“We’ve all had this experience . . . It’s Saturday night.
You and your friends have decided to see a movie.”
from Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
Triple Post
A to Z brings out exceptional bloggers from all over the world. The posts, ranging all over the board in topics, are fun, inspirational, and informative to read. I came out of the challenge with a few more words in my vocabulary, some new blog buddies, and a renewed appreciation for blogging, as a whole.
I struggled with the comment - dilemma and time. I couldn't put my life on hold for A to Z. I decided, early on, to visit bloggers and comment on their blogs before I hit "reply" on my own blog. I tried really hard to visit everyone who visited me within a week of their visit. The other side of this dilemma came in my disappointment after I visited several bloggers who never gave a return visit or comment. So, I had the comment-dilemma, both from my own struggle to visit and the disappointment over the lack of return visits. You would think with that large plank in my own eye, I could handle the speck in someone else's, but it bugged me.
And then, I felt guilty about it bugging me.
Sigh.
On the other side of that, I had some awesome blog buddies and new blog buddies who commented all the time! Thank you. And, I had some fun with the Muffin Commando Squad, led by C. Lee. I was blow away by C. Lee's leadership, and the wonderfully supportive Commando Squad:
Carrie Butler, Yvonne Ventresca, Donna McDine, Patricia Lynne, Tara Tyler, and Tammy Theriault. A to Z brings out exceptional bloggers from all over the world. The posts, ranging all over the board in topics, are fun, inspirational, and informative to read. I came out of the challenge with a few more words in my vocabulary, some new blog buddies, and a renewed appreciation for blogging, as a whole.
I struggled with the comment - dilemma and time. I couldn't put my life on hold for A to Z. I decided, early on, to visit bloggers and comment on their blogs before I hit "reply" on my own blog. I tried really hard to visit everyone who visited me within a week of their visit. The other side of this dilemma came in my disappointment after I visited several bloggers who never gave a return visit or comment. So, I had the comment-dilemma, both from my own struggle to visit and the disappointment over the lack of return visits. You would think with that large plank in my own eye, I could handle the speck in someone else's, but it bugged me.
And then, I felt guilty about it bugging me.
Sigh.
On the other side of that, I had some awesome blog buddies and new blog buddies who commented all the time! Thank you. And, I had some fun with the Muffin Commando Squad, led by C. Lee. I was blow away by C. Lee's leadership, and the wonderfully supportive Commando Squad:
I really enjoyed my theme this year, celebrating other bloggers and authors. I hope others did, too.
More, Recent Celebrations:
Cherie Reich released Once Upon a Nightmare last month, and her book blog tour is coming in June!
Milo James Fowler has a novel coming out in installments at Every Day Fiction: Captain Bartholomew and the Space-Time Displacement Conundrum.
Jay Noel released the third book in his steampunk series: The Iron Warrior!
Nate Wilson is hosting his fifth annual Haiku Contest! $25 Amazon gift cards await as prizes, and the deadline is May 7th!!! (Go, right now, to his blog!)
and, Misha Gericke has some awesome news . . . that I don't want to spoil too early. Go, check out her blog!!!
And, what does this have to do with Saturday night?
Well, Saturday night (or Friday) always represents (for me) a night with friends or family, hanging out comfortably, looking for the next story to share . . . in a movie, or a conversation, or a book that we've all read.
So, are you ready to hang out with some awesome IWSG friends on a Wednesday that feels like a Saturday night?
Bonus: if you were going to go to a movie on Saturday night, what would it be?
As we head into the summer months, I'm going to be outside or hunkered down over a few writing projects. So, I'll be posting a blog schedule of upcoming posts at the beginning of each month.
Upcoming May posts: Celebrate the Small Things (only on the 22nd), Guest Post from Alex J. Cavanaugh on the 25th, and Do You Have Goals on the 29th.
Ongoing Freebies:
"The Bridge Snap" - a flash of sweet romance and photography. Kindle Nook Kobo
"Seedling" - a super-powered, coming-of-age flash. Kindle Nook Kobo Smashwords
Ashes Burn Season One: Ashes Away - part 1 of an experimental, micro-epic-fantasy series following the lives of Wend, Teresa, and King Bryant. Kindle Nook Kobo Smashwords
And, if you haven't already, please sign up for my new newsletter on the right of the blog!
"The Bridge Snap" - a flash of sweet romance and photography. Kindle Nook Kobo
"Seedling" - a super-powered, coming-of-age flash. Kindle Nook Kobo Smashwords
Ashes Burn Season One: Ashes Away - part 1 of an experimental, micro-epic-fantasy series following the lives of Wend, Teresa, and King Bryant. Kindle Nook Kobo Smashwords
And, if you haven't already, please sign up for my new newsletter on the right of the blog!
