So, a new year and a new challenge. NaNoWriMo was great last year (and I hope to have another go in November too) but a new challenge has been suggested to me by fellow writer Maria, who writes the excellent First Draft Cafe blog. This one will keep me busy for the whole of April, as the A to Z Blog challenge means I will need to post a blog every day during the month (except Sundays), the only stipulation being that it be inspired by the next letter of the alphabet – starting with ‘A’ on April 1st. Each post has to be a minimum of 100 words and can be as eclectic as you like.
It’s a great way to kick start your blog and has the added benefit of enabling you to connect with hundreds of other bloggers from around the world.
Suitably inspired, I have begun to list a whole range of ideas that will include posts on Writing and inspiration, songs, short fiction and maybe even a recorded monologue. Well, what the hell – I have 26 opportunities to inspire, entertain or bewilder you and I intend to give it my best shot.
So, have you signed up yet? If not, why not? There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you have already signed up, I would love to hear from you – what are your tips and advice for a newbie like me?
In the meantime, I’m looking forward to getting started next Monday (coincidentally, it’s also my birthday!). See you at the start line. Follow the blog, sign up to the challenge, comment and get involved. Happy writing.
Love this idea but also doing Camp NaNoWriMo!
Have a good Birthday 🙂
Yeah, I toyed with doing them both until a friend pointed out that ‘I would be a madman to attempt such a thing’. She was right, common sense prevailed, and I have sworn an oath to myself to get back on my nano draft in May. Thanks for the birthday wishes and good luck with Camp Nano!
I’m stopping by to introduce myself and wish you luck with the A-Z Blog Challenge. I’ll mostly be exploring CHANGE and SENSORY AWARENESS and how to implement these concepts in storytelling. Hope to see you around. -Belinda.
Hi Belinda – thanks for stopping by. I will definitely swing by to see what you’re up to during the challenge. How’s your preparation going?
Preparation went slower than I thought; then again, I’ve written lengthy articles. I’m in the process of scheduling them on WordPress and then I’ll schedule the tweets…still got a few to write as well. How about you?
Sounds like you are definitely ahead of the game – well done. I only signed up a few days ago. I have topics for almost all of my letters and have written only the first 5, so lots more work to do!
I admire your approach. And you’ve done NaNoWriMo…maybe this year I should use that to create some momentum for my fiction.
This really looks great! I’ll have to keep it in mind for next April. This year, I am (hopefully) finishing my November NaNoWriMo manuscript at Camp NaNoWriMo!
Hi Matthew. Thanks for commenting – yeah, in a similar way to Nano, it makes you have the discipline to really up your work rate. It’s been great for me, because I’m usually such a sporadic blogger – often feel unsure about what to write about. But this has proved to me that I have much more to say than I realised! Good luck with Camp Nano – my plan is to hit my manuscript hard in May. Let me know how you get on and try to swing by if you get a few mins during the challenge.
Sounds good! I look forward to seeing what you do.