Alphabet Remix - Mystery Mavens in the Making

These blogging prompts are brought to you by Nicole at The Madlab Post…

It’s time for The Alphabet Remix - A Writing Prompt Idea Engine Treating A to Z Blogging Avoidance Disorders

In the short film ‘Batman: Puppet Master,’ a movie character by the name of Edward Nigma is asked how to catch the Batman. He replies: “Batman is a mystery. You cannot catch a mystery. You have to solve it.” This was one of, if not my most favorite lines of dialogue in that movie.

Today, Letter M is for 'Mystery' and here are some ways that you can write about this particular topic during the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Mysterious Men of Mythology

Blog about the men in mythology whom you think are the most mysterious mythical figures. You can just name them for a quick and simple blog post but another way to make your post a little meatier would be to explain the reasons WHY you selected these men. Add a sentence or two (or three…whatever length helps you get your point across) that tells visitors to your blog what makes these particular men stand out among all of the other mythical figures.

Mystery Madness

Try your hand at writing a mystery and then challenge people who visit your blog to solve it. Wait until the following day in the A to Z Challenge, or at the end of the challenge, to reveal what happened in the story that you wrote. If you’re interested in creating a Mystery theme for the entire month of April, you could write one or a few lines per alphabet letter, creating anticipation for people who return to your blog and want to find out what happen next. The theme could be centered on one story or 26 very short mysteries – one for each letter. The choice is yours!

Modern Mysteries

Has any mysterious happenings been reported in your town? Have you, your friends or family ever had a mysterious experience that is difficult to explain or even comprehend for yourselves? If the answer to any of the previous two questions are ‘YES,’ then use the Blogging from A to Z Challenge as your opportunity to share some real-life mysteries with people who read your blog. These modern day mysteries can be your way of adding something different to the mix of blog posts written by the rest of the hundreds, or thousands fellow A to Z Challenge participants.

Now on to other Friday Fun Time business…

At the time of this writing, it looks like no one played last week’s Movie Monster-themed Alphabet Soup game – so there is no new winner and Marta Szemik remains the current Alphabet Wizard. As such, she will be able to continue to select a new letter to be featured on the next Alphabet Soup.

Happy Friday Everybody!

Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly group blogging series that inspires discussion about entertainment in a whole new light and provides recommendations for your DVD, on-demand or theater fix. New topics are posted every Monday at The Madlab Post!
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NICOLE 
@MadlabPost on Twitter

Alphabet Soup - Movie Monsters

This word puzzle is brought to you by Nicole at The Madlab Post...

It’s time for Alphabet Soup - The Word Scramble Puzzle of A to Z Wizards! 

Marta Szemik won the title of Alphabet Wizard during the Silver Screen themed Alphabet Soup puzzle and chose Letter M to launch today's new game. So in keeping with my movie themes, M is for Monsters -- in any of their forms, derivatives and/or affiliations. These characters either possess the physical characteristics of a monster or they behave in ways that make any normal, sane person deem them as inhumane individuals.

Unscramble the following Monsters that have appeared on the big screen. The first commenter who is able to correctly unscramble all or most of these monstrous movie characters, at best, wins this weeks’ Alphabet Soup game. Answers and the name of the winner will be posted here at the A to Z blog during next week’s “Friday Fun Time - Alphabet Remix.”

1. iaceyesMhlrM __________________
2. MesoWikkzwia _________________
3. rdMhBlaaamoinaca ___________________
4. huaurM ___________
5. aMsatuyh __________

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYBODY! - PLUS: Make sure you read the special announcement from Tina at Life is Good at the bottom of this post.

Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly group blogging series that inspires discussion about entertainment in a whole new light and provides recommendations for your DVD, on-demand or theater fix. New topics are posted every Monday at The Madlab Post!

NICOLE
Blog: The Madlab Post
Also @MadlabPost on Twitter

P.S.
Tina says thanks to all who answered the survey from Wednesday and is busy tallying results.  They will be posted on Saturday, 8/18.  Don't forget to check back to see what the trends are and whether you're normal or weird.  Um, that came out wrong.  If you're typical, or unique.  Um, Yeah.  Just come back, ya' hear?  Thanks.

Alphabet Remix - Stop Staying Silent about Suicides

These blogging prompts are brought to you by Nicole at The Madlab Post....

It’s time for The Alphabet Remix - A Writing Prompt Idea Engine Treating A to Z Blogging Avoidance Disorders

After reading recent news reports about NFL player O.J. Murdock's suicide -- and talk of a grim trend of suicides among players, I couldn’t help but wonder if the story will quickly lose traction in media outlets since everybody appears to be focused on the Olympic Games. So today, S is for Suicide and we’re remixing it to find topics that you can blog about during the next Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Surprising Suicide Statistics
Write about a suicide statistic that you either just learned about or think that many people are unaware of. This means covering something other than what the average person may already know such as the common statistic that women are less likely to commit suicide using firearms, compared to men who kill themselves. Instead, find a statistic that may surprise your readers -- like, more or less suicides occur in a particular state/town/city/country or job, etc. than in any other industry or location.