Comments not being returned is a common complaint this year. Not sure why so many didn't.
ReplyDeleteI'd go see Avengers Age of Ultron again!
Glad to hear it's that good. :)
DeleteI've seen a lot of people complaining about return comments as well. I probably had a few but I also didn't get to visit as many new blogs as I wanted to. I mostly kept up with blogger buddies who always comment back.
ReplyDeleteI did that, too, but I was also a minion - and lots of those visits went into the void.
DeleteI think the not returning comments is a common problem in general. I admit that I'm guilty of it sometimes too on my blog. I just get too busy to follow all my new followers and I always regret it. I'm not sure the answer to the problem, because we have to work and be good with our families too.
ReplyDeleteI'm guilty of it, too . . . and at the very least, I'm almost always late in the day or the week.
DeleteYour A-Z theme was fun! I'm seeing a lot of people saying the same thing about little to no return comments. I don't remember that being a problem in previous years (but then again, I can barely remember what happened yesterday!)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Madeline!
DeleteI wish I could say that I always return comments (and usually I do), but there are days it just doesn't pan out, and I feel guilty when it happens. As to ppl returning mine, I honestly don't watch it that closely. Although I love getting comments :) And I"m going to go see Avengers this weekend. Definitely.
ReplyDeleteI guess it feels more noticeable during A to Z - I'm not sure I notice as much on regular posts.
DeleteYour theme was great. I found some great bloggers I didn't know through it. The return comment thing seems to be a common complaint for A to Z. We'll have to emphasize that even more than we already do for next year.
ReplyDeleteThat's cool, Susan. I'm glad you found some great bloggers!
DeleteI try to return comments, but I definitely didn't have the time to commit to the A-Z challenge! As for movies, I really want to watch Age of Ultron!
ReplyDeleteI want to watch that, too!
DeleteI visited a lot of blogs and left comments there before answering my own. It was the best I could do, for the first time out. Being a minion sent me to a lot of places that weren't actually participating... a waste of time but had to checked. I can empathize, Tyrean. You had one of the best themes I participated in. I got to enjoy many writers and bloggers through you. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Dixie!
DeleteResponding to your commenters can be time consuming. especially during IWSG, and extra especially during the A-Z challenge. There's so much to do and so little time to do it. You did your part, don't let others get you down.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ken. I appreciate your thoughts!
DeleteCommenting is always hard and I found it draining the last time I did the A-Z especially when you find yourself commenting on dozens of sites but don't feel like you have time to appreciate it. That's one of the reasons I decided to skip the challenge, but it's a great experience.
ReplyDeleteThat's so true - it's hard to keep it going.
DeleteYeah, the return comments thing isn't what it used to be. Is it? I love Save the Cat. Great reference book. But those who didn't visit back saw your name and heard of you. That's something. No effort goes wasted in this business. Sometimes it feels like we're banging our heads against a wall, then something unexpectedly marvelous happens which wouldn't have happened if not for banging our heads against a wall.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts, M Pax! At least we have a few musicians like Alex, who are going to keep us head-banging in rhythm . . . maybe we'll get a few more hits that way. :)
DeleteThe A to Z is fun, but it takes so much time. The last time I participated, I could barely keep my head above water.
ReplyDeleteThat's where I was at this year.
DeleteI realized halfway through the challenge, I saw links to your posts on Google+ and I thought, "I'll read it when I go through my feed reader." Only I didn't have you there, so all this time I thought I was visiting you daily and I don't think I was. With so many blogs, I often had no idea if I missed someone.
ReplyDeleteThat's okay, Patricia. I remember you visiting. And, I wouldn't expect a comment for comment visit during A to Z - just a one-stop is good. :)
DeleteI think the hardest part of the challenge is keeping up with everyone who comments on your blog as well as visiting new blogs and commenting. It's not too easy some days even not in the challenge. I always try to visit people who comment on my blog first and then see who else I can get to. And thank you so much for mentioning Once upon a Nightmare! You're so sweet! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's my strategy too, even for IWSG once a month.
DeleteAnd, you're welcome!
Congrats on finishing. I too struggled with real life getting in the way, and I pretty much crawled across that finish line.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the shout-out! I appreciate it.
I think a lot of us crawled across the finish line this year.
DeleteAnd, you're welcome! Started reading, but haven't had much time . . .
