Now the end is nigh and the finish line is in sight: three more posts to go and you'll be an A to Z Challenge Winner!
On my blog, I've been writing about the nonprofit Project Why and their unsung heroes, and will be sad once the challenge is done.
Don't let up on your blog: keep the Adrenalin pumping.
Visit those who have commented on your posts.
Follow back those who have followed you.
Follow them on social media, too.
The more visits and comments you do in a day, the more you shall get out of the challenge.
Time enough to take a break once you're done with the challenge!
Do not forget the A to Z Reflections Post on 9th of May, about which we will talk about soon: this will be your chance to give us feedback. What did we do well? What could be done better?
For now, go visit a blog or two, or five or fifty! The A to Z Challenge list is waiting for you!
For the alphabet D, Samantha Redstreake Geary from D's Company (I was tempted to make this D for Damyanti, but asked Samantha instead, who I clearly see is no better at Discipline than me!) offers her tongue-in-cheek take.
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Today, I’m dishing out a big helping of “D” with a side of irony, considering I rarely choose Discipline at the all-you-can-do buffet. Let’s be honest. Discipline is the kale on the salad bar of life. You know it’s good for you, but you’ve only so much room and so little time, and that treasure trove of desserts is whispering sweet nothings like there’s no tomorrow. And then, when tomorrow rears its ugly head at the crack of dawn, you’ll look back on those empty calorie hours with a pounding regret hangover and think to yourself, I should’ve had the kale.
Rinse and repeat.
What IF, one day, while grazing in the pasture of possibility, you decided to give the questionable green leaves a shot. This time, you ignore the sugar-laden distractions, seize the salad tongs, and load up on vitamin-infused productivity. When tomorrow comes, self-reproach is replaced with satisfaction. And before too long, you’ll feel so fulfilled you won’t give that syrupy stack of procrastination a second glance because kale is where it’s at.
Recap
Kale = Discipline
Eat your kale EVERY DAY, and you’ll be well on your way to achieving your aspirations and one step closer to becoming an organic, shade grown, fair trade, bird sanctuary badass!
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Which is to say, now that you're in the A to Z Challenge, stick with your blogging discipline, even though on some days it feels like chewing on steamed Kale!
On a more serious note, D is for Determination, Drive and Daring. You'll need all of it while you dish out posts on the remaining 22 days of April!
Today's post is from Vidya Sury, who is part of my team for this A to Z 2016.
Some of us co-hosts are still finalizing our teams, so if have participated in the challenge before, and want a turbo-charged AZ this time, email us at the contact address: contactatozteam@gmail.com
That I love to write, is a given. I do occasionally take part in other blogging/writing challenges. But why am I absolutely hooked to the A to Z Challenge?
I first learned about the A to Z Challenge in 2013 when Damyanti of Daily (W)rite tagged me on Twitter. I fell in love with the concept. Blogging daily with thousands of people in a specific pattern appealed to me tremendously. So many perspectives and so many genius themes and ideas to meet! The whole idea filled me with joy and I energetically jumped in.
I could think of nothing but ideas for April - my kitchen shelf was full of my scribbling. My writing pad was filled with doodles and mind mapping for ideas. My friends and family got a bit tired of me trying to fit everything into the A to Z sequence. I suspect they loved it, though!
So, in my first A to Z Challenge in 2013, I participated with one blog. In 2014, 2 blogs, in 2015, 3 blogs.
This year, 2016, I am participating with 4 blogs - I enjoy the challenge so much.
Why A to Z Challenge is my favorite :
It keeps my adrenaline pumping and my writing muscles flexed and ready
I get back into the groove with posting regularly on two of my 5 blogs.
It encourages planning ahead - this is a major life lesson I follow in other areas of life, but not always with blogging. To truly enjoy blogging challenges, planning is critical.
It boosts my creativity, making me think of freaky ways to entertain my readers, rather than just give them info. Yes, I like to think they love me!
