This was my second time participating in the Blogging A-Z Challenge. It was touch and go for a while there whether I would reach my goal of having a new post for each day last month. The closest I came to NOT achieving my goal was a post I managed to write and submit at 11:50 p.m! Phew.. that was close. It was not the most exciting read, but hey, my determination helped me finish what I had set out to do.
What worked for me this year:
Picking a theme ahead of time.
Using a calendar and mapping out my ideas. I gave myself several options per letter, at times. And, it turns, out, I changed my mind completely on some of them. But at least I had a plan.
Writing short posts. Letting go of perfection, and just getting 'er done.
Pre-writing some of the posts. I probably had about 6 written before April began. And because I knew I'd be out of town, I zipped ahead to those days and finished those first. That took off a lot of the pressure.
Visiting the blogs of those who commented on my blog. I didn't have the time or inclination to visit all the participants in the Challenge, so this way, I wasn't overwhelmed with the 'shoulds'. Some define success by increasing their readership by leaps and bounds, but I'm not one of them. If I find a few new blogs that I can relate to, I'm happy to follow them. And if they follow me, that's great, too. And that was accomplished. I just don't have the time to follow 500 people. I did enjoy perusing quite a few blogs, though. So many interesting, witty, inspiring, hilarious, creative, wise people out there!
I'm not gonna lie, a few times I wondered why I was doing this, especially when I felt I should be putting my energy towards other activities. I wasn't always enjoying it, and it seemed like a chore. I suppose my theme wasn't the most inspiring. But, I did push through, and definitely there is a sense of accomplishment that goes with that. I get to put the completion badge up on my sidebar, too. ;)
Anyway, thanks to all who stopped by and took the time to scan through my posts. I hope you found a book or two that you might like to read! And thanks to all of you who posted daily in April, and made the A-Z Challenge such a success. Thanks to Arlee Bird and his trusty band of bloggers who kept us all on track!
Now, I'm going to focus on some Spring activities, and catch some sun!
I love your concluding comments. They echo my thoughts. It's been fun going through some of the reflections, especially some of the new follows I began during A to Z, and saying, "Oh yeah, that was me too." I am glad we met and share a common love for the Lord. I join you in the thanks. God bless, Maria at Delight Directed Living
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the completion of the Challenge and the great Reflection Post.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
A TO Z AMBASSADOR.
Well done on making it to the end of the A to Z, there are many who see it as a numbers game but it is best to follow only those blogs you enjoy and have followers who enjoy what you write.
ReplyDeleteBlogging is a strange game so all the best in the future.
Rob Z Tobor
Congratulations on finishing A to Z! Visiting, Following & Inviting you to my blog. http://whenkateblogs.blogspot.com/ Looking forward to 2014
ReplyDeleteI like the challenge of blogging, but I'm glad it's over! I enjoyed your theme, and purchased or downloaded a few of the books you featured. I also didn't feel I had to try to visist every site, especially since throughout the challenge I found some I liked and kept revisiting. I got more out of it that way. I am looking forward to seeing what else you have posted. I thought I had already followed you but couldn't find my name on your list, so sorry if I've managed to follow you twice.
ReplyDeleteMission accomplished, congratulations!
ReplyDeleteEvalina, This and that...
Congrats on surviving another A to Z! And...
ReplyDeleteI nominated you for a Liebster award! You can accept it here:
http://bev-thebevelededge.blogspot.com/
Way to go! I liked the part about letting go of perfection. I'm going to practice that myself next year.
ReplyDelete