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Showing posts with label a to z challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label a to z challenge. Show all posts

Monday, September 30, 2013

Road Trip Pit Stop - Time to Refuel Your A-to-Z Engine!

Beep, Beep! Who else is still awake on this alphabet route? 

Photo by Little Peppercorn
After running low on gas and making multiple pit stops, I nearly fell asleep at the wheel. Good thing I have two partners – Tina Downey at Life is Good and Shannon Lawrence at The Warrior Muse to share in the driving duties as we move along through the A-to-Z Challenge list, stopping by the blogs we missed in April, to pay them a visit before the next challenge rolls around. Although I put the car on cruise control, I did manage to read more A-to-Z Reflections posts and visit some blogs located in the first half of the sign-up list.

During my visits, I found that some people either stopped blogging after the challenge or kept new blog posts coming sporadically until early-to-mid Summer. Still, the last posts that were published on these blogs were worth a looksee. I also came across some places on the list with blog posts that were cool to read, yet, difficult to leave a comment on. For those of you who are still on this Road Trip with Tina, Shannon and I, this is likely not a surprise, as you’ve probably encountered similar situations during your blog visits. 

When I started this road trip, I planned to visit at least five blogs per day, keeping in tune with the recommended visits of the April challenge. Now, I’ve reduced that number to one blog per day. I figure that way, it will be much easier to fit a visit to a new blog into my schedule – and – if I encounter non-active blogs or blog posts where leaving a comment feels like I’m participating in some type of three ring circus with no instructions, my Road Trip efforts are still time well spent.

Photo by Hayley Bouchard
As co-host, I want to try to also make sure that your time is also well spent, so in the name of efficient fun, here is some roadside assistance to stay on course if you find yourself running low on gas or hit something on the road that caused a flat in your tires at this stretch of our Post A-to-Z Adventure. 

Now, I’m no Allstate or AAA, but these blog visiting methods can be especially useful if you’re taking the one-and-done approach, or a similar one, that I’m using for the A-to-Z Road Trip.

Pick a Number – Think of a number…any number during your day and then visit the blog on the list that corresponds with this particular number.  You could also make this a theme and visit all of the blogs that fall under a specific area of the number table such as every hundredth or so (102, 202, 302, 402 and so on).

Heads or Tails? – Visit a blog that is among the low numbers (1-100) on the sign-up list and then visit another blog that is among the high numbers (101-500 and up) on the list. The number range doesn’t matter…you determine what is considered “low” and what is considered “high” just so long as two blogs on both ends of the list get a visitor today (or tomorrow or whenever you’re doing your A-to-Z Road Trip visits).

Hit the Reflections – If you haven’t read all of the 2013 A-to-Z Reflections posts, visit blogs on that list. That way, you’ll know that the blogs you’re visiting are run by people who finished the challenge – or at least attempted to complete it.

Funny Names – Scroll through the signup list and visit blogs with names that either make you laugh or fill you with curiosity. These are usually the types of blogs where, at first glance, you have no idea what the topic or theme of the blog is about such as Big Girl Panties (#264 on the list), Buttered Toast Rocks! (#365) or Cabin Goddess (#432).

Photo by Zach Dischner
It’s all about making it fun. If we make this road trip as simple and as fun as possible, we’ll have enough gas to keep our cars steady and well maintained…at least until the next Check-in. Now, the only thing left to do is call Allstate and tell them that you don’t need them because you’re in better hands. Ha!

Cheers to all!

~Nicole

Saturday, September 14, 2013

A to Z Challenge Hacks – All Text, No Extras!

The next Blogging from A-to-Z Challenge is a few seasons away but it’s never too early to get a head start on mapping out your game plan for surviving this massive undertaking. 

As we close out the Summer and head into Fall, this is a good time to learn from our own previous A-to-Z Challenge experiences or those of other participants, to keep up with the alphabet and visiting new blogs without losing our minds in the process.

Since I was fundraising for my short film at the time and didn’t have internet access during most of April, my daily schedule was hectic. There were days when I found myself scrambling to get a blog post up by 11:59pm to avoid falling behind our 26-day blogging schedule. Here is one of a few tips and tricks that helped me stay on track as best as I could during the 2013 A-to-Z Challenge.

