Camp NaNoWriMo began on April 1st and with it started my attempt to write a novel. I have no idea how it's done. I've been writing for about 6 months now. I started with a few prompts from Writing101 and from there ventured in writing short pieces of fiction, among other genres. A few of my fiction (and humour) pieces were well received and BAM!! I declared myself to be the 'Writer of the Year'. With the experience of only a short stories and a few non-ficton articles, I was still a novice. And yet, this March I decided to attempt a novel. Self-doubts, notwithstanding. Currently, I'm up to 5000 Words. I've given myself a target of 10,000 words. And it's just the 6th of April. I have ample time to complete the rest. That's what anyone would think. Maybe, even me. But no! I don't have ample time. Deduct the 4 days I'll be out on a family vacation, remove a few days of travel fatigue, laziness, sickness and binge-watching TV shows and I have just a day or two over two weeks. Which scares me a lot. 

Thank you for participating in last week's challenge. Here are the best stories for last week's prompt. Sandra's story had maximum likes. (No surprises there! :D )
As the sun set over the horizon, a deathly stillness descended with it. Her ashes drifting away, he clutched the sacred box, dreading his new life without her.
My personal favourite was a last minute entry; by Ankita.
As the sun set over the horizon, a deathly stillness descended with it. They will come back for me but I ain’t scared anymore because I have got nothing to lose. As I hold your lifeless body in my arms, I pledge to avenge your death, my love.
I loved her story so much that it inspired me to go far beyond what was written. I'm also going to try to write my own take of the story she started. She is also working on a longer one. I'm sure it's going to be very interesting to see how both our stories turn out. You're free to do that too. Would love to read what stories you all come up with. (Remember to ping-back and include the mandatory mention/credits :) ) Here's this week's prompt - 

Once again, thank you to all of you for participating in the previous week's challenge. I loved reading your stories, and it amazes me each time to see such amazing story-telling in such few lines. Last week's prompt was as random as it could be and yet the responses were inspiring and creative. My personal favorite was Luke's although I hate having to deal with a dead mouse. The story liked most was the poem written by Sandra. If you haven't already read her Friday Fiction, do so now. :) (Caution: Proceed only if you are 18+ ;) ) This week's prompt is -

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

He stealthily followed the lady in black. Tall, muscular and lithe, he was easily able to keep her in his sight even in the crowded street. The dark night and the milling crowd provided him a perfect camouflage. crowdedstreet She was alone and her demeanor quite carefree. It made her a perfect mark, he smirked. He wondered what she looked like. Her lustrous, wavy hair cascaded down her shapely back, giving her a typically feminine look. Her fitted jeans and tight shirt enticed him further. He licked his lips and quickened his pace. She dropped something on the way, he noted. A crooked smile twisted his already scarred face. It gave him a perfect opening to chat up with her. He languidly picked up the small card.

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.