I is for Inspiration #AtoZChallenge

I is for Inspiration!

Where do you find your inspiration for the A to Z Challenge?

I find it in the everyday moments that spark my attention. I find it in the quiet times and the loud times. I find it in the in-betweens.

Where do you find your inspiration to keep blogging all year long?

This is my struggle. I love doing the A to Z Challenge. (I've tried other challenges, but none of them have grabbed me like A to Z has.) But I struggle to post consistently throughout the other 11 months. Some years I do great, others, not as much. Bringing on a co-blogger to keep me accountable definitely helps! What keeps you inspired all year long?

MASTER LIST https://tinyurl.com/w54yupwe

Hop to as many blogs in the challenge as possible. Grow and strengthen the community.

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#AtoZChallenge X is for...

 

The team's theme of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year is:

ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22

X is for...

Well, indeed, what is X for? Few letters in the alphabet are as difficult as X is. When I set out to write this post, I did some internet searching. I looked for synonyms of "dream" that included the letter X. I figured that even if the words didn't start with X, I could still use them in some clever way. Except...there were none. On an entire webpage of 160 synonyms and antonyms of "dream," there were 7 Xs on the website, most of them in ads and footers, and two in one of the "use the word in a sentence" locations. I went back to brainstorming, and I thought:

Dreams aside, what is your favorite X word?

For my own blog, I am using Rebekah Loper's book The A-Zs of Worldbuilding for my A to Z posts, so I was able to borrow (with permission!) her word: Xenial. Every time I see it, I have to remind myself of its meaning: of, relating to, or constituting hospitality or relations between host and guest and especially among the ancient Greeks between persons of different cities.

As I create my fictional world for my next novel, it's an important thing to think about, and also something to think about as we work toward our dreams. How do the relations with our guests and acquaintances impact the success of our endeavors? Are there expectations we should make ourselves aware of ahead of time? These are important things to ask ourselves as we work toward our dreams!

So please share with us our favorite X word, and maybe its meaning. It's good to learn new things! (And if you're interested in Worldbuilding, Rebekah's book is an excellent help!)

~Jayden R. Vincente

Erotic Fiction Writer at jrvincente.com (Adults only!) 

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Be sure your copy is updated with everyone who signed up for the challenge. Hopping to other blogs to leave comments is half of the challenge!

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Ultimate Uplifting thoughts for (yo)U #AtoZChallenge

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

As we near the end of the month, I thought I would share with you ten Ultimate Uplifting Thoughts. Let these carry you forward.

I’m especially looking at those of you who don’t think you can make it through the last few days. Don’t give up! So what if you post twice in one day to catch up, or if you don’t finish the month but get it done later. You can do it! Use these quotes to help you:

“A big part of being a well-adjusted person is accepting that you can’t be good at everything.” – Kelly Williams Brown

“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” – David Brinkley

“Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.” – Jacques Prevert

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.” – Robert Frost

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” – Robert Collier

“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day, saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” – Margaret Thatcher

“Just because you fail once doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything.” – Marilyn Monroe’

“One thing at a time. Most important thing first. Start now.” – Caroline Webb

What is your favorite Uplifting quote?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

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Ready, Set, Go... into the home stretch! #AtoZChallenge

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

Ready, Set, Go.... into the home stretch of A to Z!

We are getting into the home stretch! We have one more weekend in April. So get ready to jump into the last 8 days! And hopefully, life will be slowing down for me after April. I thought I would share with you some things I am ready to do once the last days of A to Z wind down!

1) Reflect on my adventure of A to Z while I write my Reflections post on May 6th.
2) Read the blogs I missed.
3) Read comments on the blogs I fell in love with.
4) Respond to comments.
5) Rave about awesome blogs I read.
6) Road Trip with A to Z Blogs starting May 20th.
7) Respond to the A to Z Survey between May 3rd and May 18th.
8) Rejuvenate myself to get ready for more writing!
9) Review the novels I’ve read but didn’t review yet.
10) Record your new favorite blogs in an electronic way so you can easily find them again! (aka bookmark them!)

