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…
“I will,” Gwen said. “But I can’t honestly think of anything I need right now. At some point I might want to think about getting at least a part time job though.”
“I will,” Gwen said. “But I can’t honestly think of anything I need right now. At some point I might want to think about getting at least a part time job though.”
Margaret nodded. “Not a bad idea. It would help you to learn more of the area and possibly figure out what it is you enjoy doing and want to study. I would ask that you hold off looking until after George shows you around the office. Whether the shadowing or not would help you I can’t say but he is rather excited about it.”
“I think I can wait,” Gwen said.
The rest of the afternoon passed quietly. Gwen looked at maps and looked up some of the businesses that were nearby. It was strange not having anywhere that she had to be. There was no school to get to. There was no night class or track practice or part time job. There was no place she actually had to be. No one was expecting her. It was an odd feeling and Gwen realized she didn’t much care for it.
She liked knowing that her actions were working towards something. This drifting feeling left her unsettled. ‘It’s like I have forgotten something but I don’t know what.’
Gwen played a few games and tried reading a little. When she couldn’t focus, she pulled up a local university catalog and scrolled through the offered degrees wondering if one of them would be appealing. It was somewhat a relief when she joined her grandparents for dinner.
Dinner was brought in from a local restaurant rather than cooked at home. “I was never much of a cook,” Margaret said. “And with the two of us, it hardly seems worth it, but sometimes you just don’t want to dress up.”
Gwen nodded and noted that the take out looked more like boxes from a sit down restaurant than any of the fast food take out she was used to. Her grandmother insisted on putting it on china plates and Gwen found it was delicious even though she didn’t quite know what half of the items were. Discussion of the food took up most of the meal.
Her grandparents seemed very surprised by the items she didn’t know on her plate. “We tended to eat pretty simply I guess,” She said. She didn’t tell them that most of the meals she ate were just the replicas of the ones the housekeeper taught her before she left. The meals at home rarely varied and both Sharron and her Father ate out a lot. What Gwen didn’t make from her few basic list of recipes, she either ate at the Lewis House or had takeout. Mrs. Lewis had a broader stock of recipes but she too stuck to a set list of recipes. She was pretty sure it was partially to do with both Lisa and Mr. Lewis’ long list of disliked foods.
‘Maybe I should look at expanding my food knowledge as well,’ she thought. ‘After all I can’t eat the same few things forever.’
Ten til Midnight 