#atozchallenge: P Is For PowerPoint

The team's theme of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year is:
ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22

I read an article on the Apartment Therapy website this morning called I Just Attended My First PowerPoint Party — and I Can’t Recommend Them Enough. At first, I thought the concept of a PowerPoint party was hilarious. After all, with all my years of experience as a trainer, I had come to see PowerPoint as something you brought out to put people to sleep.

Then I got to thinking, why not? Stories are all around us. Not just in books and audiobooks, not just in movies, not just on TV and radio. There are video games and virtual reality, movies and TV shows are now made for streaming on demnand, YouTube, DailyMotion and other video sites are a definite force in the world of entertainment. A lot of these things evolved over the last 30 or 40 years, and some newer ones are still in the test phase. PowerPoint is a visual medium, and a good one: it's simple to use (even kids in elementary school use it to create reports and presentations) and it can be used to tell a story.

I took a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) in 2013 called The Future Of Storytelling, developed by the University of Applied Sciences at the University of Potsdam and taught through Iversity.org. The learning objectives, according to the site:

Our MOOC will help you answer the following questions:

1. How do fictional stories work? Which structures and mechanics are used?
2. How do new technologies influence the ways stories are told and perceived - and which new media formats have been developed during the last years?
3. How can technologies, interfaces and visuals engage an audience fast and continuously?
4. How can I develop and implement my own story-ideas - on my own or in teams?

The course doesn't appear to be taught through Iversity anymore, but the course developers have a YouTube Channel where most of the lectures have been posted. If you're interested, it's worth the time to sit through them.

Bloggers are starting to branch out from the traditional written word format. Some create vlogs, videos instead of posts; others have gone the podcast route, turning their written words into spoken ones. Our world is changing, and we would do well to consider changing with it.

Do you currently have a vlog or podcast? Have you considered starting one (or both)? Do you think you might start using PowerPoint in your blog entries?

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@a.to.z.challenge @atozchallenge
@AprilA2Z Our hashtag is #AtoZChallenge
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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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O is for Objective

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

ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22

O is for Objective

As we work through our A to Z, we want to remain steadfast in our objective. We always want to remember what we're working toward, and how we're going to get there. 

So for the month of April, we make a plan to accomplish A to Z in whatever way works for us. Every plan may even be different! And as we think about our other dreams, we remember to create not just the objective, but also our plan to achieve it. 

How are you planning to finish your A to Z objective this month?

~Jayden R. Vincente

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


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 @a.to.z.challenge  @atozchallenge
 @AprilA2Z Our hashtag is #AtoZChallenge
Please follow us on social media.

File, Make a Copy of the Master List for yourself! Click this:
https://tinyurl.com/AtoZ22
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!

Get your 2022 merchandise here:  
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#atozchallenge: N is for Never!

The team's theme of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year is:
ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22

When I sat down to write this post, I was drawing a complete blank. I had no idea what I was going to write about. "Shoot," I said to myself (or words to that effect), "I'm never going to figure out something to say."

And just like that, I had it.

You have a blog post due that your readers are dying to read, and you can't get it out of your head and into a text block. When that happens, do this: open a new text document in the editor of your choice and start typing. Anything, whether it's relevant to your blog or yourself or not. Anything at all. Just keep moving, keep throwing words on the page. You'll figure out which ones to keep and in what order they should go after you've had some time to write. Eventually a blog post will appear. Trust me on this.

You know how I know? How do you think I came up with this?

What do you do when you can't get a blog post written?

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@a.to.z.challenge @atozchallenge
@AprilA2Z Our hashtag is #AtoZChallenge
Please follow us on social media.
File, Make a Copy of the Master List for yourself! Click this:
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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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More! More! ( #AtoZchallenge )

 

The team's theme of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year is:
ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22

       We are at the middle of the April Challenge, but there is more to come!  We hope you have hung in there and please keep hanging on.  If you've gotten this far you might as well keep going forward.  

      Are you still visiting and commenting on other blogs?  It's a fact that the more you circulate amongst the blogs and leave your presence to be known, the more visits you will likely receive on your own blog.  Do you feel like you've been ignored?  Increase your commenting and that feeling should be remedied.  To be known you need to make yourself known.  Your increased visibility in the blogging community will likely mean others will want to see what you are doing.

      Sure, you're probably a busy person, but so are most of us.  To do this Challenge right you should set aside at least fifteen or twenty minutes a day visiting other blogs and leaving comments.  The more visits you make and comments you leave, the greater the odds that you are going to get more visitors.  

       We can't stress this enough and it's really kind of a matter of common sense.  It's pretty much how life works

   

       Now let's keep moving forward, onward, to the letter Z.  We're halfway there!

    How do you make time to visit other blogs?   What is your best strategy for luring visitors to your own blog?    Have you been keeping up okay so far?

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@a.to.z.challenge @atozchallenge
@AprilA2Z Our hashtag is #AtoZChallenge
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Friday, April 15, 2022

#AtoZChallenge L IS FOR LAST

The team's theme of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year is:
ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22

Welcome to L in the A to Z Challenge! Former Challenge co-host Alex here to tell you why L is for LAST.

 

Last sounds for final, so ending. And we might feel like we’ve reached the last.