What are you most looking forward to next?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

J is for... #AtoZChallenge

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

Top J words:

1) J
2) Jayden (hey that's me!)
3) John
4) Jeremy

Oh wait, those are just the hosts of the A to Z Challenge. But we won’t forget Arlee and Zalka of course! What a crazy coincidence that so many of us have J names.

I chose to post for J because there are so many awesome J words out there. Names and adjectives, nouns, and verbs. Here are some of my top ten, in no particular order:

The Ten Best J Names:
1) Jayden
2) J
3) John
4) Jeremy
5) Jamie
6) Justin
7) Jesse
8) Jeffrey
9) Juliet
10) Jasmine

The Ten Best J Adjectives:
1) Jaded
2) Jagged
3) Jeering
4) Joking
5) Jumbo
6) Juxtaposed
7) Jolted
8) Jerking
9) Jingling
10) Jealous

The Ten Best J Nouns:
1) Jaywalker
2) Jellyfish
3) Jigsaw
4) Journal
5) Jungle
6) Junkyard
7) Justice
8) Jacket
9) Jetsetter
10) Jogger

The Ten Best J Verbs:
1) Jumping
2) Joking
3) Jabber
4) Jam
5) Jingling
6) Jousting
7) Jumbling
8) Justifying
9) Jarring
10) Joining

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

Decisions, decisions... #AtoZChallenge

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

Decisions, decisions…

There are so many decisions to make when deciding to write a blog. Here are my Top 10 Decisions to make before starting a blog.

10) How often are you going to post? Daily? Weekly? Monthly?
9) Will you write your blog as you, or under a pen name?
8) Do you have the time to read and reply to all the comments people make?
7) What website will you use for your blog? Wordpress? Blogger? Others? There are lots.
6) Are you willing to pay for your blog? Your domain name?
5) How will you get followers? Do you already have people who will follow you, or do you have to go find them?
4) Are you ready to invest time in looking at other blogs? Reading other blogs and commenting is one of the best ways to meet other bloggers.
3) Is your blog unique or is there another one just like it?
2) Have you looked at Blog Hops? Blogs that promote other bloggers?
1) Are you ready to join this fantastic community of bloggers? (Yes! Say yes!)

We hope that all of you out there are loving the blogs you’ve created, and we hope that you’ll keep inspiring others to create blogs. The A to Z Challenge is what inspired me to create my blog, and it has introduced me to the best community of bloggers in the world! Thanks for going on this crazy ride with us!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

B is for Beginnings #AtoZChallenge

The Challenge has officially begun! Yesterday, we posted our first posts, kicking off a month of exciting things to share and discover. So today, it is time to Begin the other fun part of the challenge: The discovery! Go and visit others. Read their beginnings! Catch the new themes right at the start, so that you can bookmark them, follow them, collect them, and keep coming back for more each day.

For me, personally, the the second day is always the one that feels like the Beginning of the challenge. On Day 1, a flood of visitors comes to my blog to check out the very first post - so the second day is the first one when I visit back all the visitors from the day before (this is how I do it, anyway, feel free to steal the system). On the second day, with post already scheduled, I wander from blog to blog all day, and drink in all the excitement of new beginnings. Some blogs will last all month; some won't. It doesn't matter. The kickoff is full of energy, and it makes my day to be a part of it.

Here is to Beginnings! Go visit each other today!


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The A to Z team recommends TimeAndDate or WorldTimeBuddy for your time zone calculation needs.
We post at Midnight GMT.
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the standard by which all time zones are based. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the time zone used for UTC. That's why we use it.

If you wish to visit other blogs in this bloghop challenge who have incorporated today's letter into their current post, please click:
 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1asaY3r3MqrVoqwIUJInZmXRi8H7u0pWRLmxXky7eL64/edit?usp=sharing

Click here for the MASTER LIST of all participants who signed up for the #AtoZchallenge 2018!

