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 129: Then she grabbed her wristlet of pins and began adjusting the fit.
Then she grabbed her wristlet of pins and began adjusting the fit. Sophie worked throughout the weekend and when she was happy with the design, she took out the cloth she purchased for the actual garment and started to pin the modified patterns to it. In anticipation of the garment, she prewashed and ironed the fabric so it was ready to go.
She happily worked throughout the weekend and by the time it was ready to start getting ready for the work week, Sophie had a complete first garment. She hung it up carefully on her clothing rack and then took herself grocery shopping.
It felt vaguely shocking to her system to remember the rest of the world existed. She had been so focused on her project, she forgot about everything else. ‘I’ll have to work on the contracted pieces during most of the week again,’ she reminded herself.
Sophie decided she didn’t mind. ‘I’ll just run the same schedule I did this week and I should be fine,’ she told herself. ‘Plus I d like the time to think.’
Working slowly on her personal designs a little each night, let her adjust and evaluate ass she went. By the time she was ready to sit down with a pattern and practice cloth, there was less modification than she would have if she had just gone quickly through the design process. She had the time to adjust and think about the details.
Happy with herself and her schedule, Sophie filled her grocery cart and headed towards check out.
“Great minds think alike,” Janine said. Sophie looked up and saw her neighbor was I the next checkout line, her own groceries waiting to be paid for.
“I suppose so,” Sophie said with a laugh. As there had been no recent movie releases that appealed to both of them, and Sophie knew Janine was working on shop related shipping, she hadn’t seen much off her since their flea market day.
They both paid for their groceries and headed towards the parking lot. “Do you have plans for dinner?” Janine asked. “Because I was thinking of ordering Chinese.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Sophie said. “I hadn’t gotten around to thinking about dinner. Why don’t we put the groceries away and then you can come over and we can order. Maybe see if there is a streaming movie to watch?”
“Sounds fab, my place is filled with packing boxes so your place might be best anyway.”
They parted and Sophie found herself following Janine back to the apartment building. In short order they had both unloaded their groceries and Janine came over. Their dinner order was placed, and they began scrolling through the available movies on various streaming sites. By the time the takeout arrived, they settled on a rom com.
They settled on the couch with the food laid out on the coffee table as the movie began to play. “That reminds me,” Janine said. “How are the various office romances in your workplace going?”
“To be honest I don’t know much about them,” Sophie said.
Ten til Midnight 