#AtoZChallenge X is for...

 

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

ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22

X is for...

Well, indeed, what is X for? Few letters in the alphabet are as difficult as X is. When I set out to write this post, I did some internet searching. I looked for synonyms of "dream" that included the letter X. I figured that even if the words didn't start with X, I could still use them in some clever way. Except...there were none. On an entire webpage of 160 synonyms and antonyms of "dream," there were 7 Xs on the website, most of them in ads and footers, and two in one of the "use the word in a sentence" locations. I went back to brainstorming, and I thought:

Dreams aside, what is your favorite X word?

For my own blog, I am using Rebekah Loper's book The A-Zs of Worldbuilding for my A to Z posts, so I was able to borrow (with permission!) her word: Xenial. Every time I see it, I have to remind myself of its meaning: of, relating to, or constituting hospitality or relations between host and guest and especially among the ancient Greeks between persons of different cities.

As I create my fictional world for my next novel, it's an important thing to think about, and also something to think about as we work toward our dreams. How do the relations with our guests and acquaintances impact the success of our endeavors? Are there expectations we should make ourselves aware of ahead of time? These are important things to ask ourselves as we work toward our dreams!

So please share with us our favorite X word, and maybe its meaning. It's good to learn new things! (And if you're interested in Worldbuilding, Rebekah's book is an excellent help!)

~Jayden R. Vincente

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

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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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#AtoZChallenge W is for WHY

 

WHY?

Why do we do this? Why do we take the A to Z Challenge (many of us year after year after year)? Why do we challenge ourselves? Why do we blog at all? Many articles on many platforms have pointed out that blogging is slowly becoming less popular than other, more dynamic social media platforms. Why blog at all? And why do it so intensively for an entire month in April?

I am not claiming to have universal answers. Every one has to answer these WHY's (along with When, for Whom, and What) for themselves. But is important to keep in mind our own reasons for blogging, so that outside opinions can't easily affect us.

Why do you blog? Who is it for? Who is your audience? What do you want to achieve with your writing?

Why did you join the challenge? What do you get out of the experience? And when next year rolls around, are you willing to do it again?

See, me personally, I like blogs. I enjoy blogging. I like that it is static, leaving information easily available later on. I like it that it is written, because writing is an important medium for me. And I especially like it that there is a World of other bloggers out there, sharing whatever they are most enthusiastic about.

What about you? :)

#AtoZChallenge Dream of Victory

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

Dreams are potential; they're what could be. Because you dream them in your mind, they're real to you. That's a kind of duality— potential versus real-to-only-you. If you were dreaming about doing the A to Z Challenge before April it was in your mind, and if you finish the challenge in a few days, getting a VICTORY, it will go from potential to actual.

"Holographic duality is a mathematical conjecture that attempts to connect theories of particles and their interactions and the theory of gravity."
https://bgr.com/science/astronomers-discovered-whats-inside-a-black-hole-for-the-first-time-ever/
Check that out. Scientists have been dreaming of figuring out what's inside a black hole. Thanks to some duality, that dream might come true, meaning a victory for the scientific community. 

Have you ever wondered about black holes? 

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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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#AtoZChallenge U is for “Unstoppable”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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

ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS AND THE DUALITY OF 22

U = “UNSTOPPABLE”

How are you faring, A to Z Challenge writers?! Have you found yourself unable to keep up with the seemingly unrelenting pace of the Challenge so far?

For those of you who are struggling, it's totally understandable if unforeseen circumstances have caused you to fall behind. Try not to get upset or put unnecessary pressure on yourself . . . unless your goal is to give yourself an ulcer. 

As long as you continue to write, post, and comment as much as you can up until the end, you will be unquestionably supported by an understanding A to Z community and applauded for not giving up.

Whether this is your first time undertaking the Challenge or you've done so several times before, we are all united under the umbra of the blogging community umbrella with the same urgent goal in mind — to finish what we've started.