Suicide Stigmas
Since some men and women who are considering suicide hesitate to seek help due to stigmas associated with this act, try blogging about ways that people can change their perceptions regarding mental illness, depression and bipolar disorder.

Your Stance on Suicide “Selfishness”
It is not uncommon to hear people labeling suicides as a selfish act because of the pain caused to people left behind. So, write a blog post that summarizes or explains in detail, your position on the matter -- tell readers whether you agree or disagree with viewing suicides as “selfish.”

Suicide in Sports
Highlight little known sports related suicides that have taken place during a regular season or during the off-season. You could also write about suicides among female athletes, which is a topic that your blog readers may not be familiar with because the media does not seem to cover it as much as it does suicides among male athletes.

Now, on to something bright. The WINNER of last week’s Silver Screen Alphabet Soup game is...

Marta Szemik who writes at her Self-titled Blog

Marta correctly unscrambled all ten Silver Screen related terms that start with Letter S. Her prize packages includes: Title of Alphabet Wizard, the authority to pick the letter for the next Alphabet Soup game and the option to pick the Monday Movie Meme topic for an upcoming day on my blog. I’d also like to send a special thanks to Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out for unscrambling five of the ten correctly.

Congratulations Marta!

Here are the Answer’s to Last Week’s “Silver Screen” themed Alphabet Soup:

1. cdnSuatork is Soundtrack.
2. tamnntuS is Stuntman.
3. rpoSrpsetrvuiciS is Script Supervisor.
4. neSec is Scene.
5. lSaet is Slate.
6. uSgadtenso is Soundstage.
7. uqelSe is Sequel.
8. rSotodbyar is Storyboard.
9. tuebsSilt is Subtitles.
10. rrudonSduunoS is Surround Sound.

Happy Friday, everybody!

Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly group blogging series that inspires discussion about entertainment in a whole new light and provides recommendations for your DVD, on-demand or theater fix. New topics are posted every Monday at The Madlab Post!
.
NICOLE 
@MadlabPost on Twitter

Challenge Participant Special - Marta Szemik

Today’s special Challenge participant feature is Marta Szemik! She’s the author of several books and just a really cool person. Her theme for the Challenge was “Changes Throughout History.”

A BIG Thank You to the A-Z Team for hosting me:)

What made you select the theme of changes through history?

I'm fascinated by what humans have accomplished in the past century, but honestly, the idea just dawned on me one day. Sort of like when you're writing a story and something clicks. I think I may also have been listening to one of my favorite songs by Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne "Changes".

What topic was the most fun to research?

Have you seen my post on the letter "O" titled: Oooo Yes, the Big O! Yes, I had to do some research for that one. I also liked my post for "C": Cell Phones. I still find the cases people used to carry as phones funny and yes, I do remember the days (as a kid).

What changes surprised you the most?

I don't know if I can pick one, but almost anything to do with advancing technology blows my mind away. I remember rolling my eyes at my dad in the 90's when he told me he didn't know what email was. His response was to wait 20 years and see if I'm up to speed on technology them. Yes, he was right.
I think because of my fear of flying, I would have to also say that airplanes always surprise me. Physics is a wonderful science to allow gazillions of pounds of metal to fly in the air.

You had fun finding all the pictures that accompanied your posts, didn’t you?

Yes, Google images was my friend for over a month. Ahh, the things I've seen! Internet is a scary place to be if you let it lead you to places you shouldn't be at. I know how cautious I will be when my kids turn to teenagers.

Why was J so challenging?

It still is challenging. Really, the only thing that comes into my mind are Jackets. Also, Jelly beans and J-walking, though it would be difficult to talk about the history of those. I guess Jokes would have been a good one, but I tend to not be funny when I try to joke on the spot. Like, right now... What do you call that? Online fright instead of stage fright? (See what I mean?)

For G you selected games – what are some of your favorite?

Non electronic: Any games with a jump rope like Double Dutch.
If we're talking electronics: Tetris and Pac Man. I still play Tetris on Wii. Recently I compete against my kids on Wii Sports (but I do let them win). I love the obstacle course and try to beat my own score which is really hard. I get addicted to beating my own scores.

Can you tell everyone why you think teleportation would be cool?

Ok, disclaimer first: IF teleportation did not disintegrate my body into goo and mush it would be my first choice for travel because I hate flying. I'm one of those people you don't want to sit beside on a plane.
Also, think about the time saved! You could travel across the world in seconds. But, what if there was a computer glitch or someone hacked into the device (like an ex)? Next thing you know, you're on Mars or sleeping with the lions at the Zoo!

If you do the Challenge again next year, what them will you tackle next?

This was my first year doing the challenge and I'm pretty sure I'll do it again next year. Spring time will be around the time I will be preparing to release a mystery series I started two years ago so I may do flash fiction that combines into a short story as a prequel to the series. I've seen other participants do that and it really intrigued me. I've never done anything like that before and I think it would be fun.

Thank you, Marta!

Co-host Ninja Captain Alex is the author of CassaStar and CassaFire and his blog can be found HERE