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 158: When Janine returned, she brough lights on stands as well as her camera.
When Janine returned, she brough lights on stands as well as her camera. Sophie knew Janine took photographs for her site, but had never really thought about what it entailed. She assumed that the camera was just pointed at the object and a button was pressed. It turned out there was far mor to it. Lights were shifted, angles were chosen. With the main curtains over the window in Sophie’s living room closed Janine said they didn’t need a back drop.
Sophie moved things when directed and mostly stayed out of the way. Eventually everything was photographed and Sophie helped Janine pack up her gear and take it back to her apartment. “I’ll send these out and see what they say,” Janine said. “And even if they don’t like it, then I will definitely take the garments. With a few in differing shades if possible.”
“I think I can manage that,” Sophie said. She knew that even if she did start designing a ‘Winter Collection’ the thinking about her designs would take several weeks and have long breaks between them. Now that she had the patterns for her garments, replicating a few in different colors wouldn’t be that difficult. ‘And I can do them in between working on the sleep sets.’
Sophie was still ahead on the number she was contracted for, but as things could easily come up, she liked being able to take a night off when her brain demanded a rest rather than push herself when she didn’t feel like it.
She returned to her apartment and tidied up. The garments were all secured on the rack and the dress form was shifted back to the work room. Sophie cleaned up and decided to bask in the praise a little longer by not working. ‘After all, I already have my groceries picked up and all my weekend chores done, I can work tomorrow if I want.’
Sophie settled herself on the couch and turned back to the Italian series she was watching. She again turned off the subtitles, determined to try to follow along without them.
The rest of the weekend past easily. Sophie ended up sewing on Sunday until it was time to lay out her things for the morning. She set out her work out gear for her start of the day gym visit and realized that the stretchy yoga pants she took from the collection in the drawer were starting to look a little bit worn. She rummaged a bit in the drawer and found out the rest were in no better shape. As she disliked working with the fabric, it was a clothing item she didn’t mind ordering and before bed, she ordered several new sets of workout gear.
‘Mine will last until it arrives.’ She set her laptop aside and then placed her clothing for the office out next to the work out gear. It made it easier to grab when she came up for her post work out shower. While Sophie was certain that ass all of those causing drama were gone, she was also intensely curious about what happened with Linda’s car. She assumed someone would pay for the property damage and that Kristen would protest.
‘Or maybe she won’t given that Linda recorded it on her phone.’
Sophie shook her head. While she didn’t want to be involved in the drama, she was curious as to how it played out. ‘I don’t mind being an occasional uninvolved spectator,’ she told herself. When she dressed for work and drove to the office, she had to admit, she was rather excited to hear the end of the story. ‘Or what I hope will be the end of the story.’
Ten til Midnight 