A to Z Reflections 2015 #AtoZChallenge

“Your writing voice is the deepest possible reflection of who you are. The job of your voice is not to seduce or flatter or make well-shaped sentences. In your voice, your readers should be able to hear the contents of your mind, your heart, your soul.”

- Meg Rosoff

And that was my motto for the A to Z April Challenge 2015 which ended last week. It’s funny how even though the challenge has ended I find myself in a rhythm of going over everyone’s blogs, reading old or new posts and constantly updating my blog calendar.

Since the past couple of months I have been in a sort of unexplained frenzy. A first timer in this challenge, like everyone else, my initial thoughts were apprehensive. In my head, surviving a month long blogging challenge seemed like an impossible task (only for me) considering how I am constantly drawn in multiple directions all through the day.

And I was indeed wrong. 

Last month, I discovered new capabilities in myself. I learnt new lessons and most of all, I enjoyed writing. 

Lesson 1 - I loved the concept of having a theme because it paved my thoughts in a specific direction. 

Lesson 2 - You don’t need much time to publish a post as long as you are focused on the letter of the day.

Lesson 3 - Blogging is as much as easy as any other day-to-day task. A routine is what helps set it in motion.

Although I was prepared with a theme and roughly 13-15 auto-scheduled posts,  it was the second half of the month which seemed the hardest. Thanks to the weather bug, the entire household came down feeling sick and that slumped my writing or rather my strength to keep up. Nevertheless, I have been better than most other challenges.

As the above quote suggests, writing for this challenge helped bring out few heart-felt emotions on the paper. While the most part of my writing looked like pieces of fiction, I did write about real-life experiences to see how my readers would react given the same situation.

I also dabbled with different forms of writing during the month ranging from different kinds of poetry to 100-word drabbles to open letters to lists and eventually matters close to my heart. I kept it like a month long initiative by blogging for Friday Reflections which again kept me thinking and reflecting on the past days. It has been a fun experience and most of all it opened the world to an amazing community of bloggers and blogs likewise - as always.

Can I end this post without thanking the wonderful bloggers who took the time to come visit my space and leave their thoughts everyday. I think not. :)

While I may enlist only a few bloggers here (in no particular order) right now, I am deeply grateful to all those who visited. You made my day everyday last month and in turn showed me how I can never run out of reading good inspirational blog posts each day of my life. :) Thank You !

1. The Moving Quill by Shailaja V
2. Shanaya Tales by Shantala Nayak
3. Living my Imperfect Life by Sanch Vee
4. Everyday Gyaan by Corinne Rodrigues
5. A Rose is a Rose is a Rose by Shilpa Garg
6. Blog-A-Rhythm by Shailaja V and many other talented bloggers from the sphere
7. A Tale of Two Tomatoes by Shalini Nair
8. Life Under Microscope by Prasanna Rao
9. Happiness and Food by Parul Kashyap Thakur
10. Blogging from A to Z Challenge (where it all began ! :))
11. Expressions by Nibha Gupta
12. Void Thoughts by Vinitha Dileep
13. Xpress your Essence by Elly Stornebrink
14. Alphabet Salad by Laurel Regan
15. Flightless Birds Thoughtful Wings by Swathi Shenoy
16. A Global Fusionista by Eli Ertresvaag
17. Write with Fey by Chrys Fey

I definitely see myself returning for this challenge next year and until then, till we meet again… :)

“My role in society, or any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all.”

- John Lennon