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 80: Gwen looked back to the bags on the kitchen table.
Gwen looked back to the bags on the kitchen table. “So what is it?” she asked.
“It is from an Ethiopian restaurant,” she said.
Gwen nodded. “I don’t think we have any of those in Westport,” she replied. “Should be fun.
Margaret shooed both Gwen and George off to change into more casual clothing. Gwen returned in jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt, her grandfather in slacks and a sweater. The bags were gone from the table and food was now out in plates and bowls. Gwen started by taking a little bit of everything and trying it out. The food was seasoned differently than anything she tried before and she couldn’t even name all of the spices used. It was unfamiliar territory, but after a few bites, she found items she liked. Some of the things she liked more than others, but she figured it was okay not to like everything. She was trying to figure out what she liked after all.
‘And I’ll probably have to try a lot I don’t like to find out what I do,’ she reasoned. ‘And its not like anything is bad, it’s just that some things I like better than others.
“So how was the office?” Margaret asked.
“Well I doubt Gwen will be joining us as a junior exec anytime soon,” George said. “But she got to see a few career options in action and we made a list of some possible things she could try out this summer for fun.” George handed Margaret a slip of paper torn from his notebook and she glanced over the list.
“A very good start,” she declared.
“Is it?” Gwen asked. It didn’t seem like they put very many things on it to her.
“Of course and it leaves things wide open. There are several Art galleries nearby if you want to visit with me, plus I think we should be able to find some art classes if you wanted to take one. And we have a cooking school just down the street. We can easily check in to see if they have singular classes available.” Margaret nodded.
“See plenty of courses for action. So will you be running in the morning?” she asked.
“Yes,” Gwen said. “My group decided that running a little bit each day during the week is the way we wanted to go and then skipping the weekends.”
Margaret nodded. “So it will be the same schedule as today then. Excellent.” She seemed to be running over a schedule in her mind as she ae.
George chuckled. “By the time you get back from your morning run she will have a list of galleries in the area and their hours of operation waiting,” he said.
“You make that sound so nefarious,” Margaret said. “And how can you arrange a visit if you don’t know the hours of operation?” She shook her head. “As she is very much like you I am following the usual pattern. I gather all of the information and she will make her plan. The same as you.”
“Of course,” George said. He winked at Gwen.
Ten til Midnight 