The fifteen minute novel writing experiment is a attempt to write a complete (and very rough) draft of a novel by writing for fifteen minutes each day. I have taken a timed writing from one of the daily prompts done in 2021, cleaned it up a little and used it as my jumping off point into a story. Each day I will take the last line of the story written the day before and use it as my sentence starter and write for fifteen minutes, growing the story as the year progresses.
Day 26: Anya took her sewing basket and followed the other two from the room.
Anya took her sewing basket and followed the other two from the room. The others seemed to know exactly where they were going and Anya was pleased to simply follow along. Thus far she managed to not give away the fact that she had no real idea what she was doing here.
‘But I suppose I am waiting for guidance,’ she thought. The thought was somewhat amusing since, at the moment, guidance was what she needed. ‘But it sounds like I am waiting with everyone else.’ That Anya figured she could manage to do.
Her two companions found a spot to their liking and settled down. Anya settled with them, feeling grateful for their presence. Even with the lace making necessities passed on to her by the women managing the supplies, she felt less conspicuous as part of a small group than she would sitting by herself.
‘Plus if anyone comes looking, they will be looking for one person on their own.’
Settled in their spots, Anya took out the various items she needed for her lace making. While most of the women in Tyrin were taught lace making as it was an easily exportable item that never failed to gain the attention of the traveling merchants, Anya only made lace in the quiet hours. Other activities took up the bulk of her day as she grew older. She, like the others was taught lace making as soon as her hands could manipulate the bobbins without getting the threads too tangled. When her older sisters took care of much of the daily chores, she made lace steadily throughout the day, As they took places in the laundry and then marries, more daily chores fell to her and lace making wa something she accomplished between tasks and in the quiet of the evenings while her younger sister concentrated on making lace during the day. Lace making was something she enjoyed, more than embroidery and she was happy to have a stretch of time in which to work.
;Although this silk thread is finer than what I am used to,’ she thought as she set up her pattern on the pillow and began arranging her pins and bobbins. While Anya settled herself, the older woman helped the younger woman arrange her things so that she could be watched as she worked on learning to sew a fine seam. It reminded her of sewing lessons with her mother when she was younger.
“I suppose the two of you know each other quite well since you both come every year?” Anya asked as she finished her set up and began to weave the bobbins in and around the pins placed in the pillow. The pattern was intricately detailed, but her fingers quickly found the rhythm.
“Her mother and had our first year here at the same time and became friends,” the older woman began. “We met up every year after, and when this one was born, she came as well.”
Ten til Midnight 