Maybe you feel like this is the last Challenge you can handle. Maybe today is the last letter and you’re tossing it in.

 

But what if it’s not the last? What if you just think this is the last? After all, humans are rather stubborn creatures. We don’t like to lose, either. We might say this is the last, but then the mind goes to work telling us why we just can’t quit now, why this isn’t the last time. We let those natural instincts to succeed take over and guess what—this isn’t the last.

 

My last full length novel came out in 2015, and outside of some short stories and published articles, I thought that would be the last one. I held on to that belief for a long time, content with it. Until an idea came to me, and I realized I wasn’t satisfied with the word last. I knew I could write another one. And I did—CassaDark, my fifth novel, was published earlier this month.

So, if you’re thinking this might be the end, the last post you do for the Challenge, think again! If I can write an entire novel, you can manage another blog post. You can write another two weeks of blog posts! Make that your goal—Z will be the last.

 

Alex J. Cavanaugh works in web design and graphics, and he plays guitar in a Christian band. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is known as Ninja Captain Alex and he’s the founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

http://alexjcavanaugh.com 

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

https://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh

CassaDark
By Alex J. Cavanaugh

His world is unraveling…

Bassan’s father is stepping down from command. His best friend almost dies when Bassan freezes. Now, he’s being sent across the galaxy to speak at an important conference. Despite saving the eleven races years ago, he’s paralyzed by fear and doubt. Could things get any worse?

Once there, new acquaintance Zendar convinces Bassan to visit his planet for a humanitarian mission. Bassan’s special connection to ancient technology is the key to saving Zendar’s people. One problem though—it’s a prisoner planet.

On Ugar, he discovers things aren’t so straightforward. As each secret reveals itself, the situation grows more desperate. If he can’t find the right answers, he might die along with Zendar’s people. Can Bassan summon the courage to be a hero again?

Trade paperback, 226 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, LLC

Science fiction - Adventure (FIC028010) / Space Opera (FIC028030) / Space Exploration (FIC028130)

Print ISBN 9781939844842 $16.95 / eBook ISBN 9781939844859 $4.99

Links:

iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1574189874

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0982FL3SH

Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940164947033

Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844859

Scribed – https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844859&language=0

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58461762-cassadark

Alex made a dream come true when he published another book. What dream of yours are you making come true this year?

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@a.to.z.challenge @atozchallenge
@AprilA2Z Our hashtag is #AtoZChallenge
Please follow us on social media.

File, Make a Copy of the Master List for yourself! Click this:
https://tinyurl.com/AtoZ22
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!

Get your 2022 merchandise here: 
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/103818836

#AtoZChallenge K Is for KNIGHT RISE

The team's theme of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year is:
ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22

Is for KNIGHT RISE

Hat’s off to J, Arlee, and the others for allowing me to commandeer the blog (and the letter K) for a little self-promotion. I participated in the A-Z Challenge many moons ago and I remember what a fun time I had.

This year’s theme of Accomplishing Your Dreams is very appropriate for me, which is why I’m choosing to talk about just that with the letter K. I started my publishing journey a dozen years ago, right about the same time I began my own blog. Six novels and numerous short-stories later, it’s finally happening. It was a long road getting here, but it was a journey I thoroughly enjoyed (even if it was a bit frustrating at times). Making your dreams come true isn’t something that necessarily happens over night — I’m living proof of that — so stay committed!

KNIGHT RISE is my first foray into publishing. My mystery/suspense novel debuted last November, published by Wild Lark Books, and I’m pleased to report it has been well-received (4.80 rating on Goodreads). The reception was so positive that a follow up book (FALLEN KNIGHT) is scheduled for a June 1st release.

What’s the first book about? Here’s a summary – 

A group of middle-aged friends embark on a sentimental quest.

A female Private Eye obsessed with a decades-old unsolved murder.

A killer trying to erase an old mistake, along with anyone in his way.

Twenty-nine years ago, Lee Hamilton was a college student having fun with friends on Spring break in sunny Florida. It was there that he met the beautiful and unforgettable Andi Taylor. They spent a magical week together. Lee was confident it would go somewhere. Then, months later, he received word that she had died.

Many years later, Lee is a widower, his own children now away at college, and after having fallen out of touch with his old college friends, Lee turns to his blog as an outlet. Taken by nostalgia, he writes about his week with Andi and unexpectedly sets off a dangerous string of events that will reunite him with old friends but could cost them all their lives.

KNIGHT RISE is a fast-paced, intriguing page-turner with a lot of heart. Follow this crew of enjoyable characters through stunning plot twists for a thrilling ride you won't forget!

Sound like your cup of tea? Here is where you can find it.

Wild Lark Books Online Shop

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Walmart

If you’d like to know more about me and/or my writing journey, you can visit my previous debut author spotlight on Operation Awesome, where J Lenni Dorner interviewed me. (Link)

Thanks again to J for this opportunity.

What's a big dream you are working to achieve right now?

bloglovin.com/blogs/blogging-from-a-to-z-april-challenge-3294742
@a.to.z.challenge @atozchallenge
@AprilA2Z Our hashtag is #AtoZChallenge
Please follow us on social media.

File, Make a Copy of the Master List for yourself! Click this:
https://tinyurl.com/AtoZ22
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!

Get your 2022 merchandise here: 
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/103818836