This was my fourth
year doing the challenge, second as an assistant to a co-host. I always love
doing A to Z; it helps me connect with blogs I might never have known about,
and does the same thing for my blog. It’s a wonderful, full, exciting month.
That being said, I noticed I didn’t get a lot done in the writing department.
And I didn’t visit as many new blogs this year as I would’ve liked. Maybe I
stretched myself too thin, or maybe it’s because I already have a large base of
blogs I visit and I made them my first priority. And that list. Sometimes my
eyes crossed just looking at it. In past years I promised myself I’d go back
and visit all the blogs on the list that I’d missed during the challenge. This
year I hope I do. That’s probably my biggest regret over this past challenge,
even more than completely ignoring my WIP: I didn’t get to find as many new
blogging friends as I have in years past.
And I probably shouldn’t
have put off writing my flash pieces until right before the challenge started.
That made the whole thing much more stressful than in needed to be. So maybe I’ll
do that, too: Start writing pieces of flash this summer/fall in prep for next
year.
Yeah, I can’t see
myself doing that, either. But it’s a nice thought, isn’t it?
Writing them ahead of time does help.
ReplyDeleteThe A to Z Road Trip starts soon - that will be a good opportunity to go back through the list.
I already have a lot of blogs I visit on a regular basis, so getting to new ones is also difficult for me.
I added a few new blogs that I hope will stay active and as interesting as they were doing April. I could not have kept up if I'd had to write posts the night before.
ReplyDeleteSome people pre-wrote their A to Z blogs in October. I always write a month ahead, so I was working on mine throughout March. It did help spread the work out a little better.
ReplyDeleteThere are always things we want to improve next time, aren't there? I was a mess about visiting blogs. I still have a backlog of 500+ posts to get through as things piled up during the month. Writing posts ahead of time is a huge help. I hope to do more of it next year myself. Regardless, I think you did a fabulous job (especially now that I know you were balancing it with other crazy things). Well done Melanie!
ReplyDeletePre-writing is a life saver for the A to Z Challenge. I managed to get a couple of weeks ahead and it made a HUGE difference.
ReplyDeleteAdvance preparation is a good plan, but I never completely finish either. And never enough time to make the visiting rounds it seems, though this year I did better than in the last couple of years.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your help with the Challenge and for your Reflections on it.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Road trippin' with A to Z
Tossing It Out
Just now getting around to visiting the blogs in the challenge. April was a busy month for me. Congrats on completing the A to Z Challenge! Looking forward to next year! See you on the Road Trip!
ReplyDeleteMary
www.JingleJangleJungle.net
Hello there.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on completing the challenge! Thanks for all your help behind the scenes as well. I actually got to visit your blog during the crazy month of April. I'm popping over again today from the Road Trip.
Entrepreneurial Goddess