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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Lessons from the LEGO Girl on Blogging from A to Z

K is for Knight | Courtney Pearson's Sketch Blog | Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2012
Your Blogging from A-to-Z Challenge experience can be as simple or as complicated as you make it. Having a theme for the month can be helpful; yet, there is no rule that says you need to have one. So how can you get the most bang for your blogging buck while figuring out what to post every day in April and visiting hundreds of other blogs in the process? Do something that will grab your readers’ attention and get people talking about (and linking to) your blog posts.

Vancouver based artist Courtney Pearson used Legos to depict various subjects such as dancing and tributes to Sherlock Holmes, when she participated in the 2012 Blogging from A-to-Z Challenge. To date, her cute alphabet inspired displays are one of the most memorable blog posts in the history of the challenge. 

What makes Courtney’s theme so interesting is that she bucks the writing trend that packs the A-to-Z Challenge year after year. Most of her blog posts contain one-liners while others are no longer than a single paragraph. Although this former A-to-Z Challenge participant fell short of completing all 26 days of blogging, here are two useful lessons that can be gleaned from her efforts of showing more, writing less and adding a much appreciated touch of whimsy to our alphabet blogathon.

Making Arrangements Says it All

Use food, knickknacks or other items around the house to illustrate a theme related to a letter of the alphabet. For example, try creating a smiley face for the Letter S, using fruit, vegetables or cereal. You could also do a collage depicting what your ideal vacation looks like. New Years may have passed but there is still time to create a vision board for your bucket list, yearly resolutions or general life goals. The A-to-Z Challenge is a good opportunity to share the process of making a collage, showing readers how they can make one on their own using similar materials. This would be PERFECT for those of you who are into scrapbooking.

A Photo a Day Keeps the Writer’s Block at Bay

Take Wordless Wednesdays to another level by posting one image of a person, place or object representing a letter of the alphabet, every day in April. Of course, this means you have to take photos yourself (which is easy since the camera on your cell phone has probably already been taken for a spin many times over). If 26 photos sound daunting to you, consider using images as a backup for days when you don’t have the time or interest in writing yet another 500-word (give or take) blog post to keep up with the letter of the day.

These two lessons can help to make your Blogging from A to Z Challenge fun because they involve less work and more play. So, if at any point you find yourself short on words in April, take these lessons into consideration and you just might survive the A-to-Z Challenge.

What is YOUR plan to ace the Blogging from A-to-Z Challenge this year?

A-to-Z Challenge Co-Host Nicole Ayers writes about magic, theaters and women in the U.S. Navy at The Madlab Post. Chat with her @MadlabPost on Twitter. 

10 comments:

Stephanie Bird said...

Thanks for this advice. This is my second year. I'm greatly looking forward to it. I'm doing a little prep but not writing all my posts in advance. There's an excitement in spontaneity for me. I like the marathon aspect of the challenge. I believe that's its spirit though I respect all the different ways people are going at it.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Oh, I have a plan but I need to do so much more work on it. Now I'm thinking about taking some photoes.

Debbie D. said...

Good ideas! ☺ I used many photos last year, in my "Travel & Culture" theme. Different theme this year, not so dependant on images. I've done all the "grunt work" for each post (logos, blurbs, etc.) and now need to get going on the actual content. The plan is to have them all pre-written, because it was a bit of a scramble last timer.

Arlee Bird said...

Originality and creativity can attract readers who stay with your theme throughout the Challenge. Keeping a following is one of the greatest achievements of a blogger during April and throughout the year.

Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That was a great idea.
I try to rely more on images and keep the text to a minimum. I'm really doing that big time this year.

Michelle Wallace said...

Mine include pics and short snippets of text.

Heather M. Gardner said...

That was a great theme!

Heather

betty said...

Great ideas shared here. I am going very simple with me theme this year. Picture daily plus minimal text.

Betty

MunirGhiasuddin said...

Right now my plan is to read as many posts as possible. More important than what I have to say is what others have to say at this point in my life.

Rob Z Tobor said...

I am having to invent 26 Victorian devices this year. . . . I must be mad.