Weekend Writing Workout #2

This is the second weekend the I am going to do one of the great writing workouts over at The Accidental Novelist. I don't have a story that I am working on at the moment. So I will just continue using the character that I created from my last exercise. Who knows, this character may round out enough to help create a story.

Exercise #1

Mother duck waddling by
5 little ducklings struggling to keep up
Intent on reaching the lake
squawking and quacking
Merrily on their way
Reaching the liquid brilliance of life
Swimming merrily on their way
The day strolls lazily along
Sun gleaming on the refreshing water
Not a care in the world
Relaxed and enjoying the moment
White clouds dance lazily in the sky
Reflections of the world in the lake
A small rain shower
Baby ducklings playing in the water
Splish, splashing around

Exercise #2

When Sarah thinks about her apron, it always reminds her of her mother. In her eyes, her mom was a domestic goddess. Their house was always lovingly well kept. Her mom was always teaching her new and wonderful things in the kitchen. Tears of sadness would well up. Those days of bliss were long gone. Her mom passed away shortly after she graduated high school. She really missed those days she spent with her mom. The times they spent together baking pies and cookies. The way her mom always smelled of some fresh baked dessert when Sarah came home from school. Dinner in their house was always a time for family. Everyone would sit around the table. They would share how their day went. Sarah has long given up on that ghost. Her husband was always working late. The kids would rarely come down from their rooms for dinner. She gave up long ago on making the wonder meals of her youth. Sarah forlornly ate dinner in front of the TV in solitude every night.


Exercise #3

Sarah was sitting on the sofa watching TV. Her eyes were puffy from crying. Her favorite red dress was now wrinkled. The dinner on the table had long since grown cold. The candles had burned themselves out. Her son Tony had his heavy metal music blaring as usual. She could hear Stephanie, her daughter, in the shower.

She couldn't believe that James was this late. How could he still be working at 10pm? This was their anniversary. He promised to be home on time. Once again, she was left alone.

The phone rings. The caller ID shows its her friend, Katie. Should she answer it?

"Hi Katie. You were right," cries Sarah. "He must be cheating on me."

"No I wasn't, Sarah. James promised me not to tell you, but I think you deserve to know. He had to get a second job. He didn't want to let you down. He knew that if you found out about how things were financially, you would want to get a job. He felt that he owed it to you." Katie waited patiently for Sarah to collect her thoughts.

"What? He got a second job? I would rather have a smaller house and my husband home at a decent time, then to have him working two jobs! I can't believe that I doubted his faith," sobbed Sarah. "Thank you for being a friend and telling me."

Sarah hung up the phone. She decided that she would reheat the meal and get fresh candles. She wanted the house to be extra special for when James got home.