Skip to main content

The Whirlwind that was the AtoZ April 2013 Challenge


The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge Reflections Post 2013

April 2013, was not just another month in the calendar. It was an experience in itself, something that would make you lose your sleep for a whole month, something that would ensure that you end up with red painful eyes, something that would make everything else other than blogging secondary.


What

The answer to that is a harmless phrase: A to Z April Blogging Challenge.  The challenge requires the blogger to do a blog post every day through April. Simple? Well, not so simple. Keeping in tune with the name, each blog post needs to be on the theme of the 26 alphabets in English, giving you Sundays off, like any good boss; according to the challenge, on the first of April the post needs to be related to the alphabet A, on the second, B, on the third C …you get the hang of it. 

How

Now, how one of the most interesting things happened to me is, I was scrolling through various blog posts of various people who were members of Indiblogger, when I happened to see one of the co-host's comment signature as “An AtoZ Challenge Co Host”. Needless to say, I poked my nose around a bit and it felt like the Universe was calling out to me, to come join in, telling me that this was the very thing my blog needed.

Why

If this was such a headache, why then did I take it up, you might ask. The answer is: I found the challenge the very thing my blog needed. It lay there in a corner of my profile, neglected mostly, with an odd post or two in a month. Though I was in love with writing, I always hid behind the lame excuse that there was never enough time! This challenge would make sure that I write for 29 continuous days, injecting some spirit into my otherwise inactive blog.

When

When then did these 29 posts come from? Where was the time?

The answer cannot be made obvious for reasons ranging from getting kicked on my behind by my friends to being separated from my beloved office PC where I could read, write and obviously work (for the next day’s post). Blogging was the ONLY thing on my mind for the whole month and I avoided any kind of outings and parties I was invited to, feigning some or the other disease, because, I had my friends’ posts to catch up on!! But, that does not mean that I became a recluse altogether.

The Take-homes

What I loved about the challenge is,
  •          Could write more religiously as there was a theme I was working on – something I had never attempted,
  •          Got to meet a lot of new bloggers,
  •          Gathered information about new places, cultures, cuisines, art forms, people all because the challenge brought together people from various countries, united by a single factor – a blog,
  •          Made new friends in the blogosphere,
  •          Started the challenge with just one follower, now the number reaches almost 50.


Wishful Thinking

If only more people would return the visits you paid them, if only the world would be free of word verification, if only the world was free from the necessity of having to create an account on a blog to make a comment, if only the spammers would leave us alone, if only there was a way for all the non participating bloggers to remove themselves from the linky list, as it does take time for the co-hosts and the minions who’re helping out with the challenge to reach a particular blog and cross check and remove them from the list.


As a parting note, I would like to thank every single person who passed by my blog to read, comment, show love, give feedback, or even just to return my visit to their blog, from the bottom of my heart. The constant encouragement from every fellow blogger to keep writing, to push yourself when you feel like giving up, is something out of the world. A sentence or a post would not do any justice. You guys are just awesome!!

So, now you might want to know if I will do this the next time ehh! Does it really need to be told? It’s a YES, after all, who doesn’t need some love… wink wink…

See you around,
God Bless.
Bhavya

Comments

  1. You have done an excellent job, written so well, I am inspired by you, and I also relate to some of the things you have mentioned, thanks for sharing !

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am glad I bumped in to U !
    asha's story was exciting !
    WIsh u many more write ups and challenges
    good luck
    LOVE

    ReplyDelete
  3. It was great interacting with you. Congratulations on completing the challenge Bhavya :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your blog was a fine example of good writing.
    I enjoyed every visit.
    Yvonne.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Finding YOU was one of the Treasures of A to Z!!!
    Thank you for keeping us all on the edge of our seats - reading your terrific story!
    love & love,
    -g-

    ReplyDelete
  6. You story line was wonderful so thanks for sacrificing your month so we could read with pleasure =).

    ReplyDelete
  7. I feel the same way that you do. My blog was tucked away in a corner somewhere and I posted when I was doing something interesting. A-Z got me hooked on more frequent posting and the very best part is all of the new people I have met along the way. My followers doubled (to 45) and I am thrilled!

    Cheers from Brandy at http://brandysbustlings.blogspot.ca/

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great recap! I am glad I found you through the challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am so glad that Asha's story had a happy ending. And on a bigger note, yours and mine too. I look forward to reading more of your work in the days to come.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am so glad that I came across your blog. It is always good to know different people with different mindset, and blogging is the only place where one can find such opportunities.
    Good to know you Bhavya, and I trust we will keep in t ouch with each other through blogs

    ReplyDelete
  11. Absolutely loved the 'wishful thinking' section. I'm glad you had a good time in the challenge. I did too. Sadly, I missed you during the challenge but I'll have a look around now.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Asha n Milan were just too good to be true. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nice to meet you, Bavya. :-) Congratulations on completing the A-Z challenge! Although I did not take part this year, I plan to in 2014, for sure! My strategy is to write all the posts ahead of time and leave them in the draft folder until the appointed day. This will make it much easier, yes? Those word verifications are such a bother, especially when you have to try more than once. Blogging etiquette dictates that every blogger should respond to comments on their blog and visit the commenter's sites as well. Unfortunately, not all of them do this. I thank you for visiting mine and wish you a good weekend. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  14. love your wishful thinking...

