P post for Pam!

P is for Pam!

Welcome to P day! Naturally I had to choose my letter day to share my thoughts with you, right?  I'm so happy to be here today and I am thrilled to share a special book with you.  The book is called

P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia

What's important about this title is that the main characters are children of color, which children's literature is still sorely lacking.  The author, Williams-Garcia, is an award winning author and one that I'm thrilled to share with you today.  P.S. Be Eleven is the sequel to One Crazy Summer which describes the events of three young sisters who visit their estranged mother in California.  Their mother is part of a radical activist group and leads a life very different from the one they are accustomed to living in Brooklyn with their father and grandmother. 

As if that glimpse into life in the African American community in the 1960s isn't interesting enough, P.S. Be Eleven continues the story as the girls return to Brooklyn with a new found independence. Aside from the usual struggles of being sisters and starting school, family dynamics and change and the girls witness a relative return from Vietnam and the damage that the conflict has inflicted on him.  

I remember being eleven years old. Barely.  It's supposed to be a time of discovery and fun. I can't think of a better book to share with you on my name day!

Have you read any of Williams-Garcia's books? Do you have a book that starts with P?

Pam, An Unconventional Librarian

The A – Z Challenge Obsession

Only 11 more post to originate. 

Outstanding! You’re not overwhelmed.
On that obtuse observation,
Objectively speaking,
The A – Z Challenge obsession
Can never be outdone!

Thanks so much for joining us this year!
Your A – Z Co-Host Team is giving you a standing ovation!

©2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo credit:  Jeremy Hawkins, A - Z Co-Host

Not giving up on the #AtoZChallenge

We're in the third week of the A to Z Challenge, and some of us are, understandably, exhausted. I know I am.

But that does not mean we shall give up.

We shall march on ahead, visit more blogs, comment on new blogs, reply to comments we have received, return those comments.

Well, maybe not all of them all the time, but you get my drift.

Go forth and multiply the comments and blog-friends, and at the end of April, you shall be glad you did it.

Here's to NOT GIVING UP ON THE A TO Z CHALLENGE!

May The Force Be With You! #atozchallenge

It's official.  Today marks Day 13 of 26 for the A-Z Challenge.  We are half-way, and I would venture to guess that if you're still reading this, then you haven't given up, and are in this thing for the duration.

KUDOS to you!  It's not easy.  There's a lot to balance, a lot of blogs to visit, and (we hope) a lot of comments to return because you've been out there spreading The Force of your amazing participation!

So here's my advice for the day.  Use The Force, Luke.  Clear your mind of all distractions.  Focus on your objective.  Let The Force guide you.

Not a Star Wars fan?  That's OK.  We can still be friends.  What I'm talking about is letting the collective energy generated by thousands of bloggers still at this give you energy, and purpose, and stamina, and drive to see it through.  Don't try to go it alone.

If you're feeling like quitting, contact a blogging buddy, a co-host, a minion (boy do we love our minions!) and reach out for help.  Some of you remember Leia's plea, "Help me Obi-Wan, you're my only hope!" Send a distress signal to a friend.

You CAN do it.  You've made it this far.  It's not J any more, but I'm also quite fond of the movie "Finding Nemo", so even though it doesn't fit alphabetically here, I will also say, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming."

One day at a time, one post at a time.  The Force, and this community, will be with you.

~Tina, fond of quoting movies, and ready to give you a pep talk if you need one.  See contact tab for my email.

Look at me! Look at me! #atozchallenge

        I hope everyone's raising a lot of "L" today!

---Arlee Bird





The "Look At Me Syndrome"

      There are a lot of things we do to call attention to ourselves.  The clothes we wear, the cars we drive, or the way we might talk loudly on our cell phones when we're in public.   Often we might deny that we're doing something to get others to notice us.  "I'm doing this or wearing this or whatever because I like it--it's something I'm doing to please me".

