come to an end.   

You pour a copious amount of coffee into the large mug. You reach for the clear, glass sugar bowl sitting patiently next to the coffee maker, seemingly waiting for its role in this coffee making routine. Two spoonfuls of sugar are added. You take a few steps to the fridge and grab the container of creamer. A quick pour into the mug, and then a stir. The dark black substance turns into a sweet light caramel. Steam swirls up to your nostrils, letting you know that this morning dance is ready to arrive at its epic conclusion. 

The mug is hot in your hands, and you blow a soft breath to the top before it reaches your lips. You inhale the smell once more and soon, the best part of morning occurs. It is not waking up. It is not starting a brand-new day. It is this exact moment- the first sip of coffee in the morning. The moment you look forward to almost as soon as it is over. The warm mug touches your lips, and soon coffee overwhelms your senses. It wakes up your tastebuds, your tongue. As that first sip travels from your mouth to your stomach, the warmth grows from within, waking your heart, your mind, even your soul.