Weekend Freewrite - 2/16/2019 - Part 1 - The First Sentence
"It is a conspiracy, don't you see it?" She walked away from the table, clenching her fists.
Jane had been roped into accepting this job. She'd sworn off the occupation many many moons ago, but since it was the only job she'd ever had, the only profession she knew anything about, she kept coming back
"Milkweed Nation " was now her home. Somehow, after years of refusing to admit she would be here more than another couple of months, she'd managed to buy the farm! In a few short years it had grown to an unforeseen size: 110 acres, 6 sheep, seven goats, 33 chickens (more or less) and 13 employees. All housed, fed and healed by none other than her. But hey, no pressure.
Now this.
"I have said that I do not want to allow anyone to use my van for their own personal use. You all managed to respect this for the past three years, now all of a sudden not one of you can get through a single day without needing my van. It's not going to change a thing. You can all either follow my rules, or you can try to find another job that treats you like your damn mother would."
Jane had just walked in on a group of six farm hands sitting around a table discussing something. She heard the words "selfish", "controlling, and "judgmental" as she walked in. The conversation came to an abrupt halt. She reasoned they had been talking about her. She took a seat at the table.
"Let's get this all out right here right now. I can not let you use my van. I do not have insurance that would cover you. I will not tolerate this conspiracy against me"
"Pumpkins can grow everywhere. that is not what I want to discuss with you."
One of her most productive workers, Luis, had just pointed out that the pumpkin patch was encroaching on the driveway. While this was a problem, it was a teensy weensy one compared to the insurrection she feared was brewing. She wondered if Luis were the ringleader of this little group of trouble makers. It would be a terrible loss if she had to fire him.
"OK boss. Whatever you want to discuss is what we discuss, right peeps?" This from Celeste, the singer among them. Woman was singing non-stop and she wasn't bad! Could be worse than to have our own Sarah Vaughan crooning to the sheep. Jane was certain Celeste was the reason her Mara gave birth to the new lamb so easily. A bit of Lullaby of Birdland and that lamb shot right out. But Celeste's recent comment was haughty and unkind. Sarcasm had always rubbed Jane the wrong way.
"What do you mean by that Celeste? Is there some problem, other than the pumpkins, that I need to address?"
"Well, we have decided that we will no longer work for you unless we can use your van. It is unreasonable for us to have no way to get to town. You must let us use it or we will have no choice but to leave."
The fellow on the end of the table, Jake, was sitting forlornly staring at the table. "the watch was broken" he said out of the blue, and started to cry. All the others turned to deliver a dirty look to him. "Fucking loser" said Celeste. Jane started to think perhaps Celeste was the big cheese in this little wheel of trouble makers.
"If that is the way you feel about it, you may all go." This was a very risky move. The milkweed was nearing harvest time. Traipsing about in the fields pulling the milky pods off was one of her least favorite jobs on the farm. She smelled of sour milk for days, and her fingers were sore. But she knew from experience she had to call their bluffs or there would be no end to requests of more accommodations from her.
"But the watch was broken!" Jake pounded the table and stood to go. He had this nervous tic of checking his watch so he always knew the time and arrived on time. So that was why he needed the van - he had to have a functioning watch just to get through his day. Poor guy. Jane would miss him.
I marvel at the stories that come out of so many of the writers here. I've had a freewrite block this week - it's not that I haven't tried, it's that I haven't managed to produce anything of interest, even to me. So I offer this one, which is far from my fave but no judgment! I hope to learn to switch gears with the prompts more easily. Thank you for reading!
I love this - our own Sarah Vaughan crooning to the sheep - Lullaby of Birdland, no less! The chickens might get jealous!
You may be a harsh judge of your own writing. Show me your roughest rough drafts, and I promise I'll find something, like a gold miner panning for the shiny nugget. Seriously. I'll read what you consider scribbling, and help you turn it into something.
You are so sweet. I have to admit, I thought this was shit as I was writing it, and decided it was barely good enough to post when I was done, then when I read it an hour or so after posting it I saw all the things I had put in that I was unaware of as I was writing. This is the most amazing thing I have learned about writing - how we put stuff in without being conscious of it while writing. I don't have the words to describe this. It has something to do with trusting myself and the reader to make a story out of whatever comes out. And this is a rough draft - I set the timer for 4:30 then allow myself a short time to proofread, although it's usually for a bit longer than 30 seconds. I groove on the timer challenge. I think if I didn't have a timer going, I would not be able to think of a thing to say.
**Ding! Ding! Ding! **
You nailed the beauty of the freewrite. @mariannewest if you ever need to write another post about WHY writers should practice freewriting, this is the quote to highlight:
the most amazing thing I have learned about writing - how we put stuff in without being conscious of it while writing.
Yes Yes Yes YES
Also amazing: go back a year and look at old freewrites. If you're like me, you would never remember these details had you not written them down. And what's really cool is that these characters, names, settings, and events wouldn't even have sprung to your conscious mind, had you not set that timer and let the daily prompt send you off - "Go!" - with a free pass to take whatever comes to mind and run with it.
THANK YOU for capturing it better than you think you did, @owasco! You say I don't have the words to describe this but in fact you DID.
My mission in life should be to find writers like you, shore up your self confidence, and unleash your Muse!
You HAVE shored up my confidence, you and many others in @freewritehouse . I'll have to write for another ten months to even be able to go back a year, but these two months have been super swell. One problem: I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR ALL THIS WRITING! Could sure be worse. Many many thanks for your support!
Aw, glad to hear it! Even if you only write five minutes a day, it's better than nothing. "Morning Pages" is a practice where you write 3 pages, longhand, into a notebook, NONSTOP, first thing every morning. Julie Cameron, "The Artist's Way," is the book that explains why it's such a great antidote to writer's block. NOBODY has time for writing, but we steal it, a minute here and a minute there.
Thank you so much. I do think it is time to write another post. In the meantime
could you recommend the @freewritehouse here
https://steemit.com/contest/@freewritehouse/please-nominate-us-to-win-a-delegation
Yes, please go here and nominate the @freewritehouse @owasco 🙏
You've been visited by @riverflows, on behalf of Natural Medicine. Love your work!
Oh, and we'd love it so much if you could nominate us here for the chance of a delegation from the generous @theycallmedan - it'd really help this little community support natural healing wisdoms on Steemit! Kisses and hugs and all things nice! We are also voting for @homesteaderscoop!
Consider supporting Natural Medicine through continued use of the #naturalmedicine tag, or delegating any amount through clicking below. We're all for empowerment in natural ways, and love to support those on their healing journey. Come join us on Discord if you're not already there! We'd so love to have you.
20SPII50SPII100SPII200II500SPII1000SP
Appreciation both ways then! I'll happily vote for both of those.
We are so hard on ourselves as writers!! I thought you did well -
and, just to let you in on a little secret - freewrites don't always produce great writing and sometimes, it is just words that have no meaning - but, you did it. You wrote 5 minutes. And that is what counts. Then, out of the blue, something great can appear on the page...
Absolutely no judgement
Good thing she is addressing it and nipping it in bud
Rules are rules :)
I see you have already done the next prompt and also I am guessing nominated the @FreeWriteHouse for the 20K Delegation.
Thank you thank you and so I come bearing an invite