       Okay, believe that if you want to, but if you're putting it out there for all the world to see there is some desire to show off what you like or what you feel like or whatever it is that the inner you is itching to make known to others.

        This is especially true with blogging.   How many times have you heard a blogger say "I don't care how many followers or comments I have, I'm blogging for myself"?     Thank goodness I don't hear this too often, but it's been often enough to make me roll my eyes in wonderment.   If this is the case why aren't those blogs private?   When you put up a public blog, no matter what you say, there's a part of you that wants someone else to read it.   Each post says "look at me!".

         Even more so this is true for you who have signed up for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  You've got your blog on a list and you're waiting for someone to click your link, visit your blog, and leave you a comment.

   How to Get Noticed

          Feel like you're getting ignored?   Not getting the number of visits you expected during this Challenge?

          Let me lay it straight to you.   That list is a lot of blogs and it's easy not to stand out on the list so don't count on your just being on the list to get you regular visits  There are other ways to boost the numbers that come to your blog and to receive more comments.

•  Post good content -- if you hook your audience with something they like you're more likely to get repeat visits.   If you're not getting those repeat visits then maybe you should reexamine your content and try a different approach.
• Use intriguing titles-- The post starts with the title.  Many times that's the most important thing that draws visitors.  
• Include fascinating images-- Pictures catch the eye before the words do.  Even if your focus is on the writing, a related image can cause the visitor to pause long enough to read what you've written.
• Advertise on social media-- There are many places you can share your blog links with others.  Find the ones that work best for you and let others know when you've put up a new post.
• Link to other blogs in your posts--tell your readers about other blogs that you find to be interesting. You'll help those bloggers and will usually in turn draw some attention back to your own blog.
• MOST IMPORTANTLY!!--Visit other blogs, follow them, and leave a comment.  If you leave a good comment that pertains to what they've written then you will stand out more to that blogger and to visitors on that blog who read the comments.  Leaving a comment will typically result in a reciprocal visit from the blog where you left the comment and can lead to an ongoing blogger relationship that can last long after the A to Z Challenge has ended. 

          Don't try to kid any of us.  If you're on the list and your blog is open to the public, you want to be noticed.  There's nothing wrong with saying, "Look it me!" if there's something worth looking at.

Look At Yvonne Lewis!

        Here's a bit of A to Z Challenge history for you.   When I put out my Challenge to bloggers in 2010 to blog with me from A to Z, the first person to take the challenge was poetry blogger Yvonne Lewis who blogs at Welcome to My World of Verse.   She's been a dear friend ever since.

        She's back again for this year's Challenge so I hope you'll visit her and while you're there join as one of her followers.  She's had some blog problems but hopefully this new one is here to say.  She's got some wonderful A to Z entries again this year.

          And just in time for April Yvonne Lewis has released her third volume of poetry.  The book is Moments of My Life and distribution rights are in the works.    I'm particularly stoked about this release because I'm on the cover!   That's me with Yvonne at the bottom of the cover.  Plus I've written a few words about Yvonne in the book's Introduction.  Wow, it's so cool to be sharing the stage with this poet whom I've admired for so long.  Show Yvonne some support and order her book.  Wouldn't it be cool to see an A to Z blogger in the Top Ten of poetry books on Amazon!

       
 

 


      What is your best method of drawing attention to your blog posts?    What do you see as the biggest mistake that bloggers make that causes them not to be visited often enough?     Besides blogging what are some of the things you do that say "Look at me!"?   

Related articles

• How to Use Micro-Blogging to Gain New Visitors
• How I Got The Attention of One of the Top SEO Bloggers With Diet Coke
• Attracting Your Targeted Visitor Market To Your Site - 7 Suggestions
• Blogger Clinic: Increasing Posts-Read-per-Visit

Keeping up with the Kissing Method #atozchallenge

You don't have to speed up your daily posting frequency to get more followers,
You don't need to use multiple letters to be clever,
Ain't no particular blogging style we favor among participants,
We just want you to finish the challenge with us by following this:

Keep

It

Simply 

Sequential

One letter a day keeps the A-to-Z Challenge minions at bay.
One letter a day keeps your blog on schedule with our 2014 alphabet partay.
It only takes one letter a day....except on Sundays.
Then and only then (on Sundays) will we have off for good behavior and can go out, or stay inside to play!

