A-Z Blog Challenge Reflections

First, many, many thanks to Arlee Bird and everyone with the A-Z Blog Challenge team.  What a wonderful experience this has been, and all of you made it special!

I’m writing a novel, one I refer to as an old-fashioned ghost story, but the industry would call everything from paranormal romance to gothic romance with a mystery tie-in.

I finished draft three just before the A-Z Blog Challenge.

I intended to set draft three aside for a few weeks and let it stew and work on something else.  I thought of adopting one of my short stories to a ghost story. 

My friend Dawn suggested the A-Z Blog Challenge.

I mentioned it to a couple of folks, but demurred.

My friend Jodie offered the convincer by participating herself.

My topic then became… Ghosts: Real, Imaginary, and Metaphorical.

So how did I find the experience?

Fun, in that I had to come up with ghost topics from A-Z.  Some, admittedly were a stretch, but always enjoyable

Social, in that my blog had 2 followers before the challenge began.  It now has 30.  Thank you all for that.  And I found a number of wonderful blogs to follow that I had no idea existed before this challenge, and will continue to follow.

Painful, in that a number of posts required me to sit in front of my laptop and bleed.  That, however, was my choice, not a fault of the challenge.

Overall, I’m so happy to have made it through.  I’m exhausted, but am filled with accomplishment.  I also feel as though I’ve been molded by a blacksmith into a better writer.

I read many incredible blogs.  Here are some amazing ones I came to through the challenge.

http://minalobo.blogspot.com/ A. C.

http://jennyforrester.com/blog/ 

http://www.thewritingvein.com/

http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/

http://paranormallounge.blogspot.com/

And this is just a sample. 

If you’ll notice, a number of the bloggers here are writers.

And here are some individual posts that grabbed me and held on tight, one even staunching some emotional bleeding.

http://sothisis40-really.blogspot.com/2013/04/q-is-for-quality-of-life.html 

http://sothisis40-really.blogspot.com/2013/04/m-is-for-mindfulness.html

http://jennyforrester.com/blog/?p=366

http://minalobo.blogspot.com/2013/05/reflecting-on-2013-to-z-challenge.html

I’m now ready to start draft four of my ghost story.  It’s good.  I know how to make it better.

The challenge has helped.

I’m such a newbie that I hesitate to offer suggestions to make the A-Z Blog Challenge better.  But I do agree with fellow blogger Mina that one should have to choose a category, even if that category is (PP) Potpourri for those who want to mix things up a little.

To that end, offering more categories, and allow a blogger to choose more than one.   One of my favs involved both travel and food.  (TR) (FD) or whatever the acronym will be.

Choosing a category might make the blog hop a little more focused and purposeful.  Like if I’m walking into a bar for a drink and they don’t serve wine, I’m outta there.  I’m not interested in straight liquor, not that there’s anything wrong with that or folks who prefer it.  It’s just not my thing.

Requiring a category (and offering more choices) would, I think, enhance the hopping experience.

I'll check out as many of the reflections as I can, and will return next year.

In the meantime, with my regular posts, I'll keep y'all up with what I learn about writing, storytelling, provide a story here and there, and keep everyone posted on how draft four is coming along.  I have three agents interested in seeing it on its completion.

Until then, happy blogging everyone!