Another One Who Reached the Finish Line: Sue Harding

       Sue Harding may blog at I Refuse to Go Quietly, but she stayed noisily right up to the end in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge of 2011.  Sue has her success story to tell today.

DONE AND DUSTED

Well, that's the April A-Z challenge over for 2011! There's a sense of relief tinged with a bit of sadness - relief, because it's been quite a feat to think up and create something new and different for each letter (thank goodness for pre-scheduled posts!); and sadness, because the cameraderie of us 'all in this together' is at an end.

But is it?

I tried to look into at least five different blogs every day and leave comments and mostly I succeeded. Some were blogs where my interest was piqued enough to want to 'follow' - some have already become fixtures on my blogroll! So, what started as a chance to nosey through other people's blogs has grown into a desire to keep up with the musings of these hitherto unknown 'blogger-friends'. So, thankyou A-Z, for broadening my horizons and 'growing' my followers, too! (more than doubled!)

Thanks, too, for the wonderful 'surprise me' button - it was always an adventure to see where I'd land next! :-)

I'd also like to thank all who stopped by to view the eclectic posts on my blog - and for their kind (and constructive!) comments!

Congratulations to all who participated and made it through to 'Z' - I hope those who didn't succeed (for whatever reason) will be inspired to try again next year.

Most of all, thankyou to those who promoted, encouraged and facilitated the whole event and generally kept us on the right path throughout - esp. to Arlee Bird, for all your positive support!

So, the next few days are going to seem strange without the motivation of creating a new post for the challenge......but I'm sure I'll come up with something! (I guess you'll have to watch this space to find out!)

;-)

         Sue lived up to her blog name and we thank her for that. Now all of you make some noise about the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge and tell all of your blog friends about it. What the heck--tell of your friends who don't blog yet to start a blog and join us. The more the merrier.

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• In Which Arlee Bird Explains Why Blogfests Are a Big Deal (damyantiwrites.wordpress.com)
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Jeffrey Beesler Tells You What You Oughta Know About the A-Z Challenge

           One of the big surprises of the 2011 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge was meeting Jeffrey Beesler from World of the Scribe.  From the beginning Jeffrey became such a vocal advocate for the Challenge that we ended up inviting him to co-host with us.  He took on the role as co-host with fervor and was a real asset to the 2011 Challenge.  We were proud to have him on board with us.  In this post he tells us his thoughts on A to Z.

You Oughta Know (An A-Z Challenge Reflections Post Special!)

Arlee Bird of Tossing It Out has requested that next Monday, May 2^nd, be a time for participants of the A-Z Challenge to reflect on their experiences throughout of April. Because of something else I already have planned for that day, a huge announcement coming, I’m going to do my reflections post right now, as I find that these are things You Oughta Know.

First of all, I’m glad my fears of the challenge were unfounded in large part. Although it has been hard work going to 30 sites a day and not hardly having any time for anything else, the work has been well worth it. I’ve met so many wonderful new people through the challenge, which was pretty much the whole point of A-Z.

I’m also glad to have friends like Arlee and Alex J Cavanaugh who've taught me a thing or two about courage, and about doing the right thing, by asking me to co-host. I can think of no greater gift these two have bestowed upon me than their friendship during this past month.

Of course, it hasn’t always been candy apples and honeydew melons. I’ve stumbled upon some self-serving sites, bickered with the commenting function of Disqus, had less time for writing, and at one point, the weekend of the letter N, I really felt the strain of doing the challenge.

Now, having pointed out the downsides, I have a few thoughts for A-Z should the challenge return next year.

1.     1.  If you sign up to participate, make sure you participate. If this is something you can’t commit to, or are just using to score yourself a few hits without bothering to try, then by all means do not sign up. These blogfests are meant to be fun.

2.     2.  Set yourself some realistic goals and expectations. This is a huge step. I’ve run the gamut of comments ranging anywhere from 62 on the letter A to the low of 15 on the letter W. Do not for an instant fool yourself into thinking you’ll score 100 comments with every post. You’ll only set yourself up for disappointment.