What are YOUR favorite topics for Letter K that YOU read about while visiting A-to-Z blogs on the list today?

#atozchallenge - Just a little comic relief!

J is for Just a little comic relief!

Hello, Blogging from A to Z April Challenge peeps! It's day 10, or something, and we know everyone can get a little tired by the end of the week. 

Here are a few funnies to help put a smile on your face and get you through the rest of the day! 

Gnome: Doctor, Doctor! I keep seeing pink and green spots in front of my eyes!
Doctor: Good gracious! Have you seen an optician?
Gnome: No, just pink and green spots!
Doctor: I mean, have you ever had your eyes checked?
Gnome: No, they've always been blue! 

 To Gnome me is to love me!

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
A gnome, I can't reach the doorbell! 

 

 

Did you hear about the gnome who joined a nudist colony?

After two weeks he was asked to leave because he kept poking his nose into everybody’s business.

Have a great J day!

Stormy.

Infectiously Interactive Blogging

“Imagine the possibilities, Isaac. I mean, I can write about anything I want, as long as it’s related to a letter of the alphabet. I only have to write during 26 days in April, giving me Sunday’s off for good behavior. It’s such an innovative way to blog, I just know I can do it!” Isabelle sat idly at her computer, remembering this conversation with her husband last January. Here she was, barely finishing up the second week, and she was feeling the pressure.

She stared down at her cell phone, noticing the text her husband just sent. “Ignore the insecurities, dear. Just do it! You know you can, and when you’re all through, you’ll be so proud and incredibly successful! Now get out there and start blog hopping to get some inspiration. I want to hear all about at least 15 new blog friends you’ve made when I get home.”

“Intuitive as usual,” she replied with a smiley face. Then she infectiously interacted with an increasingly large number of bloggers, and ingeniously scheduled three of her remaining posts.

If Isabelle can do it, so can you!

Thanks for taking part in the A – Z 2014 Blogging Challenge this year!

M. J.

©2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo credit: Nick Michael, Sampler by Elizabeth Laidman (1760), Public Domain

H is for HOPE

Hey there, hi there, ho there!  How are you doing? Yesterday you may have been GO GO GO with AJ, but a lot can change in a day.  I learned this the hard way.

We can be cruising along, all is fine, email is under control, we're getting our posts done, though at the last minute and under the wire and not without stress, but it's working.  We're even finding time to return comments!  Visit friends!

Then BAM.  Up against a wall.  Something in life derails us, and we feel hopeless, and like giving up.  It may be a sudden problem at work , it may be a crisis with a child, or it may be a health situation.

Now all looks bleak.  You can't do this anymore.  You're too far behind to catch up. You missed a post or two.  You didn't visit. Email is backed up.

Don't give up!  There's always HOPE.  There's always tomorrow.  Write the next letter.  Get it up there!  Look forward, not back.  Missing one or two isn't the end of the world nor will it cause you to "lose" The Challenge.

This whole crazy undertaking is about the journey, and as in life, we find pot-holes, construction, detours, we might even get lost.  We need to go around them, wait for it, follow the signs, and ask for directions.  Your co-hosts are here to help.

We HOPE you know that!  Now get out there and post!

~Tina, who is not going to be counting how many posts you wrote in April, but did you make it to the end?  I have HOPE in you.

Go, go, go!

Good job, team, we've finished an octave-worth of the Challenge! (Yeah, yeah I'm a music Geek - forGive me!) How is it Going?

