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 38: After making her assessments, Sophie changed hanging the nicer garments up.
After making her assessments, Sophie changed hanging the nicer garments up. She dressed in loose cotton lounge pants and a clean t-shirt. In her mind she rifled through her fabric collection. She didn’t have the fabric she wanted for the shirt and wasn’t quite certain what color she wanted for the trousers.
‘But I have time,’ she thought. Even though she was already thinking about winter designs, the temperatures outside were quite high and she would only be wearing the lighter weight garments for a while. It would be several months before she could even think about bringing out the new jacket.
“And I could always pair it with a nice blouse and jeans if I needed to,’ she decided. ‘I’ll just have to make the blouse at some point.’ Feeling good about creating something for herself, Sophie hung the jacket in the closet, ready and waiting for cooler weather to arrive.
‘I will need a new coat this year at some point,’ she told herself. At the end of the cold season the year prior she wore her coat out on an ill-fated date. Not only was she not compatible with her date but wine was spilled and the stain set. As the garment served her for quite a number of years, she conceded that she probably needed a refresh, but it still bothered her. She consoled herself with the fact that once she had a replacement coat, she could take apart the old one, reusing anything that was salvageable for other projects.
‘But that is a project to think about later.’ Sophie decided. ‘I haven’t even looked at potential designs yet.’
With her own project complete Sophie returned to other pieces. She created a few casual dresses for Janine’s site, pleased that even thought the sale was still going on Janine seemed much more in control. She also couldn’t resist making a few more pajama sets and starting work on the first of the winter weight dressing gowns.
The time of her month off ticked away, running out more rabidly than she planned. In the week before Sophie was set to go back to work, she realized that many of he work garments needed to be taken in, her efforts at the gym shaving off a bit from her measurements. Sophie made the adjustments and realized that as the last few days of her vacation time ticked away, she was becoming increasingly nervous.
‘I just don’t know what I’ll find when I return.’ Her mind felt the need to conjure images of chaos. She doubted the office would have burned down in her absence. As she was not really friends with her co-workers, whatever happened in her absence was a complete blank. She found the blank oddly terrifying. The Sunday before she started back, Sophie went grocery shopping, restocking her fridge and knowing that she was going to be working late.
Ten til Midnight 