3.     3. On the flip side of #2, if you do set goals, make sure you work your posterior off to meet them. I myself have set up the goal of reaching 30 blogs a day until I get to the end of the linky list, which will take me until May 11^th or 12^th to get through. Fortunately, I only have a little over 400 more blogs left to visit.

And finally, having said the above, I want to point out that I got exactly what I wanted out of the challenge, and even a few things I hadn’t expected, like being interviewed and featured at Wordsinsync. I’ve settled on the goal of doubling my follower count for the A-Z Challenge. On March 31^st, the number had been at 200. As of this writing, it’s sitting at 403. I’ve more than exceeded my goal, but that’s because I’ve worked my tail off for it.  

So there you have it. My reflections post. I want to thank each and every last one of my new followers for joining me on my writing journey. 

         Thank you Jeffrey.  You are a true blog friend and always helpful.  Readers should heed your words here--they were well said.

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A-Z Reflections from K C Woolf

                Contemporary fantasy writer K.C. Woolf has her blog at The Woman Condition and that's where you'll find today's Reflections post.  And a nicely done post it is. We hope that K.C. will be able to find time to return to the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge in 2012.  She did some great things last year.

Z is for Zzzzz ...

Wow, I've made it. This is the last day of the A to Z blogging challenge. 26 mad days of posting every day, visiting tons of other blogs, commenting and connecting.

What a ride it has been. I've met a bunch of people, who feel like they've become friends. I've discovered a number of blogs that inform me, entertain me, make me think or put a smile on my face.

My blog has grown and become more lively, with a lot more visitors dropping by and adding to the party. It feels like it's got more of a soul now, and will continue to thrive.

Over the course of 1 month, I've gone from a wonderful 10 followers (I owe you all at least one of those legendary caipirinhas!), to an even more fabulous 72.

And what I like most, is that those 72 followers all have a face to me, an identity of their own - even those I've never met in person. I've read pieces of their writing, I've exchanged ideas and information, and I feel like I know them a little bit - enough to want to learn more.

The Web is a huge place, where it's easy to feel tiny, insignificant or intimidated. What initiatives like the A to Z challenge do, is to fence off a piece of that vast universe and define the borders of a (temporary) playground.

All of a sudden the blogosphere doesn't seem so big any more. Even though there were over a thousand participants, the challenge we all had in common made it more manageable and accessible.

At first, you see just names and profile pictures, but soon, those names start looking familiar and turn into people. Then they become individuals you respect and appreciate.

With some, I feel I've connected on a more personal level, because we think alike or because we're complementary and can teach each other a lot; because we're all writers or because we share a love for particular books or genres; because we've been through similar experiences, or because we're drawn to the same people.

Whatever the future brings, I'm happy and grateful for this experience.

I would like to express my special thanks to Lee (Arlee Bird), word and idea juggler extraordinaire, for coming up with the A to Z challenge, and to science fiction guru Alex J. Cavanaugh, whose tweets informed me about the challenge in the first place.

And now it's time to relax, take a weekend off, catch up on some sleep, and then I'll be back with a whole list of topics, dealing with writing, life, love and my quest for authentic and worthwhile experiences.


See you around!


Funky fact: at a given point I had 666 unread messages in Google Reader, ànd 66 followers. I'm sure it was a sign, but of what?

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Image 2: 'web' by Brenda Anderson. Available under a creative commons license. © 2005, Brenda Anderson.
Image 3: 'Friends' by Leon Rice-Whetton. Available under a creative commons license. © 2010, Leon Rice-Whetton.

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       Congratulations on a job well done.   We'll look for many stories like this in 2012.