Here are some G things we hope are happening for you at this point in the Challenge:

• Growing as a writer. How have you challenged yourself? Can you feel yourself Growing?
• Gathering resources and followers. Who have you found that is really Great? Are you Gaining readers? (and if not, have you been visiting lots of people to help foster those connections?)
• Gumption! Sometimes it can be a little intimidating to go out and meet people, even online. But we hope that you are Growing in Gumption and becoming more comfortable making bloGGing friends!
• Goofiness - Have you seen some of the silly bloGGers on our list? We've certainly got some Goofy folks in this Challenge! Hint: Many of them are using the (HU) tag :)

Alright everyone, Go Gallavanting, find some GREAT Guy and Gal pals, and Give it your all!

F is for Fight Club

As a librarian, I'm often asked for book suggestions.  To be sure, I can usually find a book for just about anyone.  So, for letter F I would share an unusual book with you. The Title?

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 

photo courtesy Goodreads.com

Yes, Fight Club was a book before it was a movie.  Fight Club is a cult classic!  

An underground classic since its first publication in 1996, Fight Club is now recognized as one of the most original and provocative novels published in this decade. Chuck Palahniuk's darkly funny first novel tells the story of a godforsaken young man who discovers that his rage at living in a world filled with failure and lies cannot be pacified by an empty consumer culture. Relief for him and his disenfranchised peers comes in the form of secret after-hours boxing matches held in the basements of bars. Fight Club is the brainchild of Tyler Durden, who thinks he has found a way for himself and his friends to live beyond their confining and stultifying lives. But in Tyler's world there are no rules, no limits, no brakes.

 I'll be honest. I watched the movie mostly with a look of confused disgust on my face.  I didn't get all the reason for the violence but I enjoyed being in the know and being able to quote classic lines as if I belonged to an elite group! Lines like: The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club.

Ironically, many bookish people and librarians know this line too.  Kinda makes you not want to cross that librarian on a bad day, huh? So that's only one book that starts with the letter F.  Surely you can think of another? 

List the title in your comments; keep it clean, people; my mum reads my work!  :)

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.

©2014 All Rights Reserved

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!

-----
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!

The #atozchallenge #Blogging Song

by M. J. Joachim

Blogging in the morning

Blogging through the day

Blogging in the evening

A – Z is here to stay

Betcha never thought it

Bewildered by the crowd

Billowing with comments

At times it’s rather loud

Bring on the excitement

Build your network grand

Believe in your abilities

Don’t sink into the sand

Bladder’s overflowing

Black coffee’s on the stove

Big Brother isn’t watching

Inside your treasure trove

Brainstorm all the letters

Blog like no one can

Bleaching out the background

Cuz you’re the blogging man!

Or woman, as the case may be!

Wishing everyone a jolly good time this year!

And loads of comments and followers too!

M. J.

©2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo credit:  Jeremy Hawkins, A - Z Co-Host

The Alphabet Express has Arrived #atozchallenge

As the blog turns….

Adrenaline is pumping everywhere,

Among authors, travelers, artists, culinary experts, mothers, fathers and more…with tips, games and stories to share.

All in the name of the A-to-Z Challenge, we’re banded together, our fists held high in the air.

An Athletic Approach is needed to stay the course because flexing your blogging muscles to build stamina is a marathon, not a sprint.

An Abundance of Amusements have us in for a ride, anxious to find out what's around the next bend, twist or turn on the signup list.

An Adventure like no other is now brewing with new discoveries and the formation of online alliances of likeminded folks.

April is here. Time to party -- visiting many online destinations to see what people have going on, while other guests read what you wrote.

Now that we know our ABC's, the time has come to start blogging from A-to-Z. We'll see you on the court; or, in the park. Let's go and Ace this thing!

Are you in this Challenge for the Athletics, the Adventure, the Amusement or All of the Above?