Text first, Pictures & Stuff later

I posted my blog posts without photos and then returned at a later time to edit/update the posts by adding photos. This is one of my A-to-Z Hacks that worked wonders for me by reducing the stress of not being able to have something new for those who were visiting my blog.

Putting text-only posts up on your blog is especially useful for procrastinators or those who just usually write their blog posts later in the evening due to jobs, screaming babies, whining spouses, ailing parents, church services, natural disasters, technical issues, NBC’s The “X-Factor” or “America’s Got Talent,” CBS’s “Big Brother,” HBO’s “Breaking Bad” or for whatever other reason.


Since I’ve written a lot of my A-to-Z Challenge posts at night, I would aim to get something up on my blog by 11:59pm for the current letter of the day. When the challenge reached Letter K, I did not have the time to write, edit, proofread, edit again and format my post earlier in the day, so I worked on it at night starting around 10:00pm and noticed that I was running out of time. 

So instead of worrying about the layout of photos that would support this post, I focused on getting the post to go live before midnight, so that I could remain up to date in the challenge. Afterward, (since I wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon, anyway) I searched for the images that I wanted to accompany that post and then went back into my blog editor and added them sometime after midnight, within the next hour or so.

My Text first, Pictures, etc. later A-to-Z Hack worked so well that the same trick could be applied to posts written earlier in the daytime as well. If you are among the challenge participants who write your posts in the morning or during the early afternoon hours but still need to find photos to go with them, just split up those duties – publish the post that you have so far (which is the text) and then add the images and/or any links that you didn’t have handy the first time around, later in the evening when you get to them. See…this A to Z blogging trick is as easy as pie.

Have a joyous weekend, everybody!

- Nicole @MadlabPost

*More of my A to Z Hacks will be coming soon. Until then, let me know something…

When (morning/daytime/nighttime) did YOU usually write YOUR posts for the A to Z Challenge?


Do YOU have any A-to-Z Challenge survival tricks up YOUR sleeve that you’d like to share with me?

Friday, June 7, 2013

LAUGHING MY WAY THROUGH THE A TO Z CHALLENGE



For this A to Z challenge, which was my third, I had two ideas. Because I wasn’t sure which one to pick, I incorporated both into my theme. The one idea was what I called an “alliterative-styled alphabetical greeting”, which I posted at the beginning of each post. Some greetings were long, some were short. Some of them didn’t make any sense. Well, they weren’t really meant to. Some of these greetings turned out to be a string of mumbo-jumbo, incoherent rambling... Bottom line is – it was all about fun! And the posts were super-short! 

The other idea was my whacky definitions! For the whole month of April, I posted  a word –the meaning known to me -  BUT I also posted my own definition with accompanying nonsense. 

The participants were invited to have a go in the comments section. They were encouraged to also leave their own definition for the day's word. Have fun with it, too. If readers knew the real meaning then the request was -  make something up anyway!! The point was to take some time away from the everyday humdrum blogging schedule and S-T-R-E-T-C-H the imagination!

At the end of the project, I  posted a collection of my favourite comment definitions, for everyone to vote on. And it was soooooo difficult to choose. I started off with approximately 60 definitions, and then cut them down to 18 for the final reader votes.

Bloggers had to choose the best–most creative, fun, and/or ridiculous comment! The winner would get a gift equivalent to the letter. For example, if an E commenter won, then the gift would equal 5 units/items. If a J commenter won, then the gift would equal 10 units/items. The units/items remained a mystery until the 01 May.

By the way, the winning letter was S, which means that there were a total of 19 items/units in the prize that I eventually posted. For want of a more suitable explanation, I called my prize: A Hamper Filled With Oodles and Caboodles of South African Goodies!

