My three reasons for participating:
1. To increase traffic to
my website. I am an author with a low profile (almost anonymous) and therefore
see the challenge as a way to introduce myself, and my work to more people.
2. To network with other
bloggers, especially writers. Each year I gain new blog buddies and I like
that.
3. To challenge myself as a
writer.
Although
they are too numerous to mention, thank you to all who visited Square Pegs and
took the time to comment. In particular, I thank the following bloggers for
visiting and commenting more than once.
I
wonder if the A to Z challenge should be divided into two major categories:
serious stuff and fluff. Maybe it should run backwards too, for something
different Z to A instead of A to Z. Maybe the challenge has become too big for
its own good. Maybe it’s good the way it is.
I
participate in a weekly blog hop called Celebrate the Small Things. My weekly
contributions attract twice as many, sometimes three times as many page views
as any of my A to Z posts did this year.
Ongoing
interactions with previously acquired blog buddies, comprising me receiving emails
with new posts and me commenting on said posts occasionally, and the writers of
these blogs not replying to my comments (usually), and never commenting on my
posts. The number of people following my blog has not increased as a result of
being involved in the A to Z.
Searching
through the list of blogs is time consuming and frustrating, as there are many
bloggers who list but don’t post, a number of whom haven’t posted anything for
months, let alone any fresh content for the A to Z. It’s hard to find blogs
that actually appeal to me, and I also find it frustrating that those blogs, which are pretty ordinary or even rubbish i.m.o, get more comments than mine.
My
topics are clearly not what the majority of readers want. Too heavy, too
serious. Blogging is yet another form of escapism, something fun to do but if I
never read another food blog, or fluffy animal blog, in my life, I won’t be
upset.
When
I find people posting just pictures or very short articles I think, why the
heck am I busting my gut every day to write something significant. People don’t
want significance. Fluff rules!
Next
year if I do the challenge, I will go all out on fluff. I’ll do the A to Z of
Australian animals, and this will be a winner, and if it’s not, I’ll probably
quit the A to Z. The other thing I could do is simply post excerpts from my
current WIP without any commentary.
I
sound grumpy now. I am. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed that I didn’t elicit more
reaction from what I thought were pretty interesting and in some cases
controversial topics to which I reckon most people can relate. Evidently, I’m just not connecting.
The
A to Z is still good for me as a writer. I take it seriously and it’s
definitely worthwhile in terms of strengthening my writing skills, but is that
enough for me to do it again? Hmmm….
Photograph source:
http://dogsinthecle.com/best-of-the-dog-blogs/
http://petthreads.com.au/pet-care/8-tips-for-koala-dog-safety/
Thanks for the visit, I'm glad to discover you as a writer. /xoxomake.com
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