LET'S GET READY TO BLLOOOGGGG!!!! #atozchallenge

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
Author Stephen Tremp http://authorstephentremp.blogspot.com/
Tina @ Life is Good http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/
Damyanti@Amlokiblogs http://amloki.blogspot.com/
Jeremy @ Being Retro http://www.beingretro.com/
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post www.madlabpost.com
M. J. Joachim's Writing Tips http://mjjoachim.blogspot.com
Heather M. Gardner http://hmgardner.blogspot.com/
AJ @ Naturally Sweet http://frodofrog.blogspot.com
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian http://unconventionallibrarian.com

We also have a Facebook page, (https://www.facebook.com/atozchallenge)
email address is infoatoz2014@gmail.com,
and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. - See more at: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2014.html#sthash.BmSm1aZM.dpuf

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
Author Stephen Tremp http://authorstephentremp.blogspot.com/
Tina @ Life is Good http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/
Damyanti@Amlokiblogs http://amloki.blogspot.com/
Jeremy @ Being Retro http://www.beingretro.com/
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post www.madlabpost.com
M. J. Joachim's Writing Tips http://mjjoachim.blogspot.com
Heather M. Gardner http://hmgardner.blogspot.com/
AJ @ Naturally Sweet http://frodofrog.blogspot.com
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian http://unconventionallibrarian.com

We also have a Facebook page, (https://www.facebook.com/atozchallenge)
email address is infoatoz2014@gmail.com,
and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. - See more at: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2014.html#sthash.BmSm1aZM.dpuf

"Good morning. This is Stormy the Weather Gnome."

"And, Sparks!"

"Zip it, Sparks, I've got a speech to deliver to the troops.

In less than a day, Bloggers from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest Blog Challenge in the history of Blogkind. 

Blogkind.

That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our Blogging differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests."

"Common Blog interests!"

"Yeah, Sparks, they know.

Perhaps it's fate that tomorrow is April 1st, and you will once again be Blogging for 26 days... Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution... but from boredom.

We are Blogging for our right to be AWESOME.

And should we win the Challenge, Blogging from A to Z will no longer be known as a tiny Blog Challenge but as the day the world declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to BLOG on! We're going to survive!

Tomorrow we celebrate the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge!"


Things are just getting started my Gnome friends!

Hang out with us here on the Blog, on Facebook, and stay tuned for the continuation of the Twitter Chats!

GO BLOG!

TELL A FRIEND!

YOU ROCK!


Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
Author Stephen Tremp http://authorstephentremp.blogspot.com/
Tina @ Life is Good http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/
Damyanti@Amlokiblogs http://amloki.blogspot.com/
Jeremy @ Being Retro http://www.beingretro.com/
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post www.madlabpost.com
M. J. Joachim's Writing Tips http://mjjoachim.blogspot.com
Heather M. Gardner http://hmgardner.blogspot.com/
AJ @ Naturally Sweet http://frodofrog.blogspot.com
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian http://unconventionallibrarian.com   

Facebook
Email: infoatoz2014@gmail.com
Twitter: @AprilA2Z #AtoZChallenge #AZchat
WEBPAGE

Do You Blog? Have you joined the #atozchallenge yet? #blogging

Today, in the last week before  the A to Z challenge, Csenge Zalka from #TeamDamyanti is here to tell you the basics.

If you haven't heard it yet: As a blogger, one of the best ways to boost your audience is to sign up for the A to Z Challenge!

Every blogger gets a kick out of writing, but a large part of the fun during the month of April is discovery: Hopping from blog to blog, reading about things you never knew before, making connections that will last well beyond the 26 days of the challenge.

Whether you're joining today, or you've signed up long ago, here's a quick and dirty list of things that might help:

1. Start visiting early.

The list is already up! You can get an early jump on visiting your friendly A to Z neighbors, and follow the ones you find particularly interesting.

2. Don't overdo it.

Set a comfortable number of blogs per day that you want to visit. Keep in mind that you will spend more time on some than others, especially later in the month when there is a lot more to read! Make it a number aroun 5, but make sure that these are 5 new blogs, not some that you have visited before!

3. Visit later in the day.

Some people post later than others, because of time zones or personal schedules. If you set out very early in the day, you might run into blogs that have not updated yet. If you give them some time, you can get the fresh letters from everyone!