As the challenge progressed. I began to respond to blogger definitions by posting my thoughts; or what I imagined the commenter was trying to say (that sounds crazy… I know) I certainly didn't plan to do so. During the challenge, time is soooo precious. You never have enough.  But I just couldn't resist. It was spontaneous and in the moment…. and sucked most of my time. But the interactivity was PRICELESS and I had a blast doing so, and wouldn't go back and change anything! This is the main reason why I didn't get around to many blogs (my minion duties also meant that I was responsible for checking in on a certain section of the A to Z list…)

I have never ever had so much fun, or laughed so hard, like I did during the month of April. I'm talking about ROTFL moments. Tons and tons and tons of ROTFL moments. I think I had the most fun during the challenge. And that's what consumed most of my time. As a result, I didn't get a chance to visit too many new bloggers. I just about managed to keep up with my regular blogging buddies. A positive note: I forged stronger connections with certain bloggers who I've known for a while, but never visited on a regular basis. I look forward to maintaining better contact with these bloggers. I did find a few brand new blogs, which I will be visiting on a regular basis as well...

Here are the “alliterative-styled alphabetical greetings” that I posted every day.

ATTENTION ALL: a hearty welcome to all you amazing and anxious A-post arrivals who are making an appearance at this humble abode today! All aboard? Away we go!

Blistering Barnacles! (I've always wanted to say that) *giggles* I was up bright and breezy on this B-Day to browse the writings of you bloody brilliant, busy-bee batch of brave bloggers. If the barrage of bombasticity begins to bore you, I'm begging you to bear with me… don't burst my bubble…
Anyway, stay busy… break a pencil… or something like that…

Crikey! It's C-Day! Come, come, come… join the cool conversation my creative counterparts! Are we not a crazy collection of clever creatures?
Caveat: continued commitment to this challenge will lead to a celebratory conclusion… so blog on! Have to cut the chit-chat due to chronometrical constraints. Cheers!

Dudes and Dudettes!
I declare: your daily dose of diligence, dished out to de-stress, and destined to destroy your dampened spirits and downheartedness…
D'oh to doomsayers who declare us to be dotty, self-deluded dimwits. Dare I say, don't disregard us daring and dazzling dreamers!
Dang! Duty demands I gotta dash!

Eureka! Happy E-Day to every energetic, ecstatic entrant! Endurance is essential in this epic challenge. Expose and eradicate expected emergencies quite easily! Enquire early… there's help everywhere! On with the entertaining episodes!

F-Day is upon us! Flabbergasted? Frazzled? Frantic? Fiddlesticks! You can do it! My fanatical friends and followers, forget about being finnicky and have fun! Feel free to be freaking foolish and follow the festivities. Some folk favour a dash of finesse and flair ! Flippin' heck is what I say folks!

Greetings! Gadzooks! It's G-Day! Did I hear gasping, gulping and gnashing of teeth? Get a grip, get a grip! Good grief got a gazillion blogs to get to! Grab some grub. Got to gobble and go! Goodbye!

Hurrah! It's H-Day. Hang in there! Have hope. Humour helps. Hostility hampers healthy progress. Ask for help. No heart attacks please. I have a hunch that hundreds of hearts are harbouring heaps of happiness which is heating up the blogosphere. Hasta la vista.

Are we irrational idiots, insisting on immersing ourselves, in-depth into this intense yet impossible and irksome challenge which is imaginative and innovative. It is definitely an industrious journey which is incredible, insightful, inspirational and indescribable...

Jumpin' Jehosophat! This joyous journey has produced some jewels and a certain je ne sai quoi. Jeepers Creepers! I'm just jabbering in a jolly jumble of words that mean jack! But I'm still jovial and jubilant on J-Day so join in the jollifications!

Kickstart your K-Day at your keyboard with a keen and knowledgeable, killer, knockout, kick-ass attitude. Kapow! Keep at it!

Listen A to Z labourers, leave out the lazy and lame attitude. Laugh out loud. Liaise with others lest you become lethargic and lackadaisacal… lose pace… lag behind by lengths… you are liable to be labelled loser…

Mama mia! The massive and mean A to Z machine marches merrily along on M-Day. It moves minute by minute with a mixture of mediocre and masterful minions and messengers. It's the mid-way mark! Mazel Tov!

