I begin my #AtoZChallenge 2013 post with gratitude to
- Friends who encouraged me constantly
- Friends who emailed me regularly to motivate
- Everyone who visited my blog throughout April and commented
- My A2Zeders Facebook group that shared my post within the group, each day I was away (From April 13 to 30)
- Vidur Sury, who guest posted for the letter F, when I was unwell and also replied to comments
- Joy Holland of Facets of Joy who graced my blog with the letter J
- Arlee Bird for conceiving this amazing idea
- Damyanti for inviting me to participate and who assured me I could do it even when I was away
- The A to Z Challenge Blog, for its constant inspiration, tips and tricks and lovely banners and badges
- My social media groups who amplified my posts
- Vanita Cyril who dealt with glitches without waiting for me to ask
Takeaways from the April AtoZChallenge 2013
Community
I enjoy blogging and as some of you know, started in 2003. Initially I wasn’t so serious but over the last 5-6 years, I’ve become more focused and have had the privilege of connecting with some fantastic bloggers. Community and interaction is everything in blogging, besides the opportunity to keep one’s creative juices flowing, and being exposed to new perspectives. The AtoZChallenge 2013 was no different.
Connections
I have had the pleasure of connecting with some amazing blogs during April – blogs I look forward to keeping in touch with. And during my travel, I had the privilege of meeting Kaarina Dillabough, a wonderful blogger friend I’ve known for over two years now. Blogging forms long-lasting cherished relationships.
Commitment
I was a little apprehensive about keeping up during the second half of April, since I was traveling. I did manage to set up auto-sharing for all the blogs in our A2Zeders group. I also ensured I recommended at least two blogs in every post. While I couldn’t participate in the daily discussions, I enjoyed seeing the brainstorming of ideas on the forum.
Encouragement
I am deeply indebted to my family and friends for literally sitting on my head, no matter how late it was, to ensure my posts were up in time. I wrote most of the posts from April 14 to 30 during my vacation. I was committed, but the motivation came from my blog visitors and those who shared across social media. I checked email once a day and was touched to see the encouraging comments. The power of community and a supportive family.
Creativity
My notebook is brimming with all the ideas I thought of – I had the good sense to jot them down. Not that I am ever at a loss for words, but it does help to maintain an idea list. I am smiling, thinking of how the alphabet has now become a game. Everything is attributed to an alphabet now, with both friends and family!
New Perspectives
It was fun to participate in the AtoZChallenge 2013 – and I was thrilled to see different takes on the same topics. If you believe that travel broadens the mind, you’ve got to believe that blog-hopping also broadens the mind, and heart.
Explore new styles
The experts say that blogging frequently boosts the blog, and I can vouch for it – having participated in a similar blog-hop last year in February 2012 – in the Haiku Challenge – that was 29 days of a haiku a day based on a daily prompt. Great learning experience.
Idea Overflow
While am usually pretty decent at time-management and also follow an editorial calendar (well, sort of), the AtoZChallenge 2013 really got my adrenalin going as I explored various themes. The original idea was to compile all the posts into an ebook after Z. But as usual, I ended up writing on the fly. Can you believe I actually wrote some posts by long-hand in my notebook before typing them out? Truth. Next year, I’ll make sure I am better prepared.
Thanks to the A to Z Challenge, our A2Zeders group on Facebook continues to thrive with new blog hops.
Corinne has created the #WriteTribe blog, posting a weekly prompt to motivate and encourage bloggers and writers. I am participating on my blog Coffee With Mi.
The fun continues.
To summarize:
- The best encouragement for bloggers and writers comes from Community and collaboration
- This challenge has helped me build an idea bank for posts
- I believe April has helped me become a better writer.
- I also have a better understanding of my blogging platform, WordPress.
- I believe I have grown.
- Everything is possible!
Yup – the A to Z Challenge was a grand experience. I feel the love.
Would I do it again?
Definitely, yes. I am missing it already ♥ and am looking forward to 2014. Why, I believe I have an idea bank to pick and choose from!
If you are here for the first time, here is a round up of all my posts from A to Z - please feel welcome to browse.
A for Angels watching over me
B for Bhagavad Gita
C for Coffee Quotes, Notes and Memories
D for Dialogues From Within
E for Eleven Easy Ways to Elevate Energy Levels
F for Folktales From Around The World
G for Going Green
H for Happy Place
I for If by Rudyard Kipling
J for Joy is here
K for Karma Theory
L for Love is all around
M for Mother of Mine
N for Nature Naturally
O for Oral Health and Stress
P for Parenting perspectives - Things I’ve Learned
Q for Quotes that Inspire
R for Relationship Building
S for Spring Cleaning Spells Freedom
T for Top Twenty Turmeric health benefits
U for Universe Unfolds
V for Vitamins for Vegetarians
W for Writers
X is for Xenodochial
Y for Yakshagana Performances – A folk art
Z for Zoo Zen
Today, I recommend: (yep, it is a longer list than usual) the following AtoZChallenge 2013 reflections posts from blogs I have had the privilege of connecting with in April 2013
Reflections on blogging from A-Z April Challenge 2013
I thinked!
The Pensive
Shots and Captures
Just another blog
Rainbow Hues
A rose is a rose is a rose!
A few drops of ink
Blog Blah_Blah
Living a life of gratitude
Someday Somewhere
Diana’s Musings
1HundredWorks
Reviews & Musings
Congratulations to all the “survivors” and looking forward to next year in anticipation!