Sunday, April 1, 2012

It's Here! The 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge






A is for for ambition – and, also, for apology, April Fool's Day, and, anticipation.

We'll start with the apology which is, in fact, an apology to myself, as well as to those of you who have been kind enough to follow my Rockin' Chair Reflections blog. I needed a break and decided to focus on finishing my solar cooking cookbook during the winter months. In truth, I haven't stopped writing; I've prioritized. Please forgive me.

And, that brings me to the 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge. What I love the most about the Challenge is that it brings you back to a schedule of writing, as well as an opportunity to meet new people who share a love of writing. Leading me further to Day One and…

AMBITION! Nothing compares to the anticipation of completing a challenge that, at first, appears to be lots of fun. It was exciting to receive notice of the 2012 Challenge and my AMBITION was to complete all 26 articles before April 1, having them queued up for publication. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha," the Inner Child responded, losing herself in paroxysms of laughter.

So, here I am, the day before the Challenge, beginning the queue. Other than the alphabetical theme, my biggest problem seems to be my own personal overall theme and wonder just how many of you are facing the same dilemma. What I do know is that I'm very much looking forward to participating and meeting old friends and new bloggers, in addition, to getting back into a writing groove. And, meeting the other 1508 participants will, in itself, be a challenge. I'm #424.

That being said, it should come as no surprise that, today, April Fools' Day, I have taken the low road for posting. Y'all come back now, hear? Because, I'm anticipating a rockin' 2012 Writing Challenge from all of us!

32 comments:

  1. Hi, I enjoyed reading your "A" post. I think there are many bloggers who are still a little unsure of a theme. I didn't have a theme last year but do this year.

    This is me, Duncan D. Horne, visiting you from the A-Z challenge, wishing you all the best throughout April and beyond.

    Duncan In Kuantan

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  2. Yay! Happy April Fools Day! And Ambition is a great word for the first day of the challenge! Good luck!

    I'm #223 on the linky list. Nice to meet you!

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  3. Great to see you again - looking forward to your A-Z posts. I hope that your cookbook is benefiting from your winter vacation.

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  4. There are a lot of great words that start with A! Great post and good luck with the challenge!

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    1. Same to you, Jennee. I'm refusing to look further than a day in advance. Well, at my age, I'm not even sure I can!

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  5. Sharlene, this is a good vehicle for getting back into blogging. I had a dry spell last year and decided that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, so I forced myself to blog every day for 21 days...it really helped the creative juices. Good luck and I'll be following!

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    1. So, if I eat chocolate pudding every day, for the next 21 days... I know about those dry spells. As soon as I put up my Fiction blog, my mind went blank. Gonna work on it, this year. (uh-hunh)

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  6. Theme was the easiest part for me. It's selecting a topic I sometimes am finding difficult. But, unlike you, I'm only courageous enough to post on ONE word, not three!

    It's nice to meet you, Sharlene! I'm a new follower via the A to Z.

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    1. Lordy, Nancy, I can't say 'hello' in under 20 words! But, I'm trying not to just define a word, this year, so much as go with my feelings and thinking of what that word means, to me. I just never think I have anything to say. Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. Nice to meet you! thanks for the visit to my blog. you see to have a lot of irons in the fire.. and I love your honest style. ;) Look forward to seeing what you do for the rest of the 26 days.

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    1. Thanks, may I call you, wyld? I'm enjoying meeting everyone, too. And, I was afraid I wouldn't have anything to do, this year. With all the participants, it's going to be summer before I get through the list!

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  8. Hi Sharlene!
    Thanks for stopping by The High Cost of this Low Living. I must admit I am intrigued by this whole solar cooking thing. I will be reading your blog in the days to come!
    My theme was easy or it will be..maybe..when I choose one that is.LOL

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    1. I hope you do, Bushman. My solar cooking blog (button on upper right) is chock full of great information and recipes for solar cooking that take it way outside the camping-survival venue. Love your blog, too. (BUT, hate the green print. Very hard for my old eyes to read.)