4. Visit those that visit you.

This is really important, people! If someone visits you and leaves a comment, go check out where they came from! It's common courtesy, and also can take you to blogs that you might have missed otherwise. It can be the start of a beautiful blogging friendship!

5. Make your visiting routine diverse.

You might be drawn to a particular kind of blog – books, crafts, travel, etc. - but make sure to give a chance to some that are outside your comfort zone. Go crazy on the categories, that's why we have them!

6. Mark the blogs you like.

Click Follow, or bookmark the blogs you especially like, anything you need to do to make sure you will find your way back to them later.

7. Give some extra love to the smaller blogs!

We have a special list for blogs that have less than 100 followers. Make sure to check it out and help them grow!

8. Don't start from the top.

If everyone stars with Blog No. 1, people at the bottom of the list will have a disadvantage, and you might miss some great blogs that have higher numbers. Start at your own name and work your way down. Or, alternately, jump around like a crazy caffeinated frog. Believe me, it is fun.

If you haven't done so yet, sign up for the A to Z Challenge, trust me, you'll love it.

Look up a detailed checklist for the A to Z challenge, join the Facebook page, become part of the Facebook group, follow the challenge via @AprilA2Z on twitter, and check out some quick social media tips to help your blog.

An A-Z Story in A-Z Style: Inspiration for #atozchallenge

Today please welcome Michelle Wallace, one of Alex J. Cavanagh's minions, as our guest.  I ran across this post in my travels and thought it might inspire you, too.  Take it away, Michelle!

Some of you may remember it - I used it as a promo post for the 2012 challenge.
I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to resurrect it and share it again...

                               A to Z Story in A to Z Style  

 

Arlee the  
                        
Brains behind this

Creative cool challenge;

Demanding, dazzling yet different;

Entertaining and energizing every blogger,

For a period of 26 days,

Get ready for the ultimate blogging challenge.

Hype yourself – get into the swing of things.

Infectious atmosphere, incredible feeling, impossible to put into words.

Jubilation, an upbeat spirit prevails and spreads throughout the blogosphere.

Keep in contact – re-connect with bloggy buddies from last years challenge.

Love affair of an entirely different nature (lovestruck and confused? click here)

Midway – made it… the halfway point – not that bad after all, is it?

Natural situation that novices need help along the way – experienced bloggers nurture nervous newbies

Oodles of oomph required – old bloggers maintain an optimistic outlook or others may opt out

Phew! Pressure's on… big time. Plod along at your own pace. Perseverance needed. Push yourself forward.

Quirky, quaint and for some the "quintessential letter of dread"  – may cause bloggers to quiver and quake.

Revitalisation, rejuvenation, re-energising and recharging of dying batteries may be required at this point – remember you're not alone…

System overload… out of sync… saturation point almost reached… senses spinning as you struggle to sustain the systematic flow.

Thank goodness… can see the end in sight. The turbulent, tumultuous, torturous journey almost over! Almost time to say - toodles.

Unbelievable – the undeniable atmosphere of unity! Lots of bloggers upbeat – also a sense of urgency as the last five letters loom.

Va-va-voom!  Versatility and variation is the name of the game as the bloggers prepare for the end – full of verve and vigour.

What do I say now? Words fail me… sending  well-wishes to all bloggers participating – if you made it this far, three more posts…

X stands for x-ceptional, x-otic, x-factor, x-files, xtreme, x-hale, x-rated, xerox – the letter that most bloggers have a hard time getting to grips with.

You know that I've run out of things to say. Yes, enough yada-yada and blah-blah-blah… you'll understand when you get to the Y-post in April.

Zis is zee end. No more left. Zip… zilch… zero… and there is no way that I'm gonna make 26 words for the Z-post… I tried.

Michelle blogs at Writer in Transit.  Be sure to pay her a visit!  It's always a good time over there.

~Tina