2016 A to Z Challenge Reflections

The A to Z Reflections Post is a post presented on your own blog site giving the A to Z Team, the other Challenge participants, and any other readers your thoughts about this year's April Challenge.

We are looking for feedback about the Challenge. Tell us what you liked and didn't like, what worked and what didn't. If you have suggestions about making future A to Z Challenges better, this is a good time to let us know. You can highlight other bloggers who you felt did an outstanding job or direct us to specific posts that particularly impressed you or that you found to be very helpful.

In other words, we want to know how the A to Z Team did and how the Challenge worked for you. If you'd do it again, tell us why. If you would never consider A to Z again, let us know what would make you feel that way.

Please put up your Reflections post between now and Friday, May 13. AFTER your post has gone live, add the link to the Linky List below. Enter the link that goes DIRECTLY to your Reflections post and not your general blog address. The list will be accessible for the remainder of this year. Be sure to grab the badge.

The list is intended for A to Z Reflections posts only. Any links to advertising sites or non-relevant posts will be removed from the list. General links added before you actually post will be removed. And remember that these posts will be directed to a diverse audience of varying ages and sensibilities so please respect others by refraining from posting obscene materials or hurtful attacks upon others. We want a productive interchange of ideas that can lead to positive innovation.

Add your direct post link below AFTER you have posted your reflections! All non-direct links will be deleted.

#atozchallenge - Don't wait until it's too late! Start planning for the next Challenge!

It's never too early to start thinking about the next Challenge.

Sure. It's May. The next Challenge doesn't start until April. You've got lots of time. Right?

26 posts about any topic or theme is a lot of information to gather. So many times we need more than just one or two months to complete our posts.

Book reviews
Movie reviews
Travel photos
Interviews
Short stories
Flash fiction
Art
Cooking
Music
Videos

These all take quite a bit of time, effort, and research to put together. Why not start gathering that info now?

No matter what, its a good idea to at least start thinking about your posts and theme for next year. Jot down a few notes and thoughts on how you want your next Challenge to go.

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Make sure you return on Monday to get all the details about adding your 2016 Reflections Post link to the list for everyone to see!

Time for Reflection on the 2016 Challenge

         Think you're done with the Challenge?   Well, hang on just a minute!  We want to hear what you thought about the 2016 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  Before you take a break from blogging for a while or if you're just going back to blogging business as usual, please take a moment to reflect a bit.   We'd like to hear just one more little thing:  Tell us about your A to Z experience.

         The A to Z Reflections Post has become a tradition as most Challenge vets will remember.  We've done this since the first Challenge in 2010.  What we request is that in a post on your own blog you tell us all something about the Challenge that impacted you the most.

         This post can be about any April A to Z related topic and presented in any form that you like.  Your post doesn't have to be long and complicated unless that's what you want to do.  Like the regular A to Z posts, the Reflections Post can be whatever you want it to be just as long it's about the April Challenge.

           This is the time for you to register your complaints about anything Challenge related.  Let us know the weaknesses along with your suggestions as to how they can be improved.   We don't mind hearing the negative aspects of A to Z, but we hope you will have some positives to report as well.  Relate your anecdotes about interactions with the A to Z staff or other bloggers.   Offer praise to the outstanding bloggers in this year's Challenge or tell us about particular posts or themes that you think deserve recognition.

          Incidentally, even if you didn't participate in the Challenge itself or didn't finish the A to Z Challenge but have something about it that you think is worth mentioning, you are welcomed to add your own Reflections post as long as you were following some of the A to Z posts.   Do not take this invitation as a license to just get on the list with some random post that has nothing to do with A to Z.   These non-Challenge related post links will be removed from the list.  

          The Reflections Post is your time to tell everyone what's on your mind about the A to Z Challenge.  If you want to brag about your own blog then go ahead.  If you want to brag on something else then that's definitely welcomed.  Good, bad, indifferent or however you feel, tell the rest of us.  Whatever you feel is worth saying, then say it.   Even if it's just your blog stats for April--that's valuable information that might help us get some ideas.  Say what you have to say and we will listen.