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  9. Hi Sharlene! Nice to meet you! Welcome to the challenge, and I hope you meet a lot of people. I'm going through the list myself and finally made it to #424. I started a month ago but didn't get very far because people kept adding on! Well, back to it :)

    KarenG

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    1. Not fair, KarenG! You started through the list, a month ago! (Is your room clean?!?!) I just got through 50, yesterday. I'm so impressed.

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  10. Hi Sharlene, I am a first-timer at the A to Z and am enjoying it. Things are pretty hectic for me right now, hubby just had a double knee replacement, so I chose my theme early.

    I'm doing flash fiction, words picked at random, photos found to inspire, then max of 10 sentences and min of 100 words. I love that there are so many different approaches to the A to Z. I'm calling it 10 by 10.

    BTW, I'm picking out one commenter at random and adding them to my list to follow. Too many to do otherwise...

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    1. Welcome. I'm a two-year-old old-timer! Loved the Challenge, so much, last year, that I joined as soon as I got notice, this year -- and, was still #424! You're going to have fun. What is 'flash fiction'? I think I know. Will probably Google it. Thanks for stopping by. I've created an email folder for all commenters and visit their blogs to make sure I want to follow. The bigger the list grows, the harder to talk to everyone.

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  11. Yup, I had that same ambition...the idea that I would have all 26 entries done so I could sit back and enjoy reading everyone else's stuff and get to know some bloggers.

    Alas, it was not to be, although I am getting the odd bit of prep for the rest of the month done in between dropping by and saying howdy.

    So...howdy!

    A-Z @ Elizabeth Twist

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    1. Well, Liz, now that the Challenge is actually here, I've been able to get going on my queue, too! Just needed another log on the fire, I guess. And, howdy, right back at you!

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  12. Some people organize and go by A to Z themes. As for me, I'm a pantser and am doing well to write with the correct letter. Thanks for visiting my A post.

    Catch My Words
    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com/2012/04/atoz-abducted-by-aliens.html

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    1. I like that, too. I had written down what I thought I wanted for each letter, only to find that, when ready to write, a different word comes to mind. But, at least, there's some direction. Thanks for stopping by.

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  13. Hi there!Thanks for visiting my blog.I don't have main theme. I'm hoping to develop a habit of posting regularly and really looking to discover new blogs in the process.

    I've never heard of solar cooking and I'm looking forward to learning more. Can't wait to read your posts in the days to come.

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    1. Thanks, Elaine. I'm hoping the same. For some serious info on solar cooking, check out my other blog (upper right button with the little house on it). I've tried to include solid information along with my recipes to help people understand the advantages and savings. Isn't this fun!

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  14. Hi Sharlene, it's great to meet you! I don't have a theme...I wracked my brain to come up with one, both last year and this year, but I just couldn't think of one. I think I like the idea of just going with it, anyway. I hope you have a great, fun month!

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    1. I think trying to come up with a theme is what stopped me from getting an early start on a queue, actually. Too much control and so many new things that spark the imagination during the day! This is going to be fun. Thanks for stopping by.

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  15. Sharlene, you made me laugh - thank you! I love posts that truly give me a "real" belly jiggle.
    I relate to what you write here...where does time go? Oh to have the answer - I would be rich.

    What a great way to start this Challenge off - and I am looking forward to what comes next.

    Jenny @ Pearson Report
    Co-Host of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

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    1. I don't know where the time goes, Jenny. It's almost Christmas, again! (At least, that's what I tell my Gentleman Caller, so he'll be prepared!) I, too, am looking forward to everyone's posts. Thanks for stopping by.

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  16. I think it's a great A post! Good to see you again! Wish you all the best for the A-Z. :)
    Jenny @ The Modest Peacock

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    1. Same to you, Jenny. It's a wild ride; that's for sure. Good to hear from you, too!

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  17. I do hope you'll go more into your solar cook book in your future posts. Just the name sounds interesting.

    I did sign up for this thinking that the letter challenge would be fun, and now I'm pulling my hair trying to get everything scheduled in advance.

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    1. Well, Kimberlee, I wasn't sure this was the blog for that, but I don't see where occasional references to my other blog would hurt. Or, you could take the plunge and just click on my other blog's button on the upper right. Lots of factual information and recipes.

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