Guest Poster: Li Vooght ~ Great Ideas for A-Z 2013

Please join me in welcoming Li Vogt, two-time challenge participant, who works in the field of special education, adores history and science (especially

the weird and the gross), and admits to being a terrible procrastinator. She also does a little folk art painting in her spare time. While she'd like to publish a collection of flash fiction at some point, right now she's concentrating on honing her writing skills and getting individual pieces published. She's got some great ideas to get our creativity flowing for April 2013. 

Hi A to Z ers! 2012 was my second year of the challenge, and I had a great time both years. I met a ton

of people, and found some really great blogs to follow. The A to Z community is a warm and welcoming place to be throughout the year.

Since it's never too early to start thinking about the next one, here is my A to Z list of possible topics and resources to get your creative juices flowing.

A. Almanacs have lots of cool trivia and stats to give you ideas.

B. Beneficence. Highlight charitable organizations throughout the world.

C. Cliches. Love 'em, hate 'em, explain their origins.

D. Dictionary. As writers/bloggers, we can all benefit from an expanded vocabulary.

E. Eating. We all do it. Feature exotic foods, cool restaurants, worst cooking disasters.

F. Fiction. If you've always wanted to try your hand at short stories, the A to Z is a friendly environment

to give it a whirl.

G. Guinness Book Of World Records. Lots of people/events you could feature.

H. Home improvement. Any DIY whizzes out there? Give us a few pointers/projects.

I. Inventions. From the practical to the wacky, there are plenty. Or, make up your own!

J. Jokes. We can all use a laugh.

K. Kings, real or fantasy.

L. Languages. Feature a word each day in a particular language – or several!

M. Movies are a popular topic. Suggest alternate casts/endings, or dig up little known trivia.

N. News. My local newspaper generally has at least one odd/weird/interesting tidbit each day.

(Drunk Bicyclist Arrested After Hitting Police Cruiser!)

O. Origins – of words, folktales, customs, etc.

P. Prompts. There are several sites which feature writing prompts on a daily basis.

Q. Quotes. I thought that it was a lame idea, and yet I am still getting plenty of hits on that post.

R. Rare anything – elements, animals, plants, diseases.

S. Superheroes

T. Torture through the ages, for those with a slightly macabre bent.

U. UFOs or unexplained/paranormal phenomena.

V. Vintage. Choose a particular time period in the past and write about clothing, customs, everyday life.

W. Weather, wars, wines, witchcraft...it's a fun letter.

X. Xerox this list if you want, but for x ideas you're on your own.

Y. Yiddish words, expressions, and terminology.

Z. Zombies. Of course. Give us an A to Z prep list in case of attack.

Right now, I'm planning on writing flash fiction again for the 2013 challenge, but in creating this list I generated two ideas that I might pursue instead. I hope you find some inspiration here as well! 

See you at the 2013 A to Z Challenge...

Li @ I Write At Flash Fiction

P.S.  I of course find her "L" idea the best.  Ahem...probably because that's what I did last year.  (Shameless self-promotion...sorry.)

Tina

Alphabet Remix - Wrestling with Writing

These blogging prompts are brought to you by Nicole at The Madlab Post....

It’s time for The Alphabet Remix - A Writing Prompt Idea Engine Treating A to Z Blogging Avoidance Disorders

Today, W is for Writing -- probably one of the most commonly topics addressed prior to, during and after the Blogging from A to Z Challenge each year. I have encountered a bit of writer’s block trying to find one topic of interest to Remix for writing prompts that all of you can use when developing a blog post in April. So rather than talk about Wrestlers, Water or Weather (all of which could be a useful topic for some of you who are looking for an entire theme for the next A to Z Challenge), here are subjects about writing that can be covered in April without making your blog look like it’s singing the same old tune as all the other A to Z participants.

Written by...

Publish a list of all the guest posts that you have written for other blogs in the last year and then share some tidbits on the how and why you structured them in one way or another. If you do a lot of guest posting, just pick out a few of your favorite ones and then go from there. Another way to approach the “written by...” topic is by uploading a photo of a poem, essay or short story that you wrote during grade school. This is a fun way to get a blog post up quickly while also reminiscing on your earlier writing and noticing how it has either changed or evolved over the years. You could also compare two photos of handwriting -- one written by your younger self and one as an adult -- to see if it has improved, stayed the same or declined in time.

