01 - This year is the only time I had a theme - Blogging with a side of ramblings and short fiction. I did pre-write some posts but rewrite almost all of them at the last minute – I seemed unable to stick to what I thought up.
02 - I signed up only on the theme reveal list because I prefer to be on a simple list. I don't know how or why the master list became this over bloated database-like list. I still think it's better to just have a name and a link to your blog and maybe some indication whether your blog is adult content. Why do we need to complicate a list?
03 - Is it wrong that I avoided blogs with serious subjects/themes because I want to keep a cheerful disposition during the challenge? I don't mind bloggers tackling serious issues but I don't want to be depressed by them. Also, I maybe avoided continuous stories. For some odd reason, I can't remember too much of what I read during the challenge – it's like my mind was in rush mode or something – what I read seemed to slip out of my head.
04 - Overall, I find the challenge was less stressful this year but may because I visited less blogs and was much better at not forcing myself to leave comments.
In case you missed some of my A-Z posts, here's a list or you can go to the link below the header (a-z challenge):
• Live and Learn @ Live and Learn - Toss and Turn > link
This April is Live and Learn's 15th blog anniversary so she reminisced about her early blogging days with previous posts. Being a semi-new reader, I find these older posts delightful and fun.
• Charlotte @ Uglemor - Mother Owl's Musings > link
Charlotte had a travel theme paired with wordle solves. I enjoyed reading about the places she had been and happenings she encountered. It was through Charlotte that I found out about wordle so I like to thank her for that.
• Tamara @ Part-time Working Hockey Mom > link
I enjoyed reading about the 1980's through Tamara's posts. I may have avoided the few tough subjects but overall, it's a good trip down the 1980's lane.
• Al Penwasser @ Penwasser Place > link
So maybe historical figures is not a fun subject but Al Penwasser made it fun and even if some of the things said aren't necessary historically accurate, it didn't matter. I enjoyed the fun way each post is presented.
• Jamie @ Whatever I Think Of! > link
I love the idea of a book cover scavenger hunt and this was Jamie's theme - this definitely would make a fun monthly meme. I didn't have much time to participate until the middle of the month but it was fun.
Did you participate in the A-Z Challenge this year and what did you think of it?
Jamie (jannghi.blogspot.com): Thanks for the shout out. Glad you enjoyed my theme.
ReplyDeleteJamie: Your theme is a great idea. I like looking at book covers except when they are zombies or vampires or scary books.
DeleteThank you for dropping by. Have a lovely day.
I prefer light blogs. The way I look at it, there are enough serious things going on in the world that I prefer the silly. I do go to the dark side, occasionally, but never at Penwasser Place (I do have two more Xerxes posts-after that, it's whatever I feel like posting). Thanks for the shoutout!
ReplyDeleteAl Penwasser: I agreed with you. Too many serious and bleak things going on so skipping the dark stuff is better.
DeleteThank you for dropping by. Have a lovely day.
I enjoyed a lot of your A-Z posts -- they were fun and often whimsical.
ReplyDeleteDebra: I tried for fun and not to bombard readers with too many unhappy things.
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This is new to me but very creative. I also like to keep things on the lighter side, so I get what you are saying about more serious blogs.
ReplyDeleteSamantha: The a-z challenge can be done creatively. Bloggers can be serious but there should be more lighter things.
DeleteThank you for dropping by. Have a lovely day.
1. I always have a theme ... actually I liked it when the A-Z Challenge crew set a theme. I might be solely unimaginative here.
ReplyDelete2. I signed up on both, but agree with you 100 % one - simple - list is enough.
3. I also avoided the serious and ideological ones this year. Not wrong at all trying not to become angry or depressed.
4. I found the Challenge less stressful in writing, but more so in commenting - also because the Gremlins played havoc with my comments, deleting them, crashing my browser or other creative counter measures to commenting, as soon as I clicked Publish.
Thanks for the mentioning!
I looked for blogs that I thought would make me laugh. Seriously, life is...uh...serious enough.
DeleteCharlotte: 1 -This is my first time using a theme for the a-z challenge and I have to say, it's actually better. The a-z always had a theme for each year but sometimes I think it's the same theme but reworded - mostly it's about blogging so that make me think that way.
Delete2 - Simple is better. I find wading through information especially on a spreadsheet time consuming and sometimes confusing because of too many items.
3 - I've always thought the a-z should be fun topics but I guess that's not always possible every participant.
4 - Commenting did seem harder these days and not just because you have sign in or even to sign up to leave a comment. Some blogger made it too hard.
Thank you for dropping by. Have a lovely day.
Al Penwasser: I also do the same thing. I don't think I encounter that many blogs that made me laughed but yours did.
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Thanks for the shoutout. I found this year easier because I reposted things and just had to find them and write an introduction. I think your theme of Blogging was a good one for the A-Z challenge, since the main readers during this time are other bloggers.
ReplyDeleteLive and Learn: Blogging is a good theme but I think now I could have more fun instead of focusing too much on normal blog stuff.
DeleteThank you for dropping by. Have a lovely day.
I think the big list is overwhelming, too! I am actually visiting everyone who has signed up for reflections hoping to catch some of the ones I missed during April! Congrats on completion!
ReplyDeleteLisa: I'm also going to visit most of the reflections participants who I might had missed - too many participants.
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good
ReplyDeleteChristine: Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day.
DeleteI LOVE the A-Z challenge but haven't really had the headspace to participate for many years. The few times I did it, I had a solid theme and preplanned posts because I mange a lot of insanity as a homeschooling mom and author and composer and all the other things. I get the avoiding heavy stuff. Some of us read to escape, eh?
ReplyDeleteCrystal Collier: I don't know how you manage with so many things you're doing. I think pre-writing posts does make the challenge easier. I get why we need the serious stuff but sometimes we need to read to escape.
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Thank you for the visits you made, I didn't get a chance to visit as many as I wanted. I agree with the complicated master list and some people can't follow instructions. It's nice to do shout outs to people too. I loved the walk through the 80's with Tam too.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Barbie’s Reflections
Crackerberries: It's always nice hightlight blogs so others can check them out too.
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Sorry, you're one of the bloggers we are unable to bring joy to. Others asked for more details on the list, so we did it. Then people asked for less, so we scaled back. We will always fail some because, as they say, "You can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time."
ReplyDeleteJ (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) @JLenniDorner ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge international blog hop
J Lenni Dorner: I really prefer less details in the master which is how it was originally done. I kind of miss how it was before all the changes.
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