Phew! I am happy to report that I have written more posts this month than I wrote in the whole of 2009 and 2010! April has been a
journey of sorts and Z seems relevant to talk about the month gone by.
I took up this challenge just because I saw two people on my blogroll planning
to pursue it. Just like that, without thinking, I joined the bandwagon. April
was going to be a boring month and my blog had been ignored for quite some time;
this seemed like the right thing to do.
Little did I know that April will turn out to be hectic like
all other months! Guests left on 1st April and I wanted some time to
breathe. On 5th we left for Bangladesh which turned out to be hectic
and fun at the same time. I need adequate time to rest after long journeys and
so I thought I won’t do justice to the challenge. Turns out, blogging was a
great relaxant.
Somewhere in the middle of the month I developed a strange
muscle strain in my back. I’ve been unable to sleep at night due to it. Trust me,
this blogging challenge has been my Savior every night when I wake up at 3 a.m. due to severe
back ache. Because of this, I concentrate more on alphabets rather than the
nagging pain. I’m seeing a doctor and a physiotherapist and hope to be fine soon.
I chose to write about mundane stuff each day. I thought of
words starting with the alphabet and tried to pick ones which could be relatable. I
know I can’t make people roll on the floor, but I tried. Going by the
statistics, the readership on weekends was pretty low. Going by views and
comments, H for Husband was applauded the most. Here also, he seems to have
stolen the show! M for Mutual Admiration Club seemed like it made an
interesting read because people took time to comment on it. Aunty, Dieting, Selfies and Weather were probably a tad funny to generate some hahas. I had the hardest time writing for Y and so I just churned a quick story. I did cheat twice
and used my old poems for V and P, but I guess that’s allowed! And just to let you know, I might have to delete X soon because it is drawing unwanted visitors.
The second part of the challenge was commenting on
other blogs which I’m sorry I was unable to do on a regular basis. I would
really want to thank Soumya, Nabanita, Shine, Kathy, Carol, Shilpa, Srilakshmi,
Enchantress, Somehonestwriting, Danny, Rajlakshmi, Swathi, Ananya, Shailaja, Beloo and many more bloggers who took part in this challenge and made
a point to comment frequently. Special mention goes to Red, Anita, Prassana, KP and Thinker –
these read my blog religiously even without participating in
the challenge and that is really something!
And yes, lots of love to non-bloggers who read. My darling
friend Aradhana even messaged me one Sunday night mentioning that I forgot to
blog that day! I then told her that Sunday was a holiday for us. Needless to
say, I was elated at her dedication. When people just come to blogger to read,
it means I am doing something right, right?
This is probably the longest post of the month. I tried to
keep it short and simple. I am sure I made lots of grammatical errors because I
did not edit much and also because it is a weak point here. I am trying to work on that. More than anything, this challenge
has been a great learning process. I hope I continue to write as often.
I would love it if you could tell me what you liked and what you did not; a fair evaluation would really help me grow. You can comment as Anonymous as well and I promise not to complain. Any which way, much love and happy reading, guys! This has been fun :)
P.S. I am already feeling withdrawal symptoms. Are you feeling them too? What should we do now!?
I would love it if you could tell me what you liked and what you did not; a fair evaluation would really help me grow. You can comment as Anonymous as well and I promise not to complain. Any which way, much love and happy reading, guys! This has been fun :)
P.S. I am already feeling withdrawal symptoms. Are you feeling them too? What should we do now!?
Phew indeed! I must say it's the first time for me too and I have written the max posts in this one month in my whole blogging career! Hope to keep in touch after this too...great to have met you through this challenge!
ReplyDeleteThankyou, Danny! I hope we keep challenging ourselves the same way in the time to come :)
DeleteYes, siree! You're on my reading list!
DeleteApplause. I can't even think of going for an A to Z challenge. Blogging everyday is just not my cup of tea so hats off to you for doing that and that too commendably. I actually liked your X post too but i am sure the unwanted visitors must be making your spam folder over flow :) I loved V for victory? It was my favorite.
ReplyDeleteJas, firstly, thankyou so much for visiting so frequently! I like your writing so much that when you praise something, I feel I've actually done a good job :)
DeleteTrust me, if you can read blogs everyday, you can write posts everyday as well. Maybe plan ahead a little and schedule a few posts before hand. I think this thing happens 3-4 times a year, do try and participate.
Aww thanks for the mention...it was a pleasure as always reading you.. and I'm happy you completed it successfully ! I hope you get well soon.. Pain in the neck can really be a pain in the neck ! Take care!
