Weekend Write-In Story Collection

More NaNo

In 500 words, imagine what happens when a character's spirit is put to the test. Written for the Weekend Write-In prompt themed "Mettle", 20-22 November 2015.

David and Michael take another break from their writing and meet for coffee.

Another Coffee Break

"Hey, David. How's it coming?"

"Crazy... Lots of words... Disjointed... Still trying to find the string to tie the scenes together."

"What's your count?"

"Just above thirty-six now, so ahead of the curve again... Yours?"

"Just touching on fifty-seven, but I've slowed."

"Slowed! Christ man, you're over the goal. When'd you hit the fifty?"

"Let me look... Says the eighteenth."

"Fast... What's this slowed thing? Time for a coffee?"

"That's why I called. Twenty minutes?"

"Yeah. See you there."

David and Michael have been friends for years, encouraging and heckling each other as they write. They're both pantsers, not planners and they've been mutual beta readers from the beginning. This year they decided to participate in NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month. The aim is to encourage writers to write fifty thousand words in thirty days.

They met outside the Starbucks door and went in to join the line. "Big crowd today, must be the sun," Michael said as they waited. "So you're doing the Belgian battlefields through the ages?"

"Yeah... Any idea how many major battles and wars were fought in Belgium?

"Must be quite a few. Sort of the crossroads battlefield of Europe, isn't it?"

"Wikipedia lists four dozen battles and twenty wars, starting with the Julius Caesar at Sabis in 57 BC."

"You're not doing them all, are you?" They moved along two more steps toward the order counter.

"Started to... Now picking just the ones I can easily write a story around. Scrapped the first millennium, started with Nieuwpoort during the Eighty Years' War, then Fleurus during the War of the Grand Alliance, Elixheim during the War of Spanish Succession, Fontenoy in the War of the Austrian Succession, Neerwinden during the French Revolutionary Wars, of course, I have Waterloo 1815, Napoleon's defeat, then Ypres in 1915 and the Battle of the Bulge in 1944."

"Damn! That's aggressive. So who's the observer? What's the thread?" They shuffled closer to the counter.

"I've been through a lot of scenarios, ghosts from a prehistoric battle, a growing group of ghosts over the ages, commenting. Even toyed with flocks of crows analysing after each battle." They ordered their coffees, paid and joined the pick-up line.

"The growing family of ghosts sounds interesting."

"Yeah, that's where it is now, ghosts commenting and moralising. So yours? Over fifty now. Validated?"

"Yesterday morning. They called it fifty-four and change."

"You've lots of free time now... Lucky."

"Free time?"

"You've reached the goal."

"Theirs, not mine. My goal's seventy five thousand." They picked up their coffees.

"Your finger? Better?"

"I've learned to work around it."

"You say you've slowed?"

"Now it's leading into mafia, biker gangs, twisted, sick body modification stuff, attempted murder..."

"Cripes, I thought you were doing a couple of sweet, gentle restaurant reviewers."

"Yeah, so did I."

"Big sideswipe."

"And I've just slammed them with three major crises in three chapters and still have to get into the spirit to do Weekend Write-In.

"Yeah, Jon seems stuck: Medal, Meddle, Mettle."