Thursday, May 2, 2013

A-Z Challenge Reflections


Wow!  April flew by far more quickly than I could have imagined.  As much fun as it was, it's good to take a breath now that it's over.  

I started blogging in January 2012.  I could have joined the A-Z Challenge that year.  I certainly heard plenty about it beforehand, but something held me back. I think, being so new the blogging community, I felt intimidated by the size of the challenge.  All those people, and dedicating myself to a whole month of blogging, seemed overwhelming.  Now, having been through it, I wish I hadn't let my nerves get the best of me that first year.

All in all, I'm happy that I chose to write a serialized story for the A-Z Challenge. I knew it wouldn't be easy, and it wasn't, but I'm pleased with the result. Granted, it would have been easier if I completed the story before the challenge began, and I fully intended to do it that way.  It simply wasn't the way things worked out.  Instead I felt the pressure of writing new installments while also keeping up with the demands of doing the challenge on my other blog.  Yet I survived, and in so doing, I proved to myself that I still work well under pressure.

Most importantly, though, I had a lot of fun.  If you can't have fun with something like this, there's no point in doing it.  

However, I still have my kids and other responsibilities, so time was an issue.  I wish I could have visited more blogs than I did, though I certainly met a number of excellent bloggers over the course of this challenge.  Hopefully I can continue to check out new blogs from the challenge list over the next few months.  After all, it's never too late to set out to meet someone new in the blogosphere!

I hope to take part again next year, and maybe I'll be more organized the second time around.  And even if I'm not as organized as I hope to be, I'm sure it'll still turn out okay.

Thanks to the challenge hosts for stopping by on occasion and offering support and encouragement.  Thanks also to everyone else who wandered here and left wonderful comments.  I love sharing things with all of you!  Why else would I be here?

Did you participate in the A-Z Challenge this year?

40 comments:

  1. Sadly, I did not get to participate this year. But congrats on finishing the challenge!

    www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

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  2. I thought your series was great! I'm mentioning it in my post tomorrow.
    I'd only been blogging about five months when I heard about the first one. I was one of the last to sign up. We were much smaller that year, but it changed my blog forever, and I'll always be grateful to Lee for starting it.

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  3. Congratulations of getting through the challenge. I agree, it did get tough but it was always fun.

    Rhonda from Laugh Quotes

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  4. Congratulations on finishing and doing two blogs, but your story was excellent and I can't wait to see it on Amazon!

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  5. Having fun is what its all about! Through the struggles I went through I still had a great time with the event.

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  6. You continually impress me, pumping out so much writing so consistently. But having fun and meeting folks is what it's all about. And in that, you excelled as well.

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  7. You hit one of the main objectives--having fun. If you don't have fun with it then it's a chore. It's one of the best ways I know to do some networking and add content to your site while having a good time doing it. Thanks for trying it out and I hope to see you next year!

    Lee
    An A to Z Co-Host
    Tossing It Out

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  8. Congrats! Fun is good! I think your blog was one of the first I visited during the challenge this year. Great stuff.
    Jess/Blogging on the Brink

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  9. Congrats on finishing! I did a story a day and I didn't write any of them ahead of time... Next time I will lol. It was fun though.Simply Sarah

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  10. Congratulation on finishing. I'll have to look over your blog; I don't think it was one I got to.

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  11. Oh wow, I'm glad I wasn't the only one crazy enough to do an entire story. I think next year I'll make it easier on myself. I'll have to come back and read yours. Congrats on finishing!

    History Sleuth's Writings A to Z mini-mystery

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  12. I love the A to Z challenge and this is the first one of three that I actually managed to complete! Here's to next year!

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  13. Pleased you enjoyed the Challenge, I had my 26 poems done by last Christmas on to have left them in Spain so did mine day by day in the end, so much for organisation. Hopefully see you next year.
    Yvonne
    A to Z AMBASSADOR.

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  14. I didn't get to make to your blog during the challenge, but I'm glad I've wandered over here now. Sounds like you had a great theme and one that required a lot of work. Kudos on making it all the way!

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  15. Congrats on finishing the A to Z!

    This was my first year too, and it was great fun, but also time consuming. I'm also, like you, still making my way around all the blogs who joined in, there just wasn't enough April to get round them all.

    A serialised story is a good idea, I didn't think of that and it sounds like a hell of a challenge, well done - we did drabbles on the fiction blog I'm on, Fantasy Boys XXX. Like you, I also had two blogs in the challenge, one fiction, the other one my personal blog is a complete mixture :).

    Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles
    Fantasy Boys XXX

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  16. I have done 3 challenges so far, and I have never felt perfectly in control any of those 3 times. It's been fun every time, but exhausting too. ;)

    Well done on achieving your first A-Z success!! :D

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  17. Congrats! It is hard - that's why it's a Challenge! I barely made it myself...and I'm a co-host...You sound like an ideal Road Tripper! Make sure you stop by the A-Z Blog on 5/8 to learn all about it!
    Tina @ Life is Good
    Co-host, April 2013 A-Z Challenge Blog
    @TinaLifeisGood, #atozchallenge

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  18. Yep - it is a challenge! Good work and blog on ...Jan Morrison

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  19. I love A to Z! This was my second. Looking forward to next year.

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  20. Congrats! I wish I had been able to visit more~
    Job well done...
    :D

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  21. You'll definitely be more prepared and confident next year! My first year participating was in 2011, and I was quickly overwhelmed. But last year and this year were smooth sailing! Congrats on finishing your first A to Z Blogging Challenge!!

    Happy reading and writing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines

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  22. Hang on - you *didn't* do A to Z last year??? Then how the heck did we "meet?" I coulda sworn it was through A to Z.
    Some Dark Romantic

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    1. I'm not sure how we met. I know that I used last year's A-Z list to visit other bloggers, even though I didn't post anything. That might be it. Either way, however it happened, I'm glad we did "meet!"

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  23. Time definitely became an issue, especially when real life was loud, bold and not to be ignored. I hear you well on that score. Meeting new bloggers is always a big perk, getting to know them the rest of the year is a bonus not to be missed. Glad to have met you this year and looking forward to getting to know you better:)

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  24. Congrats on crossing the finish line with such an awesome serial *which I still need to finish reading*! I can identify with your take on the challenge *also wrote new serial, daily, while exceeding the recommended daily allowance of coffee*! Enjoy the break and take time for yourself to celebrate:)

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  25. I agree, it needs to be fun or why do it.

    Congrats on finishing!

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  26. Congratulations! This was my first too and your blog is just wonderful.

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  27. I agree! This was fun. Congratulations for finishing!
    Wooo hooo! We rock!
    Connie

    Peanut Butter and Whine

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  28. Thanks for sharing your experience. I hope to post mine soon, but as you said, it's good to take a breather when it is over. Congratulations on finishing .

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  29. Like you, I didn't get to visit nearly as many blogs as I intended. But I, too, survived! Congrats on finishing your first challenge! And doing a serialized story is HARD! I did that last year and I loved every minute of it but WHEW! I did NOT do that again this year!

    Nice to "meet" you! And you're right; it's never too late to check out all those blogs we missed.

    Cheers,
    Jen

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  30. Stopping by from the #atozchallenge . Congratulations my fellow reflector post maker!
    @JLenniDorner

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  31. Congratulations on finishing the challenge! I was so overwhelmed my first year and my second and my third year:)
    You are right though, it is always fun.
    doreenmcgettigan.com

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  32. Congratulations, LG, on partaking in the A-Z this year. Like you I will be taking my time, over my morning coffee, to get acquainted with bloggers that took part in the Challenge.

    I use the Reflections list as my starting point - first it's shorter, and I think those that went the distance and not only did the A-Z bit and now the followup post are definitely up there on my "must read" list.

    Last year I did a story broken into 26 pieces so I am looking forward to reading yours.

    Cheers,
    Jenny @ PEARSON REPORT

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  33. I agree that it was an enjoyable challenge. I, too, was surprised I could work under pressure. Hope to see you next year!


    MakingtheWriteConnections

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  34. Thank you for participating in the A to Z Challenge this year. I'm glad to know that your 2013 plunge into our massive alphabet blogging party was a positive experience and am even more delighted that you had enough fun to want to participate in the next one!

    Since there is never enough time in the day to visit everyone...or at least as many blogs as we would like to visit during April, the Post A-to-Z Road Trip makes it possible to continue meeting bloggers from the April sign-up list...all throughout the year. That's what I'm doing to read many of the blogs I missed in April. The more, the merrier :)

    ~Nicole
    2013 #atozchallenge Co-host
    www.madlabpost.com

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  35. Waaaaay delayed on getting around to the reflections. I'm glad you came away from the A-to-Z feeling positive. My very first one, I had only posted about three times, sporadically, and had no idea what I was doing.

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse

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  37. Like you I was very unorganised this year but promise to do better next.

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