We Want Next Year to Be Better

          The Challenge of 2016 was pretty darn good by my estimation, but there's always room for improvement.  That's one reason why we like the Reflections Posts.   We get ideas on what not to do in the future and even better we get some ideas on what we can do to improve future events.  

          Many of you have some good ideas that the A to Z Team may have never considered before.  Let's hear those ideas so we can do some brainstorming.   And even if your brain is not brimming with ideas for improvement, just your general thoughts can stimulate some thinking.  Don't think that you have nothing to say because everything any of you say is worth hearing.

          Bottom line is that we want to hear from you.  All of you are important to us and each of you has some valuable input that will be lost if you don't tell us.

"What Do I Do?"

         If this is the question you're asking then let me explain.   Starting anytime between now and Friday May 13th, put together your thoughts in a Reflections Post.   No rules on this as it can be as short or as long as you like and it can be composed in any way that you wish.    Once your Reflections piece has been written then add the "Reflections" badge that you see at the top of this page to your composition.  When you have your Reflections ready to go then post it on your own blog site.

          On Monday May 9th the Reflections Linky List will appear on this blog--The Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog.   Add the link of the Reflections post that you have already posted on your site.  ***NOTE:  Add the link that directs to your Reflections Post and not your general blog URL***Please don't do this wrong and expect us to have to go back to fix it!

         You can post anytime between now and next Friday May 13th.  You must post your Reflections to your own blog before you can add it to the list at the A to Z Blog.  Only add your link to the list if you have actually done a Reflections post.  This Linky List will be accessible to all for the rest of the year so it can be advantageous for you to participate.

       Hopefully this is all clear to everyone, but don't hesitate to ask questions in the comment section if there is anything at all you don't understand.  


         Those who have successfully completed the 2016 A to Z Challenge are invited to copy the Survivor badge below and display it on your own blog to show your visitors that you are an A to Z Winner!

Did you SURVIVE the #AtoZChallenge?

Congratulations! You've finished the Challenge! Show it off in style with this awesome badge created by Jeremy @ HOLLYWOOD NUTS!

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It's me, CO-HOST Jeremy @ HOLLYWOOD NUTS, and I have great news, our gear is here. I wanted to let those who are going to make it to show their support and that you have finished the A TO Z CHALLENGE [2016]. To find out more please [CLICK HERE], you will be transported to the store and well there you are.

SHARE/LIKE/COMMENT...

Thank you!

Jeremy [Retro]

Hollywood Nuts

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Stay tuned for Alex J. Cavanaugh's post on the Reflection Post on 5-9-2016

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Keep your eyes open for the Challenge Survey in your email!

Thank you for participating!

The 2016 A to Z Team

Zip, Zap, Zoom! #atozchallenge

Time to zip this challenge up for another year!  

Did you have fun?   Did you finish like you should have done--making new friends, leaving comments on the blogs of others, posting good content on your own blog?

If you made it this far successfully you are probably zapped.   Maybe it's even time for a nap.  Relax, but don't stop yet.  Rest for a bit if you need but don't quit blogging--agreed?

This Challenge is just a jumping off point for more blogging ahead.    Blogging and more blogging should be stuck in your head.   You heard me; that's what I said.   

Time now to zoom into the future--May, June, July, and on and on.  Now you can post one day a week or whatever you want.  Or every day if that's your desire.  If you're burning to blog don't put out the fire.

Now one more thing before this Challenge is toast.  Don't forget to schedule your A to Z Reflections Post!

Thanks for joining us in A to Z for 2016!

       You can do your Reflections Post at any time, but the list won't open until Monday May 9th and will stay open until May 13th and that's when you can add your link to your post. Watch this blog for further details.

