I've been sick. Again. Only this time, the entire country has been ill with me. It's amazing, really, that twenty different people of my acquaintance in twenty separate states all contracted the same disease at the same time as I did. We're all lovely, hacking, snot-nosed remnants of our former selves. Oh, and my downstairs neighbor has it, too. She and I have been trading get-well recipes between sneezes.
Thus the reason I have not been blogging this week. It's been all I can do to complete my freelancing assignments.
But...I'm here now and ready to make the point that this post is supposed to be about. I found a little something called the A to Z Blogging Challenge and, like many of you know, I'm not one to resist any type of writing challenge. I just signed up. Let me know if you decide to join, too.
The premise is simple: in April 2012, blog every day except Sundays...and post thematically from A to Z. So, in other words, each letter is a post and each post has to do with the word. (If you're still scratching your head, click here to get a much fuller explanation. There are examples!)
I love it.
I've been thinking about my game plan for April. Here are the options I would enjoy pursuing:
- Barrel through 26 topics regardless of their significance to writing or me
- Participate with 26 writing topics, one for each letter
- Participate with 26 original flash fiction/poetic pieces, for your viewing pleasure
- Write 14 posts on writing topics and 12 original flash fiction/poetic pieces
- Provide 26 SF & fantasy-related topics
I like #4 best. This way, I can keep my normal M/W/F blogging schedule, just tailored to the letter of the day, and my usual off-days would be the flash fiction or poetry.
(Note: I have a fun idea for the flash fiction/poetry, if I go with that. You will provide me with story fodder. Either a picture or a starting phrase, etc., that corresponds with the letter of that day. I will then write a story based off that. Makes it more fun for both of us, no?)
So...what do you think? Sound off in the polling booth and/or in the comments. And, please, if you're freshly arrived from the A to Z blogging ring, leave a comment so I can try out my new welcoming mat (I also need to know who to send this new-neighbor fruitcake to...).
I've added my face to your growing band of members. Have you considered moving that thing up higher so it can be more readily found. That is if you're into gaining more followers.
ReplyDeleteSince I tend to be a pretty random guy I'm going with random, but that's not knowing anything about your writing. Others have done very well going in those other directions. Last year a few books even came from those who had a theme.
Good luck and welcome to the Challenge.
Lee
An A to Z Co-Host
Tossing It Out
Twitter: @AprilA2Z
#atozchallenge
Welcome to Visions and thanks for adding your face! I did what you suggested and moved it higher up the page.
DeleteRandom appeals to me, too, since that is often how I launch into my stories and such. However, in trying to build a certain theme on this blog to begin with (i.e. the writing life as it occurs to a SF and fantasy writer), I do kind of want to stick with that. I don't know yet. Thanks for the vote, though, and the welcome.
You are very organised. I'm still at the 'I ought to think about what I'm going to write' stage which is where I'll probably be every day of the challenge. That's the way I worked last year;-)
ReplyDeleteWelcome, welcome, to this humble abode.
DeleteAs organized as I can be at times, I have an equally large part of me that is not. That part likes to find out what will happen when there is no game plan. I just haven't decided which side is going to win, yet. Thus the need for a poll. Randomness and organization in one. ;)
Thanks for voting and for visiting!
Hi Jessica
DeleteYou asked how to post the A-Z bloghop list on your blog.
Scroll down to the very end of the list. On the left-hand side under 'What is a blog hop?' you will see 'Get the code here . . . '
Click on that and the code will appear for you to copy and paste onto your blog.
I wonder why your A-Z badge is different to mine? (I think I prefer yours;-))
The badge that appears in the header of the A to Z Blog is the official A to Z Badge. The others such as the one pictured here are decorative blog bling to decorate your site and to put into posts about the Challenge..
DeleteLee
An A to Z Co-Host
Tossing It Out
Twitter: @AprilA2Z
#atozchallenge
Thanks! I see it now. Probably should have looked around a bit before crying for help. ;)
DeleteLee's right. I thought about using the official badge but I liked the decorative bling better.
Sorry, I should have said, Go to any blogger that's got the list - the instructions will be the same.
ReplyDeleteHi! I do remember you! I'm so glad to be able to read your blog/work again. Thanks for the comment and the compliment! ~ L
ReplyDeleteOkay, I just read the post. What a fantastic idea. My current blog suffered greatly from my laziness. Perhaps this might get me out of the rut....
ReplyDeleteOh, and I vote for #4. Mix it up!
You're welcome and thanks for visiting back!
DeleteIt would be awesome to have you on board for the A to Z challenge. (Don't forget to sign up, as well.)
I love how the random and very ordered options are getting all the votes. What are you thinking of doing?
I sure hope I don't catch what you've had, Jessica. It would be awful to be sick during the A to Z Challenge (although I imagine it would encourage short blog posts). :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't catch it, either, Patricia! It's one of those colds that hang on for weeks. But, yes, it would be easy to stick to short, sweet posts that way. :)
DeleteThanks for visiting!
Hi there, Jessica! *waves*
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you! You will have a blast during the month of April. The A-Z Challenge is awesome! And you will meet tons of awesome bloggers too!
I'm your newest follower - oh, and I vote for 26 flash fiction pieces because that's what I'm going to ATTEMPT!
I've linked my A-Z promotional post to this comment... check it out when you have some time!
Hi Michelle!
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you, too! I love hearing from people who have done this sort of thing before. Writing challenges are my thing, not only for the challenge itself but also because I get to meet some awesome people along the way.
I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the follow and for visiting!
I'm doing the A to Z challenge for the first time this year, and I'm still trying to figure out what to do. I feel like I should go with a theme to "brand" myself, but I think I will actually enjoy random more.
ReplyDeleteI actually really like your idea of doing a mix of both (option #4), so that's my vote. :-)
Hi Jocelyn! Welcome to my part of the blogosphere!
DeleteI hear ya. Random just holds so many possibilities. I'm most comfortable with a game plan that still allows some randomness. I can focus better that way while still having fun. ;)
Hi Jessica! This is my first year doing the A to Z challenge, and as much as I'm looking forward to the blogging itself, I'm also excited to be connecting with so many other writers who are also participating.
ReplyDeleteAs for the poll -- ignore us! Write what you want! It's 26 days of writing, don't get trapped in someone else's vision of what will work best for you.
Looking forward to reading your posts!
Hey Kern! It's my first year doing this, as well. I signed up for it for much the same reason you did - it was a fun chance to meet some other writers and stretch my horizons a bit.
DeleteThanks for the encouragement! I like challenges, which is why I asked everyone their opinion. If it happened to be different from my own, it could be fun to do something I wouldn't normally do. Though, so far, my personal opinion is winning in the poll. ;)
Thanks for visiting! I'm trying to visit everyone back little by little, so it may take a few days but I'll be stopping by your blog as well.