This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2025 the theme is a random assemblage of things that are on my mind--or that just pop into my mind. Whatever! Let's just say I'll be "Tossing It Out" for your entertainment or however it is you perceive these things.
Showing posts with label A to Z Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A to Z Blog. Show all posts

Friday, March 27, 2015

The Creeping Presence Crawling Toward Us

Night of the Living Dead-1
Night of the Living Dead-1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


        It's coming.   There's a presence all around us taking control of the minds and bodies of bloggers everywhere.   To some it's a horror sucking innocents into its hungry maw.  Those who fear or even hate this thing may scream in futile horror, but their cries are barely heard as those of us who have been possessed by the monster smile, laugh, and chide those bitching moaning tormented souls.

         There is no stopping it--indeed, us.  We are upon you.  We are everywhere.  We are that damnable nightmare...

The Month of the Living Blogging from A to Z April Challenge!!!

        If you are not a part of the movement then you might be eaten alive or merely pummeled  and left by the internet roadside.   Don't resist us!   Look into our bloggy eyes and become one of us.  You can blog through the alphabet in April.   Don't succumb to that flimsy lie that you can't.  You can try to run.  You can pretend you're too busy writing.  Forget it!  You cannot hide from us.  You must join the A to Z Challenge!

        You must!  You must sign up!  Go to A to Z Sign-up list now!  Add your blog!   Add your blog!

       

Go Ahead and Ask Me Anything!

         If you've been visiting the Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog--which of course you should be--you may have seen our co-hosts introducing themselves and fielding questions that have been put to them.   My day is coming up and it seems only appropriate to come on "A as in Arlee Bird Day" on April 1st--opening day of the Challenge. 

         Go ahead and ask me a question today in the comment section and I might choose your question for my A to Z Blog "Meet Your Co-hosts" post.  Don't be shy.  And if I don't use your question on my A to Z Blog post I can still use it in a future "Ask Arlee" post at Tossing It Out.

A to Z Starts Next Week!

        Can you believe that it's here again.  Wednesday April 1st marks the opening of the 6th Annual A to Z April Challenge.  There will be a lot going on that day, but I hope you'll be visiting my blog for a truly epic post of 4 EVENTS IN ONE POST and it will even be a relatively short post.  Nothing like it has been seen before!

          Yes, step right up to see me, Arlee Bird, worthily submit a combined post that will encompass the A to Z Challenge Opening Day, the Insecure Writer's Support  Group, Ask Arlee, and a Battle of the Bands post that will be related to everything else.  I may even be standing on my head and juggling at the same time.   You won't believe your eyes and ears, ladies and gentlemen and bloggers everywhere.

         That's right here next Wednesday April 1st at Tossing It Out.

And That's Not All!

        No, I will not be just piddling away at this blog Tossing It Out where my April theme will be "Elements of Blogging".   I have four other blogs with the tied in themes of:




      Yes siree!   Four blogs with almost as many elements as the Periodic Table of the Elements and a darn sight more fun.  Don't miss a day or you'll miss a day.   And you wouldn't want to miss a day would you?

          What would you like to know about Arlee Bird that I haven't blabbed already in one of my many blabby blog posts?    Have I convinced you to sign up if you weren't already on the A to Z list?  Can you name all of the elements on the Periodic Table without looking?




Monday, January 26, 2015

The Big Sign-Up Day Is Here At Last! ( #AtoZChallenge )


       Six years ago while trying to come up with something that might boost my blog following and readership, I came up with the first Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.   Thinking that the concept was nothing more than my own personal stunt to get some attention for my own blog, the interest that others had in joining me in the event caught my attention.   I realized that this blogging event was something that others could enjoy and also reap the benefits for their own blogging.   This was how it all began and now here we are ready to head into our 6th annual April Blogging Challenge!

       With five Challenges behind us and thousands of bloggers having participated in one or more Challenges, the A to Z Challenge community is now extensive with members coming from all over the globe.   The Challenge of 2015 might just be the biggest ever.   If you are planning to join us then today is the first day to get on the list.  The sign-up list will be open until April for any of you who want to think some more about joining.  You have plenty of time, but don't wait too long or you might forget.   No point in waiting when you can sign up now.

          The A to Z Challenge has become so big that there is no way that I could keep this going on my own at the large scale it now is.  I am deeply indebted to the A to Z Team for all the work they have been doing so far and will be doing in the months to come.  Later in this post you will find a list of these A to Z Co-hosts and the links to their blogs.  Show your appreciation to them by following each of their blogs and getting to know them.  This is a great Team!   And of course this Challenge wouldn't be the success that it is without all of you wonderful bloggers.  Thanks to all of you!

          Read on for some important guidelines on participation and hints to make your Challenge experience the best it can possibly be.

Please read and follow the sign-up instructions outlined below so you sign onto the list correctly!

The premise of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behavior.) And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C,” and so on. You can use a theme for the month or go random – just as long as it matches the letter of the alphabet for the day.

The A to Z Challenge is a great way to get into the blogging habit and make new friends. For more details and its history, go HERE

We recommend short posts, turn off Word Verification, and visit five blogs (or more) a day beginning with the one after yours on the list.

Blogs must be on an open platform – no Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. – and comments enabled.

To streamline legitimate blogs from advertisement blogs, the Co-Hosts will be visiting each blog on this list throughout the Challenge. Blogs on the list showing no activity once the Challenge starts or miss five days in a row will be removed.

Please note your blog name and number in all correspondences. Remember that as blogs are removed, your number will change.