Y - You, Your, You're and You Are "AWESOME"

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I am back again and almost at the end of this A TO Z CHALLENGE... how have you all done this year? It has been great I always seem to make friends and visit some very cool sites, this year was no different.  I being a co/host for a few years now has been great and I always am trying to keep you all on your toes.  Like why is FRANKENBERRY in this post?  Well in my last posts a few days ago, I shared my stuff, my goods and well it's FREE. So I thought I would share me and myself again, hopefully you will like it... share it... comment? It's called "SIX STRINGS" it's a free magazine for your Ipad, E.T.C and it's about everything I love. I made a special A TO Z EDITION of the you can get it here: http://www.jmhdigital.com/

Our GREAT friend Mark Kelly has hand-drawn the letters above for us and helped us design our CHALLENGE T-SHIRT [CLICK ME] that is located at the end of this magazine. So get a looky-loo at it, as it will be available. I hope you all have been enjoying this 2016 Challenge... thanks to all the host, co-hosts, minions and of course you guys.

THANK YOU!

Jeremy [RETRO]

Credits:

Alphabet Letters Designed by Mark Kelly
http://theopenhearth.blogspot.com/

SIX STRINGS: MAGAZINE

Designed by Jeremy Hawkins

http://www.jmhdigital.com/

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#atozchallenge -- Starts with X!

Some of my favorite things start with X!
Like what?

The X-Files

Last year, all 26 posts for my A to Z theme were about my love of the show, the characters/actors, and my X-Files memorabilia.

The X-Men

Some of the movies don't have the best scripts, but they are, as my son says, Made of Action.

And, I do love me some Wolverine. 

The XBox

My husband and I have played video games together our whole relationship. Granted, we mostly play Lego XBox games with our son now, but it's still fun. 

What else?
The letter X starts with X!

X is the 24th letter of the alphabet, which means ... we are almost done with the Challenge!

In case no one has said it yet ...

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Come meet Stormy the Weather Gnome, and friends, on his Epic Adventurous Quest Journey to get fixed!

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HUGE THANKS to my amazing Sidekick Team!

Heather M. Gardner's Team: Stormy's Sidekicks!

Suzanne W. Skeels – Suzi’s Ice Box Art

Sarah Foster – The Faux Fountain Pen

L.G. Keltner – Writing Off the Edge

Andrea – Maybe it’s Just Me

Penny/SENCO Cat Herder – Special Teaching at Pempi’s Palace

Diana Gordon – Part-Time Monster

Tamara Narayan – Tamara Narayan, Author
 



Heather M. Gardner
The Waiting is the Hardest Part 

Woohoo! Almost survived the #atozchallenge!

Can I get a Woohoo?!

Y'all, Way to go! Only three more days of the Challenge. You've almost made it!

At the end of the Challenge here, I'd like to take a moment to thank my wHooligan team. Hopefully many of you have met my wHooligans, but if you haven't, here's a great chance! Stop by and thank these lovely ladies for all the work they've done to make the Challenge a welcoming place :)

Shilpa Garg @shilpaagarg

LuAnn Braley @kentuckygal

Doreen McGettigan @doreenb8

Geetika Gupta @Geetika0718

Have a fantastic last few days of the Challenge, everyone! We're so impressed by the comaraderie, support, creativity, and general awesome'ness you all have exhibited this month!

Keep an eye out for my end-of-Challenge survey, coming soon to the email address you used to sign up for the Challenge :)

~co-host AJ Lauer's theme this year is a choose-your-own-adventure that relies upon visitor comments to be successful! She's made it this far writing EVERY DAY of the Challenge. Stop by, share some love, and cast your vote for the ending!

Victory Lap at the #AtoZChallenge !

Now the end is nigh and the finish line is in sight: three more posts to go and you'll be an A to Z Challenge Winner!

On my blog, I've been writing about the nonprofit Project Why and their unsung heroes, and will be sad once the challenge is done.

Don't let up on your blog: keep the Adrenalin pumping.

• Visit those who have commented on your posts. 
• Follow back those who have followed you. 
• Follow them on social media, too. 
• The more visits and comments you do in a day, the more you shall get out of the challenge.