Writing Weaknesses

Are you a sucker for a certain type of writing? Do you gravitate toward works written by specific authors because of their writing style? If so, highlight some of them in a blog post that either evaluates similarities between the authors or, at the very least, cause readers to do some self-reflection on the writing styles that peak their interest most. If this particular angle for “Writing Weaknesses” doesn’t excite you, then try another approach: Critique your own writing, specifically, pointing out areas where you either know you could have done better or you feel you should have but have no idea how. This particular approach to the topic could open your blog post up for discussion and constructive feedback from readers -- a plus, if you’re still working on the work that you are critiquing.

Who Wrote What?

Use the A to Z Challenge as your opportunity to dispel some myths about where a famous poem, story, magazine article, song, novel or other piece of literary material actually originated from -- as in, who really is the source of it. Or, remix this to quiz your readers on their knowledge of old written works. Ask a question such as “Who wrote ‘nothing gold can stay’ -- Margaret Mitchell or Robert Frost?” and then sit back to find out which of your readers knows this without having to do an online search for their answers. Make sure, however, that you DO actually know the correct answer before quizzing others on such works.

Now, onto other Friday Fun Time news:

Since no one unscrambled any of the motion picture companies in last week’s Alphabet Soup game titled Big Wigs in the West, Tina at Life is Good remains the Alphabet Wizard, by default.

Here are the answers:
1. The Weinstein Company (Django Unchained; Silver Linings Playbook; Seal Team 6)
2. Warner Bros. Pictures (The Dark Knight Rises; Wrath of the Titans; Cloud Atlas)
3. Walt Disney Pictures (Brave; The Muppets; Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)

Have a Fun Friday, everybody!

NICOLE
Find Me @MadlabPost on Twitter

Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly group blogging series that inspires discussion about entertainment in a whole new light and provides recommendations for your DVD, on-demand or theater fix. New topics are posted every Monday at The Madlab Post!

Special Challenge Participant Feature - Mary Aalgaard

During the A to Z Challenge, there were some awesome themes. Mary Aalgaard at Play off the Page selected something really unique: “The Quote of the Day that inspired my A to Z Challenge theme - A Word for the Day that takes on many meanings.” She’s here to tell you more, so please welcome my awesome blogger buddy, Mary!

What prompted you to select that theme?

The quote and wanting to keep my entries simple, and yet, have something interesting. It's great to examine words and their definitions and connotations.

What word was your favorite? What phrase was your favorite?

My favorite word is also my word for the year, Dare! My favorite phrase, "The definition of luck, where hard work meets opportunity." In my O post.
My favorite post was Y is for Yellow because it was the most spontaneous. I was on my way to the Children's Theatre in Minneapolis and we planned on a visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Art for the Art in Bloom display, and decided the theme for the day would be to find favorite photos with yellow as the main color. It was a perfect choice with all those gorgeous flowers on display.

Most people struggle by the time they get to Z, but you came up with something good! Tell us about the Zone…

Thank you. I think I knew what I wanted to do with Z fairly early in the challenge. Read my Z is for Zone post to see all the places where I feel like I'm in the Zone. I see athletes, musicians, artists of all kinds, and learners in the Zone and I find it fascinating. It's also a good excuse to be "zoned out" and daydream a while.

I was for Interesting - just what is interesting to you?

I find people and their art to be quite interesting and inspirational. I love watching people create their art, acting, cooking, making music, teaching, whatever fires them up.

Tell us a little about your Opportunity post.

We can make opportunity happen for us by saying Yes, by being available, by working hard, and being Open. I think Open will be my word for the year in 2013. I'm already feeling it speak to me.

Now the M word - Money!