Notification! N-Day is here, all you nervous and normal narrators and novelists! This is a noteworthy newsflash to nip and neutralize the negativity of the narrow-minded, non-supportive, nasty naysayers… who had the nerve to say:  never, no ways, it will come to naught and you are all nuts, numbskulls and  nincompoops and not likely to nail the challenge. The notorious A to Z nomads are still navigating new territories and discovering new neighbours!

Ooh-la-la! O-Day is on! Order! Order! Order, I say! All you open-minded, outstanding, outrageous, obliging bloggers and the obstinate, obnoxious oddballs too. If only we could continuosly overflow with optimism, omit negativity and operate in the original and organised way we did when the challenge began… Ooopsy Doopsy… I don't think that's gonna happen though… Need something to keep you going? Breathe deeply and ——- Om…. om… om… om… om… om...

Pssst… P-Day promises plenty of possibilities. All you puzzled plotters and pantsers, please practise patience yet playfulness with minimal panic, as you pledge to get those poems, paragraphs and pieces polished, then proceed to press publish. Is your P-post up? No? Get to it. Pronto! Procrastination prohibits progress!

Que sera sera… to this quirky, quintessential and questionable challenge...

Righty-o! Let's rock-'n-roll. But first… rapid revision required. Are you relieved, rattled, or revved up and ready to rendezvous on R-Day? It rushes in and raises the realisation that rest, relaxation, refreshment and rejuvenation are required to recover as the the raw and rattled nerves resist… reluctant and resenting the daily ritual. Reminder: responsible posting = roaring results. You'll reap the rewards.

Sheesh! S-Day settles slowly… Summoning all scribes who are still stressing, struggling silently… and those super savvy, high-spirited ones, smiling smugly as they sail smoothly into S-Day sharing stylish snippets, skilfull sentences and sparkling stories… show-offs! So, if you are stuck, then a speedy solution to strengthen, support and sustain spinning senses is sorely needed. Shazaam! Or spontaneous scribbles should save the day...

Ta-da! It's T-Day! Todays twisted thoughts are trapped in a tormented turmoil… a total tizz… tsk. tsk. tsk… thanks thus far for the tremendous tidbits, tall tales and tip-top theories that you've posted. Think positive! Triumph takes top place. Toodles!

U-Day is upon us! Are you up-to-date? Then utter uncontrollable ululations with urgency and uplifted spirits because only five units remain in this ultimate universal blogging challenge. This unique and unending journey is unravelling quickly. This is an unavoidable fact for all participants, whether unconcerned, uncertain or unruffled...

Viva! All you A to Z voyagers, or should I say valiant vagabonds who have wandered around in this vast sphere, visiting various versatile blogs. Blow your vuvuzelas! VOILA! V-Day is vanquished. Va-va-voom! Va-va-voom! Victory in view. Will your verdict be Veni Vidi Vici?

Welcome to all you wonderful wordsmiths who, at this stage, are also weary, washed-out, wrecked worrywarts and waffling along to the end of the challenge. Well done to all you whacky, wise-crack writers who are wavering and wringing your hands in wild wonder as you whoooooooosh warmheartedly across the blogoverse. Wow! Three days left. Whoopee! *whistles*

X marks the spot… that's all I can say. I have xero fancy words for this post… sorry...

Yakkety yak… yada yada yada… yesiree… yippee yippee yo, yippee yippee yay… that's all that's left to say!

Zippidee-doo-dah Zippidee-ay, My oh my what a wonderful day, End of the challenge, Nothing to say, Zippidee-doo-dah, Zippidee-day!   ZING-BA-DA-BING!!

AND THAT’S A WRAP!
(I would love to share some of the whacky definitions with you, but this post is already tooooooo long. Maybe another post?)

Challenge Participant Michelle from Writer-in-Transit

Monday, June 3, 2013

Challenge Participant Feature - Mary Montague Sikes!

Today’s Challenge Participate Feature is Mary Montague Sikes!

For the Challenge, Mary decided to do an animal painting a day, which I thought was very ambitious. Not only did she succeed, her paintings were beautiful. Please welcome Mary!