Time enough to take a break once you're done with the challenge!

Do not forget the A to Z Reflections Post on 9th of May, about which we will talk about soon: this will be your chance to give us feedback. What did we do well? What could be done better?

For now, go visit a blog or two, or five or fifty! The A to Z Challenge list is waiting for you!

Ultima Hora - The last week of the #atozchallenge is here!

The last week of the Challenge has begun! Only six more letters to go!
(Including today's)
Quick! What are the thing you planned on doing but you have not gotten around to yet?

Visit more blogs?
Get to the end of the list?
Go back, find that one theme you really liked, and bookmark it?
Follow your favorite bloggers on Twitter?
Add blogs to your Feedly?
Participate in an #azchat but you keep forgetting when they are?

You still have a week to up your A to Z experience, get a second wind, and do all the things you planned on doing back when we started with A.

Make the last week of the challenge feel like the first! :)

Tell us about your fave #AtoZChallenge Twitter Moments!

It's Letter T Day! And I want to talk to you about Twitter.

Are you on Twitter? If you are, leave your "handle" below. My handle is @pamlovesbooks and if you haven't figured out by now I love to talk books!

But I can talk about things other than books. What I'm wondering today, as the A to Z Challenge winds down, is how do you use Twitter? 

Have you participated in the Twitter chats? They are Thursdays at 9pm Eastern (NY) and during March they were also on Saturday mornings. The reason I ask is because I've seen alot of you on Twitter during the #azchats. But some of you I haven't seen on the chats and haven't had the chance to get to know you. Perhaps the chat times are inconvenient for you  or perhaps you didn't know about them or perhaps you don't use Twitter. Whatever the reason for not getting to know us better at the chats here's your chance to chat with me or any of the other co hosts. 

I can only speak for myself, but I am always on Twitter. I like to see what everyone's eating for brekkies, what book you are reading, or what blogs you like best during the A to Z Challenge. I like to rhyme and I've been told by some that I've been helpful when it comes to thinking of words for their challenge posts. Do you need help rhyming? Do you need last minute help with word for X? Do you need an idea for dinner because your brain is so fried from doing the A to Z Challenge? Whatever you need, I'm here to help. Remember, I'm a librarian and we love to help. 

And because it's T day, here's a tiger in a wheelbarrow.

Ok I know it's a lion but how funny is that?

The point is I'm waiting to chat with you on Twitter. 

I can chat, with a hat, and a bat, and my cat, whose hair is flat and almost ate a gnat.

See? Told you I could rhyme.

Anytime.

Give me a dime

or go eat a lime. 

Either way, I've brightened your day and and now that you've had a moment to play, you can get back to the A to Z Challenge.  

I hope I've made you smile. 

For a little while. 

Sorry, I can't help it. 

(must not type rhyme)

Enjoy your day off and we'll see you for the last week of The A to Z Challenge!!

p.s. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and say Hello.

What's your #atozchallenge Story?

Hi, friendly neighborhood storyteller here.

What's your story?

The A to Z challenge is one place where it is okay to make things personal. Chances are, if you did the Theme Reveal, you told us why you picked the theme you are doing. But even if you don't have a theme, you can still have a story.

Why do you blog?
What got you started?
What are the things that you are passionate about?
What are the stories you want to share with the rest of the world?

One place to tell your story will be during the A to Z Reflections in May. Tell us about your journey! The successes, the challenges, the encounters. Things you learned, things you enjoyed, treasures you found. Reflections help us look back on a crazy, hectic, chaotic, scrambling April (or is that just me?...) and see the story we have just been through. And say WOW.
(Or something like "wait... did I really just do that?...)

Find your Story!

R is always going to be for RETRO!

