“It’s
only an hour,” she told the reflection in the bathroom mirror. “You can do
anything for an hour.”
She
made a mental checklist of everything she’d need and forced herself to take
slow, deep breaths. But nothing could loosen the tightness in her chest and
stop her shaking hands. She knew that stepping outside her comfort zone was
supposed to be good for her, but she still feltuneasy.
“Are
you almost ready to go?” he asked, tapping on the bathroom door.
“Yeah.
I guess,” she said opening the door.
“You
look terrified.”
“Just
a little. You promise me there will be a nice glass of bourbon waiting for me
when I get home.”
“No
problem. Why did you volunteer for this when it scares you so much?"
She
shrugged, thinking back to the meeting where they called for volunteers.
“Nobody
else came forward.”
“Honey,
you’re going to be great. Besides, it’s just a handful of Cub Scouts. How bad
could it be?”
I’m
linking up with Trifecta this week. This is a piece of highly realistic fiction. This week’s word is “uneasy".
UNEASY
1: causing physical or mental discomfort
2: not easy : difficult
3: marked by lack of ease : awkward, embarrassed
<gave an uneasy laugh>
Please remember:
Your response must be between 33 and 333 words.
You must use the 3rd definition of the given word in your post.
The word itself needs to be included in your response.
You may not use a variation of the word; it needs to be exactly as
stated above.
Yesterday
was "39 For the First Time’s" second blogiversary. I started blogging for a few
reasons—to force myself to write on a regular basis, to record the journey into
my forties, and to tell stories of my kids. I didn’t plan on posting fiction.
These days though, I post fiction more than anything else.
Last
year I heard of this crazy project called NaNoWriMo. People all around the
world pledge to write a complete novel in the month of November. I decided that
setting an insane goal like that was just the kick in the pants my writing
needed. By the last day of November I had finished a 51,000-word novel about a
character named Michaela. It had a beginning, middle and end. It had likable
characters and a complicated but happy ending. When finished, I had the most
peculiar feeling. It was like the aceing the hardest exam of your life combined
with watching your child walk into kindergarten for the first time. Pride.
Elation. And a profound sense of “now what”?
I
had it printed outand put it into
a giant blue binder. But I decided to let it settle for a month so I could
tackled it with a clearer mind. But while it rested, I started writing about a
new character. Her name was Karen and she was infinitely more interesting than
Michaela. Michaela’s story began to fade into the background.
If fiction writing
was a dance, Michaela was the girl who brought me and I ought to be dancing
with her. I learned so much about writing while I created Michaela. It’s time
to give her story some attention. So I declare October NaNoEdMo—National Novel
Editing Month. It’s time to take that big blue binder and turn it into a novel.
This week’s
prompt from Write on Edge was to take break from fiction and spend some time
exploring our writing ambitions and goals.
I'm linking up with the 100 Word Song challenge over at My Blog Can Beat Up Your Blog. Each week we're given a song to inspire a story told in exactly 100 words. This week's song choice was "I Will Wait" by Mumford and Sons. The gorgeous lyrics that caught my attention were:
Now I'll be bold, as well as strong
And use my head along side my heart
So tame my flesh and fix my eyes
a tethered mind freed from the lies
They made me think of my character Karen. If you'd like to read more of her story, click here.
Wait
Karen
watched Henry’s car pull away. He had held her in his arms and wiped her tears
away as he tried not to cry.
It isn’t the end.
It’s only an internship.
Chicago isn’t that far away.
But
she knew.
Chicago
could be next door or on the other side of the world. More than miles separated
them now. She could pretend he’d be back for her. But that wasn’t her way. She
stared the truth in the eye as she always had. Lying to herself would keep her
tied to the ground. Knowing the truth would cut the tethers.
I’m
linking up with Mama Kat’s writing workshop this week. She asks the timeless
question, “What do you like best about fall?” So here are ten of my favorite
things about my favorite season.
1.)
Apples Apple picking, apple crisp,
apple pie, caramel apples, apple cake, apple cider, apple crisp. Did I mention
apple crisp? It’s my favorite dessert on earth. Serve it with a scoop of
vanilla ice cream and you have heaven in a bowl.
2.)
