The April 2012 A-Z Challenge is completed.
I enjoyed meeting people that I might not have otherwise, and sharing poetry with people (my indulgence) rather than the posts I had been writing prior to the challenge. I also liked being able to see how other people tackled the chore, and what types of themes they crafted for their woven words. I found that there are many styles and genres to explore in blogging, and I enjoyed the journey.
While it was many wonderful things, and an experience I am glad to have had, it pushed me to read more, respond more, and attempt to keep up with an ever growing list of people I liked to read. I did keep up pretty well throughout the month of April, but here it is a week into May, and I have been reluctant to blog travel since the end of the challenge. Perhaps I pushed too hard.
Another interesting part of the challenge, for me, was that most of the connections I made through the A-Z dwindled within the first few days after the challenge was over. I haven't caught back up since then, not even with those I liked to frequent daily before the challenge began...
I think it helped me to put things back into perspective though, and I have written more in private as a result. I still keep up with a few of the challenges and groups I have come to enjoy, but I am doing much more of my writing offline post A-Z.
A sincere appreciation needs to go out to Arlee Bird and his co-hosts for organizing, and encouraging us all to move forward through the month of April. It must have been a tremendous feat to accomplish, and credit is deserved.
Whatever makes you smile the most is what I wish for you. But, let me just say, I do miss reading those haiku masterpieces.
ReplyDeleteWriting is all about expression and how and where each does it, a personal choice.
Keeping up with the number of readings I did (while NOT writing) was not sustainable, but it was fun for the month. I have not made the effort nor do I plan to since the end.
♥
That's a very nice response Jo, thank you. I have been doing the haiku each day, even after the challenge. ;-)
DeleteKeeping up with the reading was daunting, and I felt (even though I know better) that I had to read each of the ones I kept up with every day (and I did), but it left me worn and tired.
You did keep up well, that's why you have forever been dubbed as the Fairy Blog Mother ;-) or the Good Blog Fairy, whichever you prefer.
You are an exception to the rules though, but you knew that ;-)
Jo is amazing, how she managed to read so many blogs, comment on them and then still post on her site! I'm always impressed!
DeleteShe is amazing Michael. That's why she has an award that I have only given to one person ;-) She earns it all the time!
DeleteYou are such a talented writer that you should always write how and where it makes you happiest, sharing with the world only what you wish. The demands of the challenge are unrealistic for more than a short time and would cause even the most faithful to become frustrated. There are so many great bloggers out there and there is just no way humanly possible to keep up with all of them. I'm just glad I found a certain few outstanding blogs that I am able to keep up with on a fairly regular basis, including yours. XOXO
ReplyDeleteThank you Kat, yours was also one I made it to daily through the month of April, and have on my mind regularly. It's true that there are many bloggers to see, read, and interact with. That was the difficulty. I prefer a slower pace, a quieter frame of mind to write in.
DeleteThank you for this, it made me smile from the inside out. XOXO
I love your writing. LOVE.
ReplyDeleteAs a result, I'm hopeful that at least some of your "private" creations will become public at some point in time.
Assuming you'd care to share, that is =]
You are a wonderful inspiration, and writer that I enjoy sharing words with.
DeleteI am not going to disappear, I like the interaction with others in the writing world too much for that. My focus just shifted so that I could type without the internal clattering. Eventually most of my "private" creations will be moved to print in one form or another.
I was always impressed by your brilliant abilities to come up with something spectacular in so few of words each and everyday. I love your poetry!!
ReplyDeleteKathy
http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com
Thank you Kathy. My writing started with poetry, when I was 8 years old. It's an extended part of me, and the mind and heart that drives me. I'm really glad that you enjoyed it, and were able to be a part of what made April 2012 a good challenge! :-)
DeleteCongrats to you for getting through the month and for you continuing to explore and write. I've enjoyed reading your poetry and hope to see more. I didn't participate in the A-Z but I did work on my new novel. Does that count? My view on all those daily blogs posts is it got all those writers to the desk and writing. Can't be a bad thing if the writer great because of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brenda for the congratulations!
DeleteYes, your novel counts :-)
Yes, there were a lot of benefits for many, reasons. Especially if the writers were having a hard time taking time to do their writing to begin with... what I found is that I did not have as much time to write, as I did before the challenge, because I was trying to keep up with all of the reading ;-) Courtesy you know. I did A LOT of reading and commenting.
I write everyday... have for years now.
Congrats for reaching the A to Z finish line, Lady Mystique!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your daily haiku and love to analyse these pieces...
Once a week, I try my hand at it, but mine sound "bland" - you seem to have a special knack when it comes to writing haiku.
For me, the A to Z gave me an opportunity to flex and sharpen my "fiction writing muscles" as well as get some feedback on my writing...
Thank you Michelle :-) Love the name you've given me.
DeleteI enjoy the Haiku, and hadn't written any for years, so it was fun take it out, shake it out, and see what I could do with so few words.
I think you are doing well with your Haiku, I step in to see what you are up to often >:-) It is one of those types of writing that requires you to think about every single word. I had someone teach me, and he was a HARD critic. (whispers, there are a couple that have words he would NOT have allowed). But in the end I was grateful for his strict means, because I learned more than just how to write Haiku, I learned to be careful with words... he's no longer alive, but I think he would have been proud of this A-Z Haiku blog.
Feedback is helpful, without it, we would all be swimming in a sea of uncharted words. :-)