Welcome to the Fifteen Minute Novel. Each morning I spend fifteen minutes writing on a singular story line. Each morning starts with the last line of the previous day. The goal is to get a (very) rough draft out of the simple story idea and to avoid letting the story idea languish in limbo forever, actually writing it out. This is the third year I have done this writing experiment and each year I learn just a little bit about myself and the way I write as well as creating a framework for the story. But without further ado…
Day 10: She began looking through the offered courses.
She began looking through the offered courses. Gwen knew the list of courses she was planning to take over the summer and into the fall, but they all seemed rather pointless now. She wasn’t going to be helping to keep the books at Toby’s family business. The thought caused dark thoughts to rise and tears to begin to form behind her eyes. She blinked them away and switched to looking at other classes, other departments.
She smelled dinner and glanced at the clock. He wasn’t hungry and decided that she didn’t want to sit at the dinner table with Sharron. She wondered if anyone would come to check on her. No one did and she guessed that Sharron told her father she was moping about the break up. Gwen dimly wondered if the dress would be mentioned.
Sometime later she heard the tread of feet on the stairs and waited. The feet passed her door without stopping. The hall way light clocked off and she heard their bedroom door close. Gwen sighed. She was both relieved and disappointed that no one came to check on her. Deciding she was tired enough to justify sleep, she shut down her laptop and took out her ear phones. She changed and slipped into bed.
She slipped into sleep easily but her dreams were filled with dark mazes. She ran and ran taking turn after turn but never seeming to get anywhere, never seeming to find a way out. In the morning she woke feeling even more tired than she had when she went to bed. As she blinked her eyes open, the memory of the day before came streaming in.
The betrayal, the dance, the cut up dress.
Gwen signed and slipped out of bed. She took her time showering and getting dressed. She lingered in her room until she was certain that both her father and Sharron were out of the house. Then she went down and ate a quick breakfast. Despite everything, there were still things to do. To save money the community college rented their text books to students and at the end of the semester they needed to be turned back in so she wouldn’t be charged for the full amount. She was only taking two classes but she still had two books to return.
Gwen gathered what she needed and ran her errands. She was out passed lunch time and when she returned she fixed herself a late sandwich and retreated to her room to eat it. She again avoided Sharron and the dinner table.
That night sleep came easier and she felt like she was running less. Gwen still woke feeling as though she had a huge hole somewhere deep inside but she was less exhausted. She still avoided Sharron. Each day she marked off the day on her calendar and watched the ay of the dance approach. She avoided everyone spending her time running the few errands that needed to be done before graduation and hiding in her room. She scrolled through the courses offered and wondered what it was she was supposed to do with her life. She had it all planned. Everything was neatly arranged. Now, she had nothing.
The days slipped by and the night of the dance arrived. There were no errands left to run and Gwen was certain if she left the house she would run into those who were preparing for the dance. She didn’t want to see anyone.
Ten til Midnight 