IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The 2024 OFFICIAL MASTER LIST: https://tinyurl.com/w54yupwe

Thursday, April 21, 2022

#AtoZChallenge A Reverie

#AtoZChallenge 2022 tribute badge #AtoZChallenge 2022 Blogging from A to Z Challenge letter


The team's theme of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year is:
ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22


 Hi A to Zers! Here we are at the letter R already! How is your challenge going?

When I was allowed the opportunity to write this guest blog I went into a reverie (or daydream) about reality and reflections. As an amateur photographer I enjoy finding interesting reflections, whether they are in puddles, lakes, flowing water or the calm sea. The reflections are an optical illusion. They are often very beautiful, but even the smallest child soon realises that they can’t be touched. They have no solidity. They are not real in that sense.

Another sort of reflection is thought. I am not a philosopher and will leave it to those better qualified than myself to answer the question, ‘Are thoughts real?’

My reverie caused me to reflect on previous A to Z Challenges. This is the 10th year I have participated. The first year I was rather new to blogging. My first blog was set up for a particular purpose. I found writing to a formula somewhat limiting, so started a second blog, Sue’s Trifles, with the idea of taking part in writing challenges. It was a few days before the start of the Blogging from A to Z in April Challenge, as I discovered by doing a search for ‘challenge’. I signed up and wrote my posts mostly on the day they were due.

One year I also did the challenge on my third blog, Sue’s words and pictures, which is where I post some of the photos I take. Sue’s words and pictures began in 2015 after a particularly enjoyable day out with hubby and my new smart-phone.

Preparing twenty eight posts (including the theme reveal and reflections posts) on one blog is time-consuming. Double that and advance preparation is essential. I recollect that after the first year I began to prepare and schedule my posts in advance. Sometimes I’d be away from home for a week during April.

This year I almost didn’t take part. I am trying to write a memoir of my childhood in the suburbs of south London. It will contrast life in the densely populated south with a village in Lancashire where I was taken for an annual visit to my grandparents. Other parts of the country will also feature. The differences between the north and south of England are topical as the UK government talks about ‘levelling up’.

It was Dave, who wrote the fascinating post about all the twos, who persuaded me to take part again this year. For a writer one person wishing to read their output is a spur. My dream is that many of you will wish to read what I have already written and what I write in the future.

This is my second guest post on this blog. My first is now somewhat superseded by changes in technology.

The theme of dreams and duality encompasses (I hope) reality and reflections. Perhaps memories of other times and places also have a relevance to the theme. 

I have rambled long enough. Reflections are important in the A to Z Challenge. Bloggers are invited to reflect on their experience of taking part. If you are intending to publish a Reflections post it is not too early to gather your thoughts about comments you have received and blogs you have visited as part of the challenge.

Writer bio

Susan always wanted to be a writer.  In 2012 she revived her interest in writing with a project to collect the kinds of sayings, which were much used in her childhood.

Blogging was intended as a way of improving writing skills, but has become an interest in its own right.  Susan experiments with factual writing, fiction, humour and poetry.  She does not yet have a book to her name. Her interests include words, languages, music, knitting and crochet.  She has experience of the world of work, being a stay-at-home mum and an empty-nester.   She is active in her local community and Church, where she sings alto in the choir. She is a member of the Association of Christian Writers. She and her husband live in the north of England. 

Follow her on Twitter @suesconsideredt



Reflections will open on May 2. Will you write a post for that?



#AtoZChallenge 2022 alternative badge bloglovin
bloglovin.com/blogs/blogging-from-a-to-z-april-challenge-3294742

Instagram @a.to.z.challenge @a.to.z.challenge Facebook logo @atozchallenge
Twitter @AprilA2Z @AprilA2Z Our hashtag is #AtoZChallenge
Please follow us on social media.

