The Fifteen Minute Novel is an attempt to take a single prompt and use the last sentence written each day as a start for the next day. This year I had several prompts circling around a similar story, so I have combined them. However, the story starts the same way each day, with the last line from the day before and a timer set for fifteen minutes. The hope is to end up with a complete, if very rough draft by the end of the year. Some stories are better than others, but I always learn a whole lot about my own writing when I do this so for me it is not only a nice way to work out a story, but it is a tool for helping my writing get better. And so, we continue this story for 2024 with…
Day 14: Traffic was the usual slow and steady drive.
Traffic was the usual slow and steady drive. Luckily no one did anything monumentally stupid Sophie was able to reach her destination without the added headache of an automotive collision. In the parking lot she saw Elizabeth’s car and Sophie hoped that she managed to get a new battery or fix whatever else was wrong over the weekend.
While Sophie didn’t mind helping, she was hoping that she might not have to stay late tonight and remembered it just being only their two cars in the lot Friday evening.
At the door, Sophie showed her badge to the electronic reader and the machine clocked her in, clicking loudly to let her know the door was unlocked. Sophie stepped into the building and let Elizabeth fall from her thoughts, already planning her working strategy for the day. As the last project dropped on her was quite large, Sophie thought there was a chance that nothing else would be added throughout the day.
‘Which means if my workload is normal then I can finish that project and my own work and if I work through lunch I might still be able to get out on time.’ As Sophie took the elevator up to her office, she wondered if maybe hanging back and letting the others leave just a little bit ahead of her might not be a bad thing. ‘If they think I am staying late because I already have too much work then maybe they won’t add anything for a bit.’
As the elevator rose the thought gained traction. By lagging a few minutes behind she might be able to avoid having extra work sent her way and possibly not have to work late. She wasn’t certain the strategy would work long term, but it might help her out for a while.
The elevator reached her floor and she got out. Sophie walked to her desk and noticed that both Ryan and Cassie were running late. ‘Not my business,’ Sophie told herself.
“Good morning,” she said politely to Kristen as she passed.
“Morning,” Kristen said grumpily. Kristen scanned her studying her outfit for a moment before dismissing her to look past and into the hallway behind.
‘Not my business,’ Sophie reminded herself when she found herself wondering if Kristn and Ryan had some sort of argument.
She moved to her own cubicle and settled herself for the day. She pulled out her earbuds and began her lessons in Italian as she unlocked the file cabinet and took out the project she was trying to finish. She also took out the stack of files she finished before she left. She placed them on the edge of her desk so that when the new morning files were dropped off it would look as though she had a mighty workload for the day. Sophie figured that with the large stack it might serve as a deterrent to adding more.
‘And I still might stay a few minutes late to let everyone else clear out.’
She pressed play on her program and turned to the computer beginning to enter the details into the database. Around nine her new stack of files was brought in and placed on the desk. Ten minutes later, Cassie came around the corner. Sophie could see a folder in her hands but upon seeing the large stack on Sophie’s desk she left without asking if she could pass work on to Sophie.
Sophie waited until she was gone to smile to herself.
Ten til Midnight 