E is for efficiency in the A - Z

Working the A - Z requires a certain amount of effort and efficiency for all bloggers involved. Here are some tips for making your A - Z journey a little bit more efficient.

1. Keep up by posting the letter of the day. Getting behind in your posting can be frustrating, and it’s very time consuming to catch up again. Luckily, we have Sunday off to catch up, or take a breather and simply catch our breath.

2. Blog hop by visiting those who visit you. In the interest of efficiency, click on links from their comments too, rather than navigating back to the main list all the time.

3. Choose a section of the list and visit those blogs. Make it a manageable number, so you don’t get overwhelmed.

4. Visit your new followers to build your own community and network efficiently.

5. Pre-schedule your posts for a couple of days or the week, leaving you more time to blog hop and get to know more bloggers.

These are only a few ideas about how to be more efficient in the A - Z Challenge. We want to know your tips and tricks for being efficient in this electrifying annual blogorific event. Please share them in the comments. Thank you.

Here’s to all you wonderful A - Zers out there! We hope you’re having a wonderful time, getting lots of exciting comments and meeting a ton of energetic bloggers out there!

M. J.

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D for Drive and Determination: #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge is on full swing. We love the variety of blogs we're discovering on our journey through the linky list, and hope you do too.

It is initially a little overwhelming to be hit with so much newness, so we hope you're sticking with it. Drive and Determination will see you through.

Start with the blog below yours on the sign-up list.

Try to visit at least 5 new blogs each day.

Make sure the commenting process on your blog is simple.

Comment on those who comment on you, and more. Leave a link in your comment, so the blogger you commented on can return the favor.

Stick to the AZ calendar for your blog this month.

Most importantly, have fun!

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Have you been on the A to Z Challenge rounds? Got new followers? Have You followed any new blogs?

Catching Fire! #atozchallenge

We are day three of the Challenge now – have you caught the fire of excitement?

Catching fire is a good thing. It was the slogan for the release of my second book.

But we don’t want you to burn to a crisp!

You probably had a lot of visitors already. You’ve visited a lot of blogs. After two days of a firestorm, you’re probably wondering how you will survive.

First, pace yourself. In one month, it’s unlikely you’ll visit everyone on the list. Don’t kill yourself trying. And don’t let guilt goad you into overload.

Focus on visiting at least five new blogs a day, starting with the one after your own. After that, focus on returning comments. If you have time, explore more of the list.

If you’re still working on your Challenge posts, keep them short and simple.

Remember, you’re doing this to make new friends and have fun. Burn with excitement, but don’t burn out!