I am very excited to tell you that I signed up for the A to Z Challenge which runs from April 1 through April 30. If you are thinking, oh, another blogging challenge, ha – no – it isn’t.
When @AprilA2Z sent me a tweet suggesting I might be interested, I went over to check it out. So I got engrossed with the entire concept and spent the next two hours immersing myself in it. I was pleasantly hooked.
Of course, I did worry – April is vacation month for my son and probably the only vacation time he is likely to have for the next two years. I plan to be offline a lot. Should I commit?
Then Arlee told me I could plan my posts, write and schedule them in advance. If I was offline for a couple of days, I could always come back and visit others – hey, it is not as though the relationships we form have a validity from April 1 to 30, right?
What is the A to Z Challenge?
You post every day from April 1 to 30 except on Sundays. That leaves you with 26 days which equals the 26 letters of the alphabet = one day for each letter of the alphabet.
So here is what to do: begin on April 1st with a topic themed around the letter A. On April 2, something around the letter B and continue to April 30 finishing with the letter Z. It can be anything – a proper noun, the letter itself, photo posts, poetry, fiction – anything. Just remember that the theme of the day will be the letter scheduled for the day.
This year, along with thousands of participants, I am going to be a part of this fun challenge. Reminds me of the NaNoWriMo – in which I successfully participated in 2011 and in 2012 (but missed the validate deadline – but that’s another post). The joy of moving towards a common purpose is exhilarating. A number of blogs in this challenge provide tips and prompts to help others along. Who knows this 30-day experience could even result in a book deal for some!
If this excites you, I would love you to join me. Sign up page is Here. The last time I visited there were 1102 sign ups. I am no.1084!
If you are still wondering why – consider the following:
- We blog to build a community. This scintillating challenge will help us do it – on steroids
- We would all like to write better. I know I would. The A to Z Challenge is guaranteed to encourage.
- We want to be better planners and manage our time. The A to Z Challenge is already working for me on this.
- Many of us dream of making that editorial calendar but never get around to it. Okay – I am speaking for myself. I write on the fly and that’s not good advice. But I get by (with a little help from my friends). This challenge has actually helped me make one. Yes.
- You wish someone would keep telling you you’re doing great and encourage you. Now imagine an entire community of bloggers collectively encouraging you. Yes, with the A to Z Challenge, you will feel The Force. Like a giant mega-hug. I am enjoying it tremendously.
- You wish you could post more often. With the A to Z Challenge – I will – even when I am offline, because I am planning ahead and scheduling.
- Smarter blogging – because we write and schedule in advance, we learn more about the workings of our blogging platform
- Do you wish you could get around and comment more but can’t because your daily fixed routine bogs you down? By writing and scheduling ahead, you can. Just five a day will do. Show love, get love
- A sense of belonging to a warm, ready-to-encourage community
- Solid networking opportunity in an informal setting
- I believe that life is a constant learning experience and the A to Z Challenge is an education – a university in itself. So many tips and tricks generously offered by others.
- The A 2 Z Challenge is an international event – I find that enriching – just as travel broadens the mind
- Gets the creative juices – not to mention the adrenalin – flowing overtime and I love that!
- Develops good blogging habits
- Pure fun – and that reason alone is good enough for me!
- Oh! The encouragement is just amazing!
Damayanti, one of the dynamic co-hosts of the A to Z Challenge explains how you can win in this challenge
The community around the A to Z Challenge interacts on Facebook Twitter and Google+
Last year, I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Haiku Challenge when we posted a haiku to a daily prompt every day in February 2012 – what fun it was!
So – I’ve been thinking of a few theme ideas and I am more or less decided on what I am going to do – and hope to finish drafting them next week!
Will you join me in the A to Z Challenge in April 2013? Sign up. Here. We’ll have fun!
And wish me luck – I am looking forward to your continued support!
Also, I would like you to know that throughout April you will receive an update from me every day. Here’s the neat calendar designed by Jeremy of Let’s Go Crazy!
P.S.:
Used to reading my posts via Google Reader? I am so sad they are retiring.
May I invite you to subscribe to email updates?
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Feedly.com = I like this as it lets you sign in with your Google account and import your Google Reader feeds.
Do you participate in Blog Hops?
Which one is your favorite?
