Note to self: Must be a better blogger - an A-Z Challenge Reflections/IWSG post

I realise I'm kind of cheating here, but I'm rolling my IWSG and A-Z Challenge Reflection posts all up into one little message. They fit into the same bracket at least, and it kind of saves some time and space.

The A-Z Challenge was a spur of the moment thing for me, having decided against it this year. It was less than a week before it started that my theme idea came to me along with the post titles. I managed to keep up (mostly) with the occasional double-posting, and I was only a day late with some of them.

It didn't seem to be as hard to keep going as I imagined it would, which to me suggests that I do still enjoy this blogging malarkey, and the month went by quicker than anticipated. It came at a time when I was teetering on the edge of giving up, but now it's boosted my confidence enough to keep it going.

The one area where I failed massively was in keeping up with replying to comments, and visiting other blogs. This is something I've struggled with a lot in the past, never seeming to have the time to sit and read through other peoples stuff and to comment. 

I know this is such a huge part of the blogging community, and I certainly don't expect people to comment here if I'm not returning the compliment. I have huge thanks for those few who did comment on my Challenge posts, I think I didn't do too badly at replying to your comments and it's on my to-do list to check out all of your posts for the Challenge too.

This is going to be the lesson I take away from this Challenge, and I'm hoping to improve my blogging etiquette and hopefully make some more friends in the process.

Thank you for listening!

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If you want to check out more people reflecting on their A-Z journey, you can find them on the link-up list here.

If you want to find out more about the Insecure Writers Support Group, they have an excellent web page here with everything you could ever need in this crazy game.

 

A-Z Blogging Challenge - A Reflection and IWSG post

 

So, have we all recovered from the intensity that is the April A-Z Blogging Challenge? If you have, then why not head over to the main website and sign up for the reflections post, which is running from 5th-9th May.

Share your ups and downs of the whole experience, what you've learnt, what you'd do differently next time and if you'd even come back and do it again!

I'm rolling this post in with my IWSG post for this month, as the Challenge has left me with some insecurities about my blogging practice.

I enjoyed the Challenge much more this year than in previous years. I had a clear idea of what my theme was going to be and had scheduled more than half of my posts before it had even begun. This was a huge improvement for me I must say. I always have great intentions of getting super organised ahead of time but it never usually comes to fruition.

I was pleased with how my theme worked too, the posts were nice and short which I think is key for something as huge as this. I for one will revisit more blogs if I know the posts aren't too lengthy or involved. There are a lot to get through on that sign up list!

There was one aspect of the Challenge where I know I failed, and that was the social and networking side of it. I didn't get around to visiting half as many blogs as I would have liked to on the list, but hopefully the list will be around for a little while yet so I can work my way through and catch up with them over the coming months.

My commenting was also pretty rubbish. I managed to comment on a few of my regular follows who were taking part, and I commented on a handful of new blogs too, but it was a pretty poor show really.
I was also very slow to reply to all you lovelies who took the time to comment on my posts, in fact there are still plenty outstanding. Add to that the new people who discovered my blog through A-Z and commented, to which I still have to respond ...

All in all I'm feeling pretty lousy about the whole commenting thing right now.

But still, I'm going to pick myself up as best I can, I know where my weaknesses are now and all I can do is try and improve.  I must say a huge thanks to anyone who did comment on any of my blog posts, you truly are the best and have given me the kick in the Yaris I need to sort myself out!

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For more information on the amazing entity that is the Insecure Writers Support Group, click on the link and head over. Here you will find everyone else participating and it's well worth a browse to see what's everyone's insecurities are. Trust me, you're not alone, there are plenty of us on the same wavelength.

 Happy IWSG Day!

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Reflections from a 2013 A-Z Blogging Challenge survivor

 

This will be a brief reflection post on my experience of this years A-Z Blogging Challenge, I used my IWSG post last week to offer my first thoughts on how it went.

The main points that I have taken away from doing it this year are:

• Plan my posts - most of the time I write my posts on the fly, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but looking back I can tell which ones I took more time over. For whatever topic I choose to blog on, a simple list of notes is enough to make sure they are coherent and make sense. I don't want to repeat myself or miss anything out.
• I need to take more time over my posts - I've always been a very impatient person, but I'm gradually making progress on taking my time over things. I'm slowing down a little and enjoying what I'm putting together. I hope this will be reflected in my future posts.
• Enjoy what I'm doing and post about what I'm interested in - perhaps the most important point to bear in mind. It's too tiring and time consuming trying to figure out exactly what other people want. In this great sphere there's bound to be at least one other person that shares my interests.

To share in other reflections on this years A-Z challenge head on over to the sign up list, but hurry! It's only open for submissions until tomorrow!

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