File, Make a Copy of the Master List for yourself! Click this:
https://tinyurl.com/AtoZ22
Be sure your copy is updated with everyone who signed up for the challenge. Hopping to other blogs to leave comments is half of the challenge!
Get your 2022 merchandise here:  2022 merchandise #atozchallenge
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/103818836

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

#AtoZChallenge Q is for Questions


QUESTIONS. WE ALL HAVE THEM.

There are 10 days left of the challenge! You have all been wonderful and inspiring so far. Soaring or struggling to keep up, pantsing or planning, lurking or commenting, you are all doing great! Don't forget, this challenge, first and foremost, is about having fun. 

I am sure you have a bunch of new questions now. Or maybe old ones that you did not get to ask before. Feel free to ask them in the comments!

Here are some, from me to you, just out of curiosity:

Do you have a favorite blog or theme that you discovered in this year's challenge?

Which one was the most difficult letter to complete so far?

What was the nicest / most fun comment someone has left on your blog?

Did you end up adding something to your TBR pile / bucket list / travel plans, thanks to a post you read?

How are you planning on celebrating after you complete the challenge?

Keep going, keep blogging! :)

#atozchallenge: P Is For PowerPoint

#AtoZChallenge 2022 tribute badge #AtoZChallenge 2022 Blogging from A to Z Challenge letter


The team's theme of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year is:
ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22


I read an article on the Apartment Therapy website this morning called I Just Attended My First PowerPoint Party — and I Can’t Recommend Them Enough. At first, I thought the concept of a PowerPoint party was hilarious. After all, with all my years of experience as a trainer, I had come to see PowerPoint as something you brought out to put people to sleep.

Then I got to thinking, why not? Stories are all around us. Not just in books and audiobooks, not just in movies, not just on TV and radio. There are video games and virtual reality, movies and TV shows are now made for streaming on demnand, YouTube, DailyMotion and other video sites are a definite force in the world of entertainment. A lot of these things evolved over the last 30 or 40 years, and some newer ones are still in the test phase. PowerPoint is a visual medium, and a good one: it's simple to use (even kids in elementary school use it to create reports and presentations) and it can be used to tell a story.

I took a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) in 2013 called The Future Of Storytelling, developed by the University of Applied Sciences at the University of Potsdam and taught through Iversity.org. The learning objectives, according to the site:

Our MOOC will help you answer the following questions:

  1. How do fictional stories work? Which structures and mechanics are used?
  2. How do new technologies influence the ways stories are told and perceived - and which new media formats have been developed during the last years?
  3. How can technologies, interfaces and visuals engage an audience fast and continuously?
  4. How can I develop and implement my own story-ideas - on my own or in teams?

The course doesn't appear to be taught through Iversity anymore, but the course developers have a YouTube Channel where most of the lectures have been posted. If you're interested, it's worth the time to sit through them.

Bloggers are starting to branch out from the traditional written word format. Some create vlogs, videos instead of posts; others have gone the podcast route, turning their written words into spoken ones. Our world is changing, and we would do well to consider changing with it.



Do you currently have a vlog or podcast? Have you considered starting one (or both)? Do you think you might start using PowerPoint in your blog entries?



#AtoZChallenge 2022 alternative badge bloglovin
bloglovin.com/blogs/blogging-from-a-to-z-april-challenge-3294742

Instagram @a.to.z.challenge @a.to.z.challenge Facebook logo @atozchallenge
Twitter @AprilA2Z @AprilA2Z Our hashtag is #AtoZChallenge
Please follow us on social media.
File, Make a Copy of the Master List for yourself! Click this:
https://tinyurl.com/AtoZ22
Be sure your copy is updated with everyone who signed up for the challenge. Hopping to other blogs to leave comments is half of the challenge!
Get your 2022 merchandise here:  2022 merchandise #atozchallenge
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/103818836

Monday, April 18, 2022

O is for Objective

The team's theme of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year is:
ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22

O is for Objective

As we work through our A to Z, we want to remain steadfast in our objective. We always want to remember what we're working toward, and how we're going to get there. 

