April Writing Challenges & Camp Nano End, May Challenges Begin!

Camp Nano 2020, the April edition, is finally complete. With the end of this month, also comes the end of the 30 Day Song Challenge. Read on to see how things went.

Camp Nano April 2020 - #Victory!

I was so excited when I finally reached my Camp Nano goal. If you thought 50k was a challenge, try 85k. Even if you're mostly editing, like I was, it's still quite the challenge to set aside the time needed to get through that many words in a month. On Monday, I participated in my second writing sprint with Emily Bourne on her YouTube channel. Those have been exceedingly helpful. The bottom photo shows my progress during the second writing sprint video. If you'd like to check out Emily's YouTube channel, click here. I've always enjoyed her cheerful attitude toward writing and living the author life.
Did you participate in Camp Nano this past month? If so, how did you do?

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#30DaySongChallenge Wrap-Up Days 24 - 30

Here were the prompts for the past week:

• Day 24 - Song you like by a band you wish was still together - "Harsh" by Adam Again - This song's lyrics never fail to make me smile. "So now be a dear and leave me alone. Don't come by or call up my phone. And if there is somewhere that you need to be...try not being here with me." Cracks me up every time because everyone has been in this place and how many of us wish we'd written these lyrics? XD
  
• Day 25 - Song you like by an artist who's no longer living - "Pennies From Heaven" by Billie Holiday
• Day 26 - Song that makes you want to fall in love - (I had to dig deep for this one. I don't really feel like there are songs that make me want to fall in love, as much as they make me want to show my loved ones I do love them.) - "The Antithesis of Blue" by The Choir is a song that speaks about married life in a clear and personal way. I just enjoy the lyrics and think, "Wow! Yeah, that's so like us!"
  
• Day 27 - Song that breaks your heart - I was torn between "How Deep the Father's Love for Us" (I think by Stuart Townend) and "How Could You Leave Us" by NF  but I ended up sharing the first one because it always brings me to tears. I can barely sing the song when we do it in church. The lyrics are very real to me.
  The second song breaks my heart on a different level. I love that NF pours out his thoughts and feelings about a horrible situation that he couldn't make any better. "Heartbreaking" is definitely a good word for the message in this song because I know there are many children who have to deal with the same thing as he did. So I left the second song in the playlist because it's just a really good song - soulful and meaningful.
  
• Day 28 - Song by an artist with a voice you love - "Bad Company" by Five Finger Death Punch was my original choice because Ivan Moody has one of those voices that just really draws my ear. But I decided to share "Fear is Not My Guide" by Demon Hunter. Ryan Clark's vocal range in very nice, as is his timbre. That resonance is just so beautiful. Plus, the lyrics for the song are so much more positive than "Bad Company." XD
  
• Day 29 - Song from your childhood - "Blueberry Hill" by Fats Domino - This one used to be my absolute favorite when I was little, around kindergarten. I can remember sitting in an old cane rocker and rocking back and forth while listening to Fats Domino and Hank Williams. I have to say, Fats Domino probably inspired me more when it came to playing piano than any other person.
  
• Day 30 - Song that reminds you of yourself - "What You Think I Am" by The Choir - As soon as I heard the lyrics for this song, I was like, "Yep, that's me." :D

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#1WordPromptChallenge  Days 24 - 30

The prompts and their quotes:

• Day 24 & 25 - Guide/Follow - (I put these two together because I was behind and this snippet fit both of the prompts.) - "Follow me home. It's not so far he'll be harmed by it." The Serafin'an grabbed one arm and Outh'n the other. They sped behind Binya.
• Day 26 - Day - (Day and Dawning are the same thing in Y'Dahnndrya) - This seemed to be the dawning he'd lose his lower jaw to surprises.
  
• Day 27 - Night - "Well, I'll let you two get back home." To Kol, he reiterated, "My offer stands. Call me if you need me. I am, after all, your second." Kol's agreement came quickly and Outh'n stepped through the portal into the symphony of night which welcomed the sudden drizzle.
  
• Day 28 - Basement - (There are no basements in Yacan. However, one could visit the roots.) - "Indeed, that you've mastered it so quickly is fantastic. But let's see you win a race through the roots."
  
• Day 29 - Attic - (Again, there are no references to attics in this book. But one could take a trip into the canopy.) - When he finally face her, he'd leaned against the trunk and crossed his arms over his chest. "It must be nice living up there in the canopy."
  
• Day 30 - Backward - A sudden prickling under her feet recalled her attention to the task at hand but not before she slipped. Arms flailing, she uttered a strangled cry. Before it grew into a fully fledged scream, the Ammir snagged her arm within a crushing grip and hauled her roughly back onto the branch-path.
  

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I'm so glad you stopped to check out the blog today! If you saw something you liked, drop a comment below and come back to read next Wednesday's bookish post or next Friday's writing challenge update post. See you then!