A to Z Challenge Tips - The Advantage of a Theme

If you’re participating in the Challenge, you are probably already planning your posts. That’s great–plan and write as many as possible before the Challenge begins so you have more time to visit other bloggers in April. And it’s easier to do that if you have a theme for the month. That’s another reason why we’ve run the feature Themes That Rocked the Challenge. It gives you an idea of the variety of themes out there.

The first year of the Challenge, I didn’t have a theme. Of course this meant some days I was scrounging for something that matched the letter. (For Q, I blogged about Q*Bert and some obscure band called Q-Tip–not good!)

A theme will give you direction. If you select movies, you can go with the movie titles. Music? Go with band or song titles. Sports? Go with players or teams. By narrowing the focus, it’s actually easier, because then you won’t feel overwhelmed.

A theme also lets visitors know what to expect. They will be more apt to return, especially if they like your theme. Include a line or two at the beginning of each post that states your theme for the month if it’s not obvious in your post title.

It’s good research. Select a topic you want to know more about – you’ll learn something as you search. Perhaps it’s something you need to research for your next book or for school. Kill two birds with one stone.

Does the theme have to match your blog exactly? No, it can be anything you want. If it’s something that interests you, chances are you’ve already talked about it on your blog. Brainstorm some different themes and pick one. If it fits your style, then do it.

Have fun with it. Just think–your blog is a theme park for one whole month. Make it fun! Because if you’re having fun, so will your visitors.

Co-host Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh is the author of Amazon Best-sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm, and his blog can be found HERE

This Week on the A-to-Z Highway: A Fashionable Detour #atozchallenge #roadtrip

The Blogging from A-to-Z Challenge community is brewing with energy and positive vibes in anticipation for another go-round at the alphabet on April 1st. Until that day rolls around, there are still lots of sight-seeing activities worthy of some attention on the Road Trip. First, let’s take a brief detour to visit one small, yet social, town populated by fashionistas who signed up for our 2015 alphabet party.

When Anna at Hello,Handbag isn't figuring out smart ways to overcome writer’s block, she’s showcasing some independent designers such as one based in England who makes Disney Villain and Star Wars handbags that are convertible. Mars at Curling Stones for Lego People found a way to put excess beads to use while working on a bracelet. In her experience, she describes why knowing how far along you are in a project is important. Tami at Thrift Shop Commando paints her weekends pink with a Resurrected Couture cashmere sweater, beaded purse and doll shoes. ShawnTe at SJPs Fashion Sense tests out an organic Vitamin C serum to find out if it measures up to the hype.

What was the topic of the most recent blog YOU visited this week?

A-to-Z Challenge Co-Host Nicole Ayers writes about making movies at The Madlab Post. She also supports the American Red Cross. Connect with her @MadlabPost on Twitter.  

Would You Live On Mars? Now's Your Chance.

Would You Live On Mars? Would you? Many would be tempted to say yes. How about a one way ticket, knowing you will never return to Earth? Surprisingly, there are no shortage of applicants who would want to do this. 

Mars One, a group that plans to send humans on a one-way trip to Mars, has announced its final 100 candidates. They have been selected from 200,000 applicants and will go on to further testing later this year, which they expect to include team-building exercises and later, isolation. 

Eventually, 24 will be selected to make up six crews of four, which Mars One says they hope to launch to the Red Planet every two years from 2024, with the aim of starting a colony there. 

The Dutch non-profit hopes to use existing technology to carry out the mission. However, the planet has always been a difficult target for exploration, with only around half of all unmanned missions succeeding. The journey itself is expected to take around seven months, and a recent MIT study found that, should the first explorers succeed in landing, using current technology they would likely survive just 68 days. 

In addition to the video clip below, check out this CNN LINK for these incredible videos regarding this ambitious project. Amazing how fast our world, errr, solar system, is changing. Literally. Deep Space, here we come.

Question: If given the opportunity, would you spend the rest of your days on Mars?

You can visit Stephen Tremp at his Website Breakthrough Blogs. Stop by Friday through Sunday for the Weekend Follies, a great way to get a few laughs as you wind down the work week.