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Backstage at the Blog: The A-Z Challenge

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Image courtesy of David Ritter @ stock.xchngBlogging from A-Z

Consider yourself warned.

Some weathermen predict April showers, but here at A Scenic Route there’s a different kind of storm brewing. This April, every day except Sunday, expect an illuminating and entertaining post from me in your Inbox.

Every. Single. Day!

What’s the occasion, you ask? Isn’t A Scenic Route supposed to be a leisurely and laid back blog, not given to frantic posting to meet arbitrary deadlines?

The impetus behind this insanity is called the A-Z Challenge, where all kinds of writers all over the worldwide web share daily posts featuring one letter of the alphabet from, you guessed it, A to Z during the month of April.

My month of madness will have a theme, which I came up with thanks to some fun correspondence with blogging buddy and fellow How To Think Sideways Boot Camp member Juneta Key. I’m calling it ‘Backstage at the Blog‘ and will feature a different blogging tool I rely on here at A Scenic Route for each letter, giving readers a behind the scenes glimpse of how my posts come together.

What might be the biggest challenge of all for me is that my posts will come in at under two hundred okay, two hundred and fifty words. Promise!

Will I manage to find a tantalizing topic for each letter of the alphabet? Or will I fall back to my wordy ways with a thousand word rant somewhere around the letter ‘J’?

Stay tuned for the A-Z challenge to find out!

To see other A-Z challenge themes click on this linky.

Stage lights image courtesy of David Ritter @ stock.xchng
A-Z Challenge Alphabet April Showers Blogging Tools Daily Posts
March 21, 2014 Kirsten

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Blog Tour: My Writing Process → ← Carry On, Writer-Babe

28 thoughts on “Backstage at the Blog: The A-Z Challenge”

  1. melissamaygrove says:
    March 21, 2014 at 7:38 am

    Dang. Everyone I know has really cool themes this year.
    I’m going to enjoy reading yours. 🙂

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 22, 2014 at 7:47 pm

      Thanks, Melissa! (You’re not doing A-Z? I’m so sad. 🙁 ) I’m having fun writing my posts so far!

  2. cdcoffelt says:
    March 21, 2014 at 3:02 pm

    Wordy rants?! Bring ’em on, lol

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 22, 2014 at 7:48 pm

      Don’t tempt me! So far, so good though.

  3. Kristin Smith says:
    March 21, 2014 at 3:26 pm

    Awesome! Great idea! I’ll be sure to check in so I don’t miss out on your tantalizing topics! 🙂

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 22, 2014 at 7:49 pm

      Thanks, Kristin! I’m excited to share my little insights.

  4. Shell Flower says:
    March 21, 2014 at 6:39 pm

    Good luck. I had a blast last year and am going to visit a lot of the blogs this year, but not participate in A-Z. I found it’s a great exercise in brevity. My blog posts have been short ever since, but I do think people appreciate that!

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 22, 2014 at 7:51 pm

      Exactly, Shell 🙂
      I figured this would be a great opportunity to practice short blog posts and meet some cool bloggers while I’m at it.

  5. TraceyLynnTobin says:
    March 21, 2014 at 7:02 pm

    Now there’s an idea I haven’t come across yet! I’m very interested to see what you come up with for some of the more, shall we say…FRUSTRATING letters. lol

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 22, 2014 at 7:53 pm

      Hi Tracey Lynn
      Welcome to A Scenic Route 🙂
      It’s funny, I had no trouble coming up with topics for X and Q, and even Z, but the letters O and for some reason K still elude me!

  6. nancyrae4 says:
    March 21, 2014 at 8:18 pm

    A-Z rocks!I’m doing it again this year! I have a theme and I hope by creating two-hundred and fifty fascinating words every night for 28 days (!!!!) I’ll find my way back to my novel, energized and ready to write.

