So, Camp NaNoWriMo started yesterday and as promised to myself I jumped headlong into it. I've started working on a novel; and even though the plot seemed sketchy, I still took the plunge. I did worry about not having enough length and scenes in the storyline to qualify it as a novel.
I am finally working on my novel. And in the process getting to know new things about myself too. YAY!! It's just Day 2 today and I've got down 1500 words already. What could be better than that! Double YAY!!
During my evening walk yesterday, a new idea occurred to me and gave me a breakthrough for making a dull scene more interesting and moving the story forward. That's when I realized that I'm a 'pantser'.

I recently read somewhere that if you are extremely passionate about something, then that thing is probably ‘your calling’. How many times has it happened that we really care about something deeply, only to not pursue it seriously? I know it happens to me frequently enough. The most recent instance being my desire to write a novel. It has been on my mind ever since I quit my job. That means almost six months now. It took me long enough to discover my calling for writing. Each time the thought was that I’ll get down to it some day, soon enough. Each time I convinced myself that I wasn’t yet ready for it. Each time I persuaded myself that my writing skills needed further improvement. (They still do!)

To all those who participated to the Story Continuation Challenge last weekThank you for taking up the challenge. All the responses were amazing, and each one of you took us all on a beautiful journey through your short story. The creativity and story-telling is amazing. Congratulations to you all, for the amazing skills and talent.

Chimpu, an inquisitive but adorable baby monkey, lived with his family and friends in the dense jungles outside the city. His best friends were Jumbo, a big, fat elephant and Pinky, a thoughtful woodpecker. They would often play in the evenings when Pinky and Jumbo would come home from their day’s task of searching for food. During the day, Chimpu was often alone and would play all by himself. He was always running around here and there, scampering up and down the trees, plucking flowers and fruits, and making noises. Chimpu was also very mischievous and even played pranks on his neighbours. All the animals in the jungle loved Chimpu for his innocent antics. They also knew that he would always hide away in the cedar tree if he had been naughty. All the animals loved Chimpu a lot and they always laughed at his cute, innocent pranks and loved him even more each time.monkey.jpg

To all those who participated to the Story Continuation Challenge last weekThank you for taking up the challenge. I was overwhelmed to see the response. Your replies were not just hugely motivating to me, being host blogger, but also immensely creative and interesting. Funny, dark, realistic - each entry brought about a different reaction and vivid images of the story it told. The story that was most liked by us all was Oneta's -
Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Jack, He crawled through a thorn bush and scratched his back.
My personal favourite was Aseena's -
Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Jack. He was unhappy until surgeons helped change the name to Jacqueline. Now she’s happy…
Many congratulations to each participant for your amazing story-telling skills. I personally enjoyed reading each story. Here's the second prompt. Entries will be accepted till Sunday, March  20th, 2016.

The housekeeper walked in and blushed at the sight. It told her a mischievous story. She giggled to herself as she straightened the bedsheets and hummed a romantic tune. The crumpled satin sheets held the promise of a love fulfilled. The mirror must have been a witness to their trysts, she thought naughtily.

I had a huge list of ideas to work on and weave stories out of, during my morning walk earlier today. Why is that the ideas have to strike me at the worst of times? Have you ever noticed they come visiting only when you are at a dinner party with the most chatty person in the adjoining chair or in the elevator when the boss is discussing that all-important career-altering project. Each time nothing is available to be able to jot down the ideas, nor is it feasible to take notes. Imagine using a lip gloss to scribble with on a dinner napkin!