The Letter G

You've set your GOAL. You're posting on your blog every day for 26 days, and you're visiting as many blogs as you can daily.

Were you nuts?

Of course. That's part of the fun.

Here's a song to motivate you to move ahead and post that letter H. Listen to it, then charge ahead.

You can do it.

ONE LETTER AT A TIME.

See you at Z!

Organization - What? At This Time of Year?

My office is NOT this organized!

Organization. It is a word at once ominous and yet freeing. For me I find I am very organized right up to a certain point, and that point always changes depending on the things I have to do. Right now I must prepare for Christmas (yes, not the only one I know), blog, study marketing and begin a rough outline of a marketing strategy, try to get some writing and reading done, pay bills (notice where they are in the lineup!), and still remain sane.

From Point A to Point B

I have a group of “online” friends who I correspond with regularly. I find that I turn to them at least once a day to help keep my head organized. Not because they tell me what to do, because they don’t. But having a "point A" to go to whenever I need to get back on track seems to help, like an outline does while I’m working on a story, or a road map does when I'm traveling. Checking in with them helps me return to my path when I’m way out in a field somewhere.

And you? Do you have a method that helps you stay on track? If you share it, we might be able to incorporate something new into our “staying sane” check list. That said, I wish you all happy holidays, and, I’m looking forward to “seeing” you in 2015!

Images from:
tobifairley.com
awtechnology.com

Lisa Buie-Collard is the author of "Evangeline's Miracle". Her new release "The Seventh Man" is coming to Amazon.com in January 2015
Contact her at: lisabuiecollard.com

ROAR into the #atozchallenge !

 When a lion roars in the savannah, it strikes fear into the heart of all that listen to its long drawn out grunts.

But AZers have a different kind of roar. Their roars call to people, help build community, and with each comment they leave in the savannah of blogland, they make new friends, share new joys, acquire new knowledge.

How is the A to Z Challenge treating you? Are you roaring through, or do you sense a flag in energies? Have you made new friends? New followers? Earned comments and appreciation?

If you feel low, go into a room, close all the doors and windows, and roar!

Let all the air and sound and tension rush out of you, and then, when you attack the screen and the list of blogs you need to visit, you'll find renewed energy!

Here's to roaring through the A to Z Challenge!

Not giving up on the #AtoZChallenge

We're in the third week of the A to Z Challenge, and some of us are, understandably, exhausted. I know I am.

But that does not mean we shall give up.

We shall march on ahead, visit more blogs, comment on new blogs, reply to comments we have received, return those comments.

Well, maybe not all of them all the time, but you get my drift.

Go forth and multiply the comments and blog-friends, and at the end of April, you shall be glad you did it.

Here's to NOT GIVING UP ON THE A TO Z CHALLENGE!

If you like #blogging , join the #AtoZchallenge and #AZchat !

 Today, we have Jemima Pett from #TeamDamyanti tells us about how to make the most of the A to Z Challenge.

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So, you’re still wondering whether you can do the A to Z Challenge.  What on earth are you going to write about?  Will anybody read it?

Yes, loads of people will read it.  We pick out interesting-sounding names on the list, or work through the numbers, hoping to find things they wouldn’t normally read.  I find amazing crafts, weird games and fascinating journeys. 

In 2012 I was fairly new to blogging. I stepped right into the Challenge and loved it. So A to Z challenge is a great way to jump-start your blog if you're new to the blogging world.

I’d not long published my first two books and I thought an A to Z of my books’ world would be great.  It was... for me and a handful of people who were up with my stories.  I realised this last year, when I visited people doing character interviews: if your visitors are new, they don’t know your stories, they don’t enjoy the wonderful extra information and insights you’re giving them.  Making an A to Z of my world was good for me, but not my visitors. 

