Monday, May 6, 2013

A to Z Reflections from Left to Write....



(First off, I'd like to apologize for being M.I.A for the past couple of days. The wife and I went to help a friend with her craft show and I was, pretty much, without reliable internet access in a Florida-Georgia border hotel.I'll be trying to make my way around to see all of you later today and tomorrow. )


A to Z Reflections

So, this was my very first "official" year of doing the A to Z Challenge and I say "official" because I found out about last year's challenge half way through, but didn't sign up or visit others or even totally complete it, for that matter. 

Anyway, I would say the experience was 99.9% positive for me. I found a bunch of great new blogs to follow, met a lot of awesome new bloggers, and gained about 40 new followers (something I never really expected).

As I've mentioned (countless times), blogging every day has been, pretty much, standard operating procedure for me (between here and my other blog) so doing a post a day wasn't really a huge deal. The issue came with trying to visit and comment on my regular blog buddies as well as trying to visit new blogs from the list. It was a learning experience, though, and I should be better prepared for next year.

I had a theme and my days plotted out (as well as pictures downloaded), so I was doing o.k. in that aspect. I was, usually, a day ahead with my posting and had Sunday as a 'catch up' day, just in case. A couple of my days I switched up so that meant a bit more work, but it kept me writing daily.....which was my intention. 

I noticed a few people went a bit long with their posts, but I did too so I can't really gripe about that...it was still a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the community building this whole thing fostered.

Once again, I tip my hat to all of you who stuck it out with me, dropped by, and commented on my crazy theme. 

Another big thanks to all the hosts who made it a smooth and fun event.

Music Monday

And, because I haven't done one in a while.....a musical offering from Ms. Ross and the Supremes. It's kinda/sorta on topic.


Have a great Monday :)

35 comments:

Amanda - The Southern UnBelle said...

You were so prepared! I'm glad I found your blog (or you mine, can't remember now) and always appreciate your posts and comments. :-)

Lisa said...

Cool Mark. Where were you on the FL/GA border? I would so have come to meet you, as that is exactly where I live!!!! I love DR and the S's! Great choice! Glad the challenge was good for you too. I will be at it again next year, but haven't picked a theme yet. Love the blogs I got to know and follow... Good luck and I'll be reading you!

Allison said...

I enjoyed stopping by your blog! It certainly helped me to prepare and pre-write April posts.

Allison (Geek Banter)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Your posts were not long! I saw much longer.
Mine were planned in advance with images downloaded and I prepared them the night before as well.
You had a great theme and it was a lot of fun!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Mark .. I caught you somewhere along the line .. and loved the Comic character theme - I guess if they stuck (not sure about that!) I learnt a lot ..

But loved your idea .. it's a great bunch of people isn't it ..

Good to meet you and no doubt see you around .. and then next year too!

Cheers Hilary

Suzanne said...

Hi, visiting from the reflections list :) Love you A-Z theme :)
Suzanne @ Suzannes Tribe

Elise Fallson said...

You did a great job during A-Z and I enjoyed your theme. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to visit many blogs, but I'm glad the list will be be up for a while so I can keep visiting through out the year.

LD Masterson said...

I loved your comic characters theme. Brought back some good memories.

Rebecca Green Gasper said...

A to Z was a blast! I had so much fun reading your posts and getting to know you better! :) I must say I am now well educated on super heroes! :) Thanks for such wonderful posts! Cheers to a great month.

Unknown said...

Congratulations on completing the challenge!

Sally said...

You had a great theme and introduced so many characters I had never heard of. Well done for finishing the A - Z - it was great fun.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on completing the challenge, also your very good detailed Reflections post.

Yvonne
A TO Z AMBASSADOR

S.P. Bowers said...

Welcome to Georgia!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I'm so glad I found your blog and I really enjoyed your posts. I'll be back quite often.

Mark Means said...

@Amanda: Thank you and likewise...glad we ran into each other here :)

@Lisa: We were at San Fernandina Beach for Shrimp Fest. Our hotel was right across the border on St. Mary's road. I didn't know you were in GA...very cool :)

@Allison: Thank you and same here...thought your posts were great!

@Alex: Thanks, I appreciate that! I still thought some of mine ran a bit long, though :)

@Hilary: Thank you and you had a great theme, as well. I really liked learning about all that British cooking history :) Great to meet you too!

@Suzanne: Thank you and thanks for stopping by!

@Evalina: Thank you very much :)

@Elise: Thank you and likewise. I know what you mean, too...just not enough time to visit all those great blogs.

@LD: Thank you, I appreciate that and it brought back some good memories for me, too!

@Rebecca: Thank you and glad we could connect :)

@Julie: Thanks and same to you!

@Sally: Agreed! It sure was :)

@Yvonne: Thank you very much :)

@S.P: Heh, thank you! It was a nice stay :)

Mark Means said...

@Susan: Thanks and same here :)

cleemckenzie said...

