I had no intention of participating in this year’s A to Z Blogging Challenge, owing to my hectic schedule at work and on the personal front. Last year’s challenge was an amazing experience that got me connected with a sea of bloggers with varied interests from across the globe. But this year no matter how tempted I was to take it up I was unsure if I could live up to the commitment of writing everyday. Though, just as slowly as the excitement of A-Z April 2015 started to build up, I gradually realized that it was kinda contagious. As fellow bloggers started discussing their themes for the upcoming challenge, I was still wondering if I should be going for it. And one fine day, I did it – I signed up for a whole month of writing diligently every single day along with my hectic day job and crazy traveling. This time around with a theme in mind.
Although, my theme appeared to be led by grammar and people actually ended up expecting that my posts would be educational, they were actually inspired by two words which when strung together are called phrasal verbs. You could read more about the idea behind the theme here. I’ve never been much of a grammar Nazi, so more than the grammar part of it, it was about the two words themselves that I took inspiration from. I had decided to pick up random quotes or inspirations based on those two words each day and weave essays, short-stories and poems around them. I did schedule a lot of things in advance, including the quotes and pictures. But when it came to writing those posts, beyond the first few posts, the story-teller in me took over. So, majority of my posts in April turned out to be short-stories and less of poems and essays. Talk about taking the easy path! Yes, I guess I enjoy and find the medium of story-telling the easiest to express myself with. But hey, I also managed to do a guest post for Blog-A-Rhythm, which comprises of my friendly community of blogging cheer-leaders! Β Read it here.
In spite of scheduling a lot of posts in advance, April 2015 saw me dragging myself home weary from work, ready to crash, but determined to spruce up that one post that was to go live 12 am the next day. Sometimes I would wake up bleary eyed, proofreading my post once last time, just to discover that tiny typo that I would discover after it got published. Heck! And on one occasion, I sheepishly admit to have realized that I had forgotten the sequence of my ABCs. I had scheduled a V post before the W post, and someone actually had left a comment on it before I woke up to the fact in the middle of the night…yikes! Β I quickly made amends, pulled the pillow over my eyes and dozed off again. But wait…there’s more! Nothing can beat the embarrassment of discovering that one of your half put together draft for a post that was to be published a few days later had got published in its half naked form, thanks to the over-sensitive touch screen of my over-Smartphone, without me noticing it till much later…grrrrr! Before I hastily deleted the atrocious post, basking in its incomplete glory, I noted that it already had a couple of views. I wished the earth would have swallowed up the red-faced me at that point. So embarrassing!
Although, this challenge is also more about sharing, connecting and exploring new blogs, I must add with a tinge of regret that I was unable to visit as many blogs as I should have, owing to my work schedule. I tried to visit the blogs of most bloggers I knew, a few great new ones that I came across on the A-Z page and some more who visited my blog, at least once or more during the challenge (I know once was not enough – but I did try. Sob!). My apologies if I did not make it to yours or for the number of visits, if they were less.
Nevertheless, the experience was rich and fulfilling. What I loved the most about this year’s challenge as compared to last year’s challenge was the outline given by the A-Z team this year, of keeping the posts short and concise. It not only disciplined us to express ourselves in a crisp manner but also made it easier to read more number of blog posts at a time without the eyes and mind glossing over. Kudos to the lovely bunch of the enthusiastic A-Z team, who kept motivating us throughout…you guys rock! Needless to say, I will definitely try and be a part of this wonderful challenge next year. Now, hoping for a much needed break. I look forward to catching up on a lot of real life that I missed in the month of April, but should be back with a fresh perspective on writing new posts soon enough. Thanks to all of you, who read, encouraged, poked, commented and shared my blog posts. It was truly an experience to cherish. See you guys around!
Read all my posts for A-Z April 2015 here:
And yes, I got the sequence of alphabets right this time!
36 Responses to In Retrospection – The 2015 A to Z Reflections
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About Author
Vinodini
Vinodini is a writer, novelist, and design professional. She has worked in the retail sector as a visual merchandiser and a fashion stylist for various well-known brands. She is a published author with an epistolary novel to her credit. She has also contributed various pieces published in anthologies, websites, and a coffee table book. She writes content on a range of topics for various domestic and international brands. This blog is an amalgamation of her thoughts, experiences, and pieces of fiction woven in her mind which find themselves translated into narrations here.
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Haha.. That experience of yours.. I was thinking that it would happen to me, since it was my first time on the #AtoZChallenge!
But luckily, I used my brains, and marked up the letters of the alphabet on the calendar next to my desktop. And then the scheduling went okay!
A Grammar theme? I'm so reading them all!
My Harry Potter and Hogwarts themed blog posts are waiting to be greeted by your over-smartphone! π
Mithila @Fabulus1710
http://www.fabulus1710.blogspot.in
Thanks for making me feel blah all over again! Yeah, I guess I should have had the letters of the alphabet set next to my computer too..but well there were times I was writing on the go. But not excuses for that π I look forward to greet your Harry Potter and Hogwarts soon, with my over-smartphone π
I think you did an excellent job with the posts, Vinodini. As for the errors and slip ups, that's what makes us human, right? More importantly, facing those errors the way you have makes us endearing. Which is exactly why I come back to read your posts. Not as often as I should have, I will admit, but there have been too many things happening on the personal front too. Sigh. Good job and well done π
Hey, thanks Shy…I really feel patted on my back with your words. Yeah, I love honest reflections…and somewhere that binds us bloggers together, coz we understand our imperfections and accept them with all our talents as well. I totally understand those not so often visits to my blog…coz I myself couldnt manage regular visits to yours and a lot many blogs due to my schedule! But anyway…we all did a splendid job..didnt we?!
