![A-to-Z Reflection [2016]](https://rolandclarke.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/a-to-z-reflection-2016.jpg?w=545)
Eleven days after the great event seems a reasonable period of time for honest reflection on the Blogging From A to Z April (2016) Challenge. It’s also a good moment to respond to a friend nominating me for The Liebster Award, as that poses some A to Z and blogging questions. However, that will be tomorrow’s post so stayed tuned to this channel.
So first my thoughts about this year’s April Challenge.
After my first two years, 2014 and 2015, I wanted to do briefer posts that would be quicker to read. As I said in my Blogging from A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal 2016, I wanted something different, tighter and more cryptic. In that I succeeded, but in my desire to produce something ‘challenging’, I chose to write an episodic mystery that created more work. Each episode consisted of one word for each of the letters of the alphabet, commencing with the letter of the day. Of course, I imposed other rules and then as a bonus, had a ‘horse of the day’, and a ‘daily poison’ – again from A to Z.
I did succeed in writing all but a few posts in March, so succeeded in reaching Z and the end of April. However, I struggled to read a lot of other blogs each day – probably about a dozen or so – in addition to the other posts that I follow.
I loved the variety of A to Z blogs out there, and I intend to explore some more in the months ahead. I’m incredibly impressed at the depth of talent in the blogosphere.
My IWSG blog post last Wednesday expressed my concern at making comments, even during quieter periods. So I’m in awe of those that multi-task successfully throughout the Challenge, and don’t believe in clones.
My Liebster comments tomorrow will highlight those bloggers who impressed me, and I admit that I found many individual posts invaluable as well as informative. Maybe I will learn from them in my approach for the 2017 Challenge.
I won’t be giving up blogging quite yet, as doing the A to Z Challenge holds the MaelStrom MonSter at bay by keeping my brain active and distracted.
As for the A to Z Team, they did an excellent job – as always. So a special thank you to those that worked hard to make it possible, from the co-hosts to their helpers/assistants. Here they all are.
Writing Wings 
The A-Z really is a challenge. Congrats on making it through. I always wish I had more time to visit more people. That is a challenge in itself!
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Making time to visit and comment was almost a greater challenge.
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Your A to Z posts were among some of the most creative I saw this year, especially the horse and poison. Commenting on others folks blogs was one of the things that took up a lot of my time in April. I’m not sure if I could have done as much commenting unless I had written my posts in advance.
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Thanks Ellen. I like a good mystery – still enjoying yours – but felt mine got too creative. Might need to rewrite the story as one piece, making it clearer.
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Not having time to comment on as many blogs as I’d like is a complain I’ve read al every single Reflection posts I’ve read. I suppose that, as the challenge is getting ever larger, that will continue to be an issue.
But then, the list of blogs remains on the AtoZ blog and that’s good: we’ll have a year to explore all the others 🙂
As for your challenge, I think it was one of th emost original I’ve ever seen 🙂
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Thanks for the compliment Sarah. Preferred the approach that you took, as it was entertaining and educational. Not convinced originality works every time. Planning ahead for 2017 already, although might need the months ahead to catch up on other blogs/comments, as you rightly say.
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It sounds like you made your story quite challenging, as if the challenge isn’t hard enough! Congrats on successfully finishing.
Yvonne V
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Although I felt pleased to have completed the challenge, going the simpler route next year…already plotting something.
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