The Fantastic A to Z Ride: Observations by Shannon the Warrior Muse

     Shannon Lawrence who blogs as The Warrior Muse is one of the bloggers who went above and beyond the 2011 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.   She and Tina Downey (whose Reflections post appeared yesterday 12/28) continued after the end of the A to Z Challenge to start the Post Challenge Challenge in which they were joined  by many of you to continue to visit all of the blogs that had participated in April.  In the following post she provides some thoughts on how she will approach the 2012 Challenge based on what she learned in 2011.

The Fantastic A to Z Ride

Image by momentcaptured1 via Flickr

       At the culmination of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge this past year I posted my final letter: Z is for Zenith.  I was delighted to have successfully reached the end of the A to Z challenge, proud to have accomplished such a leap in my blogging, having only posted a handful of blog posts before that, and relieved that it was time for a break from the regimen of posting daily and meeting a challenge.  At the same time, I was already thinking ahead to the following year.  I met so many great people via their blogs and this challenge, and I knew 2012 would be even bigger, more spectacular. 

      One of the things I wondered about was whether to go with a theme or not.  It was fun reading blogs that had specifically themed their A to Z posts.  Did it make it easier?  Were those posts better than others that had no discernible pattern?  Was there really a difference?

       As April approaches, I am trying to decide whether to pursue that theme, and what theme that might be, or whether to post as I did last time, talking about whatever fit the correct letter of the alphabet as it came to mind.  Is one way better than the other?  I think not. 

       I’m also hoping to prepare at least some of the posts ahead of time in order to have more time to explore other blogs.  I wasn’t able to make it to many blogs at all during the challenge, at least not compared to how many entrants there were.  Because of that, I’ve spent the time since the A to Z following up on the listing of blogs, having been a part of creating a follow-up challenge that was all about visiting.  I’m not finished yet, but I have until April when it all begins again!  

 

       Ultimately, the A to Z is about having fun and challenging oneself, as much as it is about networking and discovering other blogs.  No matter what I do differently this year, I know the A to Z will be a fantastic ride!

         Thank you Shannon.  It sounds like you're ready to go.   Who else wants to get on board for the fun ride of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge?   Sign ups start on January 30th.

Related articles

• The Fun Factor of the A to Z Challenge (a-to-zchallenge.com)
• Preparing Ahead for April (a-to-zchallenge.com)