I did it!
I didn't do as well as I'd intended, but I succeeded in getting through the alphabet, mostly on theme. I had half of them set up in advance, and thought that would help ensure I had time to do more blog visiting this year, which is always where I fell short.
Due to life, the fact that I'd planned in advance merely allowed me time to deal with the new chaos generating around me, so I still didn't visit many blogs until nearly the middle of the month. Rather than run down the list of blogs, I generally visit ones with a them that I like, or blogs I've visited previously.
This year, I was able to tick off a few blogs as "yes, visit again later" during the first few days when I was visiting one or two as I could. But by the time I was ready to sit down and knock out a good chunk of blog-visits... several of the ones I visited had abandoned A-to-Z - either dropping off blogging, or random blogging without adhering to the letters. I'm all for blogging how anyone chooses, but it seems to me that if someone registers to follow a particular set of rules for a challenge, they should stick to them. I don't know why, but it bugs me. I'm a rule follower. (One or two of the blogs that had simply cut off at an early letter still made it to my "check them out later" list, but none of the "using AtoZ to gain followers while not really participating" blogs did.)
This year was more stressful. I LOVED the stories I wrote. I had fun with them. Of course, being flash fiction, there are things I would change on an edit, or if I lengthened them and added more depth, but overall, I'm happy with my part in this.
Will I do it next year? I will take into consideration what is happening in my life at that time. I may do as one of my favorite bloggers, Liz A. of Laws of Gravity, does: Simply follow the alphabet as I do my regular blogging in April. I might not even register. Just to relieve the stress. If stress is what my life is offering me next year. We'll see.
The first year I did the challenge I had no theme and that worked fine. The next year I had a very simple theme called nouns. So I blogged about 8 or 9 different people, places, and things. These were usually people, places and things that I would have blogged about anyway. Over the past few years my themes have been more elaborate and I see the wisdom of simpler themes that you could just adjust to your regular blogging patterns.
ReplyDeleteGood idea! Thanks
DeleteI noticed the bloggers using the challenge merely to gain new followers, too. Congrats on finishing the challenge.
ReplyDeleteRonel visiting for Reflecting on a Double A-Z Challenge 2023
Thanks, Ronel! Congrats to you, too!
DeleteI found it hard to use the directory because of so many bloggers not actually being in A to Z. Very annoying. Congrats on finishing!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know I'm not alone. Congrats to you, too!
DeleteIt's good to give yourself grace. You succeeded. So what if a couple of the letters weren't Biblical flash fiction. You still wrote to the letter of the day. I just keep my blogging as usual because that's the easiest for me. Congrats.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, it was easier at the beginning. At least I had Q and Z ready to go from the start!
DeleteMost disheartening to hear you're thinking of not signing up, or registering, for next year. There is always some drop off in bloggers who sign up versus those who complete the challenge. We try to not open the sign-up too early, mostly to prevent this issue. Might it be better if the team were to remove people from the list? That was something we did in the past.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, my decision of whether to do it or not will depend on what is happening in my life at the time, not on what other bloggers do. I'll have to make a more realistic judgment call next March. Besides, I download the master list after it's final, so any updates would be lost on me. But thanks for asking!
DeleteIt is frustrating when people don't do what they're expected to, but that's life. I bent the rules to fit, I admit, but that's easier when things have a common name and a Latin one.
ReplyDeleteNo hate to those blogs that made their own rules, but I prefer to share my AtoZ love to the ones who stuck with the standard guidelines. As I said, I did mark down some of the other blogs to check out later.
DeleteNo hate to bloggers doing as they see fit on their blog. I'm clearly not their audience.
DeleteCongratulations on completing the challenge. Life has a way of throwing in it's own challenges, but I'm glad you made it through.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's never been this much of a struggle, so I'm prouder than usual that I made it.
DeleteCongratulations on finishing. Yes life does get in the way sometimes. I managed to complete the challenge - just. A visit from extended family during April severely limited my time for visiting other blogs though so I'm trying to catch up now - working my way through the reflections posts.
ReplyDeleteYes! That's my intent, too: visit blogs after the event. It might be a month before I get to it, though. Planning a month of travel, including working ahead, is filling my days.
DeleteWell, congratulations. I, also, had the unexpected happen and didn't do the visiting I should have. For some of it I just couldn't handle too much mentally. But I remember you from previous years. I (I'm also a reader of Liz's blog) may do what she did and try to fit my normal activities around the given letter of the alphabet. And yes, like in previous years, it was irritating to hit links on the list and either they had quit long before or I couldn't even figure out where their A to Z posts were.
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy others felt the same way. I hated to say anything negative, but at least I'm not alone. I think I should go back through these comments and follow - actually follow - the other like-minded thinkers. That way I will remember who to check in on later!
DeleteI must admit, Red, that yours was one of the many blogs I couldn't regularly visit in April. Though I participated in the challenge, time was a big challenge, unlike previous years. I shall go through at least some of your posts in the coming days.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing. I feel like I visited yours once or twice... but I may not have commented. The month is a blur.
DeleteSometimes life gets in the way! I did flash fiction for my theme one year and I really enjoyed it
ReplyDeleteIndeed it does. I will always continue to write flash fiction, just maybe less structured, or not every single day.
DeleteI would say you were incredibly successful! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteBeth
https://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/
It sure feels like it! Thanks!
DeleteI'm stopping by on an end-of-year Road Trip for the 2023 A to Z challenge and to say Hello! I experienced some of the same disappointment you did with not being able to get to all the blog posts I wanted to and then finding some of them had stopped participating. All we can do, I suppose, is keep writing anyway. So glad you finished the month strong. (I don't speak Klingon either. ha)
ReplyDelete