I also did an A to Z of food on my guinea pigs’ blog, George’s Guinea Pig World.  This was more successful, once visitors had got over the shock of having my guinea pig Victor talking to them.  Food is a universal subject. Victor made lots of friends, too, and I think he enjoyed it. Try to choose topics that will have an appeal wider than your niche. If you have a theme, sign up for the A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal.
 

In 2013, I participated with just one blog; I did all the posts in advance and gave myself time to tour round other people’s blogs.  If you have superfast broadband you won’t realise that some blogs can take ages to load for slower systems.  Getting round 20 blogs could easily take me an hour and a half, without the time needed to leave comments and dealing with CAPTCHA.  That’s where I realised the value of keeping posts short, and also having identities on Blogger and WordPress so I was always logged in for comments. 

TURN CAPTCHA OFF. Go and check now on your blog if you have it on-- some bloggers have CAPTCHA and don't realize it. It turns off vistors like nothing else.

During the Challenge people like to visit, wave (i.e. comment or like) and move on.  In 2013 my short stories ranged from 50 words to 2000.  It’s good for regular posting but too much for the Challenge. Keep AZ posts short. Respond to comments you receive, and go and comment back. 

There will be two Challenge chats at #AZchat on Twitter today-- one at 1-3 PM hosted by AZ co-hots Pam Margolis and her team, and another at 8-9 PM, hosted by Guilie Castillo Oriard with support from #teamdamyanti, discussing Commenting during the A to Z Challenge. Join in!

This year, I’ll be blogging on a special theme, to be revealed for the A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal.  I’ll also be revealing the cover of my new book, Bravo Victor, on April 2^nd.  Come and check it out at and enter the Giveaway, too! If you have a book or any cause to promote, do it during the A to Z Challenge in order to get a good response.
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Are you pre-scheduling your AZ posts? Do you have a theme? Are you already visiting other bloggers from the A to Z Challenge signup list?

The #AtoZChallenge Way of Lasting #Blogging Relationships

Today I welcome Guilie Castillo Oriard to talk about making lasting relationships during the month of April, when we all do some A to Z Challenge Blogging!

Take it away, +Guilie  !

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Join the A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal!

If you’re reading this, you probably know exactly how many days—hours, even—are left before April 1^st. You can’t wait. I know. I’m like that, too.

Or was. Until I realized it’s not about April. April is only the opportunity—which I have squandered. Repeatedly.

Believing the A-to-Z Challenge is about April is like believing a play is about opening night. It’s your goal, what you’re working towards—operating word being working. Plenty to do before then. An actor shows up on opening night without having gone to a single rehearsal… Well.

The Challenge is only the beginning. The rules may require a post a day, but there’s a reason for all that frenzy. It’s about relationships. If we create them right, they will last way beyond April.

The Plan:

1 Write my posts ahead of time—as should you, and if you ask why then I give you a hearty hug of welcome, because it must be your first A-to-Z.

2 Start building my A-to-Z network now. With 2,000 blogs in the Challenge, I won’t be able to visit them all even overdosing on caffeine. But if I begin to engage with like-minded bloggers, that means I’m free during April for pure blog-hopping and commenting. Which leads nicely to the next point.

   But first: how does one achieve this engaging?

•         visit the main A-to-Z blog and the hosts (in the sidebar to the right), and the Team of Assistants. Check out the people that leave interesting comments

•  visit as many of the blogs on the list as you can, before April. 5 new blogs a day will still take you to about 200 blogs!

•         sign  up for the #A2ZReveal hop

•         join the A-to-Z communities on Facebook and G+

•         follow @AprilA2Z on Twitter and start your own Twitter list of A-to-Z participants

3 Never again leave a generic copy-paste comment. Do we really think no one notices? The people we visit also visit others, and see our comment there is—gasp!—identical to what we wrote on their site. That really plants the seed for enduring connections.

