Kick-off Time Is Coming -- #atozchallenge

A to Z Logo 2011

         What!  A to Z has already started hasn't it?

          Sure, but now the second half is going to be starting soon.  Some bloggers have been getting weary, worn-down.  A few have even given up (don't give up!).  We're almost down by 100 from the original 1969 that we had when the Linky list closed.  Some are gone because we had to clean them off the list for one reason or another.  But some others just gave up.  Don't let yourself become one of the quitters, especially if you've already gotten this far.

         Next week starts the kick-off for the second half.  Time to get your second wind.  Revitalize.  Stoke the creative furnace for the down-hill ride to the end of the alphabet.  You can do it!

        And don't forget the social media networking.  I've been seeing a lot of you making rounds and making new friends and encouraging regular friends.  Don't slack off.  Now's when we all need more encouragement with comments.  And when you can, be sure to follow the bloggers you really like and want to stay in contact with.  We all like more followers don't we?   Follow others, or subscribe to their blogs, and you may be adding to your own following.

        Now, the second half is coming.  Let's get ready for the kick-off and finish the Challenge bigger than we started.


Here are some blogs that I hope you'll visit, comment on, and then follow:

Nouveau Scarecrow

And Then...a bit of this, that, and the other

A Day in the Life of Patootie

The Written Word of Yvonne Lewis -- She lost all her followers on her previous blog and would like them to come back.

STFU for a Better Relationship

Nebraska Family Times

Lea's Enchanted Cloth

A Writer's Musings


      Keep posting, keep visiting, keep joining, and keep commenting.

      Have a great kick-off in the second half of the Challenge!




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J ~ Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming...

This post will be short and sweet because I just discovered no one wrote a J post. So as a co-host awake early, I'll just jump in. We do that. Don't be surprised if you come back and it's the real J post – we do that too.

When I discovered this, I immediately thought of Dory. I LOVE Finding Nemo, it's my 2^nd favorite animated movie. Can you guess which one is my favorite? Swedish chick, from Scandinavia, proud of her heritage...How to Train Your Dragon!

However, it doesn't have my favorite line in it:

JUST KEEP SWIMMING, JUST KEEP SWIMMING...

Dory had an amazing attitude throughout. She was cheerful, helpful, positive, and never gave up. No matter what happened, she

JUST KEPT SWIMMING!

No matter what has happened to you or your blog so far in the Challenge, it's behind. Adopt Dory's attitude, and starting from here:

JUST KEEP SWIMMING, JUST KEEP SWIMMING...

You've got nothing to lose, friends to gain, and we're nearing the half way point. Dory never knew how close they were or if they were going to succeed. That never stopped her. Don't let mid-challenge ANYTHING keep you down.

~Tina, Fierce Viking Chick, and co-host

I is for Influence

It's one of the most commonly asked questions during author interviews. "What novelists would you say influenced your own writing when you were growing up?" Most of the time the answers are comprised of the usual suspects, high profile writers who've sold oodles of books. For me it would be Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Ed McBain, Agatha Christie, Mickey Spillane, Pat Conroy, and many many more. But every now and then there are a few who make the list who...well let's just say they've flown under the radar.

There's another question that's asked in a lot in these interviews, and its "What was it that made you want to become a writer?" For me, the answer to that question is forever linked to the first.

I write because I love the feeling of seeing how my words/story affects others. I adore pulling at my readers heart-strings, making their heart race, forcing their hand to fly to their mouth in shock, or how they're unable to suppress a laugh in a quiet room. In my own small way, I am influencing them.

Some would say that influence can often lead to imitation (which could have easily been my I word today). Though it is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, I'm not trying to imitate the way that King, Koontz, McBain, Christie, Spillane or Conroy write. I'm trying to imitate the way they made me feel when I read their work. Every one of them held me hostage, manipulated my emotions, and left me the better for it. That is the nuts and bolts of why I write.

It's beyond my wildest dreams to become as influential as the writers above, and many others like them, but to be one of those authors who fly under the radar and possibly influence some other future writer? That would be a gift indeed.

Did you know that I'm running a contest over at my regular blog, Cruising Altitude 2.0? No? You can read all about it HERE, then you can hop right on over there.

DL