Duck Hunt from Nintendo Meme
So, I’m considering joining the ‘A to Z Challenge’ in April. Basically, you post every day (minus Sundays) while working through the alphabet. Each post has to have a theme or connection to the letter of the day.
I’m on the fence here because I’ll be in the last 1/3 of Sleeper of the Wildwood Fugue by that point and April tends to be full of chaos. Though, the other 11 months don’t do much better from what I’ve seen. Anyway, I’m struggling to think of a theme before I sign up. Also I can’t find the sign up sheet.
I want to flex my imagination here, so an ‘Indie Author Help’ topic every day is going to be off the list. I played around with thoughts of designing a monster around that letter and a maybe a poem for it every day. They would be like the Bestiary of Blatherhorn Vale poems in that they describe the creature and some of its habits. Sadly, it seems to have been done by others. I’m even playing with the idea of trying to tell a story throughout the month with a character trying to escape a dungeon. Each challenge will deal with a letter and it would be all narrative with a 500 word minimum. Going to be complicated, which might be an issue with my other projects.
That seems to be where I trip up on prompts, themes, and anything that requires some level of focus. I’m so caught up in my other projects and I’ve lived a life of being repeatedly sideswiped by events that it’s become really hard to agree to things. I keep fearing that I’ll have to quit and let people down. I’m starting to feel that way with Legends of Windemere right now. My ‘vacation’ is already looking like it will encompass the first week of February, so I can actually relax and get some of these projects done. Yeah, yeah. Pathetic excuses that I should keep to myself.
Maybe I’ll figure something out for this challenge over the weekend and make enough progress that I can start writing after Super Bowl. Won’t be able to get anything done around here before that.
Edit: I just realized that Spring Recess appears in the middle of April. That means I’d have to do this challenge, write a book, promote the other books, and handle the toddler being home. I believe I’m out unless I gain some sudden insight or go the poem route.
Legends of Windemere 
April is definitely out for me, Charles, with a weekend workshop to run and talks to deliver… just writing something fresh every day will be enough!
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I’m starting to wonder if I’m in the same boat.
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You seem to have a fair bit going on already… and there is only so far you can spread the butter without the bread showing through 😉
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Yup. Add in Spring Recess in mid-April and I’m looking at a disaster.
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You’ll cope.. you are far to dedicated not to 🙂
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I think the dungeon story sounds like a great idea. But since you’re already writing a book, would writing an A to Z story every day interfere with that? Or will it fuel your imagination so that you can tackle your book? That’s a tough one. When I’m writing a fiction book, writing nonfiction helps relax me more than another fiction project would. But that might not be the case for you. You seem to grow more imaginative as you work on more and more fiction.
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I just added a note because Spring Recess is in the middle of April. That adds toddler wrangling to everything else.
I like the dungeon idea and might save it for later use, but I think I’ll have my plate full. If anything, I’ll possibly go the monster poem route. I could write the names now and then see what happens when I go back to them when the time comes.
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I participated in the A-Z Challenge last year, and learned a lot. I’m thinking of participating again this year, but with two babies in the family, I will just wait and see. I’ve read several posts about writing posts ahead of time to be published on the A-Z challenge. That may be an option for you.
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I’ve read about that too. It’s why I’m seeing if I can build up some inspiration and time to prepare before I sign up.
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It’s tempting to participate in events like these… but they’re also big commitments. Not as bad as NaNoWriMo though.
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Good point. I keep considering that one and then remember everything else that I do. Even though I post every day, I like the leisure of it. So if I do miss a day, I don’t feel bad.
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This sounds like quite the challenge if you choose to do it. Good luck with your decision.
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Thanks. 🙂
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I like the poetry idea. So what if it’s been done before…it hasn’t been done by YOU. Plus you’re so good at it and you make it look effortless. AND, reading and writing poetry can help with your writing…inspiring ideas, pulverizing writer’s block (although you probably don’t suffer from that), etc. So, what do you feel more? Inspired? Then, do it! Overwhelmed? Then pass.
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I think overwhelmed is right. I’m still going to wait the weekend and see if anything comes to mind.
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I am so busy I haven’t got the slightest idea what this challenge even is! XD
I think you should just sit down before an open canvas (paper, Word document, whatevz!) and do the first letter, maybe kinda let it dictate and steer your boat and see how it goes, then decide if you are going to proceed. And, if I understood it correctly, it’s in April? When your little one is out and about to break everuthing in the house? (mine sure does try!) Why not turn him into a character from a book and describe him and his adventures using the alphabet letters?
There you go, I probubly managed to make you feel even more busy! 😀
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I saw it popping up last year when I was doing promotional work for my first book. Some people did get novellas or short stories out of it. I’m finding it hard to even want to start at this point because of all the converging events in that month. You know, I think there’s even a baby due around that time somewhere in the family (Not me).
Thankfully, the little one doesn’t try to break things and is more of a chatterbox. The issue does come up that he’ll be home and needs attention and outside time. It means I might only have the night to get work done and the novel will have to take precedence. This really is starting to feel like a mess even without the challenge.
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I think I’ll pass on month long challenges for a while. Good luck though to you!
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Thanks, but I think I’m going to pass. April is a bad month to attempt this year.
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