Reflecting on The A-Z Challenge

http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/

As most of you have figured out, I've been involved with the A-Z Blogging Challenge from Arlee Bird's group at Tossing It Out, using the letters of the alphabet for a daily posting (excluding Sundays) for the month of April (or, beyond, if you were a little slower in posting). There was well over 1300 participants and we were supposed to visit them all, make comments, and post our own stories, or themes, to fulfill the challenge. And, today, we're in a linky, as folks follow up with their feelings about the experience.

I remember being excited starting out, because it would take a month to accomplish. Then, as each day arrived, bringing a new letter challenge for posting, the reality of it all settled in and, on a few occasions, became onerous. It isn't that I didn't enjoy the exercise but that it had become something that seemed to take over my day.

You see, here's my problem (and, it may well be the same for others): I love to research -- anything! I was once asked to speak to a senior's class on writing and my first question  was, "Who likes to do homework?" No one raised a hand or blurted out their response (as is the wont of so many, today) and all were stunned to find out that being a successful writer requires non-stop reading and non-stop research (homework). Don't know how many from that class have since become writers, but it did change some minds that day. That being said, I repeat, I love research. So, what did that mean for this exercise? Nothing got done, as I had hoped, because I was up to my chin in lovely, lovely, research!

The dark side of research is that I was led to even more interesting things and my days became blurred whilst I submerged myself in discovery heaven. That I was actually able to put a post together was even more surprising. I would research, take a nap, and then wake up to write my post, and it would all come together. Were the posts perfect? No, that's not the point. The point, for me, is that I was able to write on many things that have been kept inside for a long time, as well as clarify the unknown by having to make it understood by others.

I think that's the joy and wealth of writing, really, being able to bring something new to others and sharing in such a way that it invites even more study on their part. If that has happened from just one of my postings, then, it was an even more cool exercise.

The benefit, of course, from the challenge was in meeting so many bloggers I might never have found and discovering their way of sharing their lives, either through prose, poetry, or imagery. Since I'm still trying to get Frogger off his lily pad and safe across the street, I'm probably not going to be following the gamers. But, that still leaves hundreds of kindred posters. The Internet is an exciting place to travel, a world vibrating with so many others reaching out to share and make permanent their own voices during their own personal journeys. Please continue to use the Surprise Me button to discover these wonderful people for yourself.

I will be getting to everyone, sooner or later, but 1300+ is a big number. I hope you will do the same and come visit me on my porch, share some rockin' chair reflections on a life of adventures and anecdotes. Who knows? I may even throw in some tooth-suckin' wisdom.  It's been a pleasure and lots of fun, and will definitely look forward to next year's challenge. Come visit when you can. I'll start the tea.

Why I Enjoy Blogging - a Year Later

Kaffeeklatch - Google Image, Courtesy pbase.com

The Old Geezer Blog poster, RJWhite, asked why we blog and gives statistics on how many more women than men were blogging, today. Suggesting our natural verbosity was the impetus for the high numbers is an interesting point. But, I think it has more to do with the availability of time and a natural inclination to share information, something the men of my generation, at least, didn't find easy. There are always exceptions and I think the numbers will change, before long. But, his blog is well worth your taking the time to visit. It's a fun blog and, my comment to his question, was the prompt for today's post.

My early blogging began on a long-since retired business site of mine. It was a place for me to share upcoming events and feelings about day-to-day blips and vexations. (I had to use that word. It's one of my favorites from another place in time.) And, I wasn't looking for followers -- I didn't understand their power or what it could mean for me, at the time. Living alone, it was a way of reaching out and communicating with others, a catch-as-catch-can posting done as the mood struck. Then, I discovered solar cooking and decided other mainstream cooks should know about this energy-saving appliance. I wrote my solar cookbook, "A Month of SUNdays - Solar Cooking at Home." People who had bought my book wanted more information and recipes and suggested I start a solar cooking blog. Reluctantly, I did. For them, I said. Because, they asked me to and I didn't want to disappoint them, I said. Then, something happened.