It is time to reflect on this year's A to Z Challenge.
Four days after the A to Z challenge 2020 wrapped up for this year, it still feels strange not to be freaking out over publishing a blog post for the letter of the day! My 8th year with it. In fact, I quite miss it as I enjoyed the rush of writing daily. Of course, mid-month there was a point when I wondered if I should just fizzle off but that's not me. I powered on through! So glad I did.
Reflections A to Z Challenge 2020
Although I made a plan before the month began, I did not always stick to it. With some of the alphabets, I felt something else would be better and ended up working on that. Glad I did. Because now I have a bunch of drafts just waiting to be published.
Some of my friends, who were aware that I was working on the "plan" in March assumed I'd be writing and scheduling the posts. Clearly, they did not know this side of me. Of course, I pantsered it through the month, writing only in the morning and publishing before the end of the day.
My excuses? Plenty. Lock down. Getting supplies. The heat. Fatigue. Housework. Cooking. Binge-watching shows. Family at home. Oh, endless list. Yet I can't help feeling happy I did it. So, kudos-ish to me!
As always, I promised myself that next year I'll schedule the posts in advance. Who am I kidding, though? Even the first year I participated, which was 2013, I knew I would be traveling throughout the month and yet, I had no plan. Only the eagerness to take part.
Fortunately, my BFF is a bully and pushed me until I got it written and posted, sometimes well after midnight. And I did it.
Today, as I look at the blank page with the alphabets lined up for the A to Z Challenge 2020, I feel a sense of joy. Will I participate next year? Of course, I will. There's a great satisfaction to explore all the possibilities when planning 26 posts, the only limitation being that the post should conform to the alphabet of the day. And yet, the choices are limitless.
Some friends of mine post based on a theme. Some write 26-part stories, releasing it in installments and driving their readers crazy. Some literally go on to publish a book as an outcome of the A to Z Challenge. How wonderful is that!
Me, I stick to business as usual here, focusing on the topics I usually write about and also fitting in the regular features such as the weekly Wednesday Wisdom series and the monthly gratitude circle blog hop. It makes sense to me to do that.
While the thought of participating with more than one blog did run through my mind, I quickly quelled the thought. I've done that in the past and at one time, with four blogs. I finished the challenge but found it...challenging!
All in all, I enjoyed the almost-daily blogging. While visitors were not crowding over to come and read my posts, the few comments I did receive were welcome and pleasant. I am grateful to all those who dropped by and commented.
Also, at the end of the day, doing more of what makes you happy is what matters.
What was different this year?
One thing I did different for the A to Z Challenge 2020 was sharing my posts on Instagram, nudged by a friend. I hesitated at first, but then, figured that since I hadn't worked on a series for April, why not! I am grateful to all those who commented on those, too. Good feeling.
And one thing that was tough this year, thanks to adopting Pinterest as a fantastic platform to share posts, making the pins itself was tiring. Okay, I am just too finicky about choosing the right photos and well, I did while away a lot of time on that. Again, who am I kidding? I just love to do it!
I am trying to get back into my usual blogging schedule and it rather feels like returning to work after a vacation!
So that's it from me about A to Z Challenge 2020.
Did you participate in the A to Z Challenge 2020 - the tenth anniversary edition? How was it for you?Here's a quick recap of the month's posts. Click any image to read.
