Well now ... I'm going to be quite honest - I got exactly what I wanted out of the challenge. I got a very few new followers and heard from some folks I haven't before (or some that I heard from last year at this time) but I'm not after followers. I went to some sites that I haven't before and had a boo around and if they seemed like my kinda folk I commented on their posts. I tried to get back to everyone who commented on mine and as most days that was one to five - not an onerous job - but I found that I really wanted was just to visit my circle of pals that are tried and true - some of whom weren't doing the challenge and some who were.
history - I was a big time blogger when I started - posting lots of posts - getting out, entering contests or challenges and then that slowed down last year. I think in the summer of last year I started facebooking more and posting on my blog less. The folks on my fb page could comment easily or just like what I was up to and I could do the same back - it seemed easier and I slipped into it. I made fb my own thing - usually putting up a photo that I had taken and a poem that went with it. I got a terrific response to this and so kept it up. I wrote 60 poems in 60 days while at the same time I was writing the first draft of a novel on the BuNoWriMo. I was on the web everyday but not on this site or my other Living the Complicated Simple Life much.
life - We sold our house in August last year and between then and now I've moved three times. I've packed up, filled out postal forms, cleaned fridges and stoves, gotten rid of heaps of stuff and man oh man am I beat. My partner had to have an operation after our last move into this house (our old crapoid place) and our dear dear dog got sick and had to be euthanized. I got involved in the small village near this place and now I am part of the Sisters in Stitchery, directing a play at the church hall and sitting as vice-chair on the residents' association. We're fixing up this house as best we can as we want to sell it after a year and build a house on a property in the village we've bought. My practice (of psychotherapy) is still a going concern (good thing - it is my retirement plan) and I'm on one of my near last revisions of Bright Angel. I did a course in poetry at the university and I now have nine poems out looking for homes and more to send. I have a garden to put in and a course to design. I have a step-dot who is finishing high school and a new dog on the horizon. I guess the only thing I don't have is chickens anymore and really they were easy to take care of!
wrap-up - I liked the A to Zed. It was my third year of doing it and while I don't seem to go after the same things as many folks (increased readership etc ...) I get something great out of it. And what is that? Help with my discipline. If I tell Alex and Lee and the gang that I'm going to write a post a day - I will do it. I'm like that. It is the Daddio in me (when the going gets tough the tough get going AND Never be a quitter) . When I'm diving down into a word to write a small story or poem it is a refreshing break from revising. When I get a message from Margot (bless you bless you bless you) or hear that my sister has been reading every day (my dear dear lurking sis) it picks me up - I do like it - but the writing has to be sufficient onto itself.
So thanks all you tireless organizers of the A to Zed! I know how much work this must be and I am glad that I'm allowed to do it in my own fashion. I have the seeds of several stories sticking out little tendrils and I will see if they are ready for a bigger pot!
11 comments:
This is a really great post! I enjoyed reading this very much.
I think if one enters the challenge without expectation, it is all the more enjoyable!
Cheers from one AtoZer to another!
thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com
I like that you got out of it what you expected...perhaps some new bloggie friends, but aren't all that worried about it. I will say, I'm in awe of what you've accomplished this year in total. I don't do the A-Z for a reason you mentioned...if I tell Alex and Lee I will do something, then I have to do it. For me, it's less about gaining a following and more about doing writing that will help me grow as a writer. So I promised (out loud, on Middle Passages) that instead of A-Z, I'd write 1,000 five days a week for the month of April on the first draft of my WIP. I got to 26K and am grateful to Alex and all you A-Z-ers who kept going. You all kept me going too!
Oh Liza - yes I read your post and I'm just the same. Use it for what works. The real thing for those of us who write is to keep spurred on in whatever endeavor we're up to! Now back to the play rehearsals go I!
I like your attitude. I felt about the same. Write my post, mosey around, return visits, and if people came to my blog, great, if not, oh well there was always tomorrow. I had fun. Hope to see you next year.
Jan - You are such a sweetie - thanks for the mention :-). And I really truly did enjoy your A-Zed stories. So creative and so engaging. I'm sorry that life has gotten in the way of your...life so much this past year. That happens I think to all of us, and I'm sorry this was your time. I hope things will settle and I know you'll have what it takes to tap those experiences for your writing.
We appreciate that diligent persistence that got you through the A to Zed. You sure have a lot going on so it is a wonder that you made. Congratulations and thanks for the Reflections.
Lee
An A to Z Co-Host
Tossing It Out
Wow it sounds like your life has been crazy, yet still you persisted. Good for you!
Wow it sounds like your life has been crazy, yet still you persisted. Good for you!
I can't imagine moving that frequently though I'd love to get rid of heaps of stuff cluttering the house. Why must I be a saver?
The challenge for me was more about fun and just wanting to do it than anythings else. I'm glad I joined in.
You did good, Jan! You've had almost as chaotic a year as I have. We really need a nice hens retreat, eh? Good luck with the house renovation and building the place you really want!
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