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I am here to say HELLO.... HELLO, I have gone missing from the start of the year and you all may have noticed this? I have been working on a new project, well a revamp of something I have been working on for our "8" year and well it's been great. I would rather show you and let you all decide if it's worthy of your attentions. It's called "SIX STRINGS" it's a free magazine for your Ipad, E.T.C and it's about everything I love. I made a special A TO Z EDITION of the you can get it here: http://www.jmhdigital.com/

Not to mention the very lovable letters that you see above created by our friend Mark Kelly and our CHALLENGE T-SHIRT [CLICK ME] is located at the end of this magazine. So get a sneak peak at it, as it will be available soon. I hope you all have been enjoying this 2016 Challenge... thanks to all the host, co-hosts, minions and of course you guys.

THANK YOU!

Jeremy [RETRO]

Credits:

Alphabet Letters Designed by Mark Kelly
http://theopenhearth.blogspot.com/

SIX STRINGS: MAGAZINE

Designed by Jeremy Hawkins

http://www.jmhdigital.com/

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#atozchallenge -- Quiz Time!!!

Quiz time!

Don't you just love a quiz?

I know! Me, too!

This is just for fun and all the answers can be found at the bottom of this post.

So, here we go.


Question #1: Who is the founder of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge?

Question #2: How many years has the Challenge been in existence?

Question #3: How many co-hosts are there this year? (including the founder)

Question #4: What day is the Twitter Chat?

Question #5: What number is the letter Q in the alphabet?

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Answer #1: Arlee Bird 
Answer #2: This is the 7th Challenge. (2010)
Answer #3: 10!
Answer #4: Thursdays!
Answer #5: 17! Did you have to count? Me, too!

9 days to go! You can do it!

Heather M. Gardner
The Waiting is the Hardest Part 

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It's me, CO-HOST Jeremy @ HOLLYWOOD NUTS, and I have great news, our gear is here. I wanted to let those who are going to make it to show their support and that you have finished the A TO Z CHALLENGE [2016]. To find out more please [CLICK HERE], you will be transported to the store and well there you are.

SHARE/LIKE/COMMENT...

Thank you, I return you all to your regularly scheduled program!

Jeremy [Retro]

Hollywood Nuts

It's My Letter Day! P for Pam and P for Books, what? #AtoZChallenge

Happy letter P day!

I am so happy to share my letter day with you because I'm sure you've figured out by now that I love to talk about books. So it stands to reason that on P day Pam would have a book that begins with the letter P; 

Am I right?

Gosh, ya'll know me too well.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

I loved this book SO HARD as a girl. I've read it a few times and have seen the movie like one skillion times. And that's a lot. smile. The movie stars a very young Prof McGonagall, aka Dame Maggie Smith, from Harry Potter,  as Miss Jean Brodie herself

'Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life . . .'

That's what Miss Brodie says to her students at the Marcia Blaine School (pronounced Mar See Ah). Miss Brodie is probably the first unconventional woman I ever admired. Miss Brodie is a free thinker, a romantic, and progressive in a time where those qualities weren't appreciated by everyone. Miss Brodie collected a group of students called The Brody Set and for the price of unbridled loyalty, she poured herself into these girls, allowing them access to her thought processes, her personal life, etc. Naturally everything comes at a price and the outcome of this book is dark. But, you will forever love Miss Brodie and appreciate how she tries to change the world, one girl at a time.

If The Bad Girls Book Club (over at An Unconventional Librarian) had a group leader or a Headmistress, it would be Miss Brodie. 

Happy P Day friends! 

Offline a Bit? #atozchallenge

Offline a Bit?

Not to be confused with off-sides or being off-kilter!

Have you been offline a day or two during the Challenge?

Don’t let the sheer amount of blog posts during that time scare you.

Just focus on those who visited you the day you were absent. Return those comments and just delete all the other posts from your blog reader. People will understand.

Use Sundays to catch up. Or, if you’re caught up, use Sundays as your day to be completely offline. Spend some time with your family, go see a movie, go read a book. Regroup and recharge.

We’re over halfway – don’t get burnout now!


