![A-to-Z Reflection [2014]](https://doreenmcgettigan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/A-to-Z-Reflection-2014.jpg)
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
With one breath I want to say I am so glad the A-Z Blogging Challenge is over and with my next breath I miss it so much and I am already looking forward to and planning for next year.
This was my third year of participating and my first year as an ambassador. It was also the first year I had a theme and also the first year I pre-wrote some of my posts. Being prepared certainly did take some of the stress away and I plan to pre-write even more next year.
I needed to do research on mental health issues for my third book so with my theme, the A-Z’s of Mental Health I was able to get that research and my posts done.
The absolute best part of the challenge for me is the friends I have made. Friends that I am sure I will be staying in touch with.
Stats wise I have gained eighty-five new subscribers and received several hundred comments. I also had a lot of visits and comments from people outside of the challenge. I left more than 300 comments. I am planning to continue visiting and commenting…
This was pretty awesome too…
Thank you to Arlee Bird and the rest of the A-Z Challenge Team for another successful Challenge!
Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)
Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)
Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)
Life is Good (Tina Downey)
Coming Down The Mountain (KarenG)
Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)
Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)
The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)
The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)
Author Elizabeth Mueller (Elizabeth Mueller)
Pearson Report (Jenny Pearson)
No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)
Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)
Thank you also to all that took the time to read, comment and share my posts.
Doreen
41 thoughts on “A-Z Challenge Reflection Post”
I know what you’re saying about being glad that it’s over but missing the A to Z as well. I’m kind of the same way.
You didn’t do too badly with the new subscribers and I think the matter of blog content generation is very important in the long term.
Congratulations and thank you so much for helping to make this Challenge one of the best yet.
Lee
Wrote By Rote
An A to Z Co-host blog
This truly was the best year yet. Thank you so very much for all you do!
Looks like you had some fab stats. The amount of comments you put on others shows how well you participated.
Using the AtoZ to do something you wanted to do anyway is key to helping focus the posts and mind.
I can relate to the one breath glad it’s over and next breath missing it too!
It was such a positive experience. I missed an editing deadline but am back at that this month:)
I keep planning to do posts before April, but it doesn’t happen as I plan. It’s great that you used the Challenge to get your research done. Sounds like you’re on good footing to get that story done.
It turned out to be an amazing time saving idea!
I am looking forward to keeping up with you.
Thank you for all of your support throughout the month.
I cannot wait to finish these 3 books on mental health awareness.
Congrats on finishing and for it being such a success for you. 2nd year for me and while it was better this year, certainly no where near the level of success you had. Sounds like you killed 2 birds with one stone though with your research. I’ve always written the posts ahead, with my weird schedule wouldn’t be able to do it otherwise.
I’m continuing to blog a-z in May
It was a tough schedule! I will stop by throughout May!
congratulations on completing the challenge. now that its over, I miss it too! i am planning on pre writing the posts nxt year! (oh yes, i will take part again :D)
I am absolutely pre writing more next year.
You did a lot for mental health this past month. Rock on, girl!
well done on all the hard work and time you and the team put in on our behalf. I loved being involved in this challenge and have learned a lot about how to be more tech savvy. Hopefully next year I will have learned a whole lot more and my sweet little bunch of 30 followers will have some company(I started with 10). It has been a terrific month. Thanks again
Thank you so much! Keep in touch with everyone and your followers will continue to add up…
85 new subscribers is AMAZING!!! Good for you!
Maybe next year I will keep track of how many comments I make. I never thought of doing such a thing! I think its worth it, though. Good idea!
I wonder how different it was being an ambassador being “just another A to Zer”?
Julie Jordan Scott
The Bold Writer from A to Z
I definately do not normaly keep track of comments left or received, I was just curious to see if I was getting a return on my time.
As an Ambassador I was responsible to make sure my list was following the rules. Lucky for me they were. I visited blogs that I normally wouldn’t have and it was worth it!
Congratulations on finishing such a big challenge. I must say I have enjoyed your series and especially liked how you focused it on mental health. I now look forward to reading more of your wonderful work!
Congratulations on having completed the challenge. I find the same thing with challenges, I’m often glad to have met the challenge and have it done but also missing it.
The friendships really make the whole thing so much more than just a challenge met. Sounds like you’ve made the experience all that it can be.
Yay. Congratulations on ranking so well on Google for your A to Z posts. That’s a huge accomplishment! Thank you for all the work you put in to help put this challenge together.
Stephanie
http://stephie5741.blogspot.com
Thank you Stephanie. I guess its true what they say about those keywords:)
Hi Doreen – congratulations on finishing the Challenge for the 3rd year .. and for achieving so much .. I’ll be back to read about your mental issues posts – I feel they will definitely be worth read ..
All the best – yes I miss it too .. strange?! Cheers Hilary
Thank you so much Hilary!
Thanks so much for dropping by my post. I will also continue reading. It was a fun challenge.
Thank you Suzy!
I do admire you and the patience you had to post 300 comments ! hats off to you ! you are my inspiration now…. I am motivated, and I will continue to visit as many as i can to appreciate and value people who take pains to write… being par t of this challenge was very stimulating too.. thanks for sharing !
Thank you so much. I am planning to continue reading and visiting as long as the list is up.
I’m with you, being prepared made a world of difference. I only preplanned part of my Challenge and won’t make that mistake if I do it again next year. It will all be done way ahead of schedule. (She hopes!) =P Glad you had fun and thanks for hosting!!
Elsie
I am definitely pre-writing all of the posts ahead of time for next yer…I hope:)
Doreen,
Thanks for dropping by my blog and for your lovely comment.
Wow! You left over 300 comments. That’s very impressive. I plan to catch up on the blogs I missed in the month of May and have bookmarked yours to keep coming back too.
Look forward to staying in touch!
Cheers,
Monica
Thank you Monica! I love that we can take our time now and go back to read what we missed during April.
You did great on this challenge, and I came away with a few new bookmarks from your site. I had wondered if Tourette’s might come up, but I guess that’s one I’m going to have to do my own research on. 🙂 Though I didn’t have meaningful comments on quite a few of the letters, I still found your topic very helpful!
Thank you Loni! It was one crazy month. I was relieved for two days and now May has become crazy too. Gotta just smile!
I actually pre-wrote more for the 2012 A-Z than this time around due to time constraints. It was definitely more of a struggle, both to write and visit. But I still made some great new friends and now have a surge of energy to continue my flash fiction!
D.B. McNicol
Romance & Mystery…writing my life
I feel like I suddenly have so much writing energy too.
I hope it lasts:)
I will second that breath of relief! So glad the challenge is over. I heard about it about a week before it started, loved it at the beginning, and scrambled my way through to the end. At one point I even messed up the order of my letters and wrote (and published v after w or something like that!) Publishing ahead of time is definitely a consideration for next year. I am a single mom of 5 – yep FIVE – boys so planning ahead is both a survival skill and an impossibility!
Congratulations on completing the challenge! 🙂
Omgoodness that is a lot of boys. I was a sigle mom too. (3 girls, one boy) All four grew up and got married so I thought I would try it too. When I married I got another son.
Congratulations on finishing the challenge. One week to prepare, wow.
Congratulations, Doreen! You did a fantastic job!
Thank you Corinne. You are amazing!!
Congrats on finishing the challenge. Pre-writing is definitely the way to go. I pre-wrote most of my 2013 challenge posts, and that year was much less stressful toward the end.
TaMara
Tales of a Pee Dee Mama
I am already planning next year:)