I get to meet new and wonderful bloggers via the challenge. I've met several who are fast friends now, location no bar!
I've been part of a co-host's team for two years and enjoy the team work behind the scenes, team spirit and fun. Sort of like a girl gang, only wiser! (You can join in the teams too-- write to the email on top!)
The A to Z is a great way to actually plan your book if you aspire to write one. I mean, write around a theme for 30 days and you have a pretty good premise for a book or an anthology!
If you believe that travel broadens the mind, youíve got to believe that blog-hopping also broadens the mind, and heart.
Talking of travel, I almost always travel in April, but that doesn't stop me from sailing through the challenge, thanks to the kicks encouragement of my supporters!
The learning. This is tremendous. Can you believe I actually converted from being a pantser to a scheming theming planner Yes I did! Go check out last year's letters to my son! I have to confess a theme feels good and keeps you focused.
I love getting in a couple of guest posts from my blogging friends and highlighting them as there are usually more visitors in April and that makes me feel good.
I enjoy doing the Reflectionspost - what activity is complete without a review and some learning points - and how to do it better next time, eh?
The A to Z encourages me to explore my own writing abilities and I am surprised to discover how much more I am capable of.
Consistent writing and online conversations are good for ranking- which means more paid opportunities for your blog.
So it is hardly surprising I am doing it this year - and will continue to do it for as long as I blog!
To sum up, the April A to Z Challenge is, hands down, the best motivation for bloggers to write, connect and grow.
Let's just say, if you like blogging, if you need the motivation to get back in the groove, the A to Z Challenge is for you! So what are you waiting for? Grab a few of your blogging buddies and Go sign up NOW!
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Vidya Sury is living her dream as a Writer | Editor | Blogger | Social media explorer, after a couple of decades in the corporate world in marketing and training (sales and soft skills). She blogs at Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, tweets as @vidyasury and flits around Facebook.
The A to Z Blogging Challenge already has nearly 700 signups, but we want more, more! This post is for those of you who haven't added your name to the list yet.
The A to Z Challenge is 26 posts on 26 days of April, on a theme of your choice, or without a theme.
The Challenge is not for you if:
1. You don't want to grow your blog audience
2. If you don't want more followers.
3. If you don't like networking.
4. If you don't like posting more than once a week or month.
5. If you don't like the alphabet (Like our very own Gary Pennick! Love you, Gary!)
With the above reasons, you're right, the A to Z Challenge is not for you. You might be fence-sitting for other reasons:
1. You're very busy in April (That's all right, really--you can schedule your posts now!)
2.
You're scared by the idea of writing everyday. (It's ok, you don't have
to. As above, you can pre-schedule some/ most/ all your posts)
3. You're worried you may not be able to handle all the comments that come in. (Ditto as above-- pre-write all your posts so you can comment away and respond to comments in April!)
4. You did not get many comments last time you tried. (We might have a solution for you Here)
So there you go: 8 shiny reasons for you (not) to join the challenge. For a gazillion reasons to join the challenge, check this post, and this one, and this one.
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!
You don't have to speed up your daily posting frequency to get more followers,
You don't need to use multiple letters to be clever,
Ain't no particular blogging style we favor among participants,
We just want you to finish the challenge with us by following this:
Keep
It
Simply
Sequential
One letter a day keeps the A-to-Z Challenge minions at bay.
One letter a day keeps your blog on schedule with our 2014 alphabet partay.
It only takes one letter a day....except on Sundays.
Then and only then (on Sundays) will we have off for good behavior and can go out, or stay inside to play!
What are YOUR favorite topics for Letter K that YOU read about while visiting A-to-Z blogs on the list today?
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
ComposersforRelief 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 BeyondtheBinding 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 GLOBALVISUALHARMONIES project, under the direction ofRayKril, 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 AtoZchallenge 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.
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?
