The first year I did the A to Z, I didn't use a theme. To be honest, I didn't know that most people did use themes. I didn't do much advanced planning that year, either. Every morning I wrote a post, alphabetical, of course, so I got that right. And I visited as many blogs as my nimble brain and fingers allowed, then I patted myself on the back. Great job!
What I discovered was the bloggers who created thematic posts were the most interesting to visit. Guess what? The second year I had a theme.
To wax a bit nostalgic here are some of the themes that I thought were the most exciting in the 2014. I couldn't get around to the hundreds out there, so I know there were others I would have put on this list. Here are a few that I returned to daily and really enjoyed.
- Lexa Cain
- Hillary's Positive Letters
- Michelle Wallace's Writer in Transit
- J.L. Campbell's Character Depot
Why were these among my favs? Here are the qualities these bloggers brought to the Challenge.
They were
- informative
- humorous
- fun with puzzles or games to play
- short or with lots of white space
- well-written
- easy on the eye (no fancy dark background with green fonts or flashing gifs)
- no word verification
This year I'm looking forward to finding more favorites, and I have a feeling that the themes I'll gravitate to will have these qualities.
Ready? Set? Almost GO!
19 comments:
I am going for knowledge and a bit of humor... I spent the weekend getting everything ready.
I didn't have a theme the first year either and didn't have posts ready ahead of time. It was a mad scramble. Like Jeremy, I spent a lot of the weekend preparing.
I do like a good theme. I tend to go for very obscure ones myself based entirely on fiction allowing me to make stuff up and ramble. . . . . . . .
I do like a good ramble. (Verbally not on my legs). .
That was my first year. It was a mess. A theme is the only way to go.
I definitely agree with the idea of having a theme. Did a theme last year and doing another one this year. Going with short and interactive.
betty
I didn't do themes my first two years. After doing a theme once, never will I go themeless again! I'm doing the same theme as last year too and am in the process of getting the posts scheduled.
This is my first time and I have a theme. I am going to let the cat out of the bag on 20th and see how it goes from there :)
Hi Lee - thanks for giving me a nod .. I've always enjoyed the A-Z and inadvertently I started with a theme and I've stuck to the same concept ever since - same this this year ... next week will be the reveal!
I'd like to make mine shorter .. and they are my normal posts ... I just seem to be verbose A-Zer!! Oh - but I am easy on the eye??!?!?!!!!!
Enjoy everyone .. cheers Hilary
This is my first year with a theme, although without one, they sort of seemed to theme up anyways.
My theme will be revealed on March 23rd during the great theme reveal.
Bushman
2015 A to Z Challenge Ambassador
@jwb81074
I am writing mine ahead of time, and love it
I am more ramped up for the Challenge than I have ever been before! And looking forward to read the posts of others, more than ever before! It just gets better and better.
Life & Faith in Caneyhead
I am Ensign B ~ One of Tremp's Troops with the
A to Z Challenge
Ah, I am the lone hold out… I still think it's all about winging it. But I do enjoy reading other bloggers themed posts.
I think it's the flash fiction beast in me… I like to see what the day will bring.
Back in 2012, when I was a Co-Host I prepared my posts in advance. Sadly, that wasn't as much fun for me as it is to write something the day before it's due. (Yes, I do start on March 31 and go from there, so I'm one day ahead with my writing.)
I wish everyone the best of luck whether themed or not - it's all about having fun!
Cheers, Jenny
2015 A to Z Challenge Ambassador
@PearsonReport
Sure, it's hard to find nice theme for blog. The main problem is in a process of customization. Many themes do not able to transform as i wish. It was my headache for a year, and i decided to hire designer to create own, custom theme for my TrustMyPaper.com blog.
Your post resonated with me. The first year I too had no theme and it was actually harder. Having a theme was a lot easier and more fun too. All the best to everyone and looking forward to discovering some new blogs.
The idea of finding a theme is driving me nuts!! last year was my first year and I winged it and had loads of fun - this year I'm trying to find a theme that will fit in with the rest of my blogging and I'm so stressed about it lol So at the minute I'm between three stools - don't do it at all, wing it, or find a theme that no-one but me will be interested in. Aaaaaarrrrghggggghhh
Fil
Fil’s Place - Old songs and Memories
Last year was my first AtoZ and I chose a Travel & Culture theme. It was fun, but the posts were complicated to format, so I'm keeping it more simple, this time.
I kept on coming back to my first year theme when I was trying to come up with a theme for this year (my third) so I'm kind of revisiting my theme from the year before last.
I definitely find the themes easier to read than the ones which don't follow a theme. I try to bookmark the ones that interest me and then go back to visit them throughout the challenge.
Thanks for the shout out!!
My first challenge also consisted of pre-written random posts, based on the letter of the day.
This is my 5th challenge, and I've since discovered that a theme is the way to go. It's less stressful.
Thanks for the mention, Lee. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with this year too!
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