Here’s a short excerpt from my journaling experiment, the floating bookshop solo RPG! To set the scene, it is the first day of activity in the bookshop. Nora is prepping the boat to be able to travel down the river. The villagers are both nosy and excited to see the book boat getting ready again.
The way the game works is that you draw cards and roll a dice to give you the prompt for the events of the day, the weather, and the number and type of customers you rolled. This will also not be edited. I’m working on the “writing is best” theory, so aren’t really concerning myself with editing right now other than basics.
Optional Prompts to follow for the day- Cleaning and reorganizing the book shop.
Card prompts- Thunderstorms in morning, then clear and breezy. Dice prompt- Nora meets a fisher folx. (Not written here)
Nora’s letter to her friend:
“Mayor Banks and I made our way to the bank of the river where the bookshop rested in its slip. I had the first glimmers of doubt upon seeing it as a somewhat impulsive purchase I made. It didn’t help that it was currently thundering loudly with crackles of lightning brightening the river around us. Not exactly the auspicious day I was looking for to start a new venture. I was tired of aimlessly wandering through and it seemed like this might be the perfect chance to wander with purpose, meeting new people and experiencing new places.
The roof was a splintery, faded mess of patchy paint and dry wood. The sides of the boat looked intact, but definitely needed a new paint job and perhaps a deeper inspection by a carpenter or boat maker, just to make sure of its river worthiness. The window facing the dock was patched with what looked like oil cloth on the outside. Even the sign looked poorly kept. I could tell it was charmingly carved, but some of the letters and the sign itself had succumbed to the weather so now it hung at a lazy angle and stated “ook op” in faded wood letters. The whole boat looked a little hodgepodge and while I didn’t normally mind that look, it was a bit more daunting up close.“
A description of the inside of the book shop (unnamed at this point in my story, but don’t worry, I have a lovely name planned.)
Struggling with the cabin door, which seemed to be swollen shut against the humidity along the river, I didn’t answer directly, just gave a vague nod in her direction. Then straining, I pulled at the door and much to my surprise, it finally gave way, almost knocking me back into the mayor. A pouf of dust came out, making me cough and I cautiously peeked my head in for the first look at my new home.
The first thing I saw in the dim inside was books. Directly across from the door, I could see the edges of a bookshelf. A long curved desk sat to my left by the entrance with what appeared to be a half open door behind it.
Stepping inside, I coughed a little from the dust we’d kicked up and stumbled over to what looked like a window to open it. Mayor Banks did the same to a window on the other side. Looking up, I could see that the roof had a skylight in it, but it looked to be in bad repair. I would have to get at that from the outside. At least with the windows open, there was some additional light and it would hopefully clear the musty air.
Mayor Banks was looking around at the walls and pointed out a few lanterns. “They’re probably mage lights as you wouldn’t want open flame amongst the books on a windy day!” she said, “I can have Master Rose from the Monastery to come refresh them if needed, but let’s just check them for now.” As she turned the switch a weak light came out and she moved around the boat looking for more as I did the same. Soon, there was enough light between the windows and the mage lanterns to see to not run into things.
Mayor Banks leaves shortly after this- she’s late to her own council meeting! Nora continues to explore the book shop and living quarters on the boat.
Standing in the center of the shop, I looked around more closely to get my bearings. It was slightly strange feeling the rocking of the boat, but not unpleasant. I anticipated it would be lovely to be rocked to sleep this way.
I had decided to leave the bookshop how it had been set up for now, mainly because I knew I would need additional hands to move everything. For now, there was a small kit area next to the checkout desk with two smaller bookshelves beside it. A work table graced the back corner across from it. The three main bookshelves were lined up parallel to each other and the check out desk with the fifth bookshelf flat against the wall in the opposite corner. A cozy reading nook with two couches, a lovely square rug, and a fake plant were in the corner right next to the door. Overall, it was a layout that invited others to browse and maybe read a little. -End of Day-
I’ll fill in some more detail later, but it’s quite a charming place! I hope you’ve enjoyed your little glimpse into Nora’s life.
