Wow….
I’m sitting on my balcony, enjoying a super nice breeze and reflecting on how I made it through my very first A to Z blog challenge. The experience taught me a bit about myself as a writer. First of all, I still love to write on the other side of it, so I figure that is a definite plus. Some posts were easier to come by than others, and I completed the entire challenge missing only one letter – M. Now isn’t it ironic that I would miss the letter that graces the beginning of my name. I could have easily re-published a post about me written before, but I decided not to. It just didn’t feel like what I was supposed to use for the letter M, so I ended up skipping it altogether.
That decision taught me a little something about my character as a writer. If it doesn’t feel right to me, I don’t want it out there. It, also, taught me that timing is everything, and it’s okay to wait for the appropriate message, story, etc and to trust that it will reveal itself at just the right time. Case in point, my Y post – The Yellow Dress. If you didn’t get a chance to read it, click on the title to take a peak. That post seemed to come “out of nowhere”, but it probably flowed easier than any of the 23 others (23, not 24 since I missed M) that paved the way for it. It was time for that message, that story.
For the writers who donated their time and efforts to host this challenge, if I were wearing a hat I’d certainly tip it to you. I noticed you perused the blogosphere trying to take a peak at what everyone was doing, and that was quite a task. Suggestions? Well, since this was my first one I don’t have anything to compare it to. I would certainly say it went off without a hitch for me. The initial instruction was clear, and some of the benefits I experienced were just as you suggested they may be.
Personally, the daily posts certainly helped dig me out of a writing rut strengthen my overall writing habit. It helped exercise my ability to write on command, an ability I’m guessing will be quite useful to me in the future. It pulled back the curtain for me and tempted me to toy with transparency – a great necessity for the author I intend to be. Ultimately, I guess my one suggestion is to do it again….but not anytime soon! This writer has other projects to work on, but at this moment, I just need a little break!
For those of you who have been following my progress, thank you a million times over. Your comments were certainly my fuel. It’s always good to have a little company when you set out into unfamiliar territory, you know. I hope you will continue to join me here. I’m still working on a blog home that will be completely new, completely me, and I am completely giving you hints that you probably still won’t figure out. 🙂 That’s ok. Just say you’ll keep hanging out with me, ok. 🙂
Ok, I’m going to go wash my face now. The balcony breeze was beautiful, but the pesky pollen was the pits!
See you soon!
Wise, Virtuous, Valuable,
Congratulations on making it to this point. And I agree–once a year is enough! Glad to hear how this benefited you, which is precisely the outcome we hoped for everyone who joined us.
Thanks for being a part of the 2011 A to Z Challenge.
Don’t forget to pick up your Winner’s Badge at my site.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Lovely, Monica. I can just see you sitting on your balcony, reflecting on this experience.
Karen
Thank you, Karen! It was such a lovely day to hang out on the balcony. I’m hoping to have another one of those days very soon!
Great job Sis! You were a great example to being consistent and you will reach your goal!
Thank you sis! Let’s pray I can keep it moving from here.
I missed visiting during the Challenge. Good to meet you. Congrats on finishing. I’m looking forward to next year!
Sorry for the delayed reply, but thanks for the congratulations. Congrats to you, as well, on completing the A to Z Challenge. Until next year…