A to Z Blogging Challenge Reflection (2016)

It's been over a week since the A to Z Blogging Challenge ended.  In that time, I've had some time to rest, recoup, and reflect on the experience.  

Participating and completing the A to Z Challenge reminded me a lot of when I participated and finished a half marathon several years back.  So much energy and focus went into the preparation and the execution of both tasks.  After I submitted my Z entry, I felt something similar to what I felt the day after I crossed the finish line, something that's been called the "Post Marathon Blues." Last Sunday morning, the day after the challenge concluded, I found myself sitting in front of my laptop, staring blankly at the screen thinking, "OK...  Now what?"  I'm happy to say, that I'm slowly acclimating back to the real world.

The organizers of the challenge ask that all participants, regardless of whether they finished it or not, compose a reflection post.  Here's mine.  I've organized it in a format similar to that of an article to help in making it an easier read.  I apologize for the length.

Why I Chose to Participate in the A to Z Blogging Challenge
Because, in the most simple explanation, I love a good challenge.  Setting a goal and doing what it takes to see it through gives me much satisfaction and pleasure.  

To Theme or Not to Theme, That is the Question

I didn't choose a real theme year because it was my first attempt.  I honestly didn't know what to expect, so I just wanted to keep it simple.  Having one A to Z Blogging Challenge now under my belt, I'm not so sure I will chose a theme next year, that is - if I decide to participate again.

Benefits of Not Having a Theme
I really, really liked the freedom of posting whatever I wanted and not having to conform my writing to fit within a designated theme.  If I wasn't feeling a particular topic that I had pre-planned - it was no problem, I just made adjustments and went on.   

For example, for the letter H, I planned a post on my hometown, specifically about how  many things about my hometown are different from how I remember them in my mind.  It was about change.  Well, that post turned into a beast of an entry; it was long and I couldn't rein it in.  The night before it was to go live, I was frustrated and not happy with it.  A song came up on shuffle and I was inspired. I ditched the hometown post and composed H is for Hallelujah instead. It actually turned out way better than I would've ever imagined.  And, as of May 7, H is for Hallelujah was the second most viewed post on my blog.  

A day or two later, not wanting to waste all the time and energy I put into the initial post about my hometown, I re-channeled my efforts and focus and repurposed the hometown post as the poem, M is for Mind's Eye.  This was my first attempt at poetry in YEARS.   Seriously, I think the last time I wrote anything poetic was 20 years ago when I was in college.

Another reason I liked not having a theme is that I didn't limit my posts to a certain type of audience.  There were several blogs I visited throughout the challenge in which the theme was something related to horticulture (plants), entomology (bugs), or literature featuring paranormal activity.  I don't really care for any of those topics nor do I have much to say on them.  However, to be a good blogger and to be polite, I made sure to leave a comment even though the blog topic held little or no interest to me.  Needless to say, I didn't go back to those blogs after the initial visit.  

*On the flip side, however, if I were into plants, bugs, or reading about ghosts, then I might have gone back for future visits.  I guess it could go either way.

Biggest Benefit of Participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge
As I mentioned before, setting a goal and seeing it through gives me an enormous amount of personal satisfaction.  However, I really think the biggest benefit I gained from this experience is that I stepped out of my comfort zone and posted poems, something that I've never really considered myself good at.   There's an saying that goes something like, "Growth can only happen when you step out of your comfort zone." and I honestly believe that.  Had it not been for this challenge, I might never have found myself in a position where I would even contemplated writing any poetry.  If you're interesting in reading them, I've linked them here:

M is for Mind's Eye

T is for Thank You

W is for Where I'm From

Biggest Challenge of Participating in the A to Z Challenge
Time.  On the first day of the challenge, I had 8 posts already prepared and ready to publish on the designated days.  That's 31% or little less than a third. I honestly thought I had a good handle on things.  Oh, how I was mistaken!

I underestimated the amount of "free time" I had in the month of April.  At my job, April heralds in the beginning of the end (of the school year) and that's when all the craziness and chaos ensues.  My job responsibilities increased substantially last month, as they do every April, and fulfilling those responsibilities often required  additional hours after my work day had ended, which ate away at my "free time."  Factor in a trip to West Virginia, a trip Georgia, and finishing up Book Challenge by Erin 4.0 (I wasn't kidding when I told you that I love a good challenge), my free time for blogging was seriously diminished.

Things I'll Do Different Next Year (If I Participate Again)

• Preplan and compose more entries earlier, especially for the hard letters - Q, U, V, X, and Z.  This will allow me to better balance my work and blogging time. 
• Create and implement a better system for visiting new blogs.  I didn't do a very good job at visiting many fellow challengers'  blogs this year. I did visit some, but not as many as I would have liked.  I was really just doing the best I could to keep up with my blogging schedule, responding to comments left on my blog, and spreading some blogger love by visiting the blogs of those who had commented on my blog.

Will I Participate Again in 2017?

I honestly don't know.  I enjoyed the challenge, don't get me wrong, but right now I'm a little brain dead.  I'm not taking a hiatus from blogging or anything, but right now I'm truly enjoying not having to keep up with such an intensive blogging schedule as I did in April.  We shall see.  Time will tell.

A to Z Blogging Challenge Superlatives (As of 5.8.2016)

• My Favorite A to Z Blog Entry - A is for Appalachia
• My Least Favorite A to Z Blog Entry - Q is for Qi
• Most Viewed Entry - H is for Hallelujah
• Least Viewed Entry - Q is for Qi
• Entry that Took Longest to Prepare - O is for One Hour

Blogger Love

• Elliptical Man @ The View from the Third Floor.  E Man, as I call him, has a very unique view of the world and a gift at writing clever, unconventional poetry.
• Robin @ Your Daily Dose.  Robin created a fun, interactive theme where she provided a word that started with that day's letter and readers were encouraged to participate by leaving a comment with a song title that contained that word.
• Deena @ Deena's Days took her readers on a trip back in time to the wonderful Decade of Decadence - the 1980s.  It was a fun blast from the past!
• T.  Powell Colton @ Journaling Woman blogged about Death by Oddity.  Hilarious!

Did you participate in the A to Z Blogging Challenge?  What are your thoughts on the experience?  As always, thanks for stopping by!