10-Minute Word Exercise #6

Apology

After spending some time away from word exercises to concentrate on enhancing other writing styles, I chose to return to it. I followed the usual format of setting a 10-minute timer and using a random noun from a word generator to see what unfolds.

The outcomes were quite intriguing. When I saw the word 'apology', my initial thought on a blank page was to draft an apology letter from the viewpoint of someone nearing the end of their life, seeking to provide closure to those they had wronged during their career and life. As I wrote, the ideas continued to flow, transforming into more of a confession letter alongside an apology as a way to make amends. It was something distinct, diverging from the short story concepts generated from random words, and it provided both an overview and a conclusion, which is typically not feasible with the stories due to time constraints.

So many people to reach and not enough time. This letter serves as an explanation and apology to those that have been affected by my actions throughout my career and life. There was no way I was going to be able to make amends to all of you and this won’t make up for much, but I hope that it gives you a small amount of solace that I regret it all and it is all that weighs on my mind here at the end.

As a young and inspiring business tycoon, I truly believed that money was the route to power and happiness. Who doesn’t want money? Everyone needs it and usually, when you have more of it, your life is easier, resulting in more happiness. So, who wouldn’t think that money was the route to happiness? I still don’t believe this statement is untrue, but I now know that my methods of achieving great wealth were wrong.

Most go about their lives, working hard to earn a little money with the hopes of owning their own home without any mortgage and debt; taking most of their lifetimes. My ambition, on the other hand, wouldn’t allow me to do it. I had to make a lot and fast, regardless of the obstacle.

Beginning with cheating my family out of their rightful share of our parents' inheritance, I managed to wheedle my way into some; less-than-moral construction projects, where, through a series of convoluted loopholes, saved almost a third of our budget on the quality of the materials and regulations that would normally have to be upheld. The fire suppression system for one; we managed to get a much cheaper and inferior system approved and installed from the one proposed on the plans, which seriously wasn’t up for the task in this style of high rise, but that was okay, it’s what we paid the fire department for, right? If the system was perfect, we wouldn’t need them and that’s a waste of taxpayer money, my tax money. That’s what I told my young and greedy self anyway. Plus, the inordinately large, and slightly less than legal insurance policy would cover more than the actual damages if there were a fire anyway, so win, win.

Well, the inevitable happened and not long after the last of the apartments were rented out, there was a malfunction in the electrical system of one of the lower-level apartments, probably due to the amount of static dust from the insulation material in the walls, and a fire broke out. As expected, the fire system was quickly overwhelmed, and the flames worked their way up the large cavities between the walls and insulation spreading to several of the floors before the fire department arrived and gained access. The residents were all evacuated without injury, other than some minor smoke inhalation but the damage was done. Virtually every floor and every apartment was destroyed. Nothing was salvageable, aside from the steel skeleton of the structure. I remember seeing and watching the blaze from across town in my luxury apartment (of a building that was constructed properly), and the only thing that went through my head was that it was okay, the building was insured and our and the investors' capital was safe. We might even get a nice bonus from the insurance payout.

When I look back, this should have been the moment of realisation that I had become so money-hungry that I had abandoned all morality, but I didn’t, I just continued to see those currency symbols floating in my eyes, like a cartoon character.

What made things worse, that I found out a few years later, was that the residents of the building were denied any compensation from their own insurance policies due to the poor quality materials in the building that contradicted the terms of their agreements. A former resident of the building told me this when they recognised me in a coffee shop I frequented.

They weren’t hostile to me at all, which, I think is what made me stop and listen to their story. Hearing what they had to say about losing everything and having to basically start again in life, and they were still picking up the pieces from that night suddenly snapped everything into focus for me. I don’t know if it was the story itself, the pitiful way it was told to me, or the fact that they didn’t hold me accountable that was the trigger, but it was the moment I subconsciously decided to change. All these years later, I still feel there’s more that I need to do to make up for the way I lived my life but, I have run out of time and all that I can further offer is this letter of apology and admittance of fault; something that I had never done publicly. I knew I was at fault, and I was sorry yet, I had never directly told that to anyone. It had only been a recurring thought in my head.

Therefore, this is an official apology and admittance of guilt for the residents of the high-rise fire and a promise that whatever of my money is left over after legal fees will go to forming a foundation to support those affected by fires. I wish only that other entrepreneurs and business moguls would follow this cautionary tale. There are ways of getting ahead financially, but they don’t need you to give up your humanity and morality in doing so.

If anyone wishes to have a go at this style of writing exercise to improve your own writing, or help to clear your head from writer block, the formula is incredibly simple.

Get yourself relaxed and open a blank Word document, then either pick a random word: you could open a book to a random page, ask someone to give you a word, or simply do what I do and use a word generator online. The site I use is: randomwordgenerator.com

I would recommend a noun to begin with at least as it will essentially give you a heading to follow. Using descriptors or verbs can be problematic in creating a full narrative. Then simply open the timer on your phone or computer and set it to a limit you think is a reasonable amount of time to commit. I use 10-minutes. Any more than this and I begin to get too descriptive which results in either a severely unfinished process, or me spending much longer on it than initially intended: this is an exercise to get your brain thinking freely and creatively, not a literary piece that you, at least, initially intend to explore. Of course, this can lead to new ideas being generated for future projects, or even something you prefer over what you are currently writing.

The final step is to just start writing with the word in your mind. Let your brain have complete creative freedom. Don't think about it too much, just let whatever flows out, go down on the page. It doesn't need to make much sense, it doesn't need to have a plot structure, and it doesn't have to be in any style. It's just meant to unearth your brain from the rut it's in and produce creative ideas that spark innovation.

Lastly, just have fun with it. Don't take it seriously, just write whatever comes to your mind and allow the creative process to take its course. Give it a go, I hope it works for you and if you have any suggestions for other quick, creative writing exercises, I would love to hear them and potentially create something for others to see and have a go at.