    Congrats on a successful challenge. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I loved your story - and I hope Asha and Milan live happily ever after. I looked forward to your posts each day. Yes I agree - the captchas were a nuisance.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Very nice Reflections post. You make some excellent points here. Thank you for your participation.

    Lee
    An A to Z Co-Host
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete
  17. I agree. If the people I visited came back to follow me OR comment, that would be awesome.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I understand :)
      Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

      Delete
  18. Great reflections post Bhav. I got a good feel for your story, and clearly remember scenes from the phone call with her mother right up to the restaurant and then the end. I know what you mean about blogging being the only thing on your mind, though I managed a few outings and two day trip. I hope you continue to write.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's great Ida, in spite of so much on your hands, you got time off for a little vacation :)

      Delete
  19. Congratulations! I found the challenge aspect of the challenge itself to be a very driving factor. In some ways it was easier than I expected, and I think that is because I made it known in our house that this was important to me and srt aside the time to do it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the 'challenge' part of it was very motivating, pushing us to read, write and comment more :)

      Delete
  20. AWESOME reflection post! I enjoyed my first Challenge! I had all my posts ready to go before April 1st, so I was able to comment on more blogs. I am still commenting! I am determined to visit them all!
    Connie
    Peanut Butter and Whine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! All posts ready beforehand itself? That is something I definitely want to try for the next year. I am also planning on visiting all the blogs that took part in the challenge :)

      Delete
  21. Excellent job, good for you, planning ahead. I did that last year and it made such a difference. I am a new follower from the challenge. Sorry I'm just now finding your blog. Congratulations on finishing and for gaining so many new followers. I'm in the process of starting a new blog, a second blog, so I know that lonely feeling, when you have only one follower. Thanks for sharing your experience.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank You Melissa :)
      I am glad you came by, and I do hope your second blog gains popularity real quick :)

      Delete
  22. Mission accomplished, congratulations!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I shared my thoughts with you, it's your turn now :)

Popular posts from this blog

Online?

She smiled as she read the chat. ‘Online?’ Just one word, yet, it made her smile. While typing out a yes, she wondered whether or not to add a smiley to go along with it… whether just the yes would sound rude to this overtly polite guy, or would the smiley give him an impression that she was anxiously waiting for his message. She chided herself for not having been active in the dating game in her younger days so she would know the nuances on how to, what to and what not to by now. To her dismay, he found Milan to be a very nice guy, who spoke and behaved well, she felt quite comfortable around him. After lunch, they went to the nearby park and from there chose to walk back till her apartment. On their way back, Milan asked her if she enjoyed the afternoon with him, though she answered a simple ‘it was fine’, her smile revealed a lot more and he caught the twinkle in her eyes and smiled back. That cute boyish grin, again. Something happened to her when he smiled at

Phone Number

The early morning sun rays kissed her good morning, and she woke up with a smile. Something told her it was going to be a beautiful day. She finished her early morning tasks and offered prayers and thanks to her Lord. Her mum and dad had called promptly in the morning to ask how the meeting went, whether she has taken a decision about Milan, what food she had ordered, her mother hoped she had worn a ‘decent’ dress and asked her again if she made a good impression on him. Frankly, Asha had no clue how to answer to all these queries. She said that they had a good time together, had lunch and an interesting conversation on their way back. Her mother sounded excited when she told her that Milan had come to drop her back home. She could almost imagine her mom’s eyebrows arching up in excitement. It was then that her mom asked her, “So, did you like him?” Now that, was a difficult question. She liked him, yes. But what her mom wanted to know was not whether she liked him or no

Questions!!

She was happy with how things had turned out after her little luncheon with Milan, he seemed to be a nice guy after all. The only thing that she raised an eyebrow at was that majority of the time she was with him, she was the one doing the talking. He seemed to be a very quiet guy, not reserved or guarded, just quiet. She had always thought she could not carry off a sensible conversation with any guy she was meeting for the first time, but yesterday had been fun! While on a popular social networking site, she saw somebody had shared a song that she loved. Unable to resist, she hit the play button and was soon lost in the music. She had a strange ‘thing’ for sad songs, they always drew her attention and once she started listening to them, she would be hooked for a very long time. The emotions and the pain of the singer always spoke immense volumes to her, but at the end of it all, she would be in a very strange mood. Her friends always joked about her that grief and pain turne