A to Z Reflections

After a week to recover, it's time to think about how we all survived April.  You can find more reflections post and add your own at the A to Z site. Make sure to link directly to your reflection post and not your blog in general.

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?

A to Z Reflections Post

April flew by though sometimes I thought I might not make it. Like most of you, I took the first few days in May as a mini blog vacation. But for the most part, I'll be back on my MWF schedule starting today. After catching our breath, now is the time to reflect on the past month's experience. Find the list of all those sharing their reflections, check the A to Z Challenge Blog.

The very first thing that stood out to me was the generosity of my fellow bloggers. More than a few used the challenge as a way to highlight some of their blogger friends. I was privileged to have one of my blog posts shared on Robin's blog. One of my books received a perfect introduction from Michael. Pat mentioned me, I think, as the Susan with a slash in her name. Not only did these wonderful people make me smile, they reminded me again that though writing can be a lonely career, I'm not alone as long as I keep in touch with these people.

The challenge also reminded me that people blog about all kinds of interesting topics. My blog is about writing but I love learning about an abundance of subjects. Foreign countries, history, science and a wide variety of topics held my interest as I worked my way through the list.

A number of bloggers highlighted books and thanks to them, I have at least fifteen new books on my Kindle. Without the challenge, I might not have known about those authors or their books. I hope to do a lot of reviews over the next few months.

The sheer number of participants can be intimidating but I did much better this year accepting that I could only do so much without making myself miserable. I still hope to meet some bloggers I didn't get a chance to visit during the challenge when I check out the reflections posts.

Are you 'reflecting' today? Was the challenge what you expected? Can you name one very interesting blog you discovered during the challenge?

Don't forget that Wednesday is the first one for the month of May. That means IWSG where we do a little more fellowship with others around the blogosphere.