I’m sure you know this by now (I might have mentioned it a few times), but I began contributing over at Sourcerer last week. I’ve been excited about it for a while and it is a true joy to be part of the team. I will be providing weekly reviews of Arrow, the latest of which can be found right here.
This leads me to the main subject of the post (you’ll understand in a minute), because I’ve decided to take part in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2015. The A to Z challenge has been running since 2010. It takes place during the month of April and involves a post a day, except for Sundays (you’re rewarded for good behaviour!). The twenty-six remaining days, once you’ve subtracted the ones for rest, are dedicated to a themed challenge – beginning on the 1 April with the letter A, and ending on the 30 April with the letter Z. In addition to taking part on my own blog, I will be joining the fun over at Sourcerer too. I have been allocated the letter N, joining an excellent line up of contributors *adopts best Louis Balfour voice* (The Fast Show) ‘Nice!’ I’m so excited about taking part, and will share the theme with you in a future post. If you’d like to learn more about the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, click here.
![A2Z-BADGE-000 [2015] - Life is Good](https://mbarkersimpson.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/a2z-badge-000-2015-life-is-good.jpg?w=300&h=300){kind=icon}
Other developments
You may have noticed I’ve been posting inspirational quotes on Mondays, in preparation for the #1000Speak project – an event which will take place on the 20 February 2015. If you don’t already know about the project and would like to find out more, click here.
Over the past few weeks, during the course of my adventures, and chatting with Gene’O, I’ve been introduced to some pretty fantastic bloggers. Diana, for example, at Part Time Monster, runs the weekly #WeekendCoffeeShare, which I’ve enjoyed taking part in. I also met Heather and Robin from Writeonsisters.com and have enjoyed exploring their site. A few of my friends have set themselves reading challenges this year, and I’ve been meaning to since I read Callum’s post. Today I found just the right one, inspired by Robin in her Top Ten Tuesday post. So, I’ve joined Book Riot’s 2015 Read Harder Challenge, which I’ll tell you more about next week. I will mention that the list involves a collection of poetry, which is great for me since someone I know is about to publish a collection (isn’t that right, Callum?).
Needless to say I think I’ve found a great starting point this year and I’m really looking forward to taking part in the challenges ahead.
Thanks for stopping by, and please let me know if you’re taking part in the A to Z challenge – it’s my first year so I need all the advice I can get!
Mel
Melissa Barker-Simpson 
16 responses to “The Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2015 and other developments”
Oh!! I love that challenge! I don’t participate but I love the posts that happen during that challenge. They’re awesome! I can’t wait to read yours!! I’m so excited!
Thanks so much. I’m excited too. I want to tell everyone what the theme will be, but I’m supposed to wait until the ‘big reveal’! It’s my first year so I’m a little nervous, but I’m trying to follow Gene O’s lead because he’s soooo organised it’s unbelievable! 🙂
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for the mention, and I’m glad you joined the Book Riot Challenge. : ) I’ve read tons of books that started off in Spanish, so if you need ideas for that task let me know.
I have A to Z advice to share. Start working on Q, X and Z right now. They’re just the hardest letters to figure out. I wrote three different posts for Q last year, before I hit on one I liked well enough to post. And I cheated on Z, I used a Z word in the post title and wrote about something different. But I vow to do better this year!
Thanks, Robin, that’s excellent advice. I’m a little nervous about my theme, but as we’re supposed to keep it a secret, it’s hard to gauge a response. Did you struggle with the theme, or is that something you had nailed on?
Also, it would be fab if you could recommend something for the challenge related to books originally published in another language. Thanks so much for the offer 🙂
I do struggle with the idea of an A to Z theme. We didn’t have one last year. We just picked ours a few weeks ago, and I’m not sure we have it nailed either. Maybe we should put together a little support group and bounce them around.
My number one pick for you to read is Arturo Perez-Reverte. He’s not a big name here in the US, but I grew up on him. The Club Dumas is my favorite of his books, with The Flanders Panel coming in second. Finding a good translation can sometimes be tricky, but give him a try and let me know what you think. If it’s not your kind of book, let me know and I can give you a few other authors to try.
A support group is a great idea. I woke up this morning with an idea for a new theme, but by the time I’d battled my way to my desk (through two arguing teenagers!) I’d forgotten it!
Thank you so much for the recommendation. I will order The Club Dumas today, and make a note of the Flanders Panel.
Your subtle nudge to get a move on has been duly noted 😉
lol – absolutely no pressure…though there’s a blank space where the title should be on that particular challenge! 😀
Wow, you got a lot going on this year on the blog then! Can’t wait to read the posts that come out of it 🙂
Thanks, Mishka 🙂
I’ve signed up, too. No idea what I’ll write though.
I have a few ideas, but I keep second guessing myself and changing my mind! I hope you settle on a theme soon 🙂
Awesome. I love the challenge and this is my 4th year doing it.
That’s great – I’ll know where to come if I get stuck! 😀
[…] THE BLOGGING FROM A TO Z CHALLENGE 2015 AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTS […]
[…] (like me!) out there, here’s a very special bit of good news! She’s taking part in the A to Z challenge this April. Her writing is fresh, funny and so captivating. Those posts are going to be […]