A-Z Challenge, April 2016 – Why do it?

#AtoZChallenge

Two years ago, I came across this challenge – but then I chose to do a 24hour poetry marathon instead. Last year, I gave it another go, and around the “S” mark, things with the books became busy and I never finished it. [VERY upsetting!]

This year, I am determined to finish it, because you see, I learned something very important from it last year.

In the time that I participated, shared the tag, the posts and spend a minute a day on the FaceBook page – my brand, website, and confidence grew tremendously. Inspiration was abundant and the variety of reading material was almost overwhelming. Everything from recipe’s for home remedies to in-depth marketing tips, all available in one place. <>

Blogging From A to Z

But that is not all. While the branding and marketing for the Barefoot Romance Product took on a life of its own, the best part for me about this was the fact that every day, I felt I did something worthwhile – for MYSELF. It sounds terribly selfish, but it wasn’t/isn’t.

So hard do we focus as Indies on our friends, our colleagues, and our fellow Authors – that we often neglect that which is most important to us: Our own creativity. By participating, even though I did not finish, I was able to establish my brand and enjoy my creative thinking without a stick, judge or jury to tell me how I am doing it ‘wrong’. I could let my mind wander and simply be in those few moments – and when I was done, I could pick and choose from hundreds of sites to visit and gorge on the offerings. It felt good!

The benefit was a healing experience to re-establish the tenacity I needed for my writing. This year, I am taking it one step further – instead of writing, I am indulging in another passion of mine – Well, perhaps ‘instead’ is the wrong word… I am combining my love for prose, pretty pictures and Romance, to further my brand, create something special, share good vibes and be in love …

There are so many benefits to partaking:

Regular posts on your blog! Super important if you’re someone like me who cannot stick to a damn schedule.
Regular reading of other blogs, sharing their work. We forget to read for the simplicity of pleasure once we’re self-promoting authors. This, is my time allocated to me. I can read for a few minutes – anything that takes my fancy. Does not have to have a damn thing to do with marketing, or reviews, or traffic, or ass kissing.
Creating brand awareness. That is a hard thing to do when you have limited resources and a small pool of support. Great as our Indie friends are, not all readers are authors and while many will object to this statement: Not all authors are readers either. These bloggers aren’t always authors, they are normal people keeping diaries, artist sharing art, moms sharing advice, kids sharing thoughts and ideas. The best supporters come from unexpected arenas, and this is one of those for me. I met wonderful artists, great mentors in art and super supportive parents. Many of them reaching out to enjoy what I am offering. Not a sales pitch, not a quick dirty buck … but something publically intimate – my thoughts.
Traffic to blog: This was something major. I didn’t expect the inpour of visitors, but then again, I soon learned they too have their struggles and their cravings to do something other than ‘blog-call with benefits’.

There’s plenty more to consider, but I think you get the picture. It is a mutually beneficial excersise, and I promise it is one hell of a work-out. It is so easy to allow ‘things’ to distract us, derail us, interrupt us … and one month of one post every single day on a structured alphabetical scale – is both easy and the toughest thing to do. But I am doing it, and this year I will finish.

Who’s with me?!

Adri

A-Z Information:

1800 Blogs signed up

2,500 FaceBook fans and growing by the minute!

Cool, fun and unique merchandise!

A well organised team!

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out

Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh

J eremy Hawkins @ Hollywood Nuts

Damyanti Biswas @ Daily Write

Heather M. Gardner @ The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Author AJ Lauer

P am Brown Margolis @ An Unconventional Librarian

Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary

Joy Campbell @ The Character Depot

John Holton @The Sound of One Hand Typing