I really loved your theme. I didn't know a lot of these superheroes until you posted about them.

Christine Rains said...

It was a great year for the Challenge. I liked your posts so much I've given you an award on my blog in my Reflections post. :)

Valerie said...

You did great! Congrats on finishing. I, too, am gonna prepare better next year. Like... I should probably start now!

Hugs!

Valerie

Ella said...

I loved your theme. I so remember walking uptown to get a new issue. It was fascinating to read and learn about so many unique superheroes!

Congrats Mark, I am so happy you were part of 2013
: )

Al Diaz said...

You think your posts were long??? You didn't see what I saw. Half the book of Job, THAT was long. A whole chapter of a WIP, THAT was long. Yours was like a breather. And your theme was fun. :)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Yep, learning to juggle the visits/comments as you gain a bigger following is something that only gets more challenging (but worth it)!

Misha Gerrick said...

Mmm I also didn't mind longer posts as long as they were interesting. :-D

Your series was one of my favorites.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Thanks for the music. Whether long or short all your A-Z posts were engaging. I had a lot of fun reading your blog during the challenge and congrats on completing it.

Tara Tyler said...

look at mr popular w/40! new followers! dont get a big head now! but you went and visited & did a great job, you deserve all these friends.

as for your iwsg, you know your story, if you dont want to read it to figure out the end (which u shouldn have to) jot a quick outline of it. one sentence per scene/chaper. you will see if it flows, you will see where it is going and an ending should be clear to you. then give yourself optional endings and choose the one that would be most satisfying (or cliffhanging for a sequel!) just a thought. and to make it more productive, write those scenes on note cards, then you can move them around or remove what doesnt work...

sorry for rambling! good luck!

jaybird said...

First, I loved your A-Z theme! You really pulled some obscure comic books out of your, you know...LOL

I found that I started to go too long with my posts but tried to remedy and correct that as soon as I realized it.

40 new followers? Holy crap that's all kinds of awesome.

Mark Means said...

@Lee: Hey, thank you and I'm glad you kept coming back :)

@Christine: Thank you very much! I appreciate that. I'm working on an awards post today to highlight that. :)

@Valerie: I know, me too! :D

@Ella: Thanks and same here...glad to have found your blog. I was thinking of it this past weekend at the Shrimp Fest. They had a ton of arts and crafts vendors (I should have taken pictures) and you would have done well there :)

@Al: LOL...thanks! I enjoyed learning more about the inner workings of Father Dragon's lair, as well :)

@Lynda: Oh, definitely! That's the part that kicked my (virtual) rear. I'll be more prepared next year, though.

@Misha: Thank you very much, I appreciate that :)

@Sheena: Thank you and likewise. Glad you like the music, too...it's one of my favorites :)

@Tara: Is 40 a lot? Haha..I didn't realize :) Of course, I didn't have that much to start, but that's o.k., too. Oh no, that wasn't rambling...that was a great idea, actually, and one I just might give a shot. I didn't get a chance to do any writing this weekend, so your idea sounds very interesting. I'll let you know how it goes :)

@jaybird: I didn't think your posts were long, at all. Maybe because they were so funny/interesting that they seemed like a quick read? Either way, don't change a thing because I was hooked from the get-go :)

ilima said...

I thought your theme was unique and fabulous. And congrats on all the new followers. You deserve it!

Julie Flanders said...

I loved your theme, and I've never even been a comics fan. But this was one of my favorite places to visit every day. Great job!

Samantha May said...

I didn't think your posts were too long at all. I really enjoyed your theme and learned a TON about super heroes. I never would've guessed that it was your first official year participating. You seem like an old pro :)

Chancelet said...

I love it when people complain about something they do themselves. :) At least you copped up to it (I felt only a couple or a few were a bit long).

I'm impressed with how easy you found this. I'm surprised also that I didn't find posting everyday as difficult as I thought it would. But, yeah, visiting and commenting took up so much time and I couldn't even get to as many as I'd wanted. Anyway, great reflections. Writer’s Mark

Mark Means said...

@ilima: Thank you very much! :)

@Julie: Thank you, I appreciate that :)

@Samantha: Haha, I wish...but thank you all the same :)

@Nancy: LOL...yes, I have no problem owning up...hehe. Thanks and I know what you mean :)

Tina said...

Glad you enjoyed the Challenge! I'll have to go back and catch some of your posts now that the dust is settling...for the most part, that is :-)
What would we have done without our minions??? I'd have drowned, that's for sure. What a great idea to give them all another shout-out and thanks.

Tina @ Life is Good
Co-host, April 2013 A-Z Challenge Blog
@TinaLifeisGood, #atozchallenge

Jeff Hargett said...

You did a great job with the challenge, Mark.

Mark Means said...

@Tina: Thank you and I certainly know what you mean....it got pretty hectic around here, too :)

@Jeff: Thank you very much!

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