Friday 17 February 2012

Should I Do the A to Z Blogging Challenge?



I’ve been toying with the idea of doing the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I keep swinging from yes to no and back again. I’d like to do it, it sounds fun. But on the other side I have these reservations:
  • Am I going to have time for this? My husband is constantly telling me I over-commit and make myself too busy. Full-time work, I’m a mother, a wife, writing a novel, working on multiple short stories, promoting myself on Twitter, managing two blogs (yes one wasn’t enough for me), I’m usually doing writing workshops (four right now) and my latest project is to establish a newsletter (subscriptions are open if you’re interested). Perhaps he has a point?
  • If I do have time for this, I need 26 topics. I usually only blog once a fortnight on this blog, so that’s a year’s worth of topics. I think about that fact and it’s an immediate disincentive to do this challenge. Those topics could get me through the next 12 months!
  • To cut that down, I could post some fiction instead. I don’t usually post fiction on my blog, preferring to seek alternative markets for it (OK I haven’t done much of that yet, I’m working on it, all right…) but I could do some flash fiction for the blog.
So tell me in the comments what you think? Should I:
  1. Participate in the A to Z Blogging Challenge with 26 topics; or
  2. Participate with 13 topics and 13 pieces of fiction (or some other combination of your choice); or
  3. Just write some fiction for you to read and not participate at all; or
  4. If you insist, you can suggest ‘Other’.
This is the list of possible topics I have so far.

A – Achy Breaky Heart and the Perception of Country Music
B – Big Business, Big Bucks
C – Country goes City – Drizabones in Sydney CBD
D – Daylight Robbery – How My Electricity Company Steals My Solar Power
E – Etiquette of Critiques
F – Fidelity and Its Continuing Relevance
G – Gun Laws: Should Australia Relax Regulation?
H - ???
I – Intellectual Property Rights for Books Explained
J - ???
K- ???
L - ???
M- Music – In Defence of Country & Western
N – Names – Did You Change Yours?
O – Oh My God, Are You Really Wearing That?
P - Public Transport and Cityrail’s Campaign Against Undesirable Commuters
Q – Discuss With A Q – Reasons to Use This Comment Widget
R - Raising the Bar for Self-Pubbed Authors
S – Switching from Blogger to Wordpress: Should You?
T – Triberr Etiquette
U - Unwinnable War? Ciara Vs Telecommunications Giant
V – Vexatious Blog Habits
W – Writing Workshops – Are They Valuable?
X - ???
Y - ???
Z - ???

Anyone for a dose of fantasy fiction?

























Feel free to suggest a topic you’d like me to rant about or some inspiration for a short story in the comments. Let me know which of these topics you’d most like to see!

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17 comments:

Janeisaac said...

It sounds like a wonderful challenge if you have the time to work through it. And you have some very interesting topics already listed. As long as you are enjoying what you are writing and not neglecting your fiction - then go for it:)

Lorca Damon said...

I don't know, it sounds awfully tempting. And you know you're rock star enough to do it! (I'm totally an enabler.)

Deborah Korthof (The Epic Mom) said...

I'd like to read these.

Amberr Meadows said...

For someone who does not blog often, and is a full-time lawyer, wife, mom, AND fantasy writer, this might be quite a task. Blogging every day is harder than it might seem, but you're also feisty. I say try it, and if it doesn't work out for the 26 days/topics, no big deal. I dropped Project 365 and didn't miss a beat. :-)

Ciara Ballintyne said...

Time is the concern. Unless I write some fiction for the challenge, there is every chance I will neglect it. Hell, I have to neglect my fiction just to read a book! If I were to do this, though, I'd probably write a bunch of posts in advance.

Ciara Ballintyne said...

You are SUCH an enabler, Lorca, shame on you!

Ciara Ballintyne said...

Oh, I don't think blogging every day is easy, I think it's insane! I should have mentioned I have the last week of March off work so I could try and write a bunch of posts while lounging around on the beach.

Kirsty Stanley said...

Hi,

This year I'm planning to try and write many of the posts before April and schedule them because I know I will struggle to write 'on the day' (last year I mixed and matched a bit more) - you seem to be pretty organised already - why not get ahead for the topics you know about and maybe go with a flash fiction idea on the other days - asking for prompts to do with that letter the day before. Good luck if you do go ahead.

Ciara Ballintyne said...

I'm thinking I probably will write some of them in advance because I'm certain I wouldn't be able to do one a day on the day!

Kinley Baker said...

I've heard great things about this challenge. You do sound super busy though. But I know friends in the past made some great connections through the challenge. If you can't fit it in this year, there's always next year. Good luck! :-)

Ciara Ballintyne said...

By next year I'll probably have two children! Unfortunately I don't see myself getting any LESS busy in the near future. Thanks for the encouragement though :-)

Dee said...

I think it sounds fair to split up the topics if this is something you really want to try. It sounds like it would give you the best means of succeeding in your busy world!

Ciara Ballintyne said...

I think I just can't resist the notion that there's something I can't do LOL. Even in my day job I'm guilty of overservicing!

Matthew MacNish said...

Hi Ciara. I'm just dropping in as an A to Z co-host, and am now your newest follower. Nice to meet you!

Ciara Ballintyne said...

Thanks Matthew! You probably noticed I answered the 'Should I' question with a 'Yes' then and signed up LOL

Goran said...

ok... you should definitely try it. H, well that should be a no brainer for you. "High Fantasy, what is it and why is it awesome." Also I'm sensing that you have a thing for country music (based on A and M and possibly C). For L you might try "Law" you are after all a lawyer... ;-)

Ciara Ballintyne said...

I had come up with an idea for H but I like your idea better! Mind you, I keep changing the titles so I can rejig everything to fit stuff in LOL

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