Ah, the word of all words. The cause of great angst and relationship ruin. It is my least favorite topic. Our society places way too much emphasis on money. We are judged, by ourselves and others, by what we have, what we make, and what's in our bank account. As an artist, you have to shut those judgements out. Create for the sake of creating. I recently used a great quote on my blog from Bette Davis, To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given a chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy.

D was for Dare. Did you ever accept the dare when playing Truth or Dare? Will you children hide in shame if you tell us about it?

I don't remember. Probably. My most recent Dare, to Jump on the Bike, changed my life.

What topic do you think you’ll tackle next year for the Challenge…?

Oh, boy, I wish I knew already. Last year, I started taking pictures for the April challenge in January and continued into the challenge. Let's see, if 2013 is challenging me with the word Open, maybe I'll use doors & windows and anything else that can be opened. Thanks for that question, it got me thinkin'!

Thanks, Alex. I love the April A to Z Challenge. It is a great way to boost my creativity, my writing, and connecting with others.

Thank YOU, Mary!

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

Alphabet Soup - Big Wigs in the West

 This word puzzle is brought to you by Nicole at The Madlab Post...

Today’s alphabet soup game was a bit difficult to put together, so it’s going to be another one of those quick and simple posts. Unscramble the following motion picture companies that have a name either starting with or including Letter W. Ready? Set. Go!

1. WehnCyinmeiesaTnotp _____________________________

2. rseunsrWaPriBecort _______________________________

3. ecsilDePnttsWrauiy ________________________________

Happy Friday Everybody!

Nicole
Also @MadlabPost on Twitter

Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly group blogging series that inspires discussion about entertainment in a whole new light and provides recommendations for your DVD, on-demand or theater fix. New topics are posted every Monday at The Madlab Post!

In Which I Contemplate Divorcing Google

It's been quite a marriage. 9 years, to be precise.

Back in 2003, I fell for Google the first time, called Google 'God', for its ready answers to everything from 'how to cook a roast chicken'  to 'what is a large hadron collider'.

The same year, I opened my first Gmail account. Then another. Then I got myself a Google Blog, I got on Google Chat, worked with Google docs, owned an Android phone for a bit. Last year I entered Google Plus, and began to watch some of my favorite shows on You Tube.

I've been married to Google and rely on it on a daily basis almost as much (gasp!) as I do on my real-life husband -- and though I joked about how much of my life is lived on my blog and my mails, I did not realize how much of a hold Google had on me till I began to read this: How I divorced Google, of which the following is an excerpt.

When I sit at home, Google (unless I consciously prevent it) knows where I sit, on what machine, and what time of day I'm there. Data is collected not only from the search engine site, but sites that I visit that have Google maps, and so forth. The penetration of Google's ability to sniff a single individual's location and preferences is unprecedented. Google knows more about me than my mother.

Then, as I read about cookies, and super cookies and redirected host files, I hit another realization: I'm not equipped to do this -- I can't go after cookies, eliminate super cookies and then evade going to Google sites forever, not only because Google is everywhere, but also because, like a whole bunch of other people, I'm a tech-dunce.

As a writer, I've had a few 'conspiracy-theory-like' nightmares since, where Google would be able to buy and sell us (it already acquires and uses our info), choose our mates, and decide the fates of our children.

Privacy, once compromised, can lead to any slippery slope, after all.

But for the time being, I've decided to ignore these scenarios. It isn't just Google. All of them do it -- Google is just the biggest Shark. So, I'll go back to my cocoon of the free bounties of Gmails and You tubes and Blogger, and pretend that all is well with me and Google. Isn't that what most marriages are about, anyway?

When this post publishes, Google will know exactly when and where it was put up, and by whom. In a few years from now, they might decide (and be in a position to) to take action. Who knows, they may do it now -- my blog on Blogspot is 5 years old, and I shall be sorry to lose it....!

One thing is sure, they, not me, would have that last laugh. Because, unlike Tom Henderson who managed to divorce Google, I'm both lazy and stupid (besides being a scatterbrained writer).

What is your take on Google? On its Privacy policies? Are you on/ do you use anything Google-related? If, like me, you're married to Google, have you ever contemplated divorce?
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This post brought to you by Damyanti from Amlokiblogs