New Beginnings Fall is the ultimate
time of renewal. Forget about making resolutions in January. January is cold and dark. It's a time for bulky sweaters and hot chocolate. From the time we
let go of our parents’ hand and walk into school for the first time, our new
beginnings happen in September. Even though it’s been years since I sat in a
classroom, I still feel like fall is the time to make new things happen.
3.)
Pretty Colors I would be remiss as a
New Englander if I didn’t mention the fall foliage. I can’t imagine living any
place where the leaves don’t make their dramatic costume change before taking
their final exit every fall. What’s fall without pictures of kids jumping into
a giant pile of leaves?
4.)
Halloween The truth is, I have a
love-hate relationship with this holiday. As a person with a deep theatrical
bent, I feel the desire to go above and beyond with costuming and decorating.
But as a working mom, I just don’t have the time or the desire to turn into a
giant stress ball over a holiday that neither celebrates my religion nor my
country. And, for which I do not get the day off. On the other hand, the kids
look so cute and I love those little “fun-sized” Snickers bars...
5.)
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. You can check out
the recipe here where they're called Pilgrim Pies. Even though I can buy Pumpkin year-round, I only make
these treasures in the fall. Maybe they're more special because you can't get them any time of the year, like those
pumpkin spice lattes everyone is so crazy about. Not me though. I like pumpkin
in may baked goods—muffins, breads, pies. Keep it out of my coffee and out of
my beer. And that goes double for blueberry.
6.)
Apple Crisp What do you mean I already
said that? Well, it bears repeating.
7.)
Soccer No, I’m not a raging sports fan
and my kids aren’t hard-core athletes. I may whine about dragging my butt out
of bed early on the weekends, but I adore Saturday morning soccer in my hometown.
8.)
Sleeping The air is cool enough to stop
using the air conditioner and warm enough you don’t need to turn on the heat.
The only hard part is getting out of the cozy warm nest and facing the cool
air. I’m writing this right now at 6:00 am and it’s still pitch black outside
and the perfect temperature for sleeping.
9.)
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Now if
you’re a regular reader of this blog, you may be aware of the fact that I am
Catholic. So why are these Jewish holy days my favorite things about fall? The
first is purely superficial. Schools are closed in this city for both holidays.
So my kids and I have the day off with no obligations at all. Last week we had
a long visit to my parents and picked apples in New Hampshire. On a more
meaningful level, I have long thought of September as the real start of the new
year (see number two). As far as Yom Kippur goes, I love the idea of practicing
a day of atonement. I think society as a whole would be much better off if we
all spent more time reflecting on our own shortcomings and less time judging
those of others. Besides, Jesus was Jewish!
10.)
Apple Crisp Well, I was going to say
watching football. But we all
now how that’s going so far this year.
Nothing says autumn like New Hampshire. For your amusement I present "Granite State of Mind".
Karen
logged onto EBay on the library computer. The pawn dealer had offered her fifty
dollars for the teapot Henry gave her mother thirty years ago. She though
she could get a better price selling it on-line.
As
Karen entered her password, she recalled the night Henry had given the teapot
to Peggy. He had been desperate to think of the perfect gift—an engraved
cigarette case, a silver candlestick, a fur stole. But he knew nothing would
ease Peggy’s mistrust of Henry.
Karen
held her breath when Henry handed Peggy the scarlet gift box on Christmas Eve.
“Romm’s,
eh?” Peggy said seeing the gold foil seal on the box. “You can’t buy me Henry.”
“Mum!”
Karen whispered.
“It’s
okay Karen. No Mrs. O’Brien It isn’t a bribe. The gift isn’t even from Romm’s.
The box was just the right size.”
Peggy
pried the lid off the box and looked inside. Her face was emotionless for a
moment, then her eyes became glassy.
“How?
Where did you find this?”
“Karen
told me she broke your teapot when she was a little girl. She described it so
vividly that when I saw this one in a shop on the Cape I thought it must be
similar.”
“It
looks just like the one my mother brought with her from Ireland. It was the
only thing she had besides the clothes on her back. It’s perfect Henry. Thank
you.”
Karen
shut down the computer. There were other ways to pay the rent.
I’m
linking up with Write on Edge this week to continue Karen’s story. In homage to
the classic game “Clue”, we were challenged to use the words candlestick,
library and scarlet in a piece of fiction or non-fiction in 250 words or less.
If you like this, read more about Karen here.
