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Showing posts with label Blogging from A to Z Strategies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging from A to Z Strategies. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

A-Z Challenge - Preparation is 9/10th of the Work!

Today we welcome Julie Goucher from  Anglers Rest.  A second year veteran of the A to Z Challenge she's learned a thing or two along the way and is going to share her thoughts about preparing for the A to Z Challenge or any similar event for that matter.  Since some of you have indicated that you want to plan next year in advance, perhaps Julie's suggestions can be of some help.



Whenever we start a DIY task at home my impatient self wants to get cracking and let the work commence. My husband routinely tells me that “Preparation is 9/10th of the work and I hate to admit it, but he is right!

Starting any project is difficult, but once the creative juices are flowing the rest is easy. So, were you organised for the A-Z Challenge?  Here are perhaps some tips or contemplations for next year,and I know it is a year away, but remember, preparation......

        What is the point of taking part?
        Sharing information you already know & increase awareness
        To assist you to develop your knowledge
        Meeting other bloggers and seeing what they have to say
        A combination of all three plus more

        What do you want to write about?
        New topics
        Topics of Interest
        A Mixture of topics

        Do you want to use pictures and photographs to illustrate your theme or the selected letter?

        What do you plan to do with the 26 posts you create in April 2013?
        Publish into a anthology
        Develop your alphabetical post into a longer piece of work
        Nothing, apart from sharing it with readers of your blog

1.      Look at the planner for April 2013 and see what date each letter on the alphabet falls on
                       

April 2013





Su
M
T
W
Th
F
Sa

1  - A
2 - B
3 - C
4 - D
5 - E
6 - F
7
8 - G
9 - H
10 - I
11 - J
12 - K
13 - L
14
15 - M
16 - N
17 - O
18 - P
19 - Q
20 - R
21
22 - S
23 - T
24 - U
25 - V
26 - W
27 - X
28
29 - Y
30 - Z






2.      Decide a theme or devise a plan of what topics you want to write about. Remember you don’t have to have a theme!
3.      How much data do you already know about the subject you have chosen, or do you need to do some research?
4.      Identify the gaps - typically Q, X & Z but perhaps there are others
5.      Can the gaps be covered by written word? Or can they be covered visually. Can you think outside the box? For the letter of X, I recently used a photograph of stamp. The stamp showed an aeroplane and the picture of the wingspan of the aeroplane was in the shape of an X.
6.      Can you link your theme to other World wide, National or local events?  - ANZAC Day, Easter


Between now and the end of March 2013, plan and write when you feel like it. There is not any pressure. The challenge is a fun process and half the fun is the planning your own posts. Get your creative juices flowing!

1.      Get a piece of A4 paper and mark the top with the Letter of the alphabet and the date
2.      Jot down all you know about your chosen subject making a note of gaps in the writing that you want to fill and any photographs that you need to locate, scan and perhaps tweak.
3.      When you are happy with your data, write your blog post and set as a draft post with the correct date.
4.      Aim for the beginning of March 2013 to read over the prepared posts and make amendments to those spelling mistakes and then hit publish. Your blog will then self publish at the time you specify.
5.      Make sure that word verification is turned off to make it easier for fellow participants to stop by and leave a comment.
6.      From the 1st April 2013 spend your time responding to comments left on your posts and visiting and making new blog friends.


Julie Goucher
Blog Name - Anglers Rest http://anglersrest.blogspot.com
Twitter - @juliegoucher

You might also enjoy reading Julie's Reflections post.



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Friday, March 2, 2012

#atozchallenge: Write What You Love says Guest Lynn Rush



         Our guest today is Lynn Rush who blogs at Catch the Rush.  The 2012 Challenge will be a first for her but she's ready to go.  In this post she explains her strategy.




Hey there, everyone. Lynn Rush here.

I’ve never participated in an A to Z challenge, but I tell ya, it sounds SUPER FUN!

When I saw a blogging/writing friend of mine participate in this last year, I was like, “Holy Cow, how do they think of something to write every day like that?”

That was back when I was posting only four to five days a week, and the thought of adding a couple of days kind of freaked me out.

But deep down, it must have inspired me, because I started posting daily shortly after.  

I’m often asked how I think of topics for blogging seven days a week. The main thing is: Themes.

I have Movie Quotes, This Writer’s Journey, Throwback Thursday, Photos (sunsets, angels, etc) and we occasionally do a Debate This discussion and Cinema Sound Off. The rest of the days I just do whatever comes to mind.

So, when I decided to jump into the A to Z blog adventure, I decided I’d do something with music. Besides movies, music is WAY up there on the scale of things that motivate & inspire me, so what better topic to blog about?

Writing about things I love is fun. I think that’s really important, because if not, then blogging is more like a chore than an exciting, interactive adventure with your readers.

Now, I have to admit, I might sneak in a few non-music related posts since my next novel is releasing May 1st (I kind of need to mention that, right? LOL) but other than that, I’m stoked to write about music each and every day of this awesome blog event. I’ve even started finding musicians to feature.

X and Z…those will be a bit challenging, but I already have a few ideas! **LOL**

What are some of the things you guys are thinking of writing about during your A to Z adventure?

Awaited 


         Lynn Rush's newest book Awaited will be released in May 2012.  For more information be sure to visit Lynn's site.  
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