The Good
I made it through. I had all my posts done ahead of time and I enjoyed writing them.
I had lots of visitors each day.
I visited some really terrific blogs nearly every day such as:
Burggraf's Blog
Madly-in-Verse
Messymimi's Meanderings
The Not So Good
I didn't visit as many people as I wanted to during the challenge.
I neglected some of the blogs I regularly visit.
I didn't write near as much as I planned during the month. And when I did, it was in shorts spurts that is leaving holes in my plot lines and character development. Another words, a lot of it was crap.
The Verdict
Will I do the A to Z again next year? Probably. It's not for sure though I'm leaning toward doing it. It might have a lot to do with selling my house next spring and where I'm at with that. Moving means interrupted internet so we'll see.
Onto some more social media news. If you're a writer, you should belong to the IWSG. Follow the blog and post every month. It's so easy. Join the Facebook group. And today, follow us on Twitter @TheIWSG. I promise, we'll follow you back. The IWSG management will be using another social media avenue to share news, insights and the professional and emotional support to our wonderful group.
I enjoyed Mother's Day with my sons. They weren't all here at the same time because of work issues and my daughter wasn't home at all. She called twice. I'm so proud of the adults they've become. They're not perfect but they didn't have a perfect mother. And I'm blessed with two step-sons I couldn't love more. Hope you had a chance to spend time with your mother or your children visited you.
"A mom's hug lasts long after she lets go." Unknown
"Motherhood: All love begins and ends there." Robert Browning
Have you followed IWSG on Twitter? Did you reflect on A to Z? Have you found some interesting blogs lately?
37 comments:
It's wonderful the IWSG is finally on Twitter.
Moving is never fun but it's a good time to purge of all the stuff you've collected over the years. I swear stuff breeds in the closet.
Hi Susan - what a great Reflective post. I agree re the IWSG and I'm sure I'll join anon .. but I love the Challenge and was sorry to have missed it this year ...
Congratulations on the Mum thing - that's wonderful ... good luck with the writing now - cheers Hilary
It's been great reading your blog, i enjoy it. Happy Mother's Day!
You're moving? Good luck! I've had enough moves to last me for a while.
Great reflections, Susan and I am so pleased you enjoyed my blog as much as I enjoyed visiting yours. I learned a lot and laughed a lot along the way, so thanks for all your hard work and congratulations on your success.
So happy you had a great Mother's Day! Enjoy the rest of the week.
I'm glad you had a great mother's day with your sons. And I'm thrilled IWSG is on Twitter...just another place where we can share advice and encouragement. :)
I did like your theme for A/Z :) Having them written beforehand is always the best way to go. I am leaning towards doing the challenge next year, but I think I'll approach it differently. I visited a lot of blogs and rarely got back a visit. Maybe I'll just concentrate on following several new blogs through the course of the challenge. We'll see :)
Glad your Mother's Day was a good one! So true we aren't perfect as moms, we just try to do the best we can :)
betty
Bravo to you for doing the A/Z challenge. I'm also glad you had a good Mothers' Day. All the best to all mothers. I've joined the facebook page. Now I'll connect on twitter. Thanks for your post!
If you don't do it next year because of moving I do not blame you!
If you're moving next year, that might be the deciding factor.
One of my goals this month is to dive into Twitter. I did set up an account years ago, but didn't use it. I'll make sure to follow IWSG when I do.
The A to Z went well, but it's time to get back to work. Yeah and darn.
Glad to hear you had a pretty good Mother's Day. I spent the day with mine and enjoyed every moment of it.
And as someone who hasn't participated and probably never will, I'm always envious of anyone who can complete the challenge, so again, congrats to a job well done. Whether you participate next year or not you knocked this one out of the park.
Excellent post! I agree with all your pros and cons;-) Especially regarding trying to write in snippets - ugh. Glad your Mother's Day was nice and congratulations on a successful challenge survival:-)
I thought it was a great challenge and I met so many terrific new people. Loved it and will do it next year!
@Kathleen01930
Blog
Congrats on making it through, I've seen many who didn't on the list. Moving would sure factor in.
