Reflections on The A-Z Challenge

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The lovely people over at the A-Z Challenge have kindly given us guidance questions to use in our reflections post.

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Those questions are:

Did you accomplish your goals? YES!
Did you post every day? YES!
Did you make new friends? YES
Did you enjoy the Challenge? YES

OK, that’s it…reflection post sorted lol 😉

What? You want a bit more than that? Oh, ok…

I hadn’t blogged for a few months and only decided to take part this year at the last minute. During 2012 i wrote a short story (or scene) every single day, but since then I’ve been struggling to get back into the habit of writing daily. So my goal was to use the challenge to get back to that happy place lol. Now thats definitely worked. Ive just got to make sure i keep it up now lol.

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Ive picked up some lovely new followers (and followed a few extra blogs myself) during this challenge, which to me, is the best thing about the A-Z. You get to ‘meet’ bloggers who you would never have known about before. I managed to visit every blog taking part that listed themselves under (WR) along with all the bloggers who posted comments here. What i didn’t manage to do was visit the regular blogs i read who were taking part, but I’m not superwoman. So if i missed you I’m so sorry and i’ll try to do a bit of catching up this month 🙂

Of all the blog posts i read during April (and there were hundreds) there was one that, even now its all over, i still think about. Christine Marie over at her blog Fragments wrote a “G” post about her insecurities. I went down her list going yep…yep…yep… A very powerful piece of writing, please do check it out and see how many of those statements you’ve said to yourself.

Guidelines To Being Christine

Then work on reversing those negatives 😉

It made me think about my writing, my lack of confidence, and that i really need to stop being so negative about my work. I’ll never be the best writer in the world, but do i need to be? Ok, thats enough, or this post will turn into an Insecure Writers Support Group post lol.

Ive had a fun but exhausting month. Its made me realise how much i miss blogging…so i guess you could say I’m back 🙂 I’ll be posting at least a couple of times a week from now on.

If you took part in the A-Z how did you find it? Did you have fun?

31 thoughts on “Reflections on The A-Z Challenge”

  1. This is like the chicken and the egg, which came first, the insecurity or the writing? I think most of us who write are somewhat insecure, always wondering if the book is good enough, if anyone will like it. It’s probably one of the reasons negative reviews knock authors back so easily. Just look at your followers and realise your blog wouldn’t have half so many if you didn’t interest people. You wouldn’t get so many retweets if the content wasn’t interesting.
    Have a Great Weekend,
    xxx Massive Hugs xxx

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  2. The medicine worked. I look forward to your next challenge Vikki. How about 1-10 or more if you feel like it.
    ‘I am the 1 and only.’ ‘2 little ducks …..’ ‘3’s a crowd.’ etc.,
    love Sue X

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  4. I’ve missed your regular writing blogs! And I love what I’ve read of your stories. I get the insecurity stiff when it comes to writing. It took me a long time before I even told my hubby I was writing a book. But then again, I’m the type that once I get an idea in my head I run with it even if I end up looking like a fool afterward. No regrets that way. I tried it. Good luck Vikki and glad you survived the A-Z!!

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  5. A nice post on your reflections of the Challenge. I haven’t written mine yet, but I’ll get to it. I’m not at the deadline yet, in my brain is still resting. 🙂

    I admire that you plan to post a couple times a week. That’s honorable. I’m going to try for once a week. I’m in a number of critique groups, plus my regular work, and then my writing, and then I have some craft/art shows to get ready for the summer – a lot of painting. One blog post a week is about all I can promise myself. My biggest worry is will I be able to keep up visiting all the blogs I’ve met. I know I’ll get by them now and then, but if I try and divide my time between 200 blog visits per week, and I don’t work weekends, that means I need to visit and comment on 40 blogs a day. I’m tired already, yet I want to keep in contact with everyone. How do you do with that? This is my first year, so I have no clue what’s ahead of me…
    Deb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com

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    • That is the hardest bit Debi, its like you become a victim of your own success. I follow about 400 blogs on WordPress and 300 on Blogspot. I can’t possibly visit all of them (i used to visit every WordPress blog when i had about 300 every time they posted, used to take me about 3 hours every day), but the guilt is awful. I think the best thing that worked for me is to give yourself a time limit, 30 minutes say, then scroll through your feed and read the posts that interest you the most. Thats all you can do honey 😦

      Good luck xx

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  6. It was a hard slog, but it was worth it to meet so many new-to-me bloggers. As for being the best writer, I saw a quote someplace about how wanting to be a writer was what prompted you to become a better writer. And by having taste, that makes you better, just because you strive to be better. Although, my favorite one reminds us that practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes better. Well, something like that.

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  7. I’m glad it’s over…I feel like I have time to read again! But I’m even more glad that I did the challenge. It was a great way to meet and bond with other bloggers over similar goals and now I have more great blogs to follow!

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    • I really wish i’d been able to schedule, but, i was challenging myself to write the fiction live, to the prompt, which is something i did back in 2012 every single day for the whole year. Looking back now I’m wondering how i did that lol…because this 30 days was brain numbing lol

      Next year Stephanie, i WILL be scheduling lol

      xx

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  10. can’t find your link on the site… it was good reading you every day. I wrote every day too and had fun and learned new stuff and met new people. Was good

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  11. It’s hard to work on the negatives, at least for me. I doubt they will ever completely go away. For me, writing is a form of therapy. I sometimes struggle with severe depression.
    I’m visiting from the A to Z list. Our team’s reflection post is at “a href=”http://crazytowninlooneyland.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-to-z-reflection-post.html”>Crazy Town in Looney Land.

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  12. This was my 3rd or 4th year doing the A2Z, and I learned a lot. The biggest thing is to simplify and focus on a single thought. Long posts make my eyes glaze over.
    Plan and prepare is the next biggest thing.
    Think should have probably been # 1, but oh well.Thanks for participating.

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    • Thanks for stopping by Susan 🙂

      Yeah, my first 2 years i planned and scheduled posts…sooooo much better. I don’t know what possessed me to do a live post everyday *sniggers* but i did it, and I’m even more proud of myself that i did that…will be planning again next year lol 😉 xx

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