This was my first year participating in the A to Z challenge. I didn’t write any of my posts ahead of time (as I usually write my posts the day I post.) I find it is generally confusing to me to have written a blog post and not released it to the world, as I keep expecting feedback and reactions that never come because…well, the post isn’t live. 🙂
And, while it worked, by the second week I was definitely getting ready for the end, and by the last week I was dragging. I loved all the comments, the community, the thoughts and sharing and the new blogging friends I’ve made through the challenge. And it gave me a great opportunity to discuss facets of writing that I’d previously not touched (what to do with villains, happy endings, and what an author needs to read).
It also encouraged regular writing, because you knew you had people reading and commenting (a fairly rare occurrence on my blog before the challenge). You wanted to sit down and share your bit that day because everyone else was sharing theirs, and the peer pressure, in a good way, was there to make it happen.
So I’d recommend the A to Z challenge to anyone who blogs, and especially to anyone struggling with blogging or writing. Before the challenge, I was dragging, producing maybe a post a week instead of my usual three. Now, writing three posts a week seems like a breeze after writing six a week for four weeks straight.
The sunshine and joy of writing with people, of sharing thoughts and interacting actually helps you remember why you’re out here, on the blogosphere, and helps you focus on your task at hand…even as it distracts you. It reminds you of the world that exists beyond your little corner of creativity, and excites you to write, not just for your own sake, but so you can share it with all the amazing people out there.
Copyright 2016 Andrea Lundgren
Andrea Lundgren 
I wrote daily too. Though that meant not sleeping until 1 on some day or waking up at 5 other days, but I truly enjoyed the process. “Now, writing three posts a week seems like a breeze after writing six a week for four weeks straight.”- Totally agree! 🙂
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I’ll definitely have to join in for that next year, as it seemed to be VERY interesting to follow along when I joined in on your AtoZ Challenge.
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I commend you for writing your posts daily! I don’t think I could manage!
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Next year, I won’t be doing it that way, but it wasn’t too bad, given I had most of my topics decided ahead of time.
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I love that – the sunshine and joy of writing with people!
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Congratulations, Andrea. You did it! This was my third Challenge, and after each and every one I say, no more. Then go back to doing again.
Very much enjoyed reading your posts. The sense of community is definitely what blogging is all about.
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I had my posts pre-written this year, but last year I wrote them daily. I quite enjoy both ways but I find I have more time to visit other blogs when I have the posts pre-written
Debbie
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That’s so neat, to have done it both ways. I think having more time to visit and comment will be nice for next year. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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Agree if I do this again I will def write everything ahead of time. I don’t mind scheduling posts, especially when it’s a nice surprise that I’ve already got some in the pipeline and I don’t have to stress over deadlines 🙂 I also try to make myself add some delay, even if only a few minutes, before publishing. Seems like there’s always a last-minute edit I only think of after I finish the thing.
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Oh, I know. The “wait, I forget to mention this” or “I misspelled that” problem. I think it’s one of the dangers of immediate publishing–all our brilliant ideas after the fact. 🙂
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