I go through the same seesaw each March. Do It. Don't Do It. And then about letter O I know I won't ever, nope, not ever do it again. And suddenly it's March, then April, then O, and . . . there's a pattern here, don't you think?
Congrats on completing the Challenge! It's tough with keeping up with the other blogs, but we all know how busy it gets in April. :)
Great Reflection post Susan, I thank you for visiting me as often as you did. Pleased you had a wonderful Mother's Day, we celebrate that day in March.
Have a lovely week.
Yvonne.
I'm a follower! :)
I had to back away from AtoZ even though I love it because it was just too much. Glad you found some great new blogs!
I had a wonderful Mother's Day with just us two. Had contacts with my offspring and good conversations.
One difficulty I had a year ago was that if I didn't faithfully read one person's continuing story with all its elements, I was lost in putting the story together.
I didn't participate this year (after 5 years) for family reasons. Next year?
I don't go on Twitter so doesn't have any interest for me. I basically don't see the point. A to Z seems to have been a bit difficult for everyone this year.
I did find some great new blogs to follow, which is one of the things I like best about a-z. like you, I didn't get much writing done. Ah well.
Great reflection! And huzzah for family time - even in jots and jolts, it's always good to have. :)
Congrats on making it through the other side of the A-Z Challenge. It really is a challenge.
I really enjoyed your posts so I hope you do it again :). And happy Mother's Day, too.
I think the general consensus seems to be that we all wish we could have visited more blogs during the challenge. I know I was sad about not having as much time as I hoped after work each day. I did find a few new blogs to follow, so that was fun :)
Great reflections post! Agree with your points. Can't get much writing done during the A-Z, too little time, too fragmented concentration.
I enjoyed your posts though I was time challenged and couldn't read all of them. Thank you so much for the shout out!
Difficult to do the A-Z if you're in the midst of serious life changes like a move. I for one am hoping that you'll be able to participate.
Awesome motherhood quotes. happy belated Mother's day!
Btw, I already follow the ISWG site and am subscribed to the newsletter. Not on Twitter, and not signed up as a full member on the site.
Susan, I enjoyed visiting your blog. I also had a hunch that I wouldn't get much writing done during the A to Z and so I agree with you. A to Z demands your attention throughout the month of April.
Shalom aleichem,
Patricia http://www.patgarciaandeverythingmustchange.com/2016/05/reflection-to-z-blog-challenge-2016.html
I have thought about IWSG, but have not dived into it. Susan, your blog is one I did not visit at all during A-Z, and I did not do nearly as much hopping as I did last year. Bigger time crunch this April. It's ok, it happens to everyone. Unlike you, I did not write my posts ahead of time, and I know better. : ) Maui Jungalow
Have you followed IWSG on Twitter? Yes. And I just realised how beneficial Twitter can be, from my April Twitter analytics...
Did you reflect on A to Z? Yes.
Have you found some interesting blogs lately? I sure did. Lots of new and interesting blogs.
Writer In Transit
Glad you were able to connect with your kids on Mother's Day. I'm not looking forward to that stage, but I know it's coming. When I do the A to Z Challenge, there's no brainpower left to be a human being, say nothing about a writer. It's a calculated cost. But at the same time, my sales soar. That's the part that killed me about backing off this year. But I had to, and it's a darn good thing I did. Here's hoping we'll both play next year, eh?
It is great news that IWSG is on Twitter. Happy Belated Mother's Day, Susan.
I know what you mean about neglecting the blogs you read regularly, I definitely fell into this category! Luckily, most of them knew I was doing the challenge and were pre-warned that I wouldn't be by as much but that I would be back!
Debbie
you did a splendid job! i knew i wouldn't have time to do the challenge justice on my own, but i'm so happy i did it with the gals over at really real housewives! we had a blast and it worked out well!
mother's day came up early this year! glad you enjoyed it - i did too =)
i'm looking forward to iwsg twitter chats! the a to z ones were fun!
Kudos on another successful A-Z!
Your "not so good" points were the same for me. Hopefully your moving experience will be not too stressful and disruptive, but moving is indeed a chore that can interfere with life for a while.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
Do you think there will come a time when you stop the A/Z game? Congrats on finishing.
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