ReplyDeleteThankyou, Anita! For all the love and support :)
DeleteA good final post for the challenge - a summary of sorts, a looking back, and an update - all combined into one :) Nicely done! I am happy to have discovered your blog through this challenge and I hope to continue visiting it even beyond this month :) And I see that I haven't really read many of your A-Z posts, hope to go through them in the next few days. Did I tell you, I am so intrigued by your blog name. Very creative :) Thanks for the kind mention. And I wish you speedy recovery and good health. Take care, and stay in touch!
ReplyDeleteThankyou so much! My blog name was a random idea 7 years back.. maybe because my teeth aren't straight! I never knew I will come this far and this blog would reach places. Hope to explain this to many more people..hehe!
DeleteHEHEH...I love reading your blog with or without this Challenge! You will find me looming around always !! :D
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on finishing the challenge properly!!!
How sweet!! May God give you more patience to loom around!
DeleteHi Nisha,
ReplyDeleteHave been reading your blog, but commenting here for the first time :) This is a nice round up post ! Congrats on surviving the challenge !
I have missed some posts of yours, which I'll get back to, soon :)
Thanks for visiting me during the challenge and for the encouragement ! :)
Keep writing, let's stay connected !
Thankyou for coming out in the open! You know how we all are suckers for comments :D
DeleteHope to keep reading. This Z post is turning out to be like a farewell party!!
Wow! Congrats on the big number...sometimes v need such challenges to break the inertia. Hope u get well soon.
ReplyDeleteThere is a great feeling of achievement, Shaivi. Thankyou for coming here as often as you do. Thankyou for all the encouragement :)
DeleteYayyyyyyyyyyyyy we did it!!! :D
ReplyDeleteLooking back now I think how soon this month went by! And I agree too that readership was less during the weekends. Thanks for being by my side too and for every single comment in every single post of mine for this month. I loved everything you wrote and I can't believe you have to delete 'X'. I loved that post :D
Oh I need to show you the kind of things people are searching and coming here through X! It makes me sick! I have no choice.
DeleteI took part because of you... seriously. I thought if she can be so busy but still write as often, why can't I ! So yes, I should be thanking you for everything. Yayyy to us!
Congratulations, you did it!!! April was one wild ride. ♥
ReplyDeleteIndeed. You're a darling, Kathy! It was always a pleasure to read your comments.
DeleteYay we did it :). Kudos to you for completing the challenge successfully with such variety to serve us. You are the only one among the very few I was reading who was so religious with the timing of post as well. I stand guilty of not commenting lately; TBH's typhoid, guests at home and other things caught me. But one thing that was a part of my morning ritual was reading you every single day as soon as I wake up.
ReplyDeleteAgain big wala congratulations Girl, and give some rest to the back now. How is it now?
It's ok.. reading is more important than commenting!! Thankyou for the love, N! I read all your entries too :)
DeleteI think the back ache is improving.. still a few days till I fully recover I guess. Take care of your husband. Hope he is well now.
Well done, Nisha and congrats for finishing in style despite the hectic schedule. We are champions:)
ReplyDeleteYess.. kudos to us!!! Hope we keep the momentum going.
DeleteCongrats... You did it!!! I am sure it would have been superb to write just as it was for us to read...
ReplyDeleteSorry I didn't actually read the last few of your posts, have been busy with exams... But thanku so much for the spcl mention :-*
I hope you wud continue to write your amazing stuff...
My fav was T - your trip report
I was jealous but by reading yours experience, I actually felt I was there... Gr8 feeling!
The trip report was my favorite part of the month. I was soooo thrilled by the whole experience. Lots and lots of love to you! May you do really well in your exams.
DeleteThank u sooooo much!!!
DeleteHey Congratulations and yes its been a lonnng month !
ReplyDeleteWe have survived the challenge !
http://www.ananyatales.com/2014/04/zeal-for-life.html
Yes we did. And I loved your posts. Thankyou for dropping by!
DeleteThanks a lot for the mention Nisha. I am totally in withdrawal state, but now I plan to write often, the challenge taught me that I can find time to write, no matter how busy I am. It was a great journey through the challenge. Congratulations for sailing through :)
ReplyDeleteTrue. I also hope to continue. It was a terrific challenge.
DeleteTrue April was a hectic month, but reading blogs was also a pleasure. Hope you are feeling better now :) and thank you so much for the mention :)
ReplyDeleteI loved your H for Hubby and other one about Food the MOST ! I used to wake up thinking about the letter and it's content .It was sooper funnnnnn..Got to know few great bloggers and Missed the last few alphabets which I am working on now..sounds illegal lol
ReplyDeleteIt was FUN Nishaaaaa and we kinda got the same mails lol :p
Hi Nisha ji
ReplyDeletei m reading your blog,....the first time nice post ! Congrats :))