Monday, May 7, 2018

Knitting Hedgehogs, a Stink Bomb, and a Wild Goose Chase

#AtoZChallenge reflections logo 2018

I've been doing the A to Z Challenge since 2013. It's a fun little blogging game for April. How can I make my usual blog post fit the letter of the day?

As for completing the challenge, I normally write five blog posts a week. Blogging all month isn't the challenge. Doing the blog hop and keeping up with comments--that's the challenge.

I've said all this before (in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017). If you want to read that again, I'd suggest 2016's reflections post. It's definitely my favorite title. So, rather that rehash the same ol', I'm just going to hit a few highlights:
For the hop portion of the challenge, I was #510 on the master list. As in previous years, I started visiting at the blog just after mine (#511), and continued until I was able to comment on five other blogs. (I "hopped" about five days a week.) 

By the end of the challenge, I had made it to #26 on the master list. Yep, I managed to get to the end of the list and start over. This has been a dream of mine since 2013... 

A (very small) sampling of the blogs I visited: 

I like doing the blog hop to find new-to-me bloggers. That's the whole point, isn't it? So, that makes this year more of a success than last year. But I am glad that April only happens once a year.

34 comments:

  1. Having a list definitely helps, doesn't it? Congratulations on completing another Challenge.

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  2. Wow, you have done an excellent job connecting with other bloggers!
    Congratulations and thank you for the shout-out, you've been a loyal visitor!
    Happy recovering in May :-)

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  3. Sounded like April was a fun month for you with blogging, hectic of course, but A/Z always does that. Always good to find new blogs too; might have to check out some you highlighted!

    betty

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  4. Wow! Congratulations on both completing the challenge and the hop. I always found the hop to be the hardest too. I need to start thinking of a topic I want to cover and try to do this next year. I missed it.

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    1. You can, of course, start writing it now ;)

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  5. Hi Liz - you certainly made the most of the A-Z and connected with others ... I'll be over to look in on them. Well done - and congratulations on finishing - cheers Hilary

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  6. Hi Liz, thank you very much for mentioning me in this post, and for all those kind words.
    It was great reading your posts as well.
    And I look forward to reading more.
    I agree with you view that blogging is not as much a challenge as blog-hopping and leaving comments.

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    1. Yes, keeping up with posts is what we do all year, right? Visiting others... That's the whole point of a blog hop. Or, at least that's what I thought.

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  7. Good strategy for managing the A to Z. Go to those blogs after your link. Glad you did this and so glad you finished. It's not easy, but it's very rewarding.

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  8. Woohoo! A to Z is how I met you a few years (?) back :)

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    1. Yup. I'd say 95% of my commenters I met via the A to Z.

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  9. Woot on making it through! That's a mega feat!

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  10. Cheers, Liz! And, thanks for mentioning my blog. I'm blushing over here. :-) I'm with you, the best part about the challenge is meeting new bloggers.

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  11. Hi Liz. I have loved getting a peek into classroom life. You are amazing to be able to complete the A to Z-again while teaching, knitting, and doing all the other things in life. You are a fantastic writer!
    Heather Erickson Author Writer Speaker A to Z Retrospective and

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  12. Well, you visited me years ago and we are still communicating! You have a great blog with lots of variety :)

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    1. I would guesstimate that 95% of my regular blogs I found via one A to Z or other.

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  13. I did the challenge last yr but past on it this yr due to the wedding and the trip to Fla. You have done a great job with it.

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    1. Thanks. Yeah, when you're busy in April, the A to Z can't happen.

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  14. Congratulations on your success. And thank you for sharing these links. Be well!

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  15. I'm pretty sure A to Z is how I met you. I had fun this year with my health blog, but didn't get to hop around as much as I wanted.

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    1. Yup, I found most of the blogs I follow regularly via the A to Z. That's why I keep coming back to it.

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  16. wow, good for you, that's some major hustle!

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  17. That's impressive that you made it through the list. I'm pretty sure I met you during A to Z a few years ago. I'd like to do it again, but it seems like April is just usually super busy.

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    1. Making it through the list... It so helps to start at the end ;)

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  18. That's quite an accomplishment, actually getting through much of the list. I won't even try this year. In fact, I'm seriously thinking of going into reruns for a while or maybe just posting a photo or two and that's it. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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    1. I think it worked out to be 200-ish blogs. And many of those weren't still participating by the time I got to them. I don't know if that counts.

      I understand reruns. Tis the season for them :)

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  19. Wow that's an amazing accomplishment to get so far though the list
    Debbie

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    1. I don't know if I got all that far through it.

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  20. Woo that's pretty impressive getting through the whole list. The hopping part is definitely the bigger challenge than the blog posts, here, too.

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