Character Project Week 2

As promised, I am posting some of the fiction I have been writing this year for The Character Project. Each week we are given a prompt and encouraged to submit a 500 word story about the character or scenario provided.
Here is what I came up with for week 2!

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Name: Lindsay Lahann
Age: mid-30s
Quirk: well you know, that name has got to create complications in her life…
Profession: store clerk who previously worked as a … ? … (anything you like)
Optional prompts (choose none, some, or multiple):

• The story can involve something overheard and misunderstood by either the main character or by someone else.


• There is some sort of dilemma surrounding a piece of clothing.


• Lindsay has an opportunity but may not be able to pursue it due to unusual circumstances.


• She has a strange pet.

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“So anyway, Brittany was in the store today and said I was doing an amazing job. She says that if I keep doing so good they will give me a key to the whole store. I have only been there for, like, 2 months and some girls have been there for, like, a year and they don’t have a key yet. Isn’t that exciting?…”

Sarah took a deep breathe and concentrated on eating as Lindsay prattled on. Finishing the last of her salad she thought of how quiet dinner had been before Lindsay moved in. Most often, she and her dad had watched the evening news as they ate. Tonight her dad had hit the mute button on the television so he and Sarah could listen to Lindsay tell them about her new job at a local boutique.

Six months ago Lindsay Lahann had come into their lives as her dad’s new housekeeper but now they were engaged to be married. With the wedding still weeks away Lindsay announced that she no longer wanted to clean houses and applied for a job at the mall. Sarah’s dad supported the decision saying he wanted Lindsay to be happy but Sarah knew the truth. He would be mortified to imagine his new wife cleaning other people’s homes. The job at the mall was a good compromise. The store where Lindsay worked was frequented mostly by teenaged girls so the chances were low that she would encounter any of his friends or – even worst — their wives.

“So, today we were working like crazy to get ready for a big sale that starts tomorrow,” Lindsay continued. “Sarah you should come by and check it out. I can give you my new discount.”

Sarah nodded politely and brought her empty plate to the kitchen sink to rinse it off. Given the choice between a discount and introducing Lindsay to her friends, Sarah would gladly opt for the full ticket price.

Last week Lindsay came home wearing the same t-shirt Sarah had purchased only days before. When her dad noticed it Lindsay only laughed and said she and Sarah would have to co-ordinate their outfits in the mornings.

“Wouldn’t it be so embarrassing if we both, like, wore the same thing one day?” Lindsay laughed. Sarah imagined the thirty-four year old, bleached blonde serving pre-teens at the local mall while wearing a mini-skirt and manga t-shirt that showed her belly and laughed to herself. Clearly Lindsay had a very different definition of what was embarrassing.


Check out http://wegotcharacter.wordpress.com/ to find out how the other writers saw Lindsay!