So, stand unperturbed in the face of unpredictable life events and unknown forces seeking to upend the consistency of your efforts. If you are still churning out unique blog posts at this stage, you should pat yourself on the back for your unwavering determination. You've come a long way.

Now, all that's left to do is use the momentum you've built up to become unstoppable. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Have you encountered any unexpected life events that have thrown off your
posting schedule? If so, how did you work around it or bounce back?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

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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 T is for Tomorrow

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

So, what are you going to do tomorrow? It'll be Sunday, so you won't have to do an A to post. So what will you do instead?

• If you haven't finished all your posts for the month (like I haven't), maybe you'll want to finish off U through Z and be able to coast this last week.
• Maybe you'll want to visit some of the new bloggers you've heard from, or some from the signup sheet that you haven't visited yet.
• Maybe you have other blog posts to do for the week, or other writing that you've put on hold while the challenge was going on.
• Maybe you have family obligations, or things you have to prepare for the work/school week. Sunday's a big day for that. When I was working, more often than not I'd be flying out to a client site on Sunday.
• Or, maybe you just have it in mind to relax. Watch a ballgame or a movie. Listen to music. Visit family or friends, or have them over to your house. Have a cookout.

Whatever you have planned for the day, enjoy it! We're on the home stretch!

How do you plan to spend this Sunday?

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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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#AtoZChallenge The Shattered Letter S

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

Today the letter S gets some attention. 

When I set out to write this post, it occurred to me that I’d always accepted our ABC system and never questioned how it developed or who was responsible. It turns out to be a very complicated answer. 

A quick examination—very quick—places the beginning of our alphabet in the 2nd millennium BCE in Egypt. Semitic-speaking slaves who couldn’t understand the complex hieroglyphics, developed simpler phonetic symbols to communicate. A few thousand years later…well, we have 26 letters that we start learning on Sesame Street. 

Thank you, ancient people, for starting the system that gave us those beautiful letters so we could create words.  I’m quite sure that I, for one, wouldn’t be writing books if I had to do so in Egyptian hieroglyphics. 

While the alphabet is always important to me, S has been a special letter these past few months because I just published another book—Shattered, A Story of Betrayal and Courage. 

Some readers who have enjoyed the story say: 

“So. Much. Fun. I had so much fun reading this and the characters were super interesting including the dynamics the characters have created. I really loved this!—Nora Fatima (Bookseller)

“I really enjoyed the mystery to this. We are given random chapters called “the arrangement” that give clues to the fact that Libby’s accident wasn’t an accident after all and was actually orchestrated by a rival skier (or was it?)  I liked the character growth we see in not just Libby but some of the side characters as well. This story felt real and painful and I honestly was hooked from the first page. The twist ending made my thriller self very happy and in the end this was a really heartwarming story.”— Kortnie R., Reviewer 

Links:

Website: https://cleemckenziebooks.com

Evernight Teen: https://www.evernightteen.com/shattered-by-c-lee-mckenzie/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1110901

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shattered-c-lee-mckenzie/1140389252

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Betrayal-C-Lee-McKenzie-ebook/dp/B09JYYJG7V/

Bio:

I'm a native Californian who grew up in a lot of different places; then landed in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I write most of the time, hike and practice yoga a lot, and then travel whenever I can. 

In my young adult books, I take on modern issues that today's teens face in their daily lives. My Evernight Teen Publication, Double Negative was voted as one of the best top ten Young Adult books, 2019. My other books, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Sliding on the Edge, Sudden Secrets, Not Guilty, and Shattered are out to four and five-star reviews.  

If you visit my website and sign up for my Email Connect (emails two times a month)there's a free short story for you! Please stop by.

In Shattered, nineteen-year-old Libby Brown's big dream is winning gold the winter Olympics. 🥇 What's your big dream?

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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 A Reverie

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

 Hi A to Zers! Here we are at the letter R already! How is your challenge going?