"An objective without a plan is a dream." Douglas McGregor
So for the month of April, we make a plan to accomplish A to Z in whatever way works for us. Every plan may even be different! And as we think about our other dreams, we remember to create not just the objective, but also our plan to achieve it. 

How are you planning to finish your A to Z objective this month?

~Jayden R. Vincente

Erotic Fiction Writer at jrvincente.com (Adults only!)

#AtoZChallenge 2022 alternative badgebloglovin
bloglovin.com/blogs/blogging-from-a-to-z-april-challenge-3294742

Instagram @a.to.z.challenge @a.to.z.challenge Facebook logo @atozchallenge
Twitter @AprilA2Z @AprilA2Z Our hashtag is #AtoZChallenge
Please follow us on social media.

File, Make a Copy of the Master List for yourself! Click this:
https://tinyurl.com/AtoZ22
Be sure your copy is updated with everyone who signed up for the challenge. Hopping to other blogs to leave comments is half of the challenge!
Get your 2022 merchandise here:  2022 merchandise #atozchallenge
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/103818836

Saturday, April 16, 2022

#atozchallenge: N is for Never!

#AtoZChallenge 2022 tribute badge #AtoZChallenge 2022 Blogging from A to Z Challenge letter


The team's theme of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year is:
ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22


When I sat down to write this post, I was drawing a complete blank. I had no idea what I was going to write about. "Shoot," I said to myself (or words to that effect), "I'm never going to figure out something to say."

And just like that, I had it.

You have a blog post due that your readers are dying to read, and you can't get it out of your head and into a text block. When that happens, do this: open a new text document in the editor of your choice and start typing. Anything, whether it's relevant to your blog or yourself or not. Anything at all. Just keep moving, keep throwing words on the page. You'll figure out which ones to keep and in what order they should go after you've had some time to write. Eventually a blog post will appear. Trust me on this.

You know how I know? How do you think I came up with this?



What do you do when you can't get a blog post written?



#AtoZChallenge 2022 alternative badge bloglovin
bloglovin.com/blogs/blogging-from-a-to-z-april-challenge-3294742

Instagram @a.to.z.challenge @a.to.z.challenge Facebook logo @atozchallenge
Twitter @AprilA2Z @AprilA2Z Our hashtag is #AtoZChallenge
Please follow us on social media.
File, Make a Copy of the Master List for yourself! Click this:
https://tinyurl.com/AtoZ22
Be sure your copy is updated with everyone who signed up for the challenge. Hopping to other blogs to leave comments is half of the challenge!
Get your 2022 merchandise here:  2022 merchandise #atozchallenge
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/103818836

Friday, April 15, 2022

More! More! ( #AtoZchallenge )

 

#AtoZChallenge 2022 tribute badge #AtoZChallenge 2022 Blogging from A to Z Challenge letter


The team's theme of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year is:
ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22


       We are at the middle of the April Challenge, but there is more to come!  We hope you have hung in there and please keep hanging on.  If you've gotten this far you might as well keep going forward.  

      Are you still visiting and commenting on other blogs?  It's a fact that the more you circulate amongst the blogs and leave your presence to be known, the more visits you will likely receive on your own blog.  Do you feel like you've been ignored?  Increase your commenting and that feeling should be remedied.  To be known you need to make yourself known.  Your increased visibility in the blogging community will likely mean others will want to see what you are doing.

      Sure, you're probably a busy person, but so are most of us.  To do this Challenge right you should set aside at least fifteen or twenty minutes a day visiting other blogs and leaving comments.  The more visits you make and comments you leave, the greater the odds that you are going to get more visitors.  

       We can't stress this enough and it's really kind of a matter of common sense.  It's pretty much how life works
   
       Now let's keep moving forward, onward, to the letter Z.  We're halfway there!


    How do you make time to visit other blogs?   What is your best strategy for luring visitors to your own blog?    Have you been keeping up okay so far?