There are categories for those looking for like-minded blogs. Select ONE category code and enter it after your blog’s title/name. The code applies to your blog, not your theme for the Challenge and is purely optional. See the first few blogs on the list for examples. However, if your blog has adult content, you MUST mark it (AC) or it will be removed from the list. Codes are as follows:

ANIMALS: (AN)
ART: (AR)
BOOKS/REVIEWS: (BO)
CRAFTS: (CR)
CULINARY: (CU)
EDUCATION: (ED)
FASHION: (FA)
FILM/MOVIES: (FM)
GAMING: (GA)
GARDENING: (GR)
HISTORY: (HI)
HUMOR: (HU)
LIFESTYLE: (LI )
MEMOIR: (ME)
MUSIC: (MU)
MYTHOLOGY: (MY)
PERSONAL: (PR)
PHOTOGRAPHY: (PH)
POLITICS: (PO)
SCIENCE: (SC)
SOCIAL MEDIA: (SO)
SPORTS: (SP)
TRAVEL: (TR)
WRITING/STORYTELLING: (WR)
ADULT CONTENT: (AC)

Be sure to grab the badge and display it in your sidebar so we know you are participating and link to the A to Z Challenge Blog.

For more information we recommend you follow the A to Z Challenge Blog and the hosts:

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Jeremy @ Hollywood Nuts
Nicole Ayers @ The Madlab Post
Author Stephen Tremp
Heather M. Gardner
AJ @ Naturally Sweet
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian
Matthew MacNish @ The QQQE
Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary
S. L. Hennessy @ Pensuasion
C. Lee McKenzie @ The Write Game
Joy Campbell @ The Character Depot
Susan Gourley @ Susan Says
John Holton @The Sound of One Hand Typing
Lisa Buie-Collard, Author

We also have a Facebook Page
Email address is contactatozteam@gmail.com
Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge and Twitter id is @AprilA2Z

Sign up below and join us for a month of alphabet fun!



       Now let's get ready to Blog from A to Z!

       If you're thinking about not participating this year, what's holding you back?   What do you think is the best aspect of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge?      Do you have any questions about this year's Challenge or is anything in this post not quite clear to you?


Friday, June 22, 2012

Hijack This Blog! Update

Hijack (2008 film)Hijack (2008 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

         My Hijack This Blog! campaign has been taking shape rather nicely.   Below I have the schedule that has been confirmed to date.   The blank dates are still open for anyone who is interested.  I have a number of pending considerations that will rapidly fill the remaining dates once confirmation has been made on those.

         I already have several of the posts set up and ready to go.  There is some good stuff coming that will inform you, entertain you, and make you think.  Please be sure to check my site every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to show your support for these bloggers who are contributing such excellent content.  And don't forget to comment.  I guarantee you that a few of these posts will compel you to comment so if you've got something you want to say, be sure to express yourself.  My guests want your input just as much as I do.

Here is the schedule as it stands now:

June    25     Tamara Hart Heiner
           27     Steve Bailey
           29     Linda Hoye
July       2     Nicole Ayers  
             4   #IWSG
             6    Edward Hall
             9   Sharon Hamilton
           11   Andrew Leon
           13   Michael Pierce
           16   Callie Leuck
           18   Lauren Shearer
           20   Jericha Senyak
           23   Clare Dugmore
           25   Bridget Straub
           27   James Callan
           30   Anna Smith
August  1   #IWSG
             3    Jarm Del Boccio
             6      Ey Wade
            8      Stephen T. McCarthy
            10    Diane Kratz
            13   Sydney Aaliyah
            15   Brian Russell
            17  Angeline Trevena
            20
            22    Ciara Knight
            24    Mike Cushing
            27   C. Lee McKenzie
            29   Sandra Ulbrich Almazan
             31     Lubaina
Sept.    3     Eve Prokop
            5        #IWSG
            7     Gwynneth White

         If there is enough interest I will expand the calendar into and beyond September.  In fact, I already have one guest lined up for November.  So don't be shy or afraid.  Be a part of my experiment and help yourself while you help me.

         To sign up click on the "Hijack" tab above or click Here.

More Guest Post Opportunities Await

          Let me also remind you that I am also accepting guest posts at my memoir blog Wrote By Rote and my dream blog A Faraway View.   If you want to try your hand at memoir writing or impart some advice regarding what you know about writing memoir, you can submit your guest post on this blog that publishes every Saturday.   On Thursdays, my dream blog is extending an invitation to anyone who has dreams to share or who would like to discuss their theories and thoughts on what dreams are and what they mean.    Please check out both of those blogs to see if you might have something you'd like to offer.  Creativity is calling you.

           We are also accepting guest posts at the A to Z Blog.     Many spaces are available on that site and we have a place for you.  Your post there doesn't strictly have to be about the A to Z Challenge either.  Stephen Tremp has been presenting a fascinating series on science every other Thursday.  On Fridays Nicole Ayers offers fun and diversion to start your weekend off right.  We've had many of you offer a whole range of topics at the site--everything from A to Z and I'm not talking about the Challenge.   If you've got something you want to present to the A to Z community this is the place to do it.

           My thanks to everyone who has signed up for Hijack This Blog! so far.   And also thanks to those who have signed up on the other sites or who will be soon.   I'm looking forward to the posts that are coming up.


           Have you signed up for one of my guest posts yet?  If so, would you like to tell us what you'll be presenting?    If you haven't signed up for a spot, is there something that's holding you back?   








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