When I was allowed the opportunity to write this guest blog I went into a reverie (or daydream) about reality and reflections. As an amateur photographer I enjoy finding interesting reflections, whether they are in puddles, lakes, flowing water or the calm sea. The reflections are an optical illusion. They are often very beautiful, but even the smallest child soon realises that they can’t be touched. They have no solidity. They are not real in that sense.

Another sort of reflection is thought. I am not a philosopher and will leave it to those better qualified than myself to answer the question, ‘Are thoughts real?’

My reverie caused me to reflect on previous A to Z Challenges. This is the 10^th year I have participated. The first year I was rather new to blogging. My first blog was set up for a particular purpose. I found writing to a formula somewhat limiting, so started a second blog, Sue’s Trifles, with the idea of taking part in writing challenges. It was a few days before the start of the Blogging from A to Z in April Challenge, as I discovered by doing a search for ‘challenge’. I signed up and wrote my posts mostly on the day they were due.

One year I also did the challenge on my third blog, Sue’s words and pictures, which is where I post some of the photos I take. Sue’s words and pictures began in 2015 after a particularly enjoyable day out with hubby and my new smart-phone.

Preparing twenty eight posts (including the theme reveal and reflections posts) on one blog is time-consuming. Double that and advance preparation is essential. I recollect that after the first year I began to prepare and schedule my posts in advance. Sometimes I’d be away from home for a week during April.

This year I almost didn’t take part. I am trying to write a memoir of my childhood in the suburbs of south London. It will contrast life in the densely populated south with a village in Lancashire where I was taken for an annual visit to my grandparents. Other parts of the country will also feature. The differences between the north and south of England are topical as the UK government talks about ‘levelling up’.

It was Dave, who wrote the fascinating post about all the twos, who persuaded me to take part again this year. For a writer one person wishing to read their output is a spur. My dream is that many of you will wish to read what I have already written and what I write in the future.

This is my second guest post on this blog. My first is now somewhat superseded by changes in technology.

The theme of dreams and duality encompasses (I hope) reality and reflections. Perhaps memories of other times and places also have a relevance to the theme. 

I have rambled long enough. Reflections are important in the A to Z Challenge. Bloggers are invited to reflect on their experience of taking part. If you are intending to publish a Reflections post it is not too early to gather your thoughts about comments you have received and blogs you have visited as part of the challenge.

Writer bio

Susan always wanted to be a writer.  In 2012 she revived her interest in writing with a project to collect the kinds of sayings, which were much used in her childhood.

Blogging was intended as a way of improving writing skills, but has become an interest in its own right.  Susan experiments with factual writing, fiction, humour and poetry.  She does not yet have a book to her name. Her interests include words, languages, music, knitting and crochet.  She has experience of the world of work, being a stay-at-home mum and an empty-nester.   She is active in her local community and Church, where she sings alto in the choir. She is a member of the Association of Christian Writers. She and her husband live in the north of England. 

Follow her on Twitter @suesconsideredt

Reflections will open on May 2. Will you write a post for that?

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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 Q is for Questions

 

QUESTIONS. WE ALL HAVE THEM.

There are 10 days left of the challenge! You have all been wonderful and inspiring so far. Soaring or struggling to keep up, pantsing or planning, lurking or commenting, you are all doing great! Don't forget, this challenge, first and foremost, is about having fun. 

I am sure you have a bunch of new questions now. Or maybe old ones that you did not get to ask before. Feel free to ask them in the comments!

Here are some, from me to you, just out of curiosity:

Do you have a favorite blog or theme that you discovered in this year's challenge?

Which one was the most difficult letter to complete so far?

What was the nicest / most fun comment someone has left on your blog?

Did you end up adding something to your TBR pile / bucket list / travel plans, thanks to a post you read?

How are you planning on celebrating after you complete the challenge?

Keep going, keep blogging! :)