#AtoZChallenge 2022 alternative badge bloglovin
bloglovin.com/blogs/blogging-from-a-to-z-april-challenge-3294742

Instagram @a.to.z.challenge @a.to.z.challenge Facebook logo @atozchallenge
Twitter @AprilA2Z @AprilA2Z Our hashtag is #AtoZChallenge
Please follow us on social media.

 

Get your 2022 merchandise here:  2022 merchandise #atozchallenge
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/103818836


TWITTER & INSTAGRAM CHAT
6:00 am GMT
Friday, April 15, 2022


Thursday, April 14, 2022

#AtoZChallenge L IS FOR LAST

#AtoZChallenge 2022 tribute badge #AtoZChallenge 2022 Blogging from A to Z Challenge letter


The team's theme of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year is:
ACCOMPLISHING YOUR DREAMS, AND THE DUALITY OF 22


Welcome to L in the A to Z Challenge! Former Challenge co-host Alex here to tell you why L is for LAST.
#atozchallenge Alex
 

Last sounds for final, so ending. And we might feel like we’ve reached the last.

Maybe you feel like this is the last Challenge you can handle. Maybe today is the last letter and you’re tossing it in.
 
But what if it’s not the last? What if you just think this is the last? After all, humans are rather stubborn creatures. We don’t like to lose, either. We might say this is the last, but then the mind goes to work telling us why we just can’t quit now, why this isn’t the last time. We let those natural instincts to succeed take over and guess what—this isn’t the last.
 
My last full length novel came out in 2015, and outside of some short stories and published articles, I thought that would be the last one. I held on to that belief for a long time, content with it. Until an idea came to me, and I realized I wasn’t satisfied with the word last. I knew I could write another one. And I did—CassaDark, my fifth novel, was published earlier this month.

So, if you’re thinking this might be the end, the last post you do for the Challenge, think again! If I can write an entire novel, you can manage another blog post. You can write another two weeks of blog posts! Make that your goal—Z will be the last.

 
Alex J. Cavanaugh works in web design and graphics, and he plays guitar in a Christian band. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is known as Ninja Captain Alex and he’s the founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
http://alexjcavanaugh.com 




CassaDark
By Alex J. Cavanaugh


His world is unraveling…

Bassan’s father is stepping down from command. His best friend almost dies when Bassan freezes. Now, he’s being sent across the galaxy to speak at an important conference. Despite saving the eleven races years ago, he’s paralyzed by fear and doubt. Could things get any worse?

Once there, new acquaintance Zendar convinces Bassan to visit his planet for a humanitarian mission. Bassan’s special connection to ancient technology is the key to saving Zendar’s people. One problem though—it’s a prisoner planet.

On Ugar, he discovers things aren’t so straightforward. As each secret reveals itself, the situation grows more desperate. If he can’t find the right answers, he might die along with Zendar’s people. Can Bassan summon the courage to be a hero again?

Trade paperback, 226 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, LLC
Science fiction - Adventure (FIC028010) / Space Opera (FIC028030) / Space Exploration (FIC028130)
Print ISBN 9781939844842 $16.95 / eBook ISBN 9781939844859 $4.99

Links:


Alex made a dream come true when he published another book. What dream of yours are you making come true this year?




#AtoZChallenge 2022 alternative badge bloglovin
bloglovin.com/blogs/blogging-from-a-to-z-april-challenge-3294742

Instagram @a.to.z.challenge @a.to.z.challenge Facebook logo @atozchallenge
Twitter @AprilA2Z @AprilA2Z Our hashtag is #AtoZChallenge
Please follow us on social media.

File, Make a Copy of the Master List for yourself! Click this:
https://tinyurl.com/AtoZ22
Be sure your copy is updated with everyone who signed up for the challenge. Hopping to other blogs to leave comments is half of the challenge!
Get your 2022 merchandise here:  2022 merchandise #atozchallenge
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/103818836