Alex, thank you for having me as part of the A to Z feature!

What made you choose your theme of a painting a day?

For many years, I've admired people who made the effort to create a new work of art every day. There are even web sites devoted to promoting that work. I thought that the challenge was the perfect opportunity to try out A Painting A Day.

Did you ever worry you wouldn’t be able to create a new painting every day?

Every day, I worried and wondered if I would actually be able to pull off yet another painting. That was especially true while I was in Boone, NC taking a workshop in experimental painting. It was hard to shift creative gears and paint an animal and post it in just a little over an hour for each of four days.

Which one was your favorite?

It's really hard to choose. I have them spread around the walls of my studio right now. The possum and the jaguar are among my favorites, possibly because I like the design of the background foliage in each of those paintings. My husband likes the X-Ray Tetra best. While I was working on them, I found I liked the newest work best on most days.

Did you work from a photo or create them from scratch?

I worked from photos—mostly that I took myself or borrowed from my daughter, Amy, who took animal pictures while visiting Tasmania last year. It would be hard to create animal paintings from scratch unless they were fantasy images.

Did you have a picture of a unicorn?

I looked at unicorn paintings on the Internet to get ideas then used the photo I took of the horse sculpture in Avon, Colorado and embellished it with a horn! I used that same photograph when I painted the horse for the A to Z Challenge.

What do you intend to do with the paintings now?

I took six of the animal paintings with me to Tides Inn for display on Memorial Day weekend. I also printed out a greeting card for each of the animals and sold them at the Art Marketplace set up at the Inn. The gift shop manager there kept all I had left, except for the alligator and the iguana. Turns out she doesn't like reptiles. I'm looking for a gallery or a place that would like to display all the animal paintings together in a show. Several people urged me to contact publishers of children's books with a proposal. I hope to do that as well. It's hard to pursue those things when I want to keep on painting instead!

Do you know what you’ll do for next year’s Challenge?

I loved doing the painting a day and would like to try something similar for next year. However, I don't know what subject might work best. I need to choose something that will keep up my enthusiasm to the last day!

As a bonus, from this year's A Painting A Day for the A to Z Challenge, I have a new painting almost finished on the wall of my studio. It's 30" x 42" acrylic on stretched canvas. For several years, the canvas has been leaning on the floor roughly sketched out with charcoal. Each day in April (except for the time in Boone), I used the leftover acrylics on my palette from the Challenge painting on this new work. I haven't named it yet but hope to have it completed in early June. I'll unveil it then! What a nice surprise to get an extra painting from A to Z!

Thank you, Mary! Your paintings rocked.

Co-host Ninja Captain Alex is the author of Best Sellers CassaStar and CassaFire and his blog can be found HERE

Monday, April 22, 2013

Stars!!

That's right. The ones out there in space. That's where you've been aiming the past few weeks, right? You set your goal of completing the Challenge and aimed for the stars.

Well, guess what? Only seven more letters to go. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. That's not just faint twinkling anymore. That's the bright glow of the Challenge's end.

And when we reach it, we'll be stars. Super stars!

Now, let's get it done.


Co-host Ninja Captain Alex is the author of CassaStar and CassaFire and his blog can be found HERE

Monday, April 15, 2013

Motivation!

We are halfway through the A to Z Challenge - are you still motivated?

True motivation comes from within. We can read something exciting, listen to a speech, or hear a motivational speaker, but unless the desire gets deep into our soul, we won’t stay motivated.

You’ve come this far. If you’re growing weary, it’s time to dig deep and remember why you began this journey. To improve your blogging skills? To make new friends? To draw attention to your blog? Whatever the reason, only you can motivate yourself to keep going.

Motivation is a goal in action. Recall why you joined the A to Z and place that in front of you as a goal. And don’t stop until you hit the target.

Believe in yourself - and get excited!


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Hashtag the Heck out of Us!


