The A to Z Challenge 2013 With @AprilA2Z

I am very excited to tell you that I signed up for the A to Z Challenge which runs from April 1 through April 30. If you are thinking, oh, another blogging challenge, ha – no – it isn’t.

When @AprilA2Z sent me a tweet suggesting I might be interested, I went over to check it out.  So I got engrossed with the entire concept and spent the next two hours immersing myself in it. I was pleasantly hooked.

Of course, I did worry – April is vacation month for my son and probably the only vacation time he is likely to have for the next two years. I plan to be offline a lot. Should I commit?

Then Arlee told me I could plan my posts, write and schedule them in advance. If I was offline for a couple of days, I could always come back and visit others – hey, it is not as though the relationships we form have a validity from April 1 to 30, right?

What is the A to Z Challenge?

You post every day from April 1 to 30 except on Sundays.  That leaves you with 26 days which equals the 26 letters of the alphabet = one day for each letter of the alphabet.

So here is what to do: begin on April 1st with a topic themed around the letter A. On April 2, something around the letter B and continue to April 30 finishing with the letter Z. It can be anything – a proper noun, the letter itself, photo posts, poetry, fiction – anything. Just remember that the theme of the day will be the letter scheduled for the day.

This year, along with thousands of participants, I am going to be a part of this fun challenge. Reminds me of the NaNoWriMo – in which I successfully participated in 2011 and in 2012 (but missed the validate deadline – but that’s another post). The joy of moving towards a common purpose is exhilarating. A number of blogs in this challenge provide tips and prompts to help others along. Who knows this 30-day experience could even result in a book deal for some!

If this excites you, I would love you to join me. Sign up page is Here. The last time I visited there were 1102 sign ups. I am no.1084!

If you are still wondering why – consider the following:

1. We blog to build a community. This scintillating challenge will help us do it – on steroids
2. We would all like to write better. I know I would. The A to Z Challenge is guaranteed to encourage.
3. We want to be better planners and manage our time. The A to Z Challenge is already working for me on this.
4. Many of us dream of making that editorial calendar but never get around to it. Okay – I am speaking for myself. I write on the fly and that’s not good advice. But I get by (with a little help from my friends). This challenge has actually helped me make one. Yes.
5. You wish someone would keep telling you you’re doing great and encourage you. Now imagine an entire community of bloggers collectively encouraging you. Yes, with the A to Z Challenge, you will feel The Force. Like a giant mega-hug. I am enjoying it tremendously.
6. You wish you could post more often. With the A to Z Challenge – I will – even when I am offline, because I am planning ahead and scheduling.
7. Smarter blogging – because we write and schedule in advance, we learn more about the workings of our blogging platform
8. Do you wish you could get around and comment more but can’t because your daily fixed routine bogs you down?  By writing and scheduling ahead, you can. Just five a day will do. Show love, get love
9. A sense of belonging to a warm, ready-to-encourage community
10. Solid networking opportunity in an informal setting
11. I believe that life is a constant learning experience and the A to Z Challenge is an education – a university in itself. So many tips and tricks generously offered by others.
12. The A 2 Z Challenge is an international event – I find that enriching – just as travel broadens the mind
13. Gets the creative juices – not to mention the adrenalin – flowing overtime and I love that!
14. Develops good blogging habits
15. Pure fun – and that reason alone is good enough for me!
16. Oh! The encouragement is just amazing!

Damayanti, one of the dynamic co-hosts of the A to Z Challenge explains how you can win in this challenge

The community around the A to Z Challenge interacts on Facebook    Twitter  and Google+

Last year, I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Haiku Challenge when we posted a haiku to a daily prompt every day in February 2012 – what fun it was!

So – I’ve been thinking of a few theme ideas and I am more or less decided on what I am going to do – and hope to finish drafting them next week!

Will you join me in the A to Z Challenge in April 2013? Sign up. Here. We’ll have fun!

And wish me luck – I am looking forward to your continued support!

Also, I would like you to know that throughout April you will receive an update from me every day. Here’s the neat calendar designed by Jeremy of Let’s Go Crazy!

P.S.:

Used to reading my posts via Google Reader? I am so sad they are retiring.

May I invite you to subscribe to email updates?

Sign up here to get the posts into your mailbox.

Or if you prefer to stick to a reader, here are some alternatives:

Feedly.com = I like this as it lets you sign in with your Google account and import your Google Reader feeds.

Newsblur

Bloglines

 Do you participate in Blog Hops?

Which one is your favorite?