Second Day in National Novel Writing Monrh

So far, I've submitted 3718 words. By November 30, 2017, the goal of the program is 50,000 words by each participating writer.

https://nanowrimo.org/participants/hot-coffee/novels/a-counted-life

This novel is based on my mother's life as a child and young mother.  She was born in 1907 in south Mississippi.

A Counted Life

Author: Hot Coffee

Genre: Historical

Synopsis

 Myrtle begins her existence as an insignificant person with an insignificant life. She has the character of a potential leader in her little world, but she dwells in the prison of limited  prospects without an opportunity to receive an education. She wants her life to count. The only door she can open to a noteworthy life is motherhood. She plans to rear children to the best of her ability, but disaster threatens all her hopes. Can she become a hero, who lives a counted life?

Excerpt

 Myrtle's father sent her to get his hammer.  He came home from working one day and pretended to be irritable. He wouldn’t look her way. “Go get my hammer, Myrtle.”

“Where, Papa?” His hammer was so heavy she could barely lift it, much less tote it from deep in the woods all the way to the house.

“I left it down there where I was working.”

She was a little surprised because she didn’t usually have permission to go into the deep woods alone.

“Go on down there.” He seemed to read her mind. “I’ll keep my ears out for you.”

“Okay.”

“Hurry up.” He sounded grouchy.

Afraid not to obey yet afraid to go to the isolated spot alone, she ran. When she arrived at the clearing where he worked, she saw a new red wagon.

Oh.

The red wagon centered in the green clearing appeared to glow with light coming from it.  She stopped, wiped her eyes in disbelief, and stared.

With reverence, she stepped over to the wagon. Papa’s hammer waited inside the wagon. She pulled it to the house.

Along the way she thought about how she could play with it, carry her doll in it, pretend it was a baby bed where her doll baby could take a nap, and share it when her cousins came over. She’d be more important in the family because she had a good serviceable wagon, which she could use to haul wood to the porch from the firewood pile. She could take it to the garden and help pick tomatoes, which she could load into the wagon. From that day on, she’d be able to help more with the family chores.