I almost never proofread my posts. Months after publishing a post, I go through them and I find some ghastly and embarrassing typos… π A tiny one shouldn't be so worrisome π
Well, that's one thing that I'm a little particular about. When I work so hard on the content, I'd rather have the errors fixed before publishing the post. Now that its done…the worry part is over π
I can so relate to your reflections Vinodini! What a race?! But we did it and you rocked
Yeah, we did it Eli! Thank you so much for your uplifting comments on my posts. You did amazingly well too π
Congratulations for completing the challenge…you did pretty well!
Thanks Alok. I'm glad I managed to do well.
I can relate to some of your experiences, albeit you seemed to have a trying time with it at times! Despite that Vinnie, you did an excellent job and I enjoyed reading your posts in story form. Congrats again and yes, take a much deserved break! π <3
Thank you Elly! We all had our trying times during the challenge…didnt we? I'm glad we could surpass all of those and survive it all. You did pretty well too. Thanks for encouraging me throughout <3
Your post has inspired to me take this challenge next year. I bet your series must be very interesting. I am not so good with grammar, I think I should read your posts to get hold of some concepts. Many congratulations on the accomplishing this amidst your tight schedule.
Do take it up next year Saru. I'm sure you won't regret it. It one helluva experience. I'm not too great with grammar too, but my posts are more of stories than about grammar. Do read them if you can. Thank you π
Vindoni, same here and one of my post was published by mistake and shared too. Happens, congrats and you nailed it in an innovative way:)
Really? This makes me feel so much better Vishal! So, I'm not the only one here who made these goof-ups π
Vinodini, bad typo!
Grrrr…Vishal you do this so often…spell my name wrong and blame it on the typo. Next time you do that I'm going to come to your blog and address you as Vshial – deal? π
Vinodini, bad typo!
Vinodini.. i enjoyed your posts.. It was very fluid and easy to read.. I havent read all your posts. But plan to do so in following days. Congratulations!
Hey, thanks Lata! Congratulations to you too. I do hope you read the posts sometime π
I never saw any of your goof ups, so we'll just pretend your posts went off without a hitch. π
Well, you did Patricia but I'm glad you did not notice it. You were the one who commented on my V post that got published wrongly as per the schedule. Unfortunately, I had to delete that post with your comment on it! Anyway all good as long as it went well with people π
ha ha! so many learnings for you huh? Jokes apart, i loved your theme and those posts were awesome! Congratulations!!
Glad to have met you π
Thanks Parul! Congratulations to you too! I loved your posts too. Really glad we connected.
That's funny, in a way. I was always running so far behind on commenting… I never took notice of which letter which day. I just put mine in and kept moving, thinking everyone else is doing the same thing.
I enjoyed your A-Z. Some days I left here tranquil; other days, I pondered… good brain food!! Well done. You seem so comfortable in your presentations. I want that inner peace next year!!! (smile)
Aww…now this makes my day! Thanks. I'm so glad all the chaos I combatted did not reflect in my posts. God bless you with all the inner peace required to mask all that chaos that your mind goes through during the challenge π Congratulations for making it through!
Enjoyed reading your beautiful stories from A to Z, Vinodini! Completing the challenge despite hectic schedules is commendable. Well done!! I think it was insanity on my part to take up this challenge when I knew I would be traveling for 15 days!! It was great fun though, challenging yourself and emerging victorious. I remember writing six 55 fictions in 6 hours and I was traveling later that night. It was a do or die situation. LOL π
Thank you Shilpa! Fifteen days of traveling and yet you managed so beautifully… Wow! Your flash fiction pieces were so well executed. I wonder how you managed so many in six hours flat! Awesome. Congratulations!
Hahaha! Your entry into the challenge seems very much similar to mine! I did my theme reveal post on 28th March instead of 23rd! I still hadn't decided till then whether I was going to participate or not.
And the sequence of alphabets… I'm still confused about it. Luckily, I made an excel spreadsheet with the alphabets and the topics, and I kept striking off the ones I did. Plus, I was mostly, lagging behind, so no chance of publishing an incomplete post! Mine used to go live at usually 11:45pm of the night… and NOT 12:00 am the night before!
Exhausting, yes, but it was also super fun!
http://www.mysteriouskaddu.com/2015/05/a-to-z-reflections-2015.html
Well, no amount of preparation helps when the challenge finally begins! I finalised my theme well in advance and worked on the outline of each post before it began. But once the challenge started I realized that wasn't enough! I was still slogging to keep up.
You were smart to have had that excel sheet in place. But I guess, the madness of it all was fun too. Congratulations!
Congrats on completing the A to Z Challenge! Looking forward to next year! See you on the Road Trip!
Mary @ Jingle Jangle Jungle
Thanks Mary! See you next year π
Hello there.
Congratulations on completing the challenge! Your reflections made me laugh. Hope you enjoy your break. Just meandering through from the Road Trip.
Entrepreneurial Goddess
Hey thanks! I seem to be replying rather late to your comment. Was on a blogging break after the challenge, so just saw it. I'm glad I could make you laugh π Come again.
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