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 76: Her hair was tied up into a neat little twist on the back of her head and she was on the phone, pen scratching away at a notepad as she listened to the person on the other end of the line.
Her hair was tied up into a neat little twist on the back of her head and she was on the phone, pen scratching away at a notepad as she listened to the person on the other end of the line.
“I see,” she said. “Well I will give him the message as soon as he gets in.” Her eyes flicked up to George, who stopped and waited. Gwen stopped as well. “Of course, I will let him know, and we will see what can be arranged.” The call ended and she hung up the phone. She shook her head slightly.
“Peter Watson,” she told George. “He wants to reschedule.”
“Again?” George said. “That’s the third time. I’m beginning to think he doesn’t like me.”
“Impossible I am sure,” the woman said.
“Such a flatterer,” George replied. “Gwen this is Laura, keeper of the schedule, admin extraordinaire. Laura this is Gwen.”
“How lovely to meet you,” Laura said with a smile.
“Nice to meet you too,” Gwen said. “You are the one arranging the marathon groups, aren’t you?”
“Yes I am,” she said. “Oh the first session was this morning wasn’t it. How did it go?”
“Good,” Gwen said. “I think I found my running group and we set up a schedule at least.”
“A schedule is always important,” Laura said. “Speaking of,” she continued. She held out a stack of slips to George. “We have some requests to be added to yours, and,” she continued when George took the slips. “We have a schedule for you as well.” She picked up a piece of paper and held it out for Gwen. Gwen took it and looked down. There were departments listed, each with a name attached to it.
“I thought it best to give them time to settle and start their day so you have a little bit of a wait before the first department head shows up to collect you,” Laura said.
“You can wait in my office,” George said.
Gwen nodded and tried not to feel like she was in the way. She checked the schedule and realized that she only had about twenty minutes to wait. She followed George into his office and settled herself in one of the visitor’s chairs ads George and Laura began the process of adding the new requests to the list of his appointments. She suspected that George had a rather full day ahead of him.
By the time they were finished. The first department head, Harold Winslow, arrived and Gwen followed him down several floor levels to the accounting division. Here she was on a little firmer ground as she was somewhat familiar with things from her classes. She was walked through the department and talked to various people about what they did and what the requirements to do it were. Gwen realized she would need more than the classes offered at her local community college to be able to work in an office like this and as she made notes, Gwen wondered if she wanted to take those classes.
She decided not to think too hard about that now and just make some notes as she moved around. People seemed pleased by her questions rather than annoyed.
Ten til Midnight 