Ze Wrap Up aka Reflections on the AtoZ Challenge

Reflections on the A to Z Challenge

I had a chance to visit nearly all of the challenge participants.  I have never encountered so many anxious bloggers, those first time participants wondering whether they could do 26 posts and blog about something from A to Z.  Each year I participate in the We Work for Cheese writing challenge, a challenge in the truest sense of the word, the hosts think up bizarre, mind-bending topics.  I've been to that virtual bloggy boot camp.  (Love it actually, it is a writing romp).

Back to reflections:  There were the bloggers who signed up, and then forgot to post.  There were the universally-hated captcha comment forms - we beg and plead a blogger to turn off, but they don't.  Ah, perhaps they do, if I really want to reach out to a blogger, I'll struggle through that captcha nonsense.

My recommendation for those newbies who join up next year, draft your posts a month in advance, have a germ of an idea and just put something down.  For approximately 5 or 6 of my pre-drafted posts, I composed totally new ones.  Do the hardest ones first.  I thought "no biggie" on U, V, Y and Z but they did end up to be a biggie, I had a struggle with those letters.

I would recommend all of the bloggers that hosted this challenge and many, many others that are so talented.

I like the odd, quirky, elegantly simple or just plain unusual blogs. I found a few lesser known ones that delight me, listed in alpha order they include:

A Daft Scots Lass http://gillianhefer.blogspot.com/
Closet Geek Gurl http://closetgeekgurl.blogspot.com/
Commonweeder http://www.commonweeder.com/
Hill Blocks View http://hillblocksview.blogspot.com/
Moonwynd Studio http://moonwyndstudio.com/
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy http://oregongiftsofcomfortandjoy.blogspot.com/
Stephen Z Metal's blog http://stephenzmetal.wordpress.com/
Wildfire Lady http://wildfirelady.blogspot.com/
Wounded Warrior Wife http://woundedwarriorwife.wordpress.com/

What I didn't anticipate was the flurry of followers that this challenge garnered (60+ and still adding).  *Woot woot*  Welcome to all my new readers - It was a blast!

Now I feel like this mute Chatty Cathy

19” Chatty Cathy doll with rooted hair, sleepy eyes, vinyl head, 
plastic body arms and legs. Received in played with condition, 
the eyes, head, arms and legs are discolored, 
a 2” crack on the side of her bottom. 
The voice box is not working. AA
http://www.shopgoodwill.com/auctions/1960s-Chatty-Cathy-Doll-wCrochet-Clothing-13066142.html

An upcoming challenge I will be participating in ~

via hoohaablog

Here’s how it will work.

• On the first of each month, I’ll have a blog post here with the theme for the month.
• Over the course of the month, participants will take photos with their interpretation of the theme. On the last day of the month, participants should  publish their blog post, which will include five photos from the month. (please don’t recycle photos from the past … the idea is to hopefully challenge you to go out and take new photos to interpret the theme).
• I’ll have a link-up thing at the end of my post so people can come and post the links to their posts so, hopefully, everybody can go go check out and comment on other posts.

There is no rule on equipment or anything. Use a cell phone. Use film. Use a point-and-shoot. Use a DSLR. It doesn’t matter. Just make sure you publish your blog post on the last day of each month, come here and link up.

This month’s theme is: Night.

There are so many ways to look at and think about this theme. It doesn’t always mean a long-exposure shot. Test things out, think outside the box, but most of all, have fun with it!

Please make sure your blog post publishes Friday, May 31.