Blogging from A to Z April Challenge 2013 Reflections Post

What a Challenge!

        Another year of A to Z Blogging is now behind us and the 2013 April Challenge is now history.  It's been interesting and a Challenge for me every step of the way.  In fact much of the A to Z Team was faced with a variety of illnesses, family deaths, computer problems, and an array of other difficulties thrown our way.  But we made it successfully and that certainly counts for something.   I'd call this year another success and maybe the best A to Z Challenge yet.

        The quality of some of the posts was incredible.  I think we'll see more than just a few books resulting from the groundwork laid during the month of April.  The range of subject matter, stylistic approaches, and exceptional writing was truly dazzling.   I barely scratched the surface of the blogs entered in the Challenge, but for the most part what I did see was inspiring as well as entertaining.  I congratulate each and every one of you for a job very well done.

         We ended sign-ups on April 1st with 1969 links entered on the Linky List.  By the end we culled 314 links from the list due to bloggers dropping out or others pulled due to non-participation or not being an actual blog eligible for the Challenge.   For the most part from what I saw and heard from other participants we ended up with a fairly uncluttered list of participating blogs.

Thank You A to Z Team Assistants:

          The help we received from the subordinate teams of assistants to each co-host was particularly valuable especially from the standpoint of  the setbacks that some of the co-hosts were dealing with.  This was something new that we tried this year and I think it worked very effectively.  We were hopefully able to keep a fairly regular presence on the participating blogs with the help of the sub teams and they were very helpful in keeping the co-hosts informed when a problem arose with any of the blogs on the list.

         Here again is my super team of A to Z Ambassadors:

Judy  at  Raising the Curtain

Tim at    The Other Side &   Red Sonja: She Devil with a Sword, 

Jaimie at    Living in the Light

Yvonne at The Written Word of Yvonne Lewis 

Alana at Writercize  

         Thanks to all of my team.   I hope all of you reading this will stop by their blogs and give them a virtual pat on the back for a job very well done.   Be looking for more from them in the future.

       
And here's to the A to Z Team of Co-hosts:

          I think it goes without saying that our A to Z Team of co-hosts is the greatest.  But I'll say it anyway--The A to Z Team is a great bunch of bloggers and if I were wearing my hat I'd tip it to them.  They've all served in their own special ways and I'm sure most of you have gotten to know at least a few of them rather well.

Here is the 2013 team:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Stephen Tremp's Blog (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

       This will be the official A to Z Team until the end of the year.  The 2014 Team will be announced at the beginning of January.  Don't be surprised if many of these Team members return next year!   For any openings that arise we'll put out a call for new Team members as we get closer to the end of this year.

        Be sure to drop by to visit all of the A to Z Team blogs and let them know how much you appreciate them.  They've really put forth some effort!

What Else Helped the Success of 2013?

       Besides the sub-teams of assistants and our team of co-hosts, social media has become highly important to making A to Z a big success.   Our Facebook page is very active and if you're on Facebook but not subscribed to our page, be sure to do so to join the wonderful community that meets there.  Many of you also were tweeting about the Challenge.  I encourage you to keep the tweets tweeting.  We even have a small but faithful contingent who came to the Challenge via LinkedIn.  Maybe we can get an actual A to Z group started there.

        It all helps and if any of you have ideas of other things to try please let us know about them.  Thank all of you who posted about A to Z on your blogs in order to spread the word.

The Future:

        Every year we learn something new and we keep tweaking the process to make things work better.  My dream still is to have a better system for registration and maintaining the list.  It is pretty big and diverse right now.  It could get bigger in the future, but I think we'll have to do something more about containing it and managing it more effectively.

         Keep spreading the word about A to Z.  Talk about it on your blogs and tell your friends about it.

         For a good example of the type of article that helps the A to Z cause, check out this recent post.  Jo Murphey at The Murphey Saga wasn't a participant in this year's Challenge, but she put together one of the better posts I've seen about why anyone should do the A to Z Challenge or another blog event like D.L. Hammons' Blog Blitz.

Let's hear from you now.  If you haven't yet done your own Reflections Post we hope you'll compose one between now and next Thursday and add it to the list.  Please make sure you add the link that directly connects to your Reflections Post.

Reflections list starts here:



          Thank you everyone!

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#IWSG: How Can I Find the Time to Do Everything I Want to Do?

        Another A to Z accomplished and now to jump right into our insecurities as writers as we join Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group.   I'm not too keen about focusing on my writing insecurities after successfully completing my 26 A to Z posts on all four of my blogs with a few additional posts on the A to Z Blog.  But I'll be reflecting more on the A to Z Challenge this coming Friday May 3rd right here on Tossing It Out.  For more information about the annual Blogging from A to Z Challenge Reflections Post please visit the A to Z Blog.

         So what insecurities to bring up today?  Let me delve back to my post from February 25th of this year.    At that time I announced my intent to start a Wednesday series called "Ask Arlee" and requested that readers submit questions to which I might offer my solutions.   Now that April is done and we are back to normal in a sense, I will resume this feature.  And today being Wednesday we'll start with a question that I get a bit insecure about myself.

