Monday, April 4, 2011

750 words

A wonderful site!
I love the statistics part. It gives a much better idea of how quickly I write than all the others so far.
Right now it takes about an hour for me to write the 750 words, of which 1/2 is actual writing.
I write about 13 words a minute, which would take me about 2 hours and some to write the 1667 words needed for NaNoWriMo... Hmm...


Spinsters

In Susan Coolidge's last Katy book was mention about the unmarried sisters of hundreds of Englishmen who traveled with their brothers to keep their houses in the New World. Not a word of these sisters have ever been mentioned. It's time to make their lives and thoughts important.

Uta Northwood didn't have much talent in anything, nor was she beautiful, so she was deemed useless and unattractive. When it was time for her brother, Lionel, to make his to take over the world in the name of British Empire, it was considered self-evident that Uta would follow with him and make some use of herself.
Uta did have talents and gifts, but these were not of remarkable kind. Sure, her taste in clothes and homemaking was boring, as she didn't care about which colors went well together, or silly, frivolous details that made things unique and pretty. She used the clothes that were functional, stood against dirt and wore wearing well. Because of this her clothes were usually shiny wool of some ugly, dirty color and very old-fashioned. She chose furniture with the same thoughts, sturdy, ugly things that would last several lifetimes, and make her brother's great-grandchildren cry. Her talents were in organization, and never were cupboards and drawers as tidy as hers, her brother had never any problems with economy, and there always was bread in the basket and clean, fresh water in jug. She was not stingy and had always something to eat for everyone who asked for it. She did expect you to work for your bread, though, but she could clearly see one's limits and never expected too much. She was made to keep house, and as her brother's companion and housekeeper, she found her place.
Now, such life is not very pleasant. Her friends were those who weren't good or interesting enough for anyone else, like she herself was, but as a friend she was worth gold, always loyal, to a wise, always there, and she remembered all the important dates and preferences.

Her best friend was another sister. This woman was the sister of a Canadian doctor, and they lived in their old home. He had married and had six children with his wife, who then had gotten ill and died when the youngest was just a baby. Jenny had stepped in and was keeping the house and family, but she wasn't very motherly person and didn't much like children either. She kept them fed and well dressed, and saw that they did their duties, other needs they had to satisfy otherwhere.

Jenny and Uta lived in the same little town and used to visit each other rather frequently. They met first in market. They both had wanted the same thing, and complained, and it was ordered, and they both thought it was for them, and crabbed it the same time. Two almost identical leather glove covered, thin hands with long fingers, one glove grey, the other brown, landed on the thing, and the ladies looked up and for a second thought they were looking in the mirror.
Then they realized that the colors were wrong - one sepia, other black and white, both thin, dry women in boring and ugly but functional and sensible clothes, face not used to express feelings, which were considered mere waste of time anyway, and therefore surprisingly young and smooth, watery eyes, thin, colorless eyebrows and lashes, long nose, sharp, thin lips and remarkable chin line... and for the first time in their lives, Jenny and Uta felt kinship of souls, and they smiled.

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