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

A Helpful Hint about Sharing Images #atozchallenge #blogging

Thanks to J Lenni Dorner of Arlee's Ambassadors for the following info that some of you might find helpful.  It might be a bit technical for some of you, but those who understand might be able to put this to good use.  

I am not a coding expert. I learned all of this by watching other people, Google searching, and trial with lots of error. (Ha ha) But here's an important tip on something I do know about-- using the img alt in the HTML of your posts.

1. Blind and visually impaired people sometimes use the Internet. There are programs that read to them, partly using the HTML of websites. I didn't know this when I started blogging. A blind woman told me about it. She said the "img alt" tag is used to read what the picture is of... assuming there's an alt tag, of course. "Image of a woman on horseback." vs "32343" You can understand now how defining your image is more useful than leaving just a number or something.
2. Pinterest captions your pin based on what is written inside the alt tag. Readers hitting the share button might be too lazy to edit that. What do you want people to read when your image is clicked from the Pinterest (or other sharing) site? Tag yourself with your Twitter handle if you have one! It works.
3. Sometimes image hosting sites go down. The picture you used doesn't appear. What you wrote in the alt tag will show in place of the image. Consider what you'd at least like your readers to imagine for the downtime duration.
4. With Internet Explorer, hovering the mouse over the image will create a small pop-up text block of the "alt" words. (Firefox and Opera do this with the TITLE tag instead of ALT. The two seem similar otherwise.)

Always keep it relevant, meaningful, and short!
And now it's example time!
The A to Z Challenge

WHAT DOES ALL THAT MEAN?

center means that it will be in the middle of post, not to the left. a href I have hyperlinked my image. If you click it, it takes you to another webpage. target=_blank That other webpage will open in a new window or new tab, so you don't leave me! img means image src means source -- that's always the URL where the image is hosted alt THAT'S what this image is about. I have Twitter handles and a hashtag to increase the viral trending. backslash close your tags

NOW YOU KNOW!
J Lenni Dorner can be found at the blog http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com, on #TeamArlee Arlee's Ambassadors, @JLenniDorner, and on Facebook.com/WhatAreThey.

#atozchallenge -- NO sleep til ... Z!

NO way we are stopping now!

NO is the loneliest word!

 

NO is not in our vocabulary!

NO doubt we will finish!

 

NO, giving up is not an option!

NO chance we will fail!

Keep going, people!

We will make it to the end!

The Beastie Boys - No Sleep Till Brooklyn 

Heather M. Gardner
The Waiting is the Hardest Part   

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BEEP... BEEP... So I am sneaking in, yes it's me CO-HOST Jeremy @ HOLLYWOOD NUTS and I have great news, our gear is here. I wanted to let those who are going to make it to show their support and that you have finished the A TO Z CHALLENGE [2016]. To find out more please [CLICK HERE], you will be transported to the store and well there you are.

SHARE/LIKE/COMMENT...

Thank you, I return you all to your regularly scheduled program.... From Co-Host Heather!

Jeremy [Retro]

Hollywood Nuts

Mid-way through the #atozchallenge!

So I'm actually writing this in Mid-March. I've just painted my toenails and it is taking a reMarkable amount of energy to not wiggle them around (who knew I had fidgety feet while writing?? Try holding your feet perfectly still the next time you write - it's hard!).

One of the beauties of blogging is that you can pre-write posts, get them scheduled, and instead spend your time coMMenting and visiting other folks. It is the Middle of the Challenge and this is about where we start to see folks lose Momentum - comments slow down, people who didn't pre-write start to Miss letters, we all start to drag a little.

So this is my Mid-Challenge pep talk!

You, intrepid blogger, have totally GOT THIS. No Mid-April slump for you - no! You will Masterfully, Mindfully, and Maybe Maniacally (Mwahahahah...) Make it through this Mayhem.




You're gonna Make it!


~co-host AJ Lauer's theme this year is a choose-your-own-adventure that relies upon visitor comments to be successful! Stop by and join the story!