         This dilemma comes from Julie Anne Nelson, Young Adult Author:

All right, here's my question:

How do I find time to do the business/marketing side of writing when I am already working two full-time jobs with the job that supports me and the writing that creates the books?

(I am also starting a garden this year and getting a new puppy... neither of which is negotiable... although I do see some comical dichotomies in those two events. Mental note: must put fences around the garden... or the puppy... or both.) :) 

        

       Oh boy, this hits straight home on one of the problems that seems to continually vex me. There's never enough time in the day to do everything I need to do and would like to get done and still have time to watch a movie now and then or take a really adequate afternoon nap. I don't know how anyone with a full time job (let alone two jobs!) can take on writing and life in general. You add in the business/marketing side and you've got more than seems feasible.

Prioritize

      It almost seems trivial to mention prioritizing things, but I know that's what I need to do in my life. I'm sure you're probably prioritizing already. The regular job is a must unless you can find some other kind of income flow or the writing really breaks loose in a big way. Gardens and puppies are probably good to maintain your sanity and keep balance in your life.

Schedule

       If you haven't tried making a list or schedule to see where your time is going then that might be an approach to take. Maybe you're losing some time or even wasting it somewhere. I keep intending to do this list thing, but procrastination is one of my big enemies along with the issue of available time. You can't add any hours to your day, but maybe you can juggle things around to create more efficient time use.

Delegate

      Another good solution is delegating work to others. Recruit whoever you can to help with the garden, the puppy, household duties, or whatever. I don't know your circumstances, but you might be able to take some of the burden off yourself and let some kind souls in your life circle to help you out. Especially if it might mean that you may become rich and famous one day, they might be more than willing to share in your success.

Organize

     The business/marketing end is where the social networking comes into play so nicely. Initially you may have to invest a bit of time getting this aspect organized and honed to a greater precision. You already have your start with the blog and Facebook. If you get these tools along with Twitter, Goodreads, and an array of other networking media coordinated and automated wherever possible, then those should keep you in the web radar on a regular basis.

Network

      Don't forget your network of friends and fellow authors. It takes some time investment to build the platform, but it's time well spent. Once you've got a solid base of support out there, your friends can help with the marketing through tours, mentions, and whatever support they are willing to muster. Be sure to give back what you can in return, but don't just try to do it all on your own.

Fan Base

     Perhaps most importantly let your fans do a good part of your marketing for you. If you are turning out good product that readers like, they will be anxious to pick up on your next offering and to tell others about it. Maybe put out a newsletter for the fans and supporters to provide monthly updates of what's happening.

The Pay Off

     Sure, it all takes some time to do this. But it takes time to make time. What you invest now should pay off in the end if you've done it right. Maybe you know all of this already. If not I hope my suggestions help you. And since this post is for all of the readers, I hope it helps a number of you to consider your options. This applies to more things than just writing. Time is the nemesis we all face, but if we are able to manage it better, time can be our friend. Well, kind of a friend.

        Are you challenged by keeping your time managed well? Do you live by a strict schedule? What are some time saving tricks that you use in order to get more things done in your life?

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Zoo Movies ( #atozchallenge )

We Bought a Zoo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The films that I'll be listing in my April postings may not necessarily be films that I'd call my favorite films, but they will be favorites in the genres I'll be naming.   The A to Z genres are very specific micro genres as opposed to the broader genres like action, romance, or comedy.

      I'll bet you thought I would have picked Zombie Movies for 'Z'.   That is a favorite genre, but it's too obvious.   So I decided to go with a tough one.  I couldn't think of many zoo movies and actually most of these just have zoo scenes.  Maybe you can think of a few others.
   
       This is what I've got:

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)--This is one of my favorites from childhood.  An exploratory spacecraft to Venus returns to Earth with a special treat.  The cute little Venusian visitor turns into a big monster. The dinosaur-like creature is subdued and taken to the zoo in Rome to be studied.  The creature is not happy and creates havoc at the zoo before terrorizing the city of Rome.  Great stop motion animation by the legendary Ray Harryhausen.  

The Graduate (1967)-- To call this a zoo film is a stretch, but there is a brief funny scene at a zoo.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)--In this third entry of the original Planet of the Apes series, advanced apes from the future travel back in time to Earth in 1973.  They are captured by the humans and incarcerated in the Los Angeles Zoo.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)--There is a very funny zoo scene where the wolf turns back into naked man at the zoo.  This is one of the best werewolf films ever.

Batman Returns (1992)--The Penguin was raised by penguins at the Gotham City Zoo.  By the time he has become an adult, this Batman nemesis is still using the now abandoned zoo as part of his base of operations.

We Bought a Zoo (2011)--Now we're getting to a true zoo film.  This is a heart-warming story about a widower who buys a zoo and moves there with his kids. It's based on a true story.

Life of Pi (2012)--Without the zoo and the animals this story would not be.   While moving from India to Canada, zoo owning family perishes during a storm at sea with only survivors being one son and a tiger named Richard Parker.  An incredible film that is thoughtful and beautiful to behold.  

           Can you think of another zoo movie?   Did I miss any animated films about zoos?   What are your favorite animals to watch at the zoo? 

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