V is for Variety #atozchallenge

Today your challenge (should you choose to accept it) is to switch it up a little! Variety is good for creativity and good for the soul - especially in times like this when many forms of entertainment are not available, or have migrated online. 

So, change one thing today! Here are some options:

1. Find a Category on the Master List that you usually are not interested in, and visit some blogs!

2. Write a genre you don't usually write!

3. Read a genre you don't usually read!

4. Find a new challenge! (another blogging challenge, a reading challenge, a kindness challenge, etc.)

5. Try a new form of exercise!

6. Eat breakfast for dinner!

We are nearing the end of the A to Z Challenge, but it is not quite over yet. I hope you all are having fun posting and visiting! Don't forget to schedule a Reflections post (Reflections starting May 3rd) so you can tell us about the experience! :)

P is for Perfection (or lack thereof) #atozchallenge

Are you a perfectionist? It can be both a good and a bad thing. Do you struggle with needing everything you do to be absolutely perfect, just so? Is it a driving force in your work, or does it keep you from writing? Do you keep endlessly tweaking your WIP, and not letting anyone read it until you think it's good enough?

If any of these things sound familiar, I have a challenge for you:

DO SOMETHING 'OKAY'. Not perfect. Just okay.

Write something imperfect. Show an unfinished story to a stranger. Publish a blog post that could probably use more editing. Take a leap. Not everything has to be perfect all the time. Give yourself permission to make mistakes. (It really is harder than it sounds.)

And if you are on the reader/commenter side of this thing, here are some things you can do to help:

1. Compliment specific things! It means a whole lot to writers to read compliments that go into detail.

2. Tell people what you want more of. More of that character. More of that kind of story. More of that fantasy world. It is a lot more inspiring than "constructive criticism." 

3. Don't message people with "I found a typo!" Just. Don't.

Happy writing, happy reading, happy blogging! :)

J is for Journeys #atozchallenge

Alright, so this past year has not been great in terms of travel opportunities. If you are like me, and you like to explore new places, it has been quite exhausting to stay put. Travel is one of the Categories for bloggers in this challenge, and I love reading about people's journeys, experiences, and countries I have never been to.

Since we are still pretty much staying put, today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite online games that revolve around travel:

GeoGuessr. There is a free version and a "pro version", but even the free version is fun. It gives you random street views from around the world, and you have to guess the place where the picture was taken. Anywhere. In the world. It is quite a challenge, but who doesn't love a challenge?

City Guesser. This one gives you videos from cities around the world, and asks you to guess where you are. Honestly, I just like to look at the place, and the people walking around.

The Map Zoom Quiz. This one starts you zoomed in on a city map, and you have to guess the city. You can zoom out to see more, but you lose points. Zooooooom!

What are your favorite places around the world? And your favorite travel blogs? Are you a travel blogger yourself? Let us know in the comments!

I is for Inspiration! #atozchallenge

What inspires you? What makes your mind wander, and wonder, and ask things like "what if...?"

Look for some extra inspiration today! Whether for your blog, or your WIP, or just for fun, here are some sites that will give you a fresh dose of inspiration!

Use this Random Art Generator to find a classic painting, and see if it becomes a story in your head!

Try this Random Landscape Generator, and see if you can imagine what happens there!

Start up the Random Music Generator and see if the music inspires you!

Play around with this amazing Random Folklore Motif Generator, and see if you can make up new tales!

Use this site to get Random Geographic Coordinates, and see what that place inspires in you! (Or learn more about it, if it is new to you!)

Inspiration can come from unexpected places. What inspires YOU in this challenge?

D is for Dice: Roll them! #atozchallenge

Who doesn't like rolling dice? Click-clack, go the shiny math rocks! Whether you are a tabletop gamer like I am (with a collection of multi-sided dice), or you just have some dice lying around somewhere in a box... grab one and let's roll! (If you don't have dice at all, just type "dice roller" into Google)

Do either, or both of the two sets of results below.

THE CHALLENGE

1 - Write a long and thoughtful comment to someone's post today, and give them a lot of detailed compliments!

2 - Add two A to Z authors to your TBR list! 

3 - Pick three blogs that you have enjoyed so far in the Challenge, and Follow them, sign up for their newsletter, or follow the author on social media!

4 - Visit four new blogs, and retweet, reblog, or share the content of the one you liked best!

5 - Pick a Category from the Master List that you are the least interested in, and visit 5 blogs from that category!

6 - Visit 6 new blogs today!

THE REWARDS

1 - Eat something delicious today! (chocolate, fruit, pastry, whatever)

2 - Treat yourself to something small today! (an ebook, a snack, some cool stickers)

3 - Have you had enough water today? Go hydrate!

4 - Listen to your favorite song on repeat!

5 - Give yourself permission to postpone a task until tomorrow!

6 - Give yourself permission to take a nap today!

We hope you all have a lovely day! :)

It is not too late yet to join the challenge! You can sign up here, and see all the participating blogs on the Master List here. The sign-up closes on the 7th of April!

C is for Card Trick

 

C is for Card Trick

I have always been fascinated by card tricks. I learned a couple as a kid that have stuck with me, but in honor of our A to Z theme, I thought learning a card trick would be a fun game to play. I'll be sure to impress the few people I can show it to! But, I assure you that it's a beginner level card trick and you should give it a try!

Now that you've learned something fun, a few reminders on behalf of the A to Z Team:

• Make sure you're signed up for the challenge.
• Display the A to Z Badge on your blog.
• Check out our Bonus Challenges posted 3/2.
• Pick up a Challenge T-shirt!

Happy Blogging!

- Jayden Vincente (Erotic Fiction Blogger, jrvincente.com)

Theme Reveal 2021! #AtoZChallenge

Welcome to the Great and Powerful A to Z Theme Reveal of 2021! 

Are you planning on doing a theme this year? Do share! Reveal your theme on your blog, and join the fun! Our Theme Reveal list opens today, and will be open until March 20th! 

You can sign up for the Theme Reveal with this form, and you can find the list of all the blogs participating in the Theme Reveal on this list! Make sure you visit other participants to see what fun themes everyone is coming up with!

(Please make sure you share the link directly to your Theme Reveal Post, and not your general blog!)

The Master List for the challenge will open on March 29th. Stay tuned!

Be sure to join the Theme Reveal by Saturday, March 20th! After that, the form will be closed. 

Happy A to Z! :)

Master list opens: March 29
Sign up for the main challenge then!