I get it about not getting your comments returned. It can be disappointed when you have put some time into yourself. I try to always return comments, even if not on the same day, but also to remember ones who have commented in the past and maybe been silent for a bit. I think life interferes sometimes with keeping us from doing what needs done or we want to do, even though our intent is to return it. I also try to include my url to make it easier to return comments too, when people are able. I know yesterday I did not get to make the rounds for IWSG like I had planned, because of life. Today I am catching up a bit, until my attention is demanded elsewhere again. I always enjoy your post. Happy Writing. Juneta @ Writer's Gambit.
ReplyDeleteI think that's the best we can all do - catch up when we can. :)
DeleteWow - what a post!! Yes, I too would like those bloggers who I comment upon to take the time to respond to me especially if I have left a link back so all they have to do is click on my name but I suppose all I can think is those that DO probably have more in common with me than those who don't and that I am much more likely to keep in contact with these responsive bloggers, such as yourself, than the other sort! Special Teaching at Pempi’s Palace also calling in by way of Celebrate the Small Things
ReplyDeleteIt's tough to get around and visit everyone . . . so I get that. It's just tough to have the time to do it all.
DeleteThe A-Z is always challenging - that's why they call it the A-Z Challenge. lol Don't worry too much about the comment situation. Just do what you can, but don't put your whole life on hold for it or obsess about the non-commenters. Its not personal, they just have too much going on. Have a great weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lexa!
DeleteThanks so much for spreading the word about my good news!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the comment dilemma. It's actually part of the reason why I didn't sign up last year. This year seemed better to me, but then the internet screwed things up.
You're welcome!
DeleteI didn't have too much of a problem with comment returns. I did the same as you...visited blogs who commented on mine first, before I ventured out to new blogs. Sadly, I didn't really visit as many new blogs as I would have liked. I enjoyed your theme Tyrean and all the blog love!
ReplyDeleteKatie @TheCyborgMom
Thanks, Katie!
DeleteIt's really hard to choose what to do and when to do it--at least for me. I'm in the same boat as most AtoZers: I try to return comments, then I branch out to find other bloggers I enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words, Tyrean. I really loved having you on the team because you always came through. That's what team membership is all about, heh?
You're welcome, C. Lee! It was fun being on your team!
DeleteThanks, Melody!
ReplyDeleteFinding time to comment is tough even without A2Z. You're better at it than I am, Tyrean. Thanks for the shout-out!
ReplyDeleteSometimes, I make it work . . . and sometimes, I don't. It's the toughest part of the challenge for me.
DeleteAnd, you're welcome!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI didn't get to your blog during the A to Z because I was concentrating on reaching those people in and around the number that I had and the ones below my number, but at first I too felt sad about the people that were not returning my blog visits and there were many that didn't. I finally decided to focus on the goals I had for the challenge and I continued visiting blogs regardless of whether they paid me a return visit. Therefore, I understand your thing about time and dilemma.
I admit that this was a step of growth in me. I got away from expecting that someone pay me a return visit and that was good.
Overall, we had some exceptional blogs in this Challenge and i especially enjoyed the blogs from the photographers. They were first class.
I will take the time to drop by your blog.
Shalom,
Pat Garcia
Hi Tyrean! I'm on the A to Z Road Trip to catch up on all the blogs I missed during the Challenge. I hear you on the commenting issue. The commenting part was the hardest part of the Challenge for me. I had so many things going on I just couldn't get to everywhere I wanted to be. And by the end I was really starting to feel burnt out.
ReplyDeleteBut now that I've had a break, I'm looking forward to picking up where I left off. You had such a great theme, and now I have a list of new bloggers to check out. Thanks for that, and I hope you have a great weekend!
Don't beat yourself up. Lots of us struggle with returning visits. Downloaded Ashes Burn. Sounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteMy family always has something to do on the weekends, but we really just like to stay home. Being home on a Saturday night is great for us homebodies. Embrace it! :o)
ReplyDeleteI like to think that people will pay a return visit eventually if not right away. Maybe they visit, but just don't know what to say. Or maybe I'm just naïve about this blogging business.
Have a great weekend!
Oh, I completely failed at returning visits during the Challenge. That's why I'm making up for it now. No use dwelling, I figure! :)
ReplyDeleteBlog maintenance takes time, so don't be too hard on yourself. I often admire all you seem to get done on social media while still homeschooling your kids! :) Wishing you well with your summer projects. Have a few of my own projects to tackle, so may go light on the blog schedule as well. Just so many hours in the day, right?
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by! I hope we'll keep in touch. This is a nice blogspot you have here! Nice A to Z Reflection. :)
ReplyDeleteWhew! I am just NOW catching up on A-to-Z comments. Talk about guilt...
ReplyDelete