Idea Donation Day

Did you ever think of a great idea for the A to Z challenge, but not want to use it yourself? Perhaps it seemed like too much work for you, it didn't fit the "brand" of your blog, or you already had an idea you liked more.

That's what today's post is for! Out there in the blogosphere are people who are thinking about joining the challenge, but they don't know what they'd write 26 posts about. (Maybe you're one of these people.) And here in the A to Z community are people with more ideas for the challenge then they could ever post about. (It could be that you're one of them.)

So go for it! Drop off an idea in the comments that you'd like to see someone use for the challenge. Or pick up an idea from the comments and churn out 26 amazing posts. Maybe even both! Share with your community of bloggers.

An A to Z List of Why You Should Do WRiTE CLUB

Was’up alphabet champions! A few of you may remember me, six years ago (which feels like a lifetime ago now) I was one of the co-hosts of the A-Z Challenge. I’ve participated in the challenge multiple times throughout my nine-year blogging adventure, but this year I’m taking this opportunity to bend your ear (or rather, eyes) about a different topic.

For the past seven years I’ve hosted a tournament-style creative writing contest and I wanted to let you know about it because 1) Most of you are writers, 2) It’s a blast, 3) There are significant prizes, and 4) It’s FREE! Here’s an A to Z list of why you should be doing it.

•        Aspiring authors can solicit a ton of feedback from a wide variety of readers.
•        Bloggers are writers, even if they’ve not written a novel. Go ahead and submit.
•        Contests (especially respected ones like PitchWars) are a fun way to make connections
•        DFW Writers Conference is a partner/sponsor of the contest.
•        Easy as pie. Submit a 500-word writing sample using a pen name.
•        Fulfilling to see your work garnish the praise it deserves.
•        Genre agnostic. Submit anything – even Poetry.
•        Help other writers refine their voice by offering meaningful feedback via votes.
•        I can do this! Keep telling yourself that and submit.
•        June 9-10 are the dates for the DFW Conference – where the winner will be announced.
•        Keep your real identity hidden by using a pen name. It’s a No embarrassment zone!
•        Last round judged by panel of celebrity judges – authors, literary agents, publishers.
•        March 12 – April 1 is the contest open submission period.
•        Newbies and seasoned writers compete against one another.
•        Only tournament-style writing contest on the internet.
•        Prizes Prizes Prizes.
•        Quintessential writing contest for writers wanting to see how they stack up.
•        Read the entries and vote on your favorite. You don’t have to submit to participate
•        Spread the word to anyone and everyone. We need both contestants and voters.
•        Thirty contestants are selected by slushpile readers to participate in daily bouts.
•        Universal appeal.
•        Voters can win a prize also.
•        WRiTE CLUB – Just Do It!
•        X-citing to the MAX!
•        Your easiest way to get your material in the hands of people who matter in the industry.
•        Zip on over to the WRiTE CLUB link to find out more information.

Master List Sign Ups

Your choice of badges for showing off your A to Z pride!

Click here to sign up for the A to Z Challenge! Sign ups are open until April 1. Check out our instructional video below or our written instructions. 

The best part about our new list is that you can SORT and FILTER it! (So there's no need to worry if you're not at the top of the list). 

The Master List sign up is how participants officially register to join the A to Z challenge 2018.

Daily lists, Theme Reveal, and social media comment link-ups are encouraged but not required.
The daily list sign ups will be made available early for those who are confident in their ability to pre-determine their posts' direct links.

The Master List sign up is now:

CLOSED

Categories -- check out that post for information on categories. The MASTER LIST category question is the category of your blog itself. (For whichever category you'd like your blog to be known.)
What the A to Z Challenge Means by THEME

Click here to see the list of all participants! For information on how to use the Google Sheet list, see our instructional video below or our written instructions.

And don't forget to check out the Theme Reveal on Monday the 19 of March.

Plus, there's Idea Donations day on March 13.

Robots Have Not Won Yet

Thank you to everyone who took part in the pre-challenge survey! While the results are being tabulated, please enjoy this comic. Consider it your yearly reminder request to deactivate CAPTCHA for the duration of the challenge.

SIGN-UPS WILL BEGIN TOMORROW!

Categories #AtoZChallenge

On MONDAY you'll be able to sign up for the A to Z Challenge 2018.

You have your choice of the newer, friendlier logo badge, or the traditional logo badge for showing your challenge pride on your blog. (Or you can use both!)



The sign up form is easy to use. (It's much the same as the pre-challenge survey.) There will also be daily letter forms, which will be OPTIONAL, that will look like the master list form (except with less information). The daily forms will produce a list for each letter that won't have broken links or blogs of people who stopped participating. The REQUIRED Master List Sign Up Form will produce a Master List of all participants. However, that list will NOT be edited, so some participants may drop out, but will remain on the list. Details on how you can access this information will be coming soon!

THE MASTER LIST SIGN UP IS A REQUIREMENT.

That's how we'll know who is participating.

On the MASTER LIST, you indicate the category of your BLOG.

The optional Daily Letter forms will allow you to choose the category of your individual posts.
The optional Theme Reveal will let you pick the category of your theme.

So what are the categories?

Categories:

• Animals
• Art (reviews, creations, painting, sculpture, print, drawings)
• Author/Writing (craft of writing, stories, memoirs, publishing, literature, poetry) -- MASTER LIST
• Author/Writing (craft of writing, publishing) --Daily/ Theme
• Author/Writing (fanfiction) --Daily/ Theme
• Author/Writing (fiction including short stories and flash fiction)--Daily/ Theme
• Author/Writing (literature discussion/critique)--Daily/ Theme
• Author/Writing (non-fiction including memoirs)--Daily/ Theme
• Author/Writing (poetry)--Daily/ Theme
• Author/Writing (other)--Daily/ Theme
• Automotive and Transportation
• Books (reviews, recommendations)
• Crafts (DIY, ceramics, textile, flowers, leatherwork, needlework, paperwork, jewelry, etc.)
• Culinary (food, drink)
• Education
• Entertainment (reviews and critiques on performing arts: film, TV, theater, dance, music)
• Gaming (video, RPG, tabletop, board, etc.)
• Genealogy
• Health
• History
• Home Decor/Decorating
• Humor (jokes, comics, etc.)
• Lifestyle and Social
• Motivational
• Mythology and Folklore
• Nature/Outdoors
• Parenting/Family
• Personal (journal, diary, musings)
• Photography and Videography
• Political and News
• Sciences
• Spirituality and Religion
• Sports/Fitness
• Travel
• Other and Miscellaneous
• Prefer not to say/Don’t know

Did you look at the last one? That's right! If you don't want to reveal which category you're using, YOU DON'T HAVE TO! "Prefer not to say/Don’t know" exists so that categories are still optional, not mandatory. We want the challenge to be FUN for everyone.

Please spread the word about the #AtoZchallenge!