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Stephen Tremp Celebrates the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge

         Most of you know Stephen Tremp from his Breakthrough Blog and his many blog comments.  Stephen has been a blog friend of mine almost from my earliest bloggy beginnings.  I'm a big fan of his Chase Manhattan book series (Openings to be released in January 2012!).  Stephen Tremp was one of the co-hosts of the 2011 Challenge.  We include his reflections post from this past May here today.  Deja vu--you may have read this already.




Well, I survived the 2011 April A to Z Challenge as did many of you. I think survive is very good word. I met some awesome people and got reacquainted with many others.

Thanks again to Arlee Bird, Alex Cavanaugh, Talli Roland, Jennifer Daiker, Jeffrey Beesler, Karen Gowan, and Candace Ganger for putting together such an awesome blogging event and inviting me to take part as a co-host.

I had personal challenges such as an IRS audit for 2008 (why so close to the filing date) and lingering medical emergencies in my immediate family. This prevented me from visiting many blogs the second half of April. So I thank you all for stopping by my blog and saying hi. I hope you enjoyed the science-based posts as much as I did.


I learned much about myself during this past month. Life is precious and should be treated more valuable than gold. No doubt many of you had your own personal obstacles to overcome too. So, if you haven’t already done so, stop by Jennifer Daiker’s blog and Elizabeth Mueller’s blog for two well-deserved awards.

I’m going to take a few days off from blogging. Possibly a week. But that’s all. I have so much to write about that I have material to take me all the way through summer and well into the fall.

Now it’s time to rest and celebrate. Go and do something crazy. Just don’t get caught. That’s an order!

Question: What are some of your reflections from this past month?

Stephen Tremp
Author: Breakthrough Series
http://breakthroughblogs.blogspot.com/

        Thanks Stephen.  I for one never tire of your blog and the fun and fascinating information you provide us.  Oh, and since this is a Deja Vu post don't forget to visit D. L. Hammons site for the list of other blogs participating in the Deja Vu Blog Fest.  

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A to Z Reflections from Empty Nest Insider

A Whirlwind of Emotions From A to Z

Empty Nest Insider

                                                                                                  Julie Kemp Pick


It all began when Rhonda from Laugh Quotes sent me an email about the A to Z  Blogging Challenge. The timing was perfect, as I was approaching a milestone birthday, and this was a welcome diversion.

As a new blogger who first started writing in January, I thought this would be an excellent exercise in blogging boot camp. I'm always encouraging my kids to try new things, and felt that this was the perfect opportunity for me to lead by example.

Shortly after I signed up, Arlee Bird introduced himself,  and two other participants quickly followed. I had 3  new followers, before the challenge even began, without begging and pleading! 

The night before the A to Z kickoff, I decided to post my first story around midnight. The next day, I woke up to encouraging comments while gaining new followers! I returned the favors, and searched through new blogs with the handy A to Z buttons. Some of my viewers were quick to rush off, while others generously returned. I looked forward to daily visits from my small, but mighty group of faithful followers.

It was like taking a trip around the world with all of the comforts of home. I laughed, cried, and was often humbled by reading the plights that so many of the bloggers went through.  I was expecting the claws to come out, and that the competition would really heat up. Contrary, it wasn't a competition, it was a challenge as the name suggested; a friendly challenge from within, instead of pitting us against each other.

 I want to thank  all of the hosts for organizing this extraordinary event.  I'm especially grateful to Arlee Bird at Tossing it Out and Talli Rolland. Arlee has the amazing gift of drawing you in, pulling you close, and making you feel like you're part of a private conversation; amidst addressing an audience of more than 1000 people. Throughout the challenge, Talli Roland always made an effort to drop by with  encouraging remarks. In the midst of  temporarily losing her blog, she still kept up the morale without missing a beat.

I'm still reeling from this adventure, that has brought in more than 50 new followers, as well as, insightful tips from all of the hosts. I'm so proud to be  part of such a warm and engaging community. My hope is that we'll continue to knock on each other's doors, and be invited to come in and stay awhile.

              

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge 2012 starts Sunday April 1, 2012