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 133: ‘It’s a funny world,’ she thought as she took the completed dressing gowns to Janine for shipping.
‘It’s a funny world,’ she thought as she took the completed dressing gowns to Janine for shipping. She knew however that despite the heat outside, all of the fall and winter things needed to go. ‘And when it is cold, I will work on summer things.’
She had long since adjusted to the odd shape of things when it came to seasonal creations. ‘And I did choose fall colors for my collection,’ she thought as she returned to her apartment. ‘If nothing else, I’ll have a new fall wardrobe.’
There were only a few more pieces to go and she schedule a mini fashion show with Janine to keep herself on track. With the dressing gowns squared away, she had only the sleep sets. ‘And I am already ahead on those,’ Sophie thought.
She settled down with her calendar and looked at the schedule. Sophie checked off the sets she dropped off with Janine and then took her schedule into the work room. There she counted up finished sets and realized that she was actually well ahead of where she needed to be. ‘So this week, I will take a break from the sleep sets and work only on my things.’
Sophie fairly bounced around the apartment as she got ready for the work week. Monday rolled in ass normal. She saw Kevin in the gym and he passed along Kelly’s thanks for the information.
“She realized that she was dragging her heels because she was worried about how messy it could get,” Kevin told her. “Then with Kristen and the potential job loss, she realized that she need to just pull the trigger and get it done. Now that things are starting to settle she seems much happier.”
“I suppose that is one good thing about passing on gossip,” she told him. He left and Sophie put everything she had into her workout. She was feeling pretty pleased with herself at the moment. she was ahead on sleep sets, had already sent the items for the limited holiday dressing gowns and the office was calm and steady.
She left the gym feeling sweaty but still good about herself. Sophie returned to her apartment, showered and dressed for the office. She grabbed her lunch bag from the fridge and headed out, hoping the day would prove to be another completely forgettable one. It was clear from her first moment in the office that her hopes were dashed. Something was clearly up.
On a normal day, Sophie walked by her co-workers and said hello and good morning. A few she stopped and chatted to about their weekend. It was fairly standard and non-invasive, today thee was a buzz around the office a though everyone spent the hour previously chugging shots of espresso.
“Something going on?” Sophie asked as she passed Petra.
Ten til Midnight 