Now that we're just getting into the swing of things, let's make the most of the A to Z Challenge by keeping in mind that it stretches beyond your blog. We’re social, with a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to make it easier for you to find likeminded participants and keep up with what’s trending – including the latest news from the challenge Co-Hosts. That is why it’s important to tag the challenge by using the official #atozchallenge hashtag when referencing the challenge in your social media updates – especially Twitter. Adding the A to Z Challenge hashtag to your tweets can help all of us cut through the clutter when searching for blogs to visit or staying up to date on discussions related to our daily alphabet party.

If you’re still wondering “how the heck do I use a hashtag?” or “why the heck would I use a hashtag?” the time for guessing games are over. Here are simple ways to Hashtag the heck out of the A to Z Challenge.
Hashtag your correspondence with us
When you send a tweet to us by writing @AprilA2Z, also make sure to add an #atozchallenge hashtag to the tweet. Unless it’s a really pertinent matter, you probably would do better just replacing the @AprilA2Z text with the #atozchallenge hashtag, altogether!

Hashtag your comments
Everyone and their momma is leaving comments that are one variation of “Hey, I’m stopping by from the A to Z Challenge!” or another – as if we really need to know (and we really don’t…or at least, I’ll speak for myself by letting you know today that I don’t need the reminder that you’re doing the challenge, ok?!) this bit of information. We get it. We read the memo. It’s been signed, sealed and delivered. Now here’s a thought…
If you really…I mean, really need to inform the blog that you’re visiting about your A to Z Challenge status, just put the #atozchallenge hashtag at the end of your comment. It takes up much less space and is less likely to leave a blogger wondering why he or she wasted time trying to read a comment that was nothing more than an announcement along the lines of “me too! Yay!” when it could have just as easily been summed up with a simple hashtag.
Hashtag your questions
Most, if not all, of the questions that people ask A to Z Challenge administrators can be useful to other participants who have similar concerns. Using the #atozchallenge hashtag can help your fellow participants get answers to something that they may have been wondering. At the very least, it also puts other bloggers on alert about matters that they are curious to know. Adding a hashtag can help simplify the question-and-answer sessions for @AprilA2Z on Twitter as well as other social media websites. It is easier for some participants to create a list or do a search for topics that are of interest to them if the hashtag is utilized more often, because it cuts down on the workload of having to find profiles and topics that might have come up in conversation about the challenge.
Hashtag your photos
Add hashtags to the photos that are included in your blog posts related to the challenge. This can be done by adding text directly in the image, using photo editing software or online photo apps such as Pic Monkey. If you don’t want to interfere with your visual masterpiece that you snapped in preparation for winning visitors over with your photographic images, you can also add hashtags to the “caption” section when editing the photo before publishing the blog post. The official A to Z Challenge hashtag can also be used to promote your blog posts on Facebook and Instagram.
So tell us…
How are you Hashtagging the Heck out of the A to Z Challenge?

-Nicole
@MadlabPost
2013 Blogging from #atozchallenge Co-Host
See you at the movies!
 

Monday, April 1, 2013

ADVENTURE!

As the A to Z Challenge kicks off, prepare for adventure!

You will be challenged to write a daily blog post corresponding with that day’s letter.

You will find new bloggers and make friends.

You will stretch your blogging skills.

You will learn new things.

You will emerge on the other side a different person.

Most of all, you will have fun on this adventure. Go and enjoy.

You are now free to move about the A to Z Challenge list!

Co-host Ninja Captain Alex is the author of CassaStar and CassaFire and his blog can be found HERE

Monday, March 18, 2013

#atozchallenge Getting to Know the Hosts - Nicole Ayers

Name: Nicole Ayers
Blog: The Madlab Post
Other Online Info: My Twitter, My Pinterest, My IMDB, My Flickr, My Tumblr and My YouTube
Films: ABYSS ; Lighten Up
Publications: The Madlab Post Zine and Bulletin; My Journey to Bare Bones

1. Where do you hail from? (D.G. Hudson) 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or otherwise known as The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection – which is a questionable nickname, depending on who you ask.

2. Would you rather have your own personal sailing ship or spaceship? What would you name your ship? (L.G. Keltner)
I’d rather have my spaceship named Captain Data, as homage to two of the coolest “Star Trek” characters ever!

