Wednesday, 6 May 2015

A to Z 2015 - reflection post

EDIT: I just realised I didn't miss it!! Yay! :) Oh gosh, I really intended to do this on Monday - but it entirely slipped my mind. I am embroiled in kitty rescue chaos with lots of cats & kittens being adopted / still needing homes / needing new foster care, etc. Also, the A to Z totally whacked me over the head and made me a zombie this year! So there was that.

Even though I missed out on the linky list and everything, I thought I'd post for this anyway, because I do always like to participate in this reflection part of the A to Z each year. So let us reflect...

I have usually done things by the seat of my pants with the A to Z, but this year it really didn't work for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed compiling photos, and visiting other blogs (when I got the chance), but I was spending most of each evening after work scrambling around for photos to post (and on a couple of occasions it took me most of the night to even decide on a theme for that day's letter!). This meant that I had very little time to visit other blogs and leave comments. For the first few days I was doing well, but after that it all went a bit sideways.

There was one year when I had scheduled most of my posts ahead of time, because I knew I'd be travelling most of the month of April. Obviously that year I didn't have much time for comments either, due to that whole 'travelling' thing. But I really do like the idea of having everything scheduled so I can spend April commenting.

That is my plan for next year. And I think I already have a vague idea for next year's theme, which for me is another thing that's unheard of. ;)

So I guess that sums up the A to Z 2015 for me. It's an awesome challenge, but given how busy my life is with kitty rescue now, as well as me wishing I could actually find time for other things - like writing - I really can't do the A to Z pantser thing anymore.

My A to Z History

2011 
(random things)

2012 
(books from my GoodReads "tbr")

2013 
(Aussie music)

2014 
(follow up on 2012's theme, with links to GoodReads reviews)

2015 
(photos!)

9 comments:

  1. I did the same thing, Trisha! I managed to schedule the first 10 days of posts because I was away on holiday that week and had limited wifi. When I returned, I was juggling preschoolers, family chaos, and writing, so visiting other blogs didn't quite go to plan. Still, it was a fun month!

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  2. I love that you do kitty rescues. *High Five!*

    And you're not too late to add your link to the Reflection linky list. I just added mine not too long ago.

    I loved looking at the photos you shared. They were beautiful. :)

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  3. Sorry it took you so long with the photos. I can relate though, which is why I have to pre-write as much of my posts as I can. Glad you've been with us for five years!

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  4. Scheduling is indeed the way to go for an A to Z challenge, otherwise you'll go crazy.

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  5. Scheduling ahead is the best plan. Especially if it means a chance to visit even 30 blogs a week.
    J here, stopping by from the #atozchallenge. Thank you for visiting by my blog recently.

    -J @JLenniDorner

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  6. Congrats! You did really well especially considering how busy you were. I thought your photos were fantastic. If I'd started writing stories earlier, I'm sure I would have been all prescheduled, which I was for the first two weeks. But I quite enjoyed the adrenaline rush of working at short notice, although for letters like X and Z, it was taking up to two hours to plan and write stories, so that obviously cuts into visiting time. And I didn't work on my WIP either - this was my writing for the month. I don't think there's any right or wrong way though.

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  7. Hi Trisha .. it was great to see your photos and to see the selections you'd chosen for each of the letters ...

    I'd intended to write mine before hand, but the bringing forward of my hip op by 5 or 6 weeks slightly knocked some things sideways .. and then not being able to bend etc to find the books I needed - that wasn't in the hip planning schedule ...

    So I was writing Z on X or Y day .. the last fortnight's worth of letters was chaos ... but I did so enjoy my theme and everyone's been very generous with their thoughts ...

    Next year - I might start now .. if I aim to help myself! Cheers for now - and well done on doing the A -Z .. and also for all the care you give to your rescue kitties ... Hilary

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  8. Hi,
    Congratulations!! You made it. You persevered and that is wonderful. I too did not prepare my postings ahead of time and I am seriously considering doing that next year. We'll see.
    All the best.
    Shalom,
    Patricia at Everything Must Change

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  9. Hello there.
    Congratulations on completing the challenge! This was my second year taking part and one thing I learnt from last year was preparation. Since I took all but one of my own photos for my theme, I did pre-write and pre-schedule my posts as I couldn't be online everyday. I even got to visit your blog during the crazy month of April. I'm popping over again today from the Road Trip/Reflections linky.

    Entrepreneurial Goddess

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Thanks for your words, me hearties! and don't forget to leave a link to your blog somewhere I can find it!