Well, I did it! I got through the Challenge, found something for every letter of the alphabet and - best of all - made some new on line friends who have wonderful blogs.
I’ve done this about three times officially, where I signed up, and once where I just did it. It’s a nice idea to challenge yourself to post daily and visit others. But I confess that the last two years I haven’t found it easy to navigate the official web site, with its spreadsheet that doesn’t tell you anything about exactly what the bloggers are writing about, and simply gave up this year, after registering and a single browse through the spreadsheet. Instead, I read the posts of people I followed last year and clicked through their comments to the blogs of people whose subjects sounded interesting, and I’ve returned visits from others. That worked for me.
I also found myself neglecting my own writing and submitting. Not good! A to Z is good fun, but I want to sell some stuff to publishers.
So, I am going to think carefully about whether or not I continue next year. Look, I post fairly regularly anyway. If you’ve been following me on the Challenge and enjoying my posts, please consider simply following the blog. This is a book blog, dedicated to books for children and teens, SF and fantasy and other genre fiction and sometimes other stuff. There is plenty to read that isn't A to Z. And do comment if you enjoy a post!
See you soon. Tomorrow’s International Star Wars Day.
I’ve done this about three times officially, where I signed up, and once where I just did it. It’s a nice idea to challenge yourself to post daily and visit others. But I confess that the last two years I haven’t found it easy to navigate the official web site, with its spreadsheet that doesn’t tell you anything about exactly what the bloggers are writing about, and simply gave up this year, after registering and a single browse through the spreadsheet. Instead, I read the posts of people I followed last year and clicked through their comments to the blogs of people whose subjects sounded interesting, and I’ve returned visits from others. That worked for me.
I also found myself neglecting my own writing and submitting. Not good! A to Z is good fun, but I want to sell some stuff to publishers.
So, I am going to think carefully about whether or not I continue next year. Look, I post fairly regularly anyway. If you’ve been following me on the Challenge and enjoying my posts, please consider simply following the blog. This is a book blog, dedicated to books for children and teens, SF and fantasy and other genre fiction and sometimes other stuff. There is plenty to read that isn't A to Z. And do comment if you enjoy a post!
See you soon. Tomorrow’s International Star Wars Day.
When I was in the first three years of high school, my beloved authors were Charlotte Brontë, Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen and Lucy Maud Montgomery. But my granddaughters, now of the same age, have never heard of these writers or their novels :(
ReplyDeleteNow I find a World Cloud boxed set of these very books, and excluding Frances Hodgson Burnett who I did not know, it looks like my young teen years all over again. Perhaps the boxed set was created recently in the hope that the new generation will read them.
That boxed set sounds wonderful, Hels! Perhaps you can persuade your granddaughters to give it a go. Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote some sweet novels, such as The Secret Garden, A Little Princess and Little Lord Fauntleroy. They are gentle stories. A Little Princess was filmed more than once, including with Shirley Temple, so of course it included some singing and dancing. And a young Richard Greene as one of the young lovers not in the book.
ReplyDeleteFirst starwars day without chewbacca, sad day
ReplyDeleteHi Stuart! Yes, deadlines are very good for making you write. Hi, miki! Yes, very sad about Peter Mayhew - I read about it after posting this. 😥
ReplyDeleteHi Sue - loved the A-Z ... unfortunately I really don't like the way it's administered any more. I'd do it again - but without being that involved ... just finding new friends or meeting 'old' ones - love the blogging fraternity. Sad about Peter Mayhew ... but not being a Star Wars fan ... I just learnt about him ... sounds like a lovely guy. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHi Sue! I enjoyed your #AtoZ and I was inspired to start my own. I didn't know that it was an organised blogging thing (I'm not that organised!) - I'm just doing it 'just because'. I've done A and B and in the middle of writing C... independentbookreview.wordpress.com/2019/05/01/atoz-challenge-a/
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine! Yes, I did it “just because” the other year. Why not?
ReplyDeleteSue, it totally makes sense if the official A-Z thing doesn't work for you. (I always modify the schedule a little for myself so I don't actually have to post every day.) But I've enjoyed your posts, found a couple of the books you mentioned at the library, and wish you all the best in getting your own proper writing done and published!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anne! I enjoyed your posts too, and yours is one of the favourite blogs I have discovered this year.
ReplyDeleteIt is a time-consuming challenge! But I have found that doing it is great for networking... something that is a necessary part of the author business. Thanks for visiting my blog :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Ronel! I get your blog posts by email and thought the latest interesting one. I have certainly discovered some wonderful blogs as a result of the A to Z! My author networking tends to be via Twitter.
ReplyDelete