3. How do you comment? - if someone posts 5,6,7 times a week .. once - or 3 times .. then each time or once or twice .. then each time I can't keep up .. but hate not supporting everyone .. (Hilary Melton-Butcher)
I comment in a manner that directly correlates with the amount of time available to complete all tasks laid out in my day. If my time is limited, I just comment on the most recent blog post. If I have more time to spare (or if I really like the blog), I’ll read through a few of the recent post titles and then comment on the ones that peak my interest.

Just because a blogger posts multiple times a week doesn’t mean that I’m going to comment on them every single time. It also depends on the frequency of my visits to a blog. If I visit more often, then it is more likely that I would comment on most, if not all of the blog posts but if I only visit the blog every now and then, I will usually comment on whatever is present on the page.

4. How do you use those HTML tags? .. and I've yet to learn about the signature line too ..(
Hilary Melton-Butcher)
I searched for the HTML tags and then tested them out by creating a draft post under the HTML tab and not the “Compose” tab, in one of my least active Blogger blogs. When I got to a point when the links worked and appeared to my liking -- after previewing them in “Compose” and also as a live post preview, I created a document file with the proper HTML tags that fit my needs such as text links, bold, photo links, etc. and I keep that file handy so that I don’t have to keep searching or reaching through tutorials every time I need to create a hyperlink quickly.

It’s sorta like my own HTML Template file that also includes a template of code that I made for my signature. So now, all I usually have to do is go to the file, copy the tags that I want to use at the moment and then paste it in the comment box or blog post draft page or online forum or wherever I need to create HTML links.

5. If you were a contestant on the CBS show "Amazon Race" and could pick ANY movie character to be your partner, who would it be and why?
It’s a toss-up between Jason Bourne from “The Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum” and Bryan Mills from “Taken.” Bourne keeps himself in shape, meaning he can run fast, lift heavy things, climb building structures and bounce back quickly if he falls. Mills on other hand is very meticulous about gathering information -- a quality that could be very useful in our team’s ability to complete tasks that involve assembling items that contain several different pieces of a puzzle or gathering activities that involve repetitive routines where I could easily forget a key step.

Bourne and Mills both have a very special set of skills that they’ve acquired over long careers and would each be an asset in helping me advance to the next Pit Stop. I’d be more likely to go with Bourne, however, because he knows how to live off the grid and get himself out of a jam without always needing aid from technology, friends in high places and fancy gadgets.


6. Describe the last Halloween costume you wore.
I dressed as Uhura from Star Trek, complete with the red dress and black boots. Now, I wonder if I should have worn a homemade costume because I have this Star Trek dress sitting around and no reason...or place to wear it.

7. What is the most unusual thing you have ever given as a gift? (Matt Conlon)
A fanny pack; and get this...the recipient gave it back to me!

8. If you could make a recommendation for a book for World Book Night (awesome event on 4/23), what book would it be? (Tracy Bermeo-A2Z Mommy)
How to be Black by Baratunde Thurston. It is a funny, insightful and surprisingly relatable read.


9. "Where do you go to "Get away from it all"?" (Matt Conlon)
To the land of alcohol. It’s cheaper than health insurance, requires less of a commitment than therapy and the bartenders/cashiers never ask for a referral when ordering a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon! When that fails or is not available, I simply rock out to Lenny Kravitz.

10. "When writing, do you prefer to compose your first-draft by hand, on your computer, or using Morse Code?" (Mina Lobo)
My writing methods vary by the nature and purpose of whatever it is I’m working on. I tend to write blog posts on a computer so that they’re ready to be published when necessary. I do jot down random notes for future posts in notebooks as well as on napkins and store receipts. I write the first drafts of my screenplays by hand because distractions like email, Words with Friends and YouTube aren’t a click away. It’s healthier to spend hours in front of a notebook than a bright computer screen. I also write songs on both and would be down to try some Morse Code for a project, just to get the experience.

Writer and Director Nicole Ayers on the Set of "ABYSS" 
If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below. In the meantime, I’d appreciate your contribution to my film festival campaign for ABYSS and convincing of your friends to do the same!