For those of us who have been part of the A to Z Challenge with Arlee Bird or Lee and the rest of the team, this challenge needs no introduction.
Lately, I've seen quite a bit of interest about the challenge on Twitter and Facebook tho, so I'll quote an explanation of the A to Z challenge from Lee, who founded it:
Most of the time if you subtract Sundays from April, you then have 26 days--one day for each letter of the alphabet. When April 1st lands on a Sunday you begin on that day which will be the only Sunday you would post during that month's challenge.
Using this premise, you would start beginning April First with a topic themed on something with the letterA, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until you finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z. It doesn't even have to be a word--it can be a proper noun, the letter used as a symbol, or the letter itself. The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day.
Most of you are probably familiar with Sue Grafton and her best selling series of detective novels known as the "Alphabet Series" that started in 1982 with "A" Is For Alibi up to her most recent "V" Is For Vengeance". She has made a franchise with the series and there have been other authors who have taken similar approaches. This Blogging From A to Z Challenge will be in the same vein.
So, for those of us on #blogchat here's a good challenge to bookmark for April 2013-- it welcomes diverse topics from parenting to quilting to gardening and writing, and a whole gamut of subjects in between. I can personally say that it helped my blog and twitter to be part of this challenge, not to mention the hordes of blog-friends I made, and the e-book I published.
So, if you're looking to boost your blog, keep Blogging From A to Z Challenge in your schedule and follow @AprilA2Z on twitter (and this site, of course) , for updates!
This post is brought to you by AZ co-host Damyanti, from Amlokiblogs.
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Most bloggers who've been around for a while know what guest posts are all about. Simply put, one blogger writes a post for another's blog, on a topic which is of interest to both.
During the A to Z Challenge however, we hosted a lot of participants who are relatively new to blogging, so here's a little more about guest posting:
1. Guest posting on a blog increases your exposure: If you're able to interest the host's audience in what you've got to say, some of them will check out your blog and if they like what they see, they will follow you.
2. Guest posting allows you to showcase your expertise: A host blog is always looking for a fresh perspective on the topics it deals with--- and when you appear as a guest, you share your expertise in your field. Win-win. Guest posting at blogs on a topic gives you more authority.
3. Guest posting can be an exchange affair: Most hosts would be happy to write up a post for you should you need it--this brings all their audience to your blog!
4. Guest posting gives you Link-love: Hosts always link to the blog of the guest (as well as website and social networks). This is a good thing-- the more genuine links with other blogs, the better your blog's ranking on search engines.
With that out of the way, we'd like to invite all A to Z challenge participants to guest-post for this site.
The posts could be on any topic--from writing, blogging, editing to gaming, gardening or cooking. Go on, share your viewpoint with us, your expertise. Or talk about what you would do if you hosted the A to Z challenge-- we're good listeners!
Guest posts on the site will ensure you all hear from others besides us co-hosts, and would provide exposure for you, your book or product. Multiple guest posts from the same blogger can also be discussed. If interested, contact AZ co-host, the awesome Tina, who runs the schedule of this site: 2012AZinfo at gmail dot com
We are waiting to hear from You!
Leaving you with an A to Z video that totally embraces the spirit of A to Z!
This post is brought to you by one of the April A to Z Challenge co-hosts: Matthew MacNish.
I think next year we're going to do these posts a day late, so that we can consider featuring the best posts we read the day before.
Anyway, for now I'll just be mentioning some awesome things that start with T, followed by one blog post from a participant I know you guys will love.
Titans - they're really tall.
Tartan - slainte!
Theater - movies and plays.
Tetris - from Russia with fun!
Toll Booth - phantom ones, not real ones.
Trains - choo, choo!
The Triple Option - it's an offense in football, run by Georgia Tech.
And now, let me point you to a blogger whose posts for the A to Z Challenge I've been enjoying very much. Joe Lunievicz has been going with a Greek theme, and his post for today, T is for Tartaras, is a great one.
