Monday 30 January 2012

A - Z Blogging Challenge 2012


Since starting this blog, I've failed to maintain any kind of consistency.


I read about bloggers who spend blocks of time compiling posts, to sprinkle throughout the week, and I'm green with envy!

The only thing that's stopped me from doing the same (apart from conviction), is the question: What do I blog about?

As much as I love organisation and structure in my life, I feel weird with the idea of writing just for the sake of it. My blog posts have been somewhat *maybe too* impulsive, written on an impassioned whim.

But I want to blog more frequently, get disciplined and interact with other bloggers.

Where does that leave me?

Well... I've found a nice little challenge, to fix my wee problem. It's the A to Z April Challenge, 2012. The magic words on their website...

"This is a great opportunity to discipline yourself, grow as a blogger, and make new friends – come join us!"

The gist of the challenge is to write every day for 26 days (excluding the last 4 Sundays of the month. Yes, there are 5 Sundays in April this year.), with an alphabetised theme. To quote the website again:

"Using this premise, you would start beginning April First with a topic themed on something with the letterA, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until you finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z. It doesn't even have to be a word--it can be a proper noun, the letter used as a symbol, or the letter itself. The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day."

I don't mind telling you, I've spent a ridiculous amount of time poring over the last years entries, gleaming inspiration.

I now have a word document splattered with letters, and ideas for each letter. I hope to get as much as possible done before April, so I can spend the month browsing other blog's entries (famous last words... we both know there's a good chance I'll be posting the letter each day in a panic. I'll try not to though).

I don't think it will make me blog every day after that. What I hope to gain from the experience, is the practice of finding subjects to blog about, and the excitement of writing the posts.

It first started in 2010 with 100 bloggers. The next year, there were 1300 bloggers :o I predict a massive turnout this year! Come join me in the challenge! The sign up list is now open. :)




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4 comments:

Catherine Noble said...

Lucky number 100! :)

The Armchair Squid said...

Good luck with A to Z! I look forward to your posts.

Pearson Report said...

Hi Catherine - Welcome to the A to Z Challenge and thanks for featuring it in your post!

Your post put a smile on my face...it is tough thinking about post topics isn't it? But don't despair, you're in the same boat as the rest of us...some just make it look easier!! :)

I hope you have fun with this Challenge and enjoy all the interaction it affords!

Jenny @ Pearson Report
Co-Host of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.
Twitter: @AprilA2Z

Toni @Duolit said...

Hi Catherine! So glad to hear that you've decided to participate in the challenge -- consistent blogging is something a lot of writers (well, bloggers in general) struggle with and it'll be interesting to see how the challenge works out for you! Get us thinking about some other fun writer-specific blogging challenges we could create...hmmm...
PS - This is a little late, too, but thank you for the comment on our 15-Minute Goal Setting for Authors post!

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