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 22, 2014 at 7:55 pm

      Twenty-eight days? You’re scaring me- did I miss something?
      I’m definitely excited by this challenge, and glad to have someone who’s done it before by my side. 🙂

  7. Crystal Collier says:
    March 21, 2014 at 9:33 pm

    Sweet cheese! This sounds like an epic good time. Yup. Going to have to be here…unless I get trapped in the time continuum as I try to get my time-stopper functioning again. You never know. My scientists and I are kind of on the outs since I broke the teleportation device when they started escaping. Um, yeah. Long story.

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 22, 2014 at 7:56 pm

      LOL!
      Let me know when you’ve got the time-stopper working, because I can sure use it over here.
      I’m looking forward to your posts as well. 🙂

  8. armchairauthor says:
    March 21, 2014 at 10:19 pm

    Can’t wait to enjoy all twenty-six entries!

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 22, 2014 at 7:57 pm

      I think you’re going to get a kick out of my letters. I had way too much fun with my font software (my first entry of the month, btw. 🙂 )

  9. Stephanie Faris says:
    March 22, 2014 at 10:24 am

    Great idea. I can’t wait to read them!

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 22, 2014 at 9:35 pm

      Thanks, Stephanie. 🙂 I hope I can get them all written in time!

  10. Juneta says:
    March 22, 2014 at 1:32 pm

    Okay jaw dropped, lol. My name was mentioned in a blog. *grinning wildly* I’m glad I gave you the inspiration. What a thank you, and thank you. Good luck with A-Z. I thought about doing it, but it intimidates me a little, but it is not April yet. I have plans to try and write my first draft of my novel in NaNoWriMo Aprill, so I am afraid both would be too much for me at this early stage of my development, lol. Good Luck!, and I’ll be reading and cheering you on.

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 22, 2014 at 8:01 pm

      I try to always give credit where it’s due, Juneta, and since I was so excited to share what I’ve learned here with you, I realized what a great theme it would be.
      Believe me, this challenge intimidates me too! But I struggle with posting regularly and in short segments, so I thought this would be a good way to practice that.
      Good luck with NaNoWriMo! I’ll be cheering for you too. 🙂

  11. Tina Downey says:
    March 22, 2014 at 2:34 pm

    I love to peek behind the scenes. I admire your goal of 250 words. In my normal blogging, I try to be under 500. For the A-Z, I’m aiming for 350. Not sure if I can do it. I’m just a chatty gal…Nice to meet you, welcome to the A-Z Challenge, and all the best to you!
    Tina @ Life is Good
    A to Z Team @ Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2014

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 22, 2014 at 9:38 pm

      Hi Tina,
      Welcome to A Scenic Route. 🙂
      I only recently became aware that my posts are far too wordy, so this challenge might be the perfect way to practice brevity. We’ll see if I can contain myself. 😉

  12. Sammy D. says:
    March 22, 2014 at 4:49 pm

    Hi – i found you In Tina’s comments at Life Is Good and you sound way too confident for a newbie blogger 🙂 can’t wait for your behind-the-scenes tutorial and word raves – my meltdown came on the letter F but it was smooth sailing after that. Well, except now I’m stuck on N. Will see you in April! Sammy at http://www.bemuzin.com

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 22, 2014 at 9:42 pm

      Hi Sammy,
      Heh, I’m on F right now myself and cruisin’ along, but I’m worried … there are so many letters left!
      I’ve been messing around at this blog for three years now actually, but I don’t get out much, so in some ways I still feel like a newbie.
      I’m looking forward to some fun in April. 🙂

      1. Sammy D. says:
        March 23, 2014 at 12:01 am

        If you get your posts done, maybe your muse will let you out to play in April.

  13. Miss Andi says:
    March 25, 2014 at 5:22 am

    Great idea and probably very useful as well, looking forward to it! 🙂

    1. Kirsten says:
      March 25, 2014 at 5:41 pm

      Thanks, Miss Andi! Now I just have to get these posts written. 🙂 (This challenge is turning out to be harder than it looks!)

      1. Miss Andi says:
        March 26, 2014 at 6:40 am

        That’s definitely true, it’s that time when we all are asking ourselves: why, why did I sign up for this? :))

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