Reflections #AtoZChallenge 2021

Well, it's over. We made it! We did it! Well, I did it, and if you're reading this, I assume you did it, too. Or at least part of it. It was harder this year for me, somehow, and I was a day late once or twice. What about you?

My theme was Flash Fiction with Audience Participation. I did that in 2019, and loved it. Basically, I committed to writing a new post each day based on audience suggestions. I got some doozies this year, too! It was interesting as I was writing them, to notice how dark my writing has gotten since my last run of flash fiction two years ago. I had to really concentrate on making sure at least a few of my stories were funny or light-hearted.

As for visiting and being visited, I started strong, hitting at least 5 new blogs a day, but got into a low-energy phase when it took effort just to get the writing done. I did not visit as many blogs as I'd hoped, but got through all the writing ones, plus a few others. In the end, I found a few new blogs to add to my blogroll, and reconnected with a couple bloggers I'd found in previous AtoZ's.

What's next? I am bringing back "Flash Fiction Fridays". I am committing to writing a new flash fiction story every Friday. Personal posts may occur on other days. This means I'm always open to suggestion for a new story. I hope you'll pop by some random Friday and check it out.

I'm following Brett's idea and listing my A to Z here, for your convenience. (And for my reference.)

A = Award Certificate [To start the month, I took inspiration from real life]

B = In the Bar [Sometimes you tell yourself what you need to hear, true or not.]

C = The Cellist ["Inside every successful artist is an element of insanity." Based on a video prompt.]

D = At the Dance Club [The prompt I used happens to fit a specific Japanese meme character.]

E = The Agony of Empathy [Is empathy a gift or a curse?]

F = Freedom [Dystopian, 200 years in future]

G = Grayson and Gwennie [Kids will be kids]

H = The Hologram [Some time in the future, in a coffee shop.]

I = I've Got Nothing ... This was the only not fiction post this month. I hit a wall.

J = Jack and Jill ["fractured fairy tale". Not very fairy tale-like, but inspired by the rhyme.]

K = For King or Kingdom [ Another fractured fairy tale. It could have been much longer.]

L = Labyrinth [A fun little story connected to our current day and age.]

M = Mabel [Teenage identity crisis]

N = Not Again [inspired by the prompt "nemesis"]

O = Opal's Opponent [Chess and death]

P = Personal Politics [Small town mayor taking advantage of his position. Might be revisited during Flash Fiction Fridays.]

Q = Queen of all she Surveyed [Aging royalty sees the world with gilt edges]

R = Rest and Relaxation [inspired by the prompt "back to school"]

S = Sorrow Shared [The grief train. I'll probably continue this one in further flash fiction.]

T = Tourists [A fun one (for me) about a teenager forced to travel with his family instead of hang with his friends.]

U = Uninterrupted Quiet [I imagine every creative person seeks a quiet space at times.]

V = In the Video Store [Remember video stores? Personal interaction can be different there than anywhere else.]

W = WTH [A continuation of a story I began during 2019 A-to-Z. Will probably continue.]

X = XOXOXO [Love comes from the most unexpected places.]

Y = The Yacht Club [I may have to continue this story. I have no idea what might happen next!]

Z = Catching Z's [A final fractured fairy tale. For now. Might revisit this one later, though.]