No need to write a Tolstoy novel to make a comment thoughtful. It’s like speed dating. You can go through the checklist in your hand without even looking at the other person, or you can meet their eyes and try, for the three minutes you have together, to find out what makes them special.

4 Include a working link to my blog on every comment. Nothing more frustrating than trying to connect with someone whose link takes me on a merry chase around the web. Here’s how to create a link that never fails:

 

Thanks Vidya Sury for this blogging trick!

Go on, try the linky signature in the comments below. Chocolate chip cookies to successful signatures!

5 Read up on these awesome tips by Alex J Cavanaugh, on how to make commenting easy!For some extra tips, visit Richa Singh's A to Z Challenge tips.

 Relationships make the world, especially the blogging world, go round. Go forth and conquer April, A-to-Z-ers! And if you want to build some great blog relationships rightaway, consider joining the team of AZ assistants. Express your interest in the comments below to get signed up!

Do you have a strategy for making comments? Which bloggers do you visit most, and why?

How Important is #Collaboration in the #Blogging Community? #atozchallenge

Composers for Relief: An Album of Collaboration

Arlee Bird started the A to Z April Blogging Challenge to encourage a feeling of community amongst bloggers-- scores of bloggers have benefited through this challenge and will do so again this year. This was made possible through the collaboration of the co-hosts, (Lee, Alex, Tina,  Jeremy, Nicole, Stephen, Heather, AJ, MJ Pam, and yours truly,of course.

Today, one of the members of #TeamDamyanti , +Samantha Geary Jones, is here with a post on collaboration, and how it resulted in an awesome project that might help lives come back to normal in the typhoon-ravaged areas of Philippines. Take it away, +Samantha!

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We all have hopes and dreams. Our hope is our strength. It’s what inspires us to be greater. What pushes us to venture beyond what we know and take a chance. A chance to inspire. A chance to be inspired. A chance to make a difference.

Imagine what we can accomplish, together.

When talents and dreams converge--that’s when the real magic begins.

And that’s exactly what happened in December of 2013. In the tragic wake of the worst natural disaster in Philippines history, over 30 compassionate composers and 28 amazing authors from across the globe, collaborated on a compassionate project to support the relief efforts in the most devastated areas ravaged by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

The charity event began with the Composers for Relief album--28 tracks embodying a sense of hope and triumph from the brilliant minds of film composers and musicians. Each track inspired an author’s tale, reflecting the soul of the notes with well woven words. These 29 stories transport you Beyond the Binding of the imagination in heart pounding sci fi, enchanting fantasy and gripping slices of realism.

Even now, the collaboration has captured the creative minds of film students at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Malaysia, whose GLOBAL VISUAL HARMONIES project, under the direction of Ray Kril, adds a stunning element of hope in the form of short films inspired by the album.

 

I can’t think of a better way to build a community--one that transcends crafts and continents, cultures and creeds. Consider collaborating with your fellow bloggers and friends, authors and artists, musicians and filmmakers. 

That’s what the A to Z challenge is all about, coming together as a blogging community. In this challenge bloggers from all fields are welcomed, and it can become a cauldron of collaborative creativity.

Let’s take it to the next level-- reach out to one another. Take a chance. YOU can make a difference--you need only try. It’s amazing what we can accomplish, together. 

Begin the journey today by visiting the other bloggers in the A to Z Challenge Sign-up list. Or take part in the A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal. By the time the challenge starts, you would have made friends, and who knows, even thought of a project to do together-- which would enrich your life, and that of others.

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Beyond the Binding is available NOW on Amazon & Smashwords in all ebook formats . Cover designed by Jennifer Redstreake Geary

Composers for Relief is available NOW on ITunes, Amazon, CDBaby & Spotify

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 Have you taken part in a creative, collaborative project? Teamed with other bloggers to create something new, hosted a blogging event together? Has the A to Z challenge resulted in creative ideas of collaboration for you?