W is for "What's Next?" #atozchallenge

As we approach the end of the 2018 A to Z Challenge, I'm sure many of you, particularly newer bloggers, are asking, "well, what do I do now?" 

When I did my first challenge in 2012, I got to the end of April, was proud of what I did, then went back to what was then my normal blog schedule, i.e. posting whenever I felt like it. The readers I had accumulated over that month would still drop by, but not all the time, and even when I had written what I considered to be a fantastic post, maybe they'd show up, maybe not. Of course, I wasn't a terribly regular visitor, either, so I guess it was to be expected.

The point is, you've built up some momentum here. You've made some new blogging buddies, you've found some interesting blogs, and you've gotten into the habit of writing on your blog regularly, if you haven't been already. Between now and the start of next year's challenge, you have eleven months to do more of the same. 

The daily link spreadsheets will still be on Google Docs, and so will the initial list and the theme reveal list. Take some time on a regular basis, maybe once a week, maybe once a month, to comb through those lists, look for blogs you didn't visit during the challenge and visit them. Keep making new friends and learning new things.

If you haven't been in the habit of blogging regularly, pick one day a week (or even every other week) and write and publish a post. If your readers know you're posting every Friday, they'll swing by your blog on Friday just to see what you have to say. When you have that going well, you might consider adding a second day, or a third. You don't have to blog everyday like I do, but the trick is to be consistent. 

And, by all means, plan on doing the After-Challenge Survey on May 3 and your Reflections post the week of May 7. The survey is your opportunity to tell us what you thought about this year's Challenge, and the Reflections post gives you the chance to tell your readers how you think it went for you. We'll have more on both soon, so stay tuned!

   
If you wish to include a direct link to your blog post of this day's letter, please click:

https://goo.gl/forms/CDOa2v3K4Oq2uJ5o2

If you wish to visit other blogs in this bloghop challenge who have incorporated today's letter into their current post, please click:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eg4AdBb2DiK4_rqjUyFoLSaEx5rCRhnVS4ZI1zFe7MM/edit?usp=sharing

Click here for the MASTER LIST of all participants who signed up for the #AtoZchallenge 2018!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nd9634nZWf1FmHFZ6ofKxBiIwGPWqkct9T9H5ugDQBA/edit?usp=sharing Almost done now! Hang in there!

V is for Victory #AtoZchallenge

It's the home stretch! Focus on your victory.

For most of you, that means having a blog post for every alphabet letter day in April. For many of you, it's also about leaving comments on a set number of posts. A couple of you are just glad you have more posts today then you did before the challenge started.

Whatever victory means to you, keep at it!

Goal setting is good for your blog. It reminds you to post on a regular basis, which keeps readers coming back, which is what grows your audience. If you might benefit from monthly encouragement, check out the Got Goals blog.


If you wish to include a direct link to your blog post of this day's letter, please click: 
https://goo.gl/M7S9D4
LINK TO DAILY LETTER FORM

This form will close in 48 hours.

The A to Z team recommends TimeAndDate or WorldTimeBuddy for your time zone calculation needs.
We post at Midnight GMT.
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the standard by which all time zones are based. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the time zone used for UTC. That's why we use it.


If you wish to visit other blogs in this bloghop challenge who have incorporated today's letter into their current post, please click: 
https://goo.gl/1W98xQ
LINK TO DAILY LETTER SPREADSHEET  
(If you intend to make a copy of the spreadsheet, we suggest waiting until the form closes.)


https://goo.gl/9f9mfR
Click for the MASTER LIST of all participants who signed up for the #AtoZchallenge 2018!

Ups and Downs ( #AtoZChallenge )

You never can fully understand how up you can get if you haven't experienced a few downs now and then.  If life were consistently going our way then it might get kind of boring.

       How's your April been so far?  Has everything gone as you had expected?   Hopefully you haven't had to deal with any computer problems or sickness this year.   I know that some of you as well as I have had to face those difficulties in the past.  In other years I've had travel scheduled during April making the Challenge an extra challenging ordeal.  A few of you could be traveling this year and if so I hope you've handled A to Z okay.

       But that's life isn't it.  Good days, bad days.  Smooth sailing, rough waters.  Sometimes you're feeling fine, other times you want to scream out of frustration.  If life didn't have its little problems then we might have to create them just to make things more interesting.

        Look no further!   The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is just the remedy you need to really mix things up.  You likely have run over a few bumps in the road, but you've kept going until you've reached this point.  We usually expect ups and downs in life, but life works best when we accept the ups and downs.  Since it lasts for a month, the A to Z Challenge is a sort of microcosmic metaphor for life:  Filled with ups and downs, but hopefully a darn good time for all.

          Utterly fun!   That's how I see it.


If you wish to include a direct link to your blog post of this day's letter, please click:
 https://goo.gl/forms/6uQrstqCNj9XGY1x1
If you wish to visit other blogs in this bloghop challenge who have incorporated today's letter into their current post, please click:
 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fktfdOgINo_Udn38LuwFEdxAvrrwK7ncB-wAay8SwtY/edit?usp=sharing

Click here for the MASTER LIST of all participants who signed up for the #AtoZchallenge 2018!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nd9634nZWf1FmHFZ6ofKxBiIwGPWqkct9T9H5ugDQBA/edit?usp=sharing

      Have you run into any major problems in this year's Challenge?   What is your most dreaded blogging hassle?    Do you see your life as mostly ups, mostly downs, or a healthy balance of both?