Reflecting on the A to Z

Image courtesy of Kevin Tuck, rgbstock.com

I signed up, I wrote, and I stayed up too late.

I read, I commented, and I followed.

Most importantly, I had a great time!

I signed up for this challenge on a whim. Having never participated in any kind of blogging event before, I really had no idea what to expect. I thought I would have fun, and I looked forward to writing to a theme each day. I hoped I would make new friends and gain a few followers. One thing I didn't anticipate, however, was just how much participating in the challenge would change how I feel about writing.

Although I've been blogging every day for well over a year now, I was beginning to lose my passion. Something wasn't right, and for several months, I fell into a writing slump. I wasn't having fun with it anymore, and I found that I was giving my other projects--a young adult novel, a short story collection, my family history memoir, and my poetry--little to no attention. Writing didn't have the spark it once had.

This challenge changed that, and it's because of the wonderful, creative people I met, people from all fields and with all interests, all sharing one thing--a passion for what they do. And seeing how passionate people are about their interests renewed my interest in and passion for writing. I'm back to working on those projects I had abandoned for so long, and I owe it to the great people I met during the A to Z journey--people like Taylor, Graciewilde, Wendy, Stephanie, Betty, Nikki, Patti, and Fran, just to name only a few.

Sure there were some bumps along the way, like tricky letters, last-minute posts, and too few hours in the day. Also, I do wish I could have spent more time reading each blog. By ignoring my need for sleep, I managed to visit all of them, and although I commented on many of them (and followed others), time and offline obligations didn't afford me the opportunity to really give them all the attention I would have liked.

However, I'm grateful for the bloggers I did meet, and I want to thank all of you who have been reading and commenting. I look forward to hearing from you each day!

And there's no doubt about